CHOCOLATE KINGS

This album and "Cook" were my first exposure to Premiata Forneria Marconi. I found both at a used record store in the late seventies, and bought them solely because they were on Emerson Lake and Palmer's Manticore label. And, strangely enough, it was years before I found out just what P.F.M. stood for, as neither of these U.S. albums has the full band name printed anywhere on the cover, sleeve or label.

The music is spectacular, and since this was the first I heard of this band, it hold a special place in my collection. It it a wornderful form of symphonic prog. The keyboards sound a bit like Keith Emerson, but the variety of sounds Flavio Premoli uses is closer to Yes or Genesis. Guitarist Franco Mussida often reminds me of Steve Howe's phrasing when he solos. And drummer Franz Di Cioccio play with a Carl Palmer-like energy and precision throughout. This isn't to say that the music is derivative, just that it ranks up there with some of the best of it's time.

My only complaint is lead vocalist Bernardo Lanzetti. I've often wondered if he was hired because he sounds similar to Peter Gabriel. But his thin, reedy voice, and constant tremolo don't match the music, tend to get annoying by the end of the album.