BUON VECCHIO CHARLIE

Almost lost in the sands of time,Buon Vecchio Charlie were formed in 1970 in Rome by guitarist/singer Luigi Calabro, sax/flute player Sandro Cesaroni, keyboardist Sandro Centofanti, bassist Walter Bernardi and percussionist Carlo Visca.Later Visca and Bernardi were replaced by guitarist/singer Richard Benson (who became the main composer of the band),bassist Paolo Damiani and full drummer Rino Sangiorgio.The band recorded an album during the spring of 1971 at the Suono studio in Venice,however, and despite the interest by many producers, these tapes were never officially released until in 1991 Melos label published this work.A 1999 reissue by Akarma featured two bonus tracks and a different cover.

At a time when bands like Premiata Forneria Marconi or Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso searched for their own challenging sound, Buon Vecchio Charlie played some full-edged Progressive Rock presented in three long tracks.The opening ''Venite giù al fiume'' is a proggy version of ''Peer Gynt'' by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg.A track with little space for vocals but plenty of it for some fuzz guitar soling, psychedelic organs, melodic sax leads and raw flute work, close to the likes of JUMBO or OSANNA, but all tightly connected without being excessive at all.''Evviva la contea di Lane'' follows a much softer style, being quite symphonic in nature and based on Centofanti's obscure organ work, Cesaroni's delicate flutes and the huge sax solo of Cesaroni towards the closing section.With the 15-min. ''All'uomo che raccoglie i cartoni'' the band returns to the opening style, close to a mix of Psychedelic and Symphonic Rock.Alternating sections between electric and acoustic passages with good doses of flutes and saxes in a VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR mood, a lust for some more improvisational parts and Centofanti's decent effort on organ and synthesizers offer a variety of soundscapes with influences from Classical, Folk and Jazz Music.

Propably due to the unsuccesful tries of releasing the record the band called it off around 1973 with most of the members remaining in the music industry.Benson followed a personal and quite succesful music career,Centofanti joined Libra a couple of years later, while Calabro, Sangiorgio and Damiani formed the Jazz-Rock act Bauhaus.

It would be a crime if these recordings remained buried and thanks to the Melos' team any prog fan has the opportunity to taste some of this band's talent and pleasant progressive music orientations.Not absolutely essential or masterful like the best of Classic Italian Prog but certainly strongly recommended...3.5 stars.