WINGS OF LOVE

I am desperate for the CD version of this stunningly unknown, underappreciated jewel. My vinyl copy is almost fossilized by now, so I continue the vigil. With the formidable Percy Jones and the incredible Michael Walden replaced on bass and drums by total unknowns, who would expect Wings of Love to parallel the brilliance of "Vimana" ? The core remains : the Santanesque Corrado Rustici, Elio D'Anna's suave sax and woodwinds and Renato Rosset's liberal use of Fender Rhodes among other keys. This is less Brand X , a lot funkier at times and dreamier at others with breathlessly beautiful vocals. "You are Light" is a superb opener which just stays solidly on track providing a series of memorable tunes , with tons of oboe, flute and sax , crossing swords with Rustici's incredible fretwork. There is a slight Mahavishnu/Santana vibe here , this record would partner well with Borboletta/ Welcome/Caravanserai or Visions of Emerald Beyond/ Birds of Fire. Extremely original recording , very dissimilar from the previous "Vimana" or the following and disappointing "Sun City" . A unique prog gem that deserves more attention and errr ...a CD edition, please. Is there anyone out there who agrees with me ? 5 novas

I have to offer a dissenting opinion of this Nova disc. For me, it's just pure cheese-whiz fusion-lite dripping with dippy Sri-Chinmoy nonsense.

It's not that Nova aren't good musicians (they are VERY capable and competent players), but it's the material that just doesn't cut it. Like other reviewers have mentioned, it does have a kind of Santana-esque vibe with some faintly Mahavishnu-esque ornamentations, but nothing that really jumps out and grabs you by the throat. If anything, this leans far more towards pop with 9th chords than it does fusion, and I would dare say to even call it prog is a bit of a stretch, as it simply rehashes already war-worn cliches and doesn't dare to venture out of a comfortable little box. The instrumental "Marshall Dillon" is the only thing that even threatens to get interesting. Sorry folks, I just can;t get behind this rather bland affair.

There are a number of standout Italian jazz-rock/fusion bands from the Seventies that hold a continued interest, with Arti e Mestieri, Venegoni & Co and Perigeo perhaps being the more ambitious and well-known ones, but Nova are also deserving of a bit more attention. 1976's `Wings of Love' was their third album and first with a reworked line-up, but despite the rather drippy title, it still offered very worthwhile material with, of course, absolutely phenomenal musicianship courtesy of the impeccable technical skills expected of the Italian groups. Despite having its smoother and poppier moments, `Wings...' still offers something more adventurous and weighty than mere `smooth jazz' or AOR/radio-friendly tunes, and its strong melodic elements are never at the expense of tightly composed predominantly instrumental moods that still crackle with a spark and finesse.

The band start by dashing through a sprightly and up-tempo killer funky pop-rocker `You Are Light', home to nimble and frantic instrumental dashes, silken harmonies and an infectiously catchy spiritual chorus that will lodge itself in your brain for all eternity! `Marshall Dillion' is a brisk fusion instrumental burst backed to a peppy dance-like beat, then drowsy reflective vocal piece `Blue Lake', one of the album standouts, reminds of Perigeo with its dreamier hazy moods, where seductively murmuring bass duels with piercing electric guitar themes that grow in twisting intensity back and forth. `Beauty Dream/Beauty Flame' holds gentle yet stirring instrumental melodies by way of mysterious faraway flute, delicate acoustic touches and sparkling restrained piano musings, all together bringing a dusty eastern mirage-like mystery.

The flips side's opener `Golden Sky Boat' is another up-tempo funk-popper with addictive and skilfully reprising soaring sax themes and aggressive bass grumbles aplenty. `Loveliness About You' is, unsurprisingly with that title, a sparkling ballad that gently reminds of the more elegant and heartfelt Beach Boys tunes in fleeting little moments amongst some alternatively reflective and sultrier sax musings and sighing group harmonies. `Inner Star' unleashes plenty of fast-paced red- hot electric guitar soloing tearing through spirited and almost whimsically cheerful flute breaks and a soulful vocal, the track almost sounding like something from the `Borboletta'-period Santana band, and `Last Silence' is a final reflective jazzy come-down of great taste and restraint flecked with breezy Moog trills.

Some will find the smoother or more openly romantic qualities too sappy, and the music is too concerned with marrying a funky pop sound to the instrumental runs to perhaps fully impress the more intense jazz-fusion followers, but `Wings of Love' offers plenty of thoughtful and energetic music throughout the entire disc, topped off with sublime vocals, and it makes for a classy LP by a talented group of musicians.

Four stars.

It is to me very weird to see the Nova albums from the mid-1970s listed as "Italian prog" when all four of them were recorded and produced in London with British producers and engineers with half of the musicians being Englishmen.

1. "You Are Light" (6:19) opens like something from the band's previous effort, Vimana, before getting a little disco- and jazz-imbued. The hooks in the second minute are reminiscent of both DAVE SANBORN and Narada Michael Walden's solo albums. Still, tit is a very engaging, enjoyable, and well-produced song. (8.875/10)

2. "Marshall Dillon" (3:53) a funked up jam in the vein of contemporary artists like Earth Wind & Fire, the Isley Brothers, Kool & the Gang, Ohio Players, Gap Band, Average White Band, and The Brother s Johnson over which Corrado's incendiary guitar is unleashed (but, unfortunately, much more processed). Very nice foundation from bass player Barry Johnson, Renata Rosset, and drummer Ric Parnell. Polished and well-engineered, just not "great." (8.875/10)

3. "Blue Lake" (6:50) rain, river, boat sounds over which Corrado and choir sing angelically. Elio's heavily-treated sax playing over the atmospheric music is nice--could have served more in the lead than the vocals. There are nice performances top to bottom though the mix is often surprising (bass so far forward and vocals and sax mixed into the rest of the soundscape). Renato's blend of keyboards is the song's perfect glue. The most surprising element is the complete restraint (or "absence") of Corrado's blistering guitar (until the very end). Almost a great song. (13.375/15)

4. "Beauty Dream - Beauty Flame" (6:22) a very beautiful pastoral song with subtle but beautiful chords and melodies and exquisite performances from the all-acoustic piano, acoustic guitar, flute, and "Nectar Smile Choir." Very much like Chick Corea's Return to Forever pieces like "The Romantic Warrior." (9.125/10)

5. "Golden Sky Boat" (6:09) starts out as a decent jazzy-rock song before Corrado's vocals and the funky Return To Forever driving chorus enter and dominate. The musicians are really all working out at top speed with bassist Barry Johnson and Renato Rosset's clavinet, Minimoog, and Fender Rhodes doing a masterful job in the low end. Corrado's guitar power chords are a sad joke, taking away from his true skills, talents, and tendencies. (8.666667/10)

6. "Loveliness About You" (5:53) the band here ventures into the sexy-lullabuy world of the future: the pop-pandering sounds (and lyrics) of that which will soon become known as "Smooth Jazz." It's pretty, it's romantic, it's very smooth, but it's moving far away from the complex hard bop and modal jazz forms and styles that launched the J-R Fusion movement. Almost like a watery AMERICA song. (8.875/10)

7. "Inner Star" (6:31) space cowboys! I mean: the sounds of American Country-Western music coming through rock 'n' roll instruments--' la American bands like the ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION and LITTLE FEET. This is actually a fairly well-balanced song with interesting hooks and performance surprises and a very solid rhythmic base. Though I hate Corrado's guitar playing seemingly bending (down) to the will of the demands of the rock 'n' roll gods, it does help make for a more cohesive and effective song. (9/10)

8. "Last Silence" (5:11) pretty, dreamy music with Barry Johnson's fluid EBERHARD WEBER-like fretless bass and Renato's floating Fender Rhodes keyboard play providing all the cushion one might need to float off to sleep (or opium-induced Nirvana). With this song one can see how Corrado Rustici ended up moving into roles as studio musician (Narada Michael Walden, Angela Bofill, Phillis Hyman, Stacey Lattislaw, Teena Marie, Patti Austin, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, George Benson, Sheena Easton, Kenny G, Calrence Clemons, Zuccharo, Ligabue) and record producer (Zuccharo Sugar Fornaciari, Loredana Berte', Paul Young, Randy Crawford, Elisa, Claudio Baglioni, Ligabue). (8.875/10)

Total Time 47:08

Co-Producer Narada Michael Walden's presence is still very strongly felt in everything about this album--even the spiritually-oriented lyrics. The songs are, however, more standard in format and polish but the sound is, unfortunately, heading toward that "Smooth Jazz" realm that usurped all Anglo-American jazz-rock fusion artists (more like "labels) in the late 1970s and early 1980s. For my tastes this album is too polished and squeaky clean--ready for radio play--even R&B and Contemporary Jazz and Adult Rock Radio formatted stations.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of proggy jazz-rock fusion--though the album as a whole represents quite a varied sample of prog and Jazz-Rock Fusion as it stood in 1977.