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SUITE PER UNA DONNA ASSOLUTAMENTE RELATIVAI Dik DikRock Progressivo Italiano3.33 | 51 ratings |
From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website
coasterzombie
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I will always associate this album with Hunka Munka's Dedicato a Giovanna G.: I got them
at the same time; both feature die-cut covers; the titles are similar. But the similarities don't
end there - I discovered much later that "Hunka Munka" himself, keyboardist Roberto
Carlotto, would go on to play for i Dik Dik. And like Dedicato a Giovanna G., Suite Per una
Donna Assolutamente Relativa is a keyboard-heavy suite of shorter songs sequenced to
flow together. Though I like it very much, i Dik Dik's 1972 foray into prog was short-lived and
not entirely successful. This was apparent at the time as album sales suffered and i Dik
Dik returned to basically being a singles group. But they did leave us this one patchy
treasure which belongs in any thorough RPI collection...the prog community at large should
not deem it essential.The four-measure pattern heard at the beginning of "Donna Paesaggio" will resurface throughout the album, and holds it together thematically. The catchy figure is a worthy jumping-off point for i Dik Dik to elaborate upon, flesh out, and eventually beat into the ground. I appreciate the coherence of this melodic device on Suite Per una Donna Assolutamente Relativa, it's just simply overdone. As the song fades to "Il Viso," a battery of keyboard instruments are introduced. Though the sleeve does not disclose who actually played on this thing, we can assume principle songwriter Mario Totaro helms the piano, Mellotron and Moog. "Il Cuore" initiates a trilogy of darker songs, and again Mellotron is used to good effect. "Intermezzo" continues the minor-key dirge, and "La Cattedrale dell'Amore" capitulates it. This trio reminds me of Metamorfosi's Inferno, though the feeling is short-lived. "Le Gambe" returns to a lighter sound, sustained by electric piano and a driving beat. "Suite Relativa" summons Days of Future Passed or even Atom Heart Mother, but quickly transitions to the upbeat "Monti e Valli." This triggers the point in the album where my attention starts to fade. The long, heavy "I Sogni" piques my interest momentarily as an assault of analog synthesizers begins to bombard the listener. "I Sogni" is the moment where i Dik Dik get closest to achieving classic Italian Symphonic Rock, but fail to cash in on the success. The disappointing "La Notte" is a rehash of the earlier trilogy, and "Sintesi" is a reprise of "Donna Paesaggio." The repetition is blunt and heavy-handed. A brief restatement or impression of the theme could have worked much better than a literal facsimile. In conclusion, that's really what Suite Per una Donna Assolutamente Relativa is - a facsimile of more relevant albums. But sometimes, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, and i Dik Dik easily get three stars just for trying.
coasterzombie |
3/5 |
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