STORIA DI UN MINUTO

Well, Clarke 2001, here's another boring good review. What a massive achievement this album is. That Storia, like Per un Amico was unheard by most prog freaks until the 90s is criminal. I've read on this site that nobody 'really' matches up to Yes, Genesis, ELP etc. I used to believe that sort of anglocentric rubbish too, until I heard Focus and this lot. Recorded in 1971 - with moog and mellotron far in advance of Yes and Genesis - this went straight to the top of the Italian charts and probably was a major factor in Genesis' career - without PFM's success, it's questionable as to whether Genesis would have broken through in Italy in 72. I'd place this in any prog top ten, probably above King Crimson, as the use of classical influences is less strained, less kitschy - the use of (mellotron?) cello in Dove Quando? and the sparing use of woodwind are hallmarks of top-notch musicians irrespective of the genre they inhabit. The harmonies are sublime, subtly alternating bluesy changes and chords between jazz and classical melodic shapes and scales, which doesn't so much relate to what music they've taken it from as to where music can go from here. This is what ELP would have sounded like if they'd kept their egos in check. Not only quite beatifully crafted, but replicable onstage also. I know these guys have a high profile in prog, but the fact that they weren't superstars in the 1970s - despite Greg Lake's best efforts - remains a scandal. I guess they didn't help themselves, being openly communist and supporting the PLO - but between 1971 and 1975 they were among the very, very best there has ever been.