UOMO DI PEZZA

It is interesting to see that this album, at the time of writing (late September, 2008) is in Prog Archives' Top Twenty of all time, and it is almost universally recognised as a masterpiece of progressive music. Perhaps it was voted in by a number of people who grew up with it and who treasure it in their hearts? I only discovered it early this year (thanks to P.A., of course!) and I'll be the first to agree it's a pleasant piece of music - but a masterpiece of even greater stature than FRAGILE or LARKS' TONGUES IN ASPIC? No way! When I play UOMO DI PEZZA I hear sprightly prog clearly influenced by early ELP (TARKUS in particular) and IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING, with a few teaspoons of Mike Ratledge-style fuzz organ thrown in for good measure. Now, I don't want to suggest UOMO DI PEZZA is totally derivative. Le Orme definitely have a keyboard sound of their own: both their Hammond organ and their Moogs sound rougher than Keith Emerson's, which I find very pleasant indeed. Their vocalist, Aldo Tagliapietra, sings far more beautifully than Greg Lake, even if his 'celestial' voice sounds dangerously similar to that of early seventies balladeer Demis Roussos. (Sorry folks, but when I think of Roussos, I'm NOT immediately reminded of Aphrodite's Child, those Greek pioneers of prog... I just think of the sentimental ballads with which our Demis conquered the world in the early 1970s!) Besides, there's no harm in following the example of foreign bands you admire. One of the bands I grew up with, the Nits (a late 1970s Dutch phenomenon), were clearly inspired by American acts like Television and the Talking Heads, but they were creative and intelligent enough to write original tunes with catchy melodies and fun arrangements. It seems something similar is going on here, with Le Orme. So if you enjoy classic symphonic prog and can't get enough of it, you should try UOMO DI PEZZA. But a classic of seminal stature it is not. I find myself wavering between three and four stars.