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Formula 3 - Sognando e Risognando CD (album) cover

SOGNANDO E RISOGNANDO

Formula 3

 

Rock Progressivo Italiano

3.65 | 96 ratings

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Finnforest
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars "Sognando e Risognando" is the third and likely most acclaimed album by Formula 3 released in 1972. The album is neither a failure nor an overwhelming success but somewhere in between. Many different interesting parts and some clunkers are seemingly cut and pasted together in ways that are not convincing. It gets you pumped in a few spots but can't seem to completely pull one in for the kill, the various parts sounding lost and not unified. Good ideas seem squandered without the glue, without the good flow that makes for an intense listening session. But it can't be written off so easily as many feel the album works quite well despite.

The title suite is first and we hear stately keys building to an early symphonic bliss with majestic saturated electric leads over the top, a hell of an opening. The next part gets a bit funky with an American hippie blues rock sound which is twisted further in the third part combining hard rock bursts with more passive sections. It fades to a silence before the final part which is a short dreamy e-guitar oddity. "L' Ultima Foglia" starts with a strange sound like wind behind some drum fills. The organ and e guitar come through with some nice heavy lead that gets better as the song moves on. The second part is a bit on the heavy and bluesy side with the rich organ sounds and heavily distorted guitars. The finale brings in some acoustic guitar and dramatic synths for a good proper close. "Storia" begins with lovely acoustic and piano leading to the warm vocal. This one is more conventional and pop sounding reminding me a little bit of the sound on their next album. Drums and bass appear but the pace is very slow. A bit of electric here and there but this is largely a mediocre track. "Aeternum" is last and is much heavier out of the gate with organ and guitar melded together with a punchy rhythm. This part will return after a brief mellow interlude. After that part is an interesting keyboard solo using several different keys. I'm no expert but I believe I heard moog, mellotron, and piano all employed. It gets classically flavored in the piano section. They emerge from this with some e guitar leads panning across the stereo and again will return to the section from the beginning. A rising then falling synth blanket closes the piece.

While not a bad album it just fails to connect with me in the magical way of so many other Italian albums from this period. I know because I just can't find that much to say about it, not usually a problem for me when reviewing this genre. It is not one that I would put high on my list of essential Italian albums but more in the middle part. There are far more emotional, interesting, and compelling compositions out there than this. But we do agree on the album cover Andrea and Ben!

Finnforest | 3/5 |

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