INTORNO ALLA MIA CATTIVA EDUCAZIONE

Not quite the masterpiece others seem to find it, I nevertheless found this album remarkably creative - especially for its time (contemporaneous with The Lamb and Remember the Future, among others) - and great fun. (I would give it an extra half star if I could.) Most notably, while there are certainly influences at work here, they are not nearly as obvious as they are with many other bands of the time. In addition, the band brings in overt classical and jazz elements, blending them fluidly with the prog-rock elements. There is also a "quiet dignity" to this music that makes it unexpectedly compelling. The musicianship is good overall, with Paretti providing some of the most intelligent keyboard work I've heard from this period (particularly organ and piano). Cirla's sometimes raspy vocals reminded me of an Italian Mink DeVille. One of the most interesting - indeed, somewhat humorous (but endearing) - aspects of the album is that, after over half an hour of what is clearly prog-rock, the band ends with two compositions that have "rock-anthem" qualities - though as they might be channeled through an amalgam of Yes, Pink Floyd and, especially, The Moody Blues. / The only reason I hesitate to give this album four stars (it is, without question, "very good") is because I am trying to keep in mind the totality of the prog-rock genre. That said, I will not quibble with anyone who thinks it deserves that fourth star. As an aside, it is indeed a shame that Alusa Fallax did not remain together to "spread its wings"; one can only imagine its future creativity. Indeed, it may well have gone on to become a standard-bearer of the genre. [N.B. for more information on Alusa Fallax, including a wonderful interview, go to www.italianprog.com/a_alusa.htm]