UOMO DI PEZZA

This is the album in which Le Orme conquered the maturation of their own progressive voice, by craftily fusing the ELP-ish and genesian influences with the peculiar melodice that only Mediterranean musicians can naturally achieve. "Uomo di Pezza" is one of those absolute Italian masterpieces that give good fame to that country's progressive vintage among prog-heads. The album's opener 'Una Dolcezza Nuova' kicks off with a bombastic intro led by a marriage of organ and piano, until the piano alone functions as the lead instrument for the main motif, a soft, delicate melody sung by Tagliapietra with his high pitch. The mellotron-flute washes provide a proper background for the song's eerie mood. Next comes 'Gioco di Bimba', an acoustic semi-ballad Venezian style tha texudes folkish candor in all places: the 3/4 tempo, the playful synth lines, the electric guitar emulating a mandolin, all of them conjured by the precise rhythmic foundation provided by dei Rossi, bring visions of gondolas and grey streets in the afternoon to the listener's mind. In contrast, the following track is the most patently complex in the album: 'La Porta Chiusa' finds the band exploring their British influences across the various motifs and tempo shifts, while preserving their own special accent. After all, the Baroque sections that appear in places come from their own national tradition, so it's no surprise that they can manage them so fluidly and effortlessly. The coda theme is one of the ballsiest Le Orme's compositions ever. The album's second half starts with the dreamy ballad 'Breve Immagine': the intertwined sounds of mellotron, Moog and celeste bear a surreal overall sonic landscape that frames the main melodies in an overtly evocative ambience, to a degree, similar to some classic Genesis ballads dominated by mellotron. The next two tracks combine the folkish flavors of acustic guitar strumming and the special textures of the Moog synthesizer: while 'Figure di Cartone' puts a special emphasis on the folkish aspect, 'Aspettando l'Alba' digs slightly deeper into the realms of psychedelia while never letting go of the folkish nucleus. The instrumental closer 'Alienazione' does go to spychedelic places in full swing, with a Hammond organ that sounds more Ratledgean than Emersonian, although it's fair to note that the ELP factor is very evident in the track's structure, middle jamming and overall mood. Dei Rossi's drumming is a special highlight here, at times stealing the show from the keyboard extravaganza with its tribal pulsations. "Uomo di Pezza" is a must in any good prog collection, and indeed, one of the best Le Orme's albums ever.