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Uno - Uno CD (album) cover

UNO

Uno

 

Rock Progressivo Italiano

2.64 | 41 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

coasterzombie
2 stars Once Osanna split in 1974, singer Lino Viaretti and drummer Massimo Guarino formed Citta Frontale, leaving founding members Danilo Rustici and Elio D'Anna. After recruiting drummer Enzo Vallicelli of Hellza Poppin, Uno was born. Label Fonit spared no expense for their promising investment, bringing the band to London to record in the famed Trident Studios and even secured Hipgnosis for the UK album cover. Sung in English and Italian, Uno's debut album was supposed to be the international breakthrough the label was looking for, which Osanna was never able to deliver. The results were less than astonishing, and in this writer's opinion, abysmal. Uno fails on just about every level, narrowly missing a one-star rating. The performances feel phoned in; Viaretti's singing is sorely missed; production standards are well below the mark considering the caliber of studio in which it was recorded. Uno can only be recommended to Osanna fans as it does play a defining role in that group's creative arc. Despite my misgivings, Uno still belongs in any complete RPI collection as a tertiary title.

Being forced to choose, I would say "Right Place" is the best track on Uno by virtue of not being the worst. If the flute melody at the beginning sounds familiar, that's probably because it is: The music is nearly identical to Cervello's "Trittico." I guess this plagiarism is okay if it's your little brother's band, but I'm surprised Corrado Rustici of Cervello would not only endorse this but even join Uno in a live capacity. The introductory romanticism gives way to soft-prog cheesiness, which can either be viewed as revolting or as a guilty pleasure - choose your own adventure. "Popular Girl" allows the listener no such variance; it is pure boogie nonsense that tries to recoup at the end and fails miserably. "I Cani E La Volpe" is much more listenable, but after ten minutes the album already feels like a chore.

The English-sung "Stay With Me" is a lame attempt at commercial success, while "Uomo Come Gli Altari" feels genuine but ends far too soon. "Uno Nel Tutto" is the longest song on Uno and the one that will most appeal to Osanna fans; the wild, frantic sections are at best interesting and at worst annoying. The slower part near the end is perhaps the most successful attempt at blending Prog and commercial obligations, and is one I actually enjoy. "Goodbye Friend" rids farewell to this disappointing effort and borrows liberally from Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig in the Sky." After under-performing album sales, Uno was dunzo. The brothers Rustici would then tackle fusion on Nova's 1975 debut Blink.

coasterzombie | 2/5 |

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