I DIK DIK

In Italy we have the terrible propensity to consider certain bands in a certain genre just because they have been more successful in that genre. Therefore I Dik Dik ends up being considered only one of the best (and most successful) Italian Beat bands, referring to their production of the 60's. The problem is that one of their symbolic songs is the cover of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum which re-titled (with Italian lyrics) "Senza Luce", published in 1967. Subsequently I Dik Dik have recorded several songs in the same style (for example "Il primo giorno di primavera" of 1969) that cannot fail to go unnoticed by a lover of Progressive Rock, even if on the more POP and melodic side. After 1972's "Suite per una donna assolutamente relativa", a poorly successful Progressive concept album, the band tried to return to early music and some line-up changes (Roberto "Humka Munka" Carlotto and Nunzio "Cucciolo" Favia joined in 1974) their music definitely changed. towards Progressive and the recovery of foreign songs (translating them into Italian) but creating a bit of chaos in the choices and style, so much so that they were not understood (in fact they were only successful with singles). However I believe that "Amico" (Progressive POP) and "Cavalli alati" (Symphonic Progressive), both included in this compilation, are to be considered masterpieces of the Italian Progressive.

"Collezione" is a really interesting compilation to understand what Progressive is for I Dik Dik. For them it was playing a Procol Harum or The Moody Blues POP Progressive style. In this sense they succeeded quite well. And they were among the bands that paved the way for the Italian Progressive. Too bad they did not reap what they sowed (even for wrong choices). However for me they remain a very important and very fundamental band in the Italian scene. Although they will always be considered a Beat band.

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.

Warm vibrant honey, honey!

I've been revisiting this little Italian record the past couple of weeks, and have subsequently changed my mind about it. At first the music struck me as bland run of the mill symphonic rock leaving me completely indifferent, and then here the other day when I was throwing a fit - acting all insane because of all those little irritating bugs that seem to thrive in hot humid weather - creeping and crawling all over my skin, I put this very album on while maniacally waving my arms around out in the garden. I was too frustrated to put anything on that I had a deep meaningful relationship with - not wanting to destroy any of that, and decided to go for the overlooked RPI album with the ridiculous cover art.

Swoop! Out in the grasses a warm heartfelt vibe came tumbling with the first luscious sways of keys and piano, and I immediately thought to myself, that I perhaps had been a bit fast to judge the album. Out there among the humming and buzzing creatures this music really came to life, and for once my neighbours didn't seem to mind the tunes.

Romantic is probably a fair word to describe the feel of this thing, but when heard in such a setting - you really get the gist of what the word actually means. It's the same effect PFM managed to convey with their first two albums - that delicate Italian sense of melody that is as important to their culture as a fine red wine from the steep hills of Barolo. There is a deeper understanding going on with these bands of what really constitutes 'feel' and emotion within music, - and the genius and, at the time, new thing was that they did it with synthesisers. Electronic robotic instruments that were miles away from the wooden heart of a cello, and yet on some of these releases - this one included, you get to hear that unique emotional vibe running through the synthesisers. I struggle to mention any other nationalities that come close in accomplishing the same feat, because where the Germans went for the outer rim of the solar system, these bands actually found a way to echo their natural music heritage in a current modern manner.

I Dik Dik started out in the 60s as a beat band enamoured by the sweeping sounds of the British invasion. When the turn of the decade finally changed the winds and brought with them a newly found curiosity about all things musically, whether that was folk or classical, I Dik Dik naturally jumped the freight train and this album ended up as the fruit of their labour. While not the most progressive of albums from the Italian RPI scene, 'Donna' as it's affectionately called still hits a fair few highs in the course of its running time. Personally I just love the recurring main theme that has a way of sneaking in the back door - either in all out rocking symphonic gestures with drums ablazing and grand pompous orchestration from synths and guitars, or it gently and gracefully pops up in the form of a frail lingering piano melody that literally sends shivers down my spine. The ending deep breaths of this album has a few of these and they are sheer sonic manna from the heavens.

This is also a a very vocal album, and it's here things get a bit generic for my tastes. Usually I adore bands that bring their 60s vibe with them into the 70s - especially when we're talking vocals, but on here they just don't do anything for me. Heartwarming and dripping with emotion they overstep the invisible border between coffee sugar and candy floss country. That is however the only negative in my opinion, and if you're sitting out there looking for bands that work within the same melodic framework as PFM, Le Orme, Samadhi and Latte e Miele, 'Donna' should be right up your alley like a big beautiful Alfa in a fiery apple red.

Interesting POP compilation by Dik Dik. Interesting because complete and without songs that not appears in other compilation. But for a Progster I think that this is not a great compilation. Good because allows us to understand what they were (and are today) Dik Dik for Italian music, not only beat or POP. New recordings that do not do justice to the magic of the songs. That for the rest sno OK. But no Prog.

Unfortunately, this compilation is not that I found in the record shop but in the departement stores and it did not please me. If you have some money... This is an interesting purchase.

Interesting compilation of Dik Dik without songs from "Suite per una donna..." but not for this fact "Collezione" is not a good compilation.

Dik Dik start in 60's as Beat band and in this decade Dik Dik was between the best band for Italin Beat. With the help of Lucio Battisti Dik Dik managed to get a record deal, the same convincing Lucio to recording his own songs. The story of Dik Dik is a good example of a band that was a Beat band but that in 70's has evolved into POP and Prog band. In this fact "Suite per una donna..." is a good Prog example as "Volando". In 1973 Nunzio "Cucciolo" Favia (drums) and Carlo "Hunka Munka" Siliotto joined Dik Dik but the music becomes a good POP Rock, with the help of a great young Italian composer (Zara, Minellono). The music is similat to Italian Romantic POP but in this case with more Rock approach, because more close to Procol Harum, 10cc or ELO. The end of Dik Dik was wrote in 1983 but Dik Dik are still active in Italian revival circuit.

This compilation present good songs, less Prog (except "Cavalli Alati" and "Senza Luce", Italian version of "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Procol Harum).Although this is a compilation, some songs are described. "L'Isola di Wight" is the Italian version of "Wight Is Wight" by Michel Delpech and it is a tribute about "Isle of Wight" festival. This song is an interesting POP song with great atmosphere. "Il primo giorno di primavera" is another POP song with great atmospheres, interesting for vocal parts. "Senza Luce" is the Italian version of "A Whiter Shade Of Pale". it was interesting to know how to play the effect of "Leslie", not imported in Italy in those years: just shake a sheet in front of the speaker and the effect was obtained. The song is at the same level of Procol Harum's original version. "Il vento" is a great Mogol/ Battisti's penned song. Great Rock song with great hard atmospheres and POP treatment. "Se io fossi un falegname" is the Italian version of "If I were a Carpenter" by Tim Hardin. "Sognando La California" is the Italian version of "California Dreaming" of Mamas and Papas. Both these songs are good POP songs, with good vocal lines. "Un giorno cent'anni" is a good symphonic slow POP song, a good power ballad. "Cavalli Alati" is the last song that I describe. "Cavalli Alati" is all that we should expect in a POP Prog song. In fact "Cavalli Alati" is an incredible symphonic Prog song with various signature changes, majesty, feeling and magic with string orchestra that helped the majesty of music in the parts more Rock. Also in this song the vocal parts are good.

In definitive "Collezione" is a good compilation for who not have nothing of Dik Dik, a good start with Dik Dik, also without songs from "Suite per una donna...". The songs are all good and worth a good read. In short, this compilation does not disappoint you.

I DIK DIK and I GIGANTI took similar paths in their careers, both starting out as Beat bands in the mid sixties before trying their hands at Progressive music in the early seventies. Both were not very successful (when it came to album sales) with this venture into prog so we only get one Progressive album from each band. I think both bands did a good job in their attempts at this style of music but there's just a lot better RPI albums out there.

"Donna Paesagio" is led by piano early as drums, bass and acoustic guitar join in. Vocals before a minute and they sound excellent. Organ and guitar after 2 1/2 minutes then the vocals return with passion. Synths late. "Il Viso" is a ballad-like tune and my least favourite. Piano and fragile vocals as the drums beat slowly. Mellotron 1 1/2 minutes in and synths late. "Il Cuore" opens with flute as acoustic guitar then the vocals arrive. Drums then mellotron before 1 1/2 minutes. The tempo picks up. It's rather dramatic before 3 minutes. Great section. "Intermezzo" is a short drum / synths / vocal melodies piece. "La Cathedral Dell'amore" has this powerful atmosphere while vocals and drums stand out. Lots of mellotron. Synths around 2 minutes.

"Le Gambe" has a good beat and is uptempo. Vocals join in and some nice bass. Synths are prominant as well. "Suite Relativa" opens with strummed guitar. I like this. Bass comes in and a fuller sound after a minute with mellotron. Nice. It blends into "Monti Y Valli" continues with strummed guitar as organ then vocals join in. Great sound ! It's catchy and yet moving. "I Sogni" opens with powerful synths that stop when the vocals arrive around a minute. Mellotron rolls in then those synths return as contrasts continue. "La Notte" opens with piano and spacey winds. Vocals follow and synths become prominant 2 1/2 minutes in when vocals stop. Piano continues though. Vocals return then it blends into "Sintesi".Spacey at first then piano, drums, bass and mellotron take over. Vocals a minute in. Lots of synths late.

Pretty enjoyalbe but too commercial sounding much of the time for my tastes.

Soft, warm '70s vibes

I could have believed what I read about Dik Dik. Over and over I read they were really an Italian pop/beat group who changed styles for convenience to deliver 1972's wonderful Donna. But then I saw one of my prog vendors offering a new mini-lp sleeve with this proggy album cover and figured I had to check it out. So, yeah. Well it could be worse. It's even grown on me after repeated plays. But lest you toy with succumbing to the prog maiden as I have, let me warn you as the others have: this is not Donna.

Recorded in late '75 - early '76 "Volando" is clearly a retreat to the melodic Italian pop/rock songs of the 3-5 minute range, although there has been some retention of sound if not composition. By this time there had been line-up changes and Dik Dik had actually picked up some members of the RPI heyday, including Hunka Munka's Roberto Carlotto and Osage Tribe's Nunzio "Cucciolo" Favia. They were however bringing only their musical talents and not their prior progressive era tricks. "Volando" offers the listener soft and romantic pop/rock ballads and simple, very "hummable" melodies with lots of vocal harmonies and gentle fade-outs. They sound mostly like love songs although I don't understand Italian lyrics. Gentle crooning of repetitive verses and choruses with the occasional drop of a tasteful guitar or keyboard solo. You can however expect the classy and warm Italian feel in the arrangements and instrumentation: lovely female background vocals in the title track, crisp acoustic guitars delicately played, lots of pretty keyboards and mellotron, and mostly soothing, romantic lead vocals. It is still very much in the '70s vein of pop sounds, not yet the slick and emotionally empty drivel that some bands would stoop to in the 1980s. What you should not expect is anything like the wild and crazy Italian prog albums of the 71-74 period, no compositional insanity or instrumental daredevilism. Every once in a while they drop a little teaser that sounds like they remember the prog days, like the dramatic and beautiful instrumental opening of Carlotto's "Cavalli Alati." The album closes with an sentimental cover of The Mamas And The Papas "California Dreamin" and the 2002 M2U Records cd version offers a live bonus track "L'isola di Wight." In fact that's probably the right single word to choose to sum up the overall feel of "Volando"---sentimental. And since I am a fairly sentimental guy, I guess it's fine that I ended up with this album in my collection, even if not a progger's delight.

While this is not a bad album it does require 2 stars from me as the description of "for fans" of the genre surely applies. If you love the melodic Italian pop tradition or Dik Dik in general, you may wish to add this pretty soft-rock album to your collection. Just don't expect the wild ride of 1972's RPI roller coaster. 2 1/2 stars.

It is guessed that it tended to absorb the Britain and United States music perhaps for circumstances of the music of Italy of the 60's and to digest them. The wave of the beat lock surely infiltrates Italy and various bands have developed with the culture of the home country. If PFM is made a starting point, a variety of music characters will guess that there was groping compared with other countries other musicians by riding on those waves. The band in Italy might not have been progressive by the of course digestion. For musicians before PFM, not having hung so much either is true at time though it keeps groping and they cause the revolution until the world is told the music character enough. The flow of the beat lock was drawn first for this I Dik Dik and the music of other countries had been absorbed. They raise results such as participation in the music festival and winning a prize and their styles are established gradually. It was announced to 1972 that they had rid on the wave of Prog Rock "Suite Per Una Donna Assolutamente Reativa". Their music characters exactly develop the direction to the music till then and challenge. The wave will surely infiltrate them and inform them of the name of Dik Dik with the element of symphonic. Bands such as Equipe 84 and I Giganti also gradually took the element of Prog Rock and it gave birth to the masterpiece. In the element of Dik Dik, the flow of the clear tune and the chorus of the song are one of the charms. The music character is developed further, and they extend overall in the element of a so-called love lock and are kneading it in this album. The flow that other musicians' tunes etc. are made to compose the album without the sense of incompatibility over the whole volume while taking it, too might be one top for them. The sense of unity exists also in the composition of settled tune. Intensely it listens and the [koeru] tune never stands out. However, this album is certain kinds of representatives' of them who are more advanced on the road to Prog Rock works if it thinks about the history of the music of Dik Dik. It can know the flow by connecting with "Volando" to express their music characters splendidly.

I Dik Dik are an Italian band with more than forty years of activity. They had been very successful in Italy during the late sixties and early seventies thanks to their collaboration with Lucio Battisiti and Mogol and thanks to the Italian version of songs like "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" by Procol Harum or California Dreamin' by Mamas And Papas. They have always been just a beat and pop band and "Suite per una donna assolutamente relativa" is their only true progressive effort. The album was released in 1972 (a period when almost everybody in Italy seemed to go crazy for prog) but it was a commercial flop so, after this album, the band turned back into another musical direction.

"Suite per una donna assolutamente relativa" is a concept work featuring lyrics by the eclectic artist of Jewish origins Herbert Pagani. It was conceived like a musical and poetical journey through "planet woman": the female body here is compared to an unknown world to explore, both physically and spiritually... The music was composed by keyboardist Mario Totaro and it's an excellent mix of progressive rock and Italian melody.

The opener is the melodic and light "Donna paesaggio" (Woman Landscape)... A man is flying over a strange planet, "Woman landscape / I'm flying over you with caresses / And along my journey I can see lands, lakes, mountains and the mirage of my happiness / I will sing of you / Like a Greek poet of the ancient times... And my voice will be a hymn to your naked freedom". The music is rich and features beautiful touches of church-like organ and mellotron...

On the second track "Il viso" (The Face) our "hero" comes down with his parachute landing in a forest of "hair-trees", then he explores the brows surrounding "two lakes of blue water" (the eyes), then the nose, the ears... "I already can see your lips on the horizon / Your mouth is smiling to me / And your smile reveals a city / Atlantis of light that kills me... And to know a little bit more / I breath a while / Then I dive and go down"...

The sound of the moog marks a change of atmosphere that becomes darker in the next track "Il cuore" (The Heart). "Like a cast-away on his raft / I'm sailing down, along your veins...", our hero is now flushed away by brooks of phosphorescent blood... "I hear the thunder of a factory / The central engine of the heart appears enormous to me / I can see red Niagara falls swallowing me...". The rhythm becomes frenzy, the mood dramatic but our "explorer" awakes alive, wet and out of danger because the heart let him break through...

A short interlude leads to the "Cathedral Of Love"... "I'm climbing stairways of placenta / Like by magic I feel a body who is singing to me unknown Ave Marias / Cathedral of Love, cathedral of love / My heart beats fast but I go on...". Well, the lyrics describing the womb are a little bit bizarre (to say the least!) but the music is really good, here almost mystic I dare say, featuring excellent harmony vocals...

"The earth is trembling / New danger / Legs of woman / White vertigo... When you walk in the city / It's like a forest / That goes in a desert of concrete...". "Gambe" (Legs), describes the dizziness provoked by a "walking continent" on the streets of a city. Here the rhythm goes up sprinkled with flashes of moog, than melts in a nice short pastoral interlude (the instrumental "Suite relativa").

"Monti e valli" (Mountains and Valleys) is a bright and happy ballad and the subject matter is, as you can guess, the bosom... "I see pyramids and coliseums... Mountains and valleys of the youth / My hands are caressing you / Like ocean waves / My fingers are like horses breaking on gallop upon you...".

Next comes the delicate and sweet "I sogni" (The dreams) that tries to describe in music and words the dreams of a woman like the souvenirs of the childhood, the nightmares of the war, the wounds of past lovers that the conscience tries to hide. "I dream your dreams...". In my opinion this is the best track on this album.

Next track "La notte" (The night) tries to describe the act of procreation. Tense vocals soar over a beautiful piano pattern counter pointed by the sound of the moog... The poetry of the lyrics is perhaps a little bit clumsy and naive but the overall result is not so bad.

"Sintesi" is a reprise of the opening theme and it concludes a peculiar and interesting album... "Woman poetry / You are a miracle of rhythm and harmony / You are the most fragile fortress on earth / You resist to the world but love will open you / And from the country of your body new lives will blossom / Until life will be...".

I don't think that this is an essential album but it is a very good one and it would have deserved a better destiny. On the whole I think that this work is more ironic than pretentious, like the funny art cover, and it's really worth listen to. It was re-released on CD in 2003 by BMG with a nice paper sleeve reproducing the original LP jacket and I'm sure that Italian prog lovers will love it.

It seems fitting that I review this album, being that I played it incessantly this week. Let's try and pay some debt while it's fresh on my mind...

First, some background info on the band. Sort of a strange name "Dik Dik" is, fun to say, or maybe awkward; it comes from an African gazelle as the bio notes. They got together in the mid '60s, toward the beginning of the pop/beat movement in Italy, and with their friendly, slick approach, I Dik Dik found enough success to outlast many bands from the country. However, they were first and foremost, a pop band; but being around in the early '70s it was almost obligatory that musicians try out the prog rock thing at some point, which offered huge public interest and more artistic freedom. Their 1972 album, "Suite per una Donna Assolutamente" came at the risk of alienating fans in crossing over to the younger, more "happening" prog scene, and that is ultimately what would happen. Their 'story & song' approach didn't go over as well as expected amongst more aggressive groups, and the record company, as was often the case, did not lend enough support. So afterwards, Dik Dik went back to their bread and butter, leaving us with one nice little crossover into progressive rock.

As previous reviewers have noted, the first thing to jump right out is the humorous cover. Some hate it, some brush it off...I actually like it. In an odd way, it is such a contrast to the approach in the music that the irony in the foldout is delightfully out of place. The music itself will throw you considerable insinuations from bands occupying a similar boat to Dik Dik - those employing a melodic, song-based approach while going past simple pop structures and using fancy techniques and equipment. Just to give an idea of what that means, these guys would have been right at home with Procol Harum and The Moodies, and you can hear the influences of early RPI bands such as the Trolls, Giganti, and Orme. One of the main themes in the album (which is most likely a direct concept to my mind) introduced by the opening track "Donna Paessaggio" is a perfect example of pristine pop hooks infused with a progressive slant. The melody is so sweet, etching itself into my head for days (not even a bad thing) underpinned with imperial organ chords and glistening Moog embellishments. The following track is in similar fashion, and introduces more Moog sounds that sweep around all the empty spaces with jangly harpsichords. So the keyboards play a huge role here, and the guitars are primarily acoustic aside from a nice electric solo on the first track. My attitude toward synths is take 'em or leave 'em, but I was very pleased with the ones on this album, it's really a great one for Moog lovers; but the instrumentation never surpasses the songs themselves, which are the big picture. As I said, the approach is direct songs with added experimental touches. Aside from the warmer, luminous parts mentioned, there are darker ones as well, particularly the "Cattedrale dell'Amore" theme...rumbling drum-rolls, disturbed vocals, and of course those Moogs. Of course this picks back up into faster sections, one being almost "funky" ("Le Gambe"), and resolutely symphonic ("Monti e Valli"). These insertions really bring out the beauty in the Moody-esque sections, and the change-ups keep anything from becoming stale, even with several theme reprisals. By the time we hit the final stretch, the reprisals of "Cattedrale", "Viso", and "Donna" have particular emotional value in returning to familiar ground with an altered landscape. The album reminds me of someone who is shy and reserved, but "opening up", as if around someone or something they are comfortable with. You can feel them coming to some kind of realization or closure, and ultimately returning to the starting point...it could be a thought or place...with a different perspective.

Recommendation: I know that I've name-dropped the Moodies, but really this one goes a bit "farther"...if that makes any sense. Perhaps I've overstated the "song" approach. I'll try and come up with a comparison (probably an inadequate one). How about...Moody Blues + PFM + New Trolls / 3. That might work. In terms of RPI albums, this is not on the very top level, but it's still very worthy, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves the melodic stuff with loads of keyboard sounds.

Looks like I went the entire review without even mentioning the word "mellotron"!

PA Rating: 4/5

The Jimmy Row Factor: 8.5/10, B+