Storia
di un Minuto (1972)
The first album from one
of the most acclaimed and well known 70s Italian bands,
Storia Di Un Minuto already shows a
highly developed group with a mature focus, creating what
might be their finest work. The next two albums, Per
Un Amico and L'Isola D'Niente are also regarded
as progressive classics. Storia… is a beautiful
symphonic progressive album in the classic sense. The usual
overtones of Yes, Genesis and early King Crimson are of
course present, but PFM manages to define their own sound.
The use of the pleasant, ethereal sounding Italian vocals against
a layered background of mellotron, flute and acoustic guitar
comes off as quite unique and inventive.
This album also
rocks harder as a whole than the two subsequent albums,
with great electric guitar and very prominent "heavy" sections.
"Impressioni Di Settembre" features a rousing catchy keyboard
chorus that would make Tony Banks envious, and "E Festa"
has a nice solid hard-rock riff beneath all the complexity,
being one of PFM's most aggressive sounding moments. This
album sits right alongside any of the 70s English symphonic
progressive albums. PFM are one of the truly adored Italian bands of
the 70s, and this album is perhaps an ideal entry point into the mind-bogglingly
rich Italian progressive rock scene. - Greg
Northrup [2000]
Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup
Info
Per Un Amico (1972)
Per Un
Amico is the second album from these Italian progressive
giants. It is perhaps softer in tone overall, and probably not quite as accessible
as was their debut, but eventually reveals itself as yet
another timeless progressive masterpiece. In fact,
Per Un Amico is regarded by many as
not only PFM's best album, but as the greatest single Italian
prog album of all time. Though I wouldn't go that
fair, this album is indeed 70s symphonic prog at its finest,
and stands as one of the first albums an Italian prog
newbie should go about acquiring.
The album definitely
puts an emphasis on atmosphere and tends to lean toward
softer, elegiac moments, making this into a very subtle
and richly textured work that gradually reveals itself.
More specifically, the album downplays the harder rocking
moments of Storia…, though it still has its share,
such as on the aggressive instrumental "Generale". The
acoustic guitar, flute, mellotron and piano are all widely
used, and the wonderful vocals still add a surreal and
romantic texture. At first listen, the music here
tends to just linger in the background, taking on a character
which was once described to me as "wallpaper music". While
I can sympathize with this grievance, I think really paying
close attention to the detail and depth of arrangement
on the album is essential to really getting something out
of it.
Basically the reputation
of this album is tremendous, and that in and of itself should
lead any serious progressive rock collector into getting it.
Still, as such, it has a lot of hype to live up to, which led
me, along with many others I know of, to be disappointed with
the album on first listen. Eventually however, I found
the album extremely rewarding. You really can't go wrong
with any of the first three PFM albums, which still stand as
three of the absolute cornerstones of the massive 70s Italian
progressive rock scene. This album has an English language
counterpart entitled Photos of Ghosts, which is
widely regarded as inferior to Per Un Amico, though I
haven't heard it myself. The best bet is probably to stick to
the original. -
Greg Northrup [2000]
Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
L'Isola di Niente (1974)
L'Isola di Niente is the third album in PFM's
classic early 70s trilogy, though I tend to prefer
the first two, this is still an very good album. All
the trademarks of the first two albums are here; the pleasant,
lilting folksiness, the enchanting vocals as well as the occasional
aggressive rock passage.
The title track opens
the album with a bang, highlighted by a massive guitar riff
and powerful effects-laden vocals, making this one of my
favorite PFM tunes. The next song, the English language
"Is My Face on Straight" (with lyrics penned by Pete Sinfield)
is decent, but probably the weakest track on the album.
"La Luna Nuova" and "Dolcissima Maria" are classic, gorgeously
pastoral PFM with all the hallmarks, while the finale "Via
Lumiere" showcases the band's instrumental virtuosity.
Like its predecessors, L'Isola… is rich with
depth and ranks as a prime example of great symphonic progressive
rock, though I would place it slightly below the band's
first two albums, Storia Di Un Minuto and Per
Un Amico.
- Greg Northrup [2000]
Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info
