01	In Volo						02:17
	02	R.I.P. (Requiscant In Pace)						09:09
	03	Passaggio						04:06
	04	Metamorfosi						13:01
	05	Il Giardino del Mago			...Passo dopo passo... ... Chi ride e chi geme... ... Coi capelli sciolti al vento... Compenetrazione			19:09
	06	Traccia						02:08

(c) 1991
Music V. Nocenzi
Lyrics F. Di Giacomo and V. Nocenzi

Banco (Del Mutuo Soccorso) [Italy]

Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso (72), Darwin! (72), Io Sono Nato Libero (73), Banco (75), Garofano Rosso (76), Come In Un'ultima Cena (76), Di Terra (78), Canto Di Primavera (79), Capolinea (80), Urgentissimo (80), Buone Notizie (81), Banco (83), ... E Va (85), Grande Joe (85), Da Qui Messere Si Domina La Valle (a 91 re-recording of their first 2 albums, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso and Darwin!), Il Tredici (94), Nudo (97, an "Unplugged" album of older material)

Originally known as Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso they released two albums on Manticore, Banco and As In A Last Supper. These however are merely English versions of their earlier release, the former being of songs from their first three albums Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Darwin! and Io Sono Nato Libero. The latter is an English version of their fourth Come In Un'Ultima Cena. Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso's first three are definitely classics, with a strong baroque feel, dual keyboards, extremely complicated arrangements, and a strong vocal presence (you may like him or you may not.) They definitely take a little getting used to, although your patience will definitely reveal three beautifully crafted masterpieces. Garafano Rosso and ...Di Terra are mid period albums, almost all instrumental that delve into a more neo-classical realm and are best left for the more explorative. Later albums including Canto Di Primavera and the live Capolinea are rather poor, the latter including some horrible horn parts. I'd stick with the first three for starters.
I've only listened to Darwin! and Io Sono Nato Libero, and both are outstanding. Intricate and dense, sort of a keyboardish Yes/Crimson cross. Takes 2 or 3 listens to get used to but worth the effort.
The only thing I've heard from them is their 1975 Banco. It's a fairly decent piece of Italian progressive rock, certainly much more energetic than their often too folksy labelmates PFM. The highlight for me was the interplay between the bombastic keyboards and Rudolfo Maltese's nicely aggressive guitar work. Vocalist Francesco di Giacomo has operatic pretensions, which is sort of a downer, and occasionally the whole band veers off into a sub-par ballad shtick that Julio Iglesias would later make famous, but other than that this is quite solid. -- Doug Bassett
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, or Banco for short, along with PFM, Osanna and a few others, defined the early to mid seventies Italian progressive sound that so many after them would follow. That sound was equally influenced by folk themes, classical music, and the melodic and experimental british bands of the time, ie. Van Der Graaf, early Genesis, the Nice, and others. Banco, in particular also tended to have quite a bit of Jazz influence to their sound. In the 90's they reformed and re-recorded new versions of the first two albums. Their sound varies somewhat from album to album, but most feature excellent vocals (in Italian) by Francesco "Mr.Chubbs" DiGiacomo (Garafano Rosso is an instrumental album). All come highly recommended, except maybe Capolinea which was their farewell live album, and sounds more compromised.
During the '70s, only a few Italian progressive bands gained any noticeable mention in the United States. Banco was one of those bands (as was PFM). Like PFM, Banco remixed a few of their original albums with English lyrics on ELP's Manticore label. For example, Banco contained remixed selections from the band's first three albums. To my way of thinking, the reworking of the songs destroys their natural aura. Because of this, I recommend that you get the original Italian albums, particularly Io Sono Nato Libero and Darwin!. Both of these are excellent keyboard dominated symphonic progressive albums, along the lines of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, except more lyrical and less bombastic. The two keyboardists (piano, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer) create some wonderful music, finely crafted and well executed. These albums should delight any keyboard fan. Classical influences abound; I'm not sure of this but to me they seem to draw more from the Classical and Baroque periods as well as the 20th century classical favored by Emerson. As indicated above, the lyrics are sung in Italian. The vocalist is a powerful singer, not harsh to my ears, dominating the sound when he does sing. Fortunately for us instrumental fans, the singing isn't as common as the incredible instrumental passages. Capolinea is a live album (from 1980) that fails miserably, despite the fact that it draws from these early albums. The sound is more commercial and the performance is uninspired. Start with the highly recommended Io Sono Nato Libero and Darwin! instead. -- Mike Taylor
Their first three albums are supposed to be their best. I only have the English-language Manticore-label reduction of these. It was enough to mesmerize me into their sound. If you like intricate progressive rock with great vocals, dual synthesizers and excellent guitarwork, you're gonna love them! The English vocals do sound rather awkward, the original Italian versions would probably cause me to turn my nose up at this album. I heard another album from around this time, Come In Un Ultima Cena, also excellent. Vocalist Francesco Di Giacomo sounds like an opera-trained Peter Gabriel. Two of the subsequent albums, Garofano Rosso and ...Di Terra are completely instrumental, neo-classical works. Di Terra is the better of these two, evocative, cinematic music. Highly recommended. I heard part of Canto Di Primavera which was nice, in line with their earlier works, yet not quite on that level. Capolinea is supposed to really suck. The other albums between 1980-1989 are also to be avoided. There's a 1990 or so release with a long Italian title which escapes me at the moment. It consists of updated versions of music from the first few albums. I heard some of it, nice, but doesn't add anything to the originals. -- Mike Ohman



review added 11-14-99
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso: B.M.S.
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso
B.M.S.
Virgin Dischi
Italy 1991

Vittorio Nocenzi, organ & keys; Rodolfo Maltese, guitar, backing vocals; Pier Luigi Calderoni, drums; Francesco di Giacomo, vocals; with Piercarlo Penta, synth bass, keys; Tiziano Ricci, backing vocals

Tracklist:
1. In Volo - 2:17
2. Requiescant in Pace - 9:08
3. Passaggio - 4:03
4. Metamorfosi - 13:00
5. Il Giardino del Mago - 19:07
a. ...passo dopo passo...
b. ...chi ride e chi geme...
c. ...coi capelli sciolti al vento...
d. COMPENETRAZIONE
6. Traccia - 2:08

total time 49:54

Post a response to this review
Back to reviews index "B"
Back to the reviews home
Back to the main index page
Buy the CD from amazon.com


Jon Byrne:
Banco is one of the classic 70s Italian prog bands, mentioned in the same breath with Premiata Forniera Marconi and others that made Italy a prog hotbed. This album is a 1991 rerecording and rerelease of their debut album. Why anyone would do something like that is beyond me (ask the folks who are remaking Psycho), but this is the version that my supplier had when I made the order.
It's hard to figure out exactly what kind of sound Banco had back in the day because there is a very much late 80s feel to the production here. On the top of the list of those touches are the anoying drum sounds used in some places. I'm not sure if Calderoni was using an electronic set (a la Bill Bruford on Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe) or was triggering something. Either way, it rubs me the wrong way.
One thing that is for sure is that Banco is driven by the man behind the keyboard, Vittori Nocenzi. Most of the cuts are keyboard dominated and Nocenzi is certainly worth listening to, very restrained in some places and very technical in others. The style and sound he wrangles along with the rest of the band is usually lyrical and melodic, with grand symphonic touches in places. The lyrics are a bit abrupt, but di Giacomo seems to be the one Italian frontman who doesn't try to be overly operatic. The best track on the album is "Metamorfosi", which keeps the lyrics to a minimum and allows Nocenzi to shine.
The rest of the album varies from very good to rather nice but a little aimless. Nothing else really leaped out and grabbed me, but nothing made me cringe either. Repeated listenings may reveal a few gems. I would love to hear the original 70s work in all its glory. Which is probably the best thing I could say about this disc.
Sean McFee:
In 1991, celebrating their twentieth anniversary, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso released the Da qi Messere si Domina la Valle set, consisting of a re-recording of their first two albums, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Darwin!. Later on the two re-recorded albums were released individually, which is how I picked them up.
Worshippers of analog synths will be disappointed to know that this version largely eschews them in favor of digital keyboards, although some Hammond organ shows up on a couple of tracks. The good news is that the sound overall is much cleaner than the original version, which is rather lacking in places. Francesco di Giacomo's vocals are as strong twenty years later as ever.
The arrangements of the songs have not changed much, with the exception of "Passagio", which has been extended to four minutes with an additional section.
Which version of this album is better is an issue of some contention. It's easy to assume that the original version renders this superfluous, but the sound quality here tends to put that version to shame. At the same time, who doesn't prefer a dominance of analog keys? In the end, I find both are worth owning, although I probably give the nod to this version when it comes to which I will chose to put in my CD player on a regular basis.

Other resources:
We have a review of the "original 70s work" on this site as well.
This band has a home page which might or might not function correctly in your browser.
There are a few customer reviews at amazon.com.
Tommy Schonenberg, at his website Tommy's Forest of Progressive Rock, has a review of this release.






review added 11-5-99
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso: self-titled
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso
self-titled
Dischi Ricordi (MPCD 204)
Italy 1972

Vittorio Nocenzi, organ & keys; Gianni Nocenzi, keys; Marcello Todaro, guitars; Renato d'Angelo, bass; Pier Luigi Calderoni, drums; Francesco di Giacomo, vocals

Tracklist:
1. In Volo - 2:13
2. Requiescant in Pace - 6:40
3. Passaggio - 1:19
4. Metamorfosi - 10:52
5. Il Giardino del Mago - 18:26
a. ...passo dopo passo...
b. ...chi ride e chi geme...
c. ...coi capelli sciolti al vento...
d. COMPENETRAZIONE
6. Traccia - 2:10

total time 41:40


Sean McFee:
This was the first studio release for Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, one of the most famous and influential bands of the Italian progressive rock scene. Banco succeeded in taking the best parts of the normal symphonic progressive sound -- the rich keyboards, complex arrangements and sprawling compositions -- and combine them with Italian elements for an original sound. Lead vocalist Francesco di Giacomo employs an operatic style, while Italian folk and classical elements creap into songs such as "Traccia".
As for English progressive influences, there is an occasional Emerson-like quality to Vittorio Nocenzi's keyboard work but other than that not much. Longer compositions are often divided into outbursts of instrumental virtuosity and slower sections with di Giacomo's passionate vocals. Of special note here is the 18-minute "Il Giardino del Mago", which ranks with any of the English progressive epics.
If there's a complaint to be made about this album, it would be regarding the often lacklustre sound quality, which thankfully improves on later efforts. This shouldn't stop the intrepid progster from diving into the band with this classic release, however.
Brandon Wu:
Italian prog in general is tough to describe; this one especially. Wavering schizophrenically between hard rock and beautiful symphonic, this amazing debut album transcends genre groupings and exemplifies the uniqueness and ingenuity behind the best Italian progressive rock. Driven by dual keys and electric guitar, the band whips through countless themes at light-speed, helped on by a solid rhythm section and the quasi-operatic voice of Francesco di Giacomo - a voice which people either love or hate. I love it - even though I don't understand the lyrics (in Italian), di Giacomo puts such emotion into his inflections that it's difficult not to be moved. With three short, melodic pieces and three longer ones (at 7, 11, and 18 minutes), there's plenty of music on this disc. Each of the long pieces is a masterpiece, though the 11-minute one is the weakest of the bunch; the 18-minute one in particular has absolutely gorgeous acoustic-guitar-and-flute moments mixed with plenty of heavy organ-led prog rock. Writing about this album is utterly ineffective - you've got to hear it for yourself.

Other resources:
So, you ask, what does the 1991 re-recording of this album sound like?
This band has a home page which might or might not function correctly in your browser.
There are a few customer reviews at amazon.com.
Tommy Schonenberg, at his website Tommy's Forest of Progressive Rock, has a review of this release.



Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso - "Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso" (1972) Next to PFM, this was the best known Italian progressive rock band and of course also one of the absolutely best ones. And their debut-album is a masterpiece from start to end. It starts with a short, almost medieval piece, before the energetic "R.I.P." begins. Here you'll notice that the band's singer had a very distinctive voice that I really like, while some of the keyboard playing (especially the Hammond) sounds a little bit ELP-ish. "Passaggio" is a very short and nice piece played on harpsichord. "Metamorfosi" has tons of excellent riffs and themes played on Hammond and piano. Very complex and satisfying. The 18-minute "Il Giardino Del Mago" has some aggressive Hammond relived by some very beautiful parts with clarinet and wonderful themes, while the short and medieval-sounding "Traccia" ends the album. Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso is definitively one of the first Italian bands you should check out.