01	Appena Un Po'						07:46
	02	Generale						04:18
	03	Per Un Amico						05:24
	04	Il Banchetto						08:40
	05	Geranio						08:07

Per Un Amico
BMG Ariola (ND 71784)
Italy 1972

Flavio Pernoli, keyboards, lead vocals;
Franco Musside, guitars, madolin, lead vocals;
Franz Di Cioccio, drums, percussion, vocals;
Giorgio "Fico" Piazza, bass, vocals;
Mauro Pagani, flute, alto flute, vilin, vocals

Tracklist:
1. Appena un Po' - 7:43
2. Generale - 4:18
3. Per un Amico - 5:23
4. Il Banchetto - 8:39
5. Geranio - 8:03

total time 34:08

conrad

1972 was a great year for progressive rock, and it is probably the most impressive year for Italian bands. This was Premiata Forneria Marconi's second release for the year, and is widely considered to be the best thing they ever did. I am certainly not going to argue.
This album manages to take the best elements of English progressive rock without sounding derivative (with the exception of the Emerson-like piano interlude in "Il Banchetto"). They are typical of the Italian progressive scene in that they combined the English style of long pieces with extended instrumental sections with the Italian ear for vocal melody. Hammond organ and mellotron play a key role in the music, but most of the other instrumentation tends to be accoustic.

The pieces are all lovingly put together; PFM were a band who certainly didn't suffer from a lack of ideas. Typically, the music will jump from one idea to another, and then slowly bring it back to the first. The result is music that seems to move almost chaotically, yet still manages to produce a coherent whole. This will remind some people of early Marillion, but with a little more thought as to overall form.

The caveats on this album tend to be standard ones: the Italian vocals will put some off; the sound recording is not as good as it could be; and at just a tick over 34 minutes, one is left asking if that's all there is. The only other criticism I would have is that "Il Banchetto" sounds a little awkwardly strung together in places.

Minor gripes aside, this is a fine album. Think Genesis using Jethro Tull's instrumentation from Thick as a Brick and using an Italian vocalist, and you'll start to get the picture. One of the best albums from one of the best years in progressive rock.

3-5-03



Premiata Forneria Marconi - Per Un Amico

Released: 1972/2001
Label: Numero Uno / BMG Ricordi
Cat. No.: 74321 765412
Total Time: 33:09


Reviewed by: Stephanie Sollow, March 2003
When folks talk about Italian progressive music they invariably mention Premiata Forneria Marconi or PFM for short. Prompted by a suggestion in just such a discussion, I bought Per Un Amico, considered one of the band's best releases. Although I had heard Photos Of Ghosts a few times, Per Un Amico is really my first introduction to the band. Photos, by the way, contains reworked versions of material that appeared on Per Un Amico and the band's first release Storia Di Un Minuto. This particular edition of Per Un Amico came out in 2001 as a gold, 24-bit remastered edition from BMG/RCA.

It is not hard to hear why this band is highly regarded in progressive music circles. Just one listen to this spectacular CD and you'll understand, too. That does ring of hyperbole, does it not? But as usual, I'm not taken to exaggeration. The whole album seems to flow together well, though are some hard pauses between some tempo shifts that lead you to think a new track is starting, rather than a new passage, but it's a minor flaw. Perhaps a product of the remastering process, there is a three-dimensional effect to the music, giving each piece depth and space. Given that the majority of the mellower passages are symphonic, they are also very expansive: waves of sound, especially from keys, push out to the further reaches. This means that you can follow the "trajectory" of each instrument on each subsequent listen.

Unlike their Italian brethren, Banco, for example, PFM are a symphonic progressive rock band that, at least here, do not draw upon Italian opera for influence. Perhaps it was because they didn't have a vocalist like Banco's Franceso di Giacomo, but more likely because their muse lay elsewhere. And though PFM are a progressive rock band, their brand of prog rock on display here is often played with a soft focus, like the pastoral sections in many a classic Genesis album, though I wouldn't say that PFM sound like Genesis particularly. And yet, if you listen to the whispered passages during "Geranio," for example, and it's hard not to think there was at some influence. There are similar dynamics employed, however - fragile passages, leading to pastoral, leading to jazzier or rockier passages. Released in 1972, Per Un Amico is contemporaneous with Genesis' Foxtrot. Though, I have to say that I think more of later Genesis material, post Peter Gabriel (pre-pop, though). Also, it is of Steve Hackett's Voyage Of The Acolyte that I'm thinking, and specifically of Phil Collins' vocal performance on "Star Of Sirius" (though that album was three years hence).

What comes to mind also, during the opening track "Appena Un Op'," are the light and lyrical sections of King Crimson's In The Court Of The Crimson King (others name check "Epitaph," but I also hear elements of the title track), especially in the winds work of Mauro Pagani and the mellotron of Flavio Premoli that provides a bed for the rest of the instrumentation. Franco Mussida's delicate acoustic guitar helps open the piece: which over the course of 7-plus minutes shifts from the pastoral to strident rock and back again.

"Generale" is an energetic, rocking tune with frenetic violin and guitar work and rolling piano. As the title suggests, we do get some martial themes, but here more a light and cheerful flute or piccolo tune, parade rather than a march. And if Keith Emerson doesn't come to mind with the brief organ passage... as will ELP itself during parts of "Il Banchetto" (which begins sounding more like America). Here there is a rather awkward, angular passage half-way in, that is more along the lines of experimental than symphonic progressive rock. Something else I associate with Lizard period Crimson (and album I haven't be able to get into). This is followed by a beautiful classical piano passage by Premoli, before leading back to where it started for the last minute.

The title track is light jazz very much in the style of Camel, smooth and breathy, played mostly in warm pastels. Again, some nice violin work from Pagani (reminding me of later work by Kansas' Robby Steinhardt) and some interesting interplay between acoustic guitar and bass. Hints of Yes and ELP can be heard in there, too, but nothing strongly suggestive of either.

This has been another enjoyable listening experience, and the band's performance (since, as I understand it, this was recorded live in the studio) is wonderful. I personally look forward to making my way through their catalog, discovering more gems.

Rating: 5/5

More about Per Un Amico:

Track Listing: Appena Un Po' (7:38) / Generale (4:13) / Per Un Amico (5:20) / Il Banchetto (8:34) / Gernaio (8:04)

Musicians:
Flavio Premoli - piano, harpsichord, Hammond organ, Pari organ, spinetta, mellotron, moog, bells and vocals
Franco Mussida - acoustic, 12-string, and electric guitars, mandoloncello, and vocals
Franz Di Cioccio - drums, percussion and vocals
Giorgio "Fico" Piazza - bass and vocals
Mauro Pagani - flute, contralto flute, piccolo, violin and vocals

Contact:

Website: www.pfmpfm.it
Note: will open new browser window

Email: pfm@pfmpfm.it

Discography

Quelli (1969) (as Quelli)
Storia Di Un Minuto (1972)
Per Un Amico (1972)
Photos Of Ghosts (1973)
L'Isola Di Niente (1974)
The World Became The World (1974)
Live In The USA (1974)
The Award-Winning Premiata Bakery (1976)
Chocolate Kings (1976)
Jet Lag (1977)
Passpartu (1978)
Fabrizio De Andre / PFM - In Concerto Vol 1 (1979)
Fabrizio De Andre / PFM - In Concerto Vol 2 (1979)
Suonare Suonare (1980)
Come Ti Va In Riva Alla Citta (1981)
Performance (1982)
PFM? PFM! (1984)
Miss Baker (1987)
10 Anni Live - 1971-1981 (1996)
Absolute Live - 1971-1978 (1996)
Ulisse (1997)
www.pfmpfm.it (Il Best) (1998)
Serendipity (2002)
Live In Japan (2002)




Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) [Italy]

Storia Di Un Minuto (72), Per Un Amico (72), Photos Of Ghosts (73), L'Isola Di Niente (74), The World Became The World (74), Live In USA (74), Chocolate King's (75), Jet Lag (77), Passpartu (78), Suonare Suonare (80), Come Ti Va' In Riva Alla Citta (81), Performance (82), PFM? PFM! (84), Miss Baker (87)

Most should be familiar with Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) through the Manticore releases Photos of Ghosts and The World Became the World. These, their third and fifth releases chronologically, are rather inferior remakes of their second and fourth LPs, Per Un Amico and L'Isola Di Niente. To make them more "accessible" to a "larger audience," (something that ruins progressive music no end) the Italian vocals on Nos. 2 and 4 were replaced with rather "unnatural" sounding English vocals on the Manticore releases, thus taking away some of the magic inherent in the Italian releases. In summary, Per Un Amico and L'Isola Di Niente as well as their first, Storia Di Un Minuto are all virtual classics of progressive music, obviously influenced by early King Crimson and Genesis yet sounding nothing like them. The instrumentation is superb with fluid guitar, highly original synthesizer sounds (at a time when innovation was at its prime), beautiful violin and flute, and ethereal vocals that are so important to the music, that replacing them with English vocals becomes a detriment. Subsequent albums saw a change in style (mainly for the worse), although Live In The USA aka "Cook," and "Chocolate Kings" are worth a listen. My recommendations are for Per Un Amico and L'Isola Di Niente.

THE classic Italian band, certainly the best-known. Their first three Italian albums are all must-haves. Storia di un Minuto is a very striking debut. Their music is very symphonic, mixing influences from King Crimson and Genesis mostly, but in the end arriving at something not like anything before, and providing the mould for many other Italian and other European bands. Guitarist Franco Mussida is most obviously classically trained, keyboardist/main vocalist Flavio Premoli's playing ranges from gentle piano etudes to wailing Moog. Adding a distinctively Italian flavour is flute/violin player Mauro Pagani. The mixture works best on tracks such as the beautiful "Impressioni di Settembre" and the exuberant "E' Festa". Per Un Amico is an equally fine album, neatly balancing between gentle contemplation and bouncy melodicism, never getting especially heavy, but consistently interesting and lovely. Photos Of Ghosts is a poorly remixed version of Per Un Amico, with English lyrics by Peter Sinfield, who obviously didn't know what the original Italian lyrics were, and didn't seem to care. Some of the songs are reedited and stuck elsewhere, vocals are added to the instrumental "Generale!" (retitled "Mister Nine-Till-Five"), and there's even a wimpy re-recording of "E' Festa" called "Celebration". PLEASE get Per Un Amico if you can, Photos Of Ghosts is NO substitute! L'Isola Di Niente features a minor personnel change, their original bass player is replaced by ex-Area (!) member Jan Patrick Djivas. It's certainly their finest hour, with the breathtaking title-track beginning the album with a BIG bang. The intricately multilevelled "Four Holes In The Ground" is a classic, and became a concert favourite (not hard to see why!). "Via Lumiere" is a fine fusion-y instrumental, while "Dolcissima Maria" is a beautiful ballad. Even the English-language (again with Sinfield lyrics) "Is My Face On Straight?" is excellent. If you're just starting out in Italian prog, this is one to get! The World Became The World is another English-language album, but this time with the same music, so it's not as bad as Photos Of Ghosts. Again there is a re-recording of a song from the first album: the title song is "Impressioni di Settembre" with English lyrics. Cook is a high-quality live album recorded in Canada and the US, and is the same as the erroneously titled Italian album: Live in U.S.A.. Marconi Bakery is a compilation of music from the first three Italian albums. Later albums feature ex-Acqua Fragile leader Bernardo Lanzetti on lead vocals. I haven't heard these, but from what I've heard of Lanzetti, I'd expect these to be less listenable than the early albums. -- Mike Ohman

I have only Photos of Ghosts, which is an English version of the original Italian release, Per un Amico. Supposedly the original Italian versions are much better. I can easily believe this, as it is pretty obvious that the vocalist is not singing in his native language. The music, however, is very good, similar to early Genesis.

Similar to my ears to Banco, maybe slightly better. Very dramatic and well crafted music. Classically influenced (in a Genesis sort of way) with a little folk too. Have only heard a few songs of theirs though.

They started out with a sound like Crimson, the first album being their best. The LP Photos Of Ghosts is an English lyrics version of Per un Amico. Chocolate Kings was boycotted by the american labels because the band made a gig in favour of ELP.

A wonderful band, both in their early "progressive" carrer as well as in their later rocky one.

Thought I'd put in a plug here for some of their later stuff which is generally overlooked. Jet Lag is a very fusionesque excursion, without losing the connection to the colorful progressive rock that marked its predecessor Chocolate Kings. Passpartu is the last one with singer Bernardo Lanzetti. Suonare Suonare marks a turn in a folky direction, and might elicit comparison to some of the mid-period Banco that relied heavily on melodies drawn from the spirit of italian folk music. Miss Baker is their last album from 87, a long way from Per Un Amico, but every bit as enchanting, sort of a mystic pop-folk w/ jazzy overtones.

PFM were probably the most "popular" Italian group to be associated with the progressive rock movement in Italy, and these three releases are from the late seventies when their direction changed a bit. Jet Lag, from 1977, had much of the original PFM spirit with a jazz inclination, akin to groups such as Arti + Mestieri, though somewhat more low-key. The pace, however, picks up in the latter half, so as to be comparable with Brand X, etc. Their next release was Passpartu, that came out a year later. This is probably the beginning of their most obscure period, during which time they released a handful of albums veering toward a more accessible format. Despite that, this is a very melodic, rhythmic release, with nimble acoustic guitar and washes of keyboards. Suonare Suonare came out in 1980, and saw PFM turning back toward their original sound, from the style of Passpartu. As before, all the songs are well in the melodic vein, but with a little more bite, and generally more upbeat. This was arguably their most well-liked work from this period, and many of the tracks from here are featured in PFM compilations.

I have Per Un Amico which has to be one of the most beautiful symphonic albums ever made. Additionally, if you think all Italian lyrics are harsh, then listen to this album. It reinforces, in my mind anyway, the lyricism that seems to be inherent in all Italian lyrics. Moog, mellotron, electric and acoustic guitars, and violin are all used to create a sonic tapestry that will leave you breathless. If you are burgeoning prog-head, this album (not the inferior US version, Photos of Ghosts, with English lyrics) is a *great* place to start. I highly recommend it.

I have Chocolate Kings and it does absolutely nothing for me. Apparently, Per Un Amico is their best, and I haven't gotten around to buying it yet.







PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI



1970-73
Mauro Pagani (vocals, flute, violin)
Franco Mussida (guitar, vocals)
Flavio Premoli (keyboards, vocals)
Giorgio Piazza (bass, vocals)
Franz Di Cioccio (drums, vocals)

1974
Piazza replaced by:
Patrick Djivas (bass, vocals)

1975
enters:
Bernardo Lanzetti (vocals, guitar)

1976
Pagani quits, replaced by:
Greg Bloch (violin)

1977
Bloch quits



Much has been written and said in Italy about Premiata Forneria Marconi, and they have surely been the most popular band here. No one who was in his teens in Italy during the 70's, doesn't know E festa or Impressioni di settembre. They were also the first (and last, probably) italian band to have some success abroad, playing some good european and american tours, and even playing the popular Reading festival.

The band was formed in Milan around 1970 when the ex-Quelli (a popular beat band during the 60's) Mussida, Premoli, Piazza and Di Cioccio met multiinstrumentalist Mauro Pagani. The new band had a long name, as it was the tendence for the prog-oriented italian bands of the time, and were usually referred to as "La Premiata" and later PFM. Their live beginnings, recently documented in the 10 anni live 71/81 box set, included many covers, especially by the likes of King Crimson and Jethro Tull that were among their strongest influences.

But their first single, coupling La carrozza di Hans with Impressioni di settembre, began a highly original musical style, where the foreign influences had been mixed with classical music and some typical mediterranean sounds, creating the distinctive "italianprog" sound that has been later perfectioned by many others.

First album, Storia di un minuto in 1972 is a milestone in the genre, the quintessence of the italian prog, and few others can be compared with this that's surely one of the top five italian LP's for its contents and energy. Tracks like the two on the single, E festa and Dove.. quando are still among the finest example of their distinctive sound. The fine playing of Mauro Pagani, Franco Mussida and Flavio Premoli, despite the lack of a good role singer (always one of their limits), create a highly regarding sound that's still valid today.

The same year saw the release of their second LP, Per un amico, containing the same elements as the previous one with cuts such as the title track, Generale, Il banchetto. Both the albums were very successsul and, along with the first Banco del Mutuo Soccorso album, opened the way to a large audience recognition of the new musical style.

Third album, Photos of ghosts, contained mostly reworkings of old tracks in english version, and represented the first attempt by italian rock bands to break the foreign markets. The LP was released abroad by ELP label Manticore (just like Banco's fourth eponymous album) and gave the band a huge success in the USA.

In 1974 the fourth album, L'isola di niente, also had an english version released with the same tracklisting, called The world became the world. A new bass guitarist had joined the band, Patrick Djivas from Area, and english lyrics were by Pete Sinfield. The album was again very successful and the band embarked in their first US tour, documented in their Live in USA album.

The lack of a lead vocalist inthe band had always been marked by the press as PFM's main defect, and for this reason the group enroled Bernardo Lanzetti from Acqua Fragile. Lanzetti had lived in the States and with his distinctive voice could solvethe major problems for the band, singing and speaking english! The first (and sadly the only) release by the new six-piece was Chocolate kings, the first album only released with english lyrics (and their least successful so far for this reason in Italy). Containing some very good songs such as the title track and Out of the roundabout, the album had probably lost some of the typical italian feel of their previous works, going closer to the foreign markets' taste. A successful album abroad, it gave the band new chances to play in foreign countries, with new tour in Europe, USA and Japan.

But after the long tour, Pagani, tired of the hard life on the road, decided to quit the band. The band tried to replace him with american violinist Greg Bloch (from Flock and It's a Beautiful Day) but their decline had started. Jet lag, released in 1977 on the new Zoo label, still has very discordant reviews, its sound being very far from past glories, and Passpartu in 1978, with lyrics written by italian songwriter Gianfranco Manfredi, saw a strong turn towards pop music.

In 1979 a successful tour brought PFM all over Italy as backing band to the singer-songwriter Fabrizio De Andre, and two live albums were released by Ricordi (Fabrizio De Andre e la PFM In concerto voll. I & II)

The band released some low level albums during the 80's, still continuing as a successful live band in Italy, and band members Mussida and Di Cioccio also released solo albums. After Miss Baker in 1987 the band officially split.

Reunion of the basic four piece of Mussida, Premoli, Djivas and Di Cioccio came in 1997 with the Ulisse LP, and the band had some successful tours in the following years, well documented by the live www.pfmpfm.it album.





LP
Storia di un minuto Numero Uno (ZSLN 55055) 1972 gatefold cover with inner opening
Numero Uno/BMG (NL 74059) 1989 gatefold cover with side opening
Per un amico Numero Uno (DZSLN 55155) 1972 gatefold cover
Numero Uno/BMG (NL 71784) 1989 as above
Photos of ghosts Numero Uno (DZSLN 55661) 1973 gatefold laminated cover
Numero Uno/BMG (NL 71785) 1989 gatefold cover
L'isola di niente Numero Uno (DZSLN 55666) 1974 single cutout cover with inner
Numero Uno/BMG (NL 71782) 1989 single cover with inner
The world became the world Numero Uno (DZSLN 55669) 1974 single cutout cover with inner
Live in USA Numero Uno (DZSLN 55676) 1974 single cover with booklet
Chocolate kings Numero Uno (ZSLN 55684) 1975 single cover with poster
Jet lag Zoo (ZPLZ 34008) 1977 single cover with inner
Passpartu Zoo (ZPLN 34032) 1978 single cover with inner
Suonare suonare Zoo (ZPLN 34092) 1980 gatefold cover with inner
Come ti va in riva alla citta Zoo (ZPLN 34140) 1981
Performance Numero Uno (ZPLN 34161-2) 1982 2LP - gatefold cover
PFM? PFM! Numero Uno (ZL 70442) 1984 single cover with inner
Miss Baker Ricordi (SMRL 6372) 1987
Ulisse RTI (1146-1) 1997 single cover with inner
All albums reissued on CD


SINGLES (with picture sleeve)
La carrozza di Hans
Impressioni di settembre Numero Uno (ZN 50126) 1971 both tracks from Storia di un minuto
Dolcissima Maria
Via Lumiere Numero Uno (ZN 50326) 1974 both tracks from L'isola di niente
Chocolate kings
Harlequin Numero Uno (ZN 50342) 1975 both tracks from Chocolate kings
Come ti va
Chi ha paura della notte? Numero Uno (ZBN 7229) 1981 both tracks from Come ti va in riva alla citta


PROMO-ONLY AND JUKEBOX SINGLES (with blank sleeves)
La carrozza di Hans
Impressioni di settembre Numero Uno (ZJN 50126) 1971 juke-box issue with orange label
Il banchetto Numero Uno (JBZN 50270) 1972 split jukebox single coupled with Formula Tre - Aeternum


CD (relevant issues)
10 anni live 71/81 RTI (RTI 0217-2) 1996 box set with mostly unreleased live tracks
www.pfmpfm.it (Il Best) RTI (RTI 92002) 1998 new live recordings





All the PFM albums have printed in large quantities in Italy and are all still easy to find now. No particular rarities exist, nor any counterfeits.
They've also been issued abroad, in Japan, USA and some european countries.
Per un amico even had a brasilian issue, Photos of ghosts, The world became the world and Chocolate Kings were issued in UK on Manticore, Live in USA was issued abroad as Cook (on Peters in USA), while Chocolate kings and Jet lag had internatonal releases with different covers. An US-only compilation, called The Award winning Marconi bakery (that's the english translation of the band's name) was also released by Peters.
The box set 10 anni live 71/81 has also been released in Italy as four separate CD's, and also had a japanese issue as Absolute live 1971-1978 on King label.


The band has an official website at http://www.pfmpfm.it in italian and english with detailed discography, information, lyrics.
The band's official fanclub has also its own website at http://www.fanzine.net/fanclubs/pfm/cw/
Finally, Bernardo Lanzetti's official fanclub website is at http://digilander.iol.it/luctonal/bernardo_lanzetti/itaindex.html


























Premiata Forneria Marconi
Storia di un Minuto
BMG Ariola (ND 74059)
Italy 1972

Flavio Premoli, keyboards, vocals; Giorgio Piazza, bass, vocals; Franz di Cioccio, drums, keyboards, vocals; Mauro Pagani, flute, violin, vocals; Franco Mussida, guitars, vocals

Tracklist:
1. Introduzione - 1:10
2. Impressioni di Settembre - 5:44
3. E' Festa - 4:52
4. Dove... Quando... (Parte I) - 4:08
5. Dove... Quando... (Parte II) - 6:00
6. La Carrozza di Hans - 6:46
7. Grazie Davvero - 5:52

total time 34:34


Links:
official site
review at progweed
celebration world official fan club
a nice pfm fan site
pfm at the gepr




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Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM for short) is one of the leaders of the 70s prog movement that developed in Italy. For many prog fans, the Italian scene is second to none outside of the UK, although I'm sure some will make arguments for other nations. However, not only were the Italians one of the first people to really appreciate prog (pretty much kept Genesis going on in the early years), they developed a style which is uniquely Italian while maintaining links with the rest of the prog world.
When I first heard PFM I was impressed with the fact that they seemed to do something that only Genesis really does to the same extent, which is perfectly balance the acoustic pastoral musical moments with the powerful amplified moments. That first taste was the first three cuts on this album. That juxtaposition begins on the brief "Introduzione" and then caries over to "Impressioni di Settembre", with barely audible vocal and flute lines blending into one of the best synth melodies I've ever heard. Yes, there are Genesis-esque moments here, but nothing is that derivative (as it really couldn't be, given the time of release). There is a broad symphonic sweep to the first two tracks that seems to be a driving characteristic of Italian prog. "E'Festa" is basically an up-tempo rock sort of number which is a good showcase for the instrumental chops of Flavio Premoli on keyboards and Franco Mussida on guitar.

It was right about here that this album began to really surprise me as it moved to tracks I had not heard before. The second half of the album is an interesting blend of the more symphonic elements of the first two tracks and some very jazzy mellow moments. The result is fantastic musical and original prog. The vocals on the album are overall very good with no real hint of the vocal histrionics that seem to be typical of other Italian bands (maybe it's their operatic tradition, I'm not sure). The lyrics are in Italian, of course, but that really doesn't matter, as they work so well in the context of the music that what the guys are saying is irrelevant (and I even took two years of Italian in college).

On the whole, this is a fantastic album. It's only flaw is that, in the modern CD world, it is too short at just over a half an hour. The music on this disc stacks up very well with, if not surpassing, the work of the more well known British bands of the same year (Genesis's Nursery Crime and Yes's The Yes Album). If you're into classic prog at all, this album is a must have.

undated




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One of the first Italian prog albums I ever bought was PFM's Per Un Amico. That album quickly rose to the top of my list of all time favorite symphonic prog albums, so at the first opportunity I picked up another PFM album, L'Isola di Niente. For some reason that one didn't thrill me nearly as much, so I laid off PFM for a while.
At NEARFest '00, I finally decided that since I had the band's second and third album, I might as well buy the first one. And am I glad I did - this one now rivals Per Un Amico as my favorite symphonic prog disc. Storia has the usual beautiful melodies and wide range of instrumentation typical of Italian symphonic prog, but it also branches out to include a real rocker ("E Festa") and some jazzy sections ("Dove...Quando...Parte II"). The latter song even features a brief, subtle restatement of the melody from the former song - a nice little touch. It also has one part where the rhythm section pattern keeps making me expect the opening notes of Zappa's "King Kong" to break out at any moment (instead we get a very nice flute solo). "Impressione di Settembre" is somewhat reminiscent of early King Crimson, particularly in the way it uses a big, sweeping wall of mellotron sound.

This disc provided the first opportunity for me to compare the Italian and English versions of a PFM song. I had previously heard "Celebration" (the English version of "E Festa") on the Supernatural Fairy Tales prog-rock boxed set. That version, along with translating the lyrics, also cuts out almost two minutes worth of the track, simplifies the structure of the song and pushes the keyboards way out front in the mix. I can see why so many people say that the English translations are nowhere near as good as the Italian originals.

If you're a fan of symphonic prog, and lyrics in Italian don't bother you, then you definitely owe it to yourself to pick up the first two PFM albums.

undated




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PFM were in the first wave of Italian bands that turned their sights to the prog scene already burgeoning in Britain. My favorite moment on the album comes right at the beginning, with "Introduzione/Impressioni di Settembre." Granted, it pretty much screams "In the Court of the Crimson King." There's the broad, majestic chorus melody that ends with two bars to go before repeating, Lake-like vocals, and drums that contently swipe Mike Giles' original rhythm. Effortlessly shifting dynamics, too, best represented by Franco Mussida's guitar: one moment an acoustic robin wandering over the grass, and the next an electric, buzzing hawk. And yet, I am all too ready and willing to overlook the less-than-uncanny resemblance, just because said broad, majestic melody (played on Moog rather than mellotron, at least) is just too damn sweet to badmouth. What can I say? Mamie van Doren had her moments, too.
The second song just as shamelessly recalls Genesis, with "Hogweed" shuffle and prominent organ and wobbily electric guitar. After that, though, the album largely retreats from aping England by the pound. Instead, it emphasizes the unmistakable hallmarks that have more or less come to define symphonic Italian prog of the 70s: classical piano runs built on pure virtuosity; increasingly delicate, emotive vocals; an emphasis on flute and lower string instruments, such as cello. However, perhaps as an artifact of having heard this sound so much already, the novelty has dissipated and, for me, the songs of the second half lack the immediate kick of the album's first moments, despite having some decent moments

A masterpiece? Well, I generally like my traditional Italian prog a bit more aggressive, and so I prefer others from this period more (e.g., Banco del Mutuo Soccorso's Darwin! or Il Baletto di Bronzo's Ys). However, if you are looking for something more mellow and traditional, or maybe just getting your feet wet first with Italian prog, Storia di un Minuto is your sturdy ladder of entry into the pool.

3-5-03




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PFM was the first Italian prog that I bought (Photos of Ghosts) and that was done mostly in English. Outside of Locanda Delle Fate, they are my favorites so far. Beautiful pastoral melodies mesh together perfectly with more uptempo material: a mixture of King Crimson (especially the use of the horns) and the quiet moments of early Genesis.
"Dove...Quando...(Parte I)" with its acoustic guitar and horns is mellow perfection, and Part II adds violins and pianos, creating a more symphonic sound, and a suprisingly jazzy section using flute as the main instrument . "E' Festa" is actually the original Italian version of "Celebration" which appears on Photos, and I prefer this take. "La Carrozza Di Hans" really takes on a Genesis feel during the section where the organ comes in, but the use of the violin adds a sinister quality to the organ chords. "Grazie Davvero" opens up the band, using the entire arsenal, creating the feel of circus music at times, a really great track.

The only issue I can see anyone having is the Italian vocals; once you have conquered that, you have a whole new branch of progressive to get into. PFM is a band that puts melody up front, combined with strong and varied instrumentation, making them most deserving of all the praise they receive. A band that ranks with the best of them.

undated