Demetrio Stratos from Area International Popular Group wearing a shirt with the Palestinian flag on it, 1970s

1973 COUNTDOWN: #50—41

50  RINGO STARR — RINGO Forget “Now and Then”, this was the last Beatles record. It has songs by John, Paul, George, and of course Ringo. They are all alive, and all play and sing. As do guests including Harry Nilsson, Marc Bolan and members of The Band. Good songs, great atmosphere, and Ringo’s amiable vocals make this album a humble classic. Terrific booklet too, illustrated by Klaus Voorman.…

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297: I Giganti // Terra in bocca (Poesia di un delitto)

Terra in bocca (poesia di un delitto) I Giganti 1971, Ri-Fi

Today was the day I think I finally turned heel as a record collector. There’s a cute little shop not far from my house that specializes in CDs, but has a modest used vinyl selection. Most of it is very basic fare (I’ve never seen so many Blood, Sweat & Tears records in one place in my damn life), but all priced like it’s ten years ago and the vinyl speculating bubble never happened. I ducked in for the first time last week, and after some assiduous digging plucked some outrageous gems: an original pressing of Junior Kimbrough’s All Night Long and a Canadian OP of Richard & Linda Thompson’s I See the Bright Lights Tonight! The first goddamn Exuma record for $11! I even found Roger Miller’s debut, a theoretically dirt common record that’s nonetheless eluded me for years. I walked out with easily $250 worth of squeaky-clean wax I actually wanted for less than $100.

But rather than just enjoying my good fortune, it set the blackly gleaming coils of avarice inside me into motion. I’d snagged a cool little compilation of Bengali playback songs by Aarti Mukherjee for $12 from their modest little Indian music section (a record I had to add to Discogs myself), and while grooving to it I decided to look up a couple of the others I remembered seeing there. That’s when I discovered the Lata Mangeshkar record I’d briefly considered at $15 last sold on Discogs for almost $380. Reader, I try to suppress my Jungian Deals for Deals’ Sake shadow, but through my father’s side of the family tree I’ve inherited a deep streak of flea market cretinism. I fear this situation has made it ascendant. The shop was closed the day I made my dark Discogs discovery, so I waited, slavering, for the following morning, whereupon I told my coworkers I had to walk a traveling friend’s dog and would pick up the hour at the end of my shift, and shambled to the store to see if my dusty prize was still there.

Portrait of the collector courtesy the Royal Arachnological Museum

I felt as though I were robbing the mom and pop shop as I clutched the LP to my chest, telling myself that at least their small selection of recent extreme metal records were neatly labeled with little post-it notes that indicated the shopkeep had compared his stock with Amazon’s algorithmically-deranged marketplace, but I knew I was only lying to myself. These poor sods didn’t know about Discogs. Only I did, and it had merely cost me a shred of my soul. I bought the Mangeshkar, and two Bengali records of unclear value, though one is autographed. And I bought this dorky Italo prog record reissue on blue vinyl that I have far less legitimate musical interest in than the Mangeshkar, purely because some Greek psychopath is trying to sell his copy for $300 US, and other pressings are starting at $75 and up. It’s a concept album about the Mafia that was so thoroughly censored by Italy’s corrupt media it was practically unknown till the ‘90s, which, as a backstory, objectively rocks. A lot of it sounds like Jesus Christ Superstar, which objectively sucks. I Giganti thank Karl Marx on the back of the sleeve but include a poem by the horny proto-fascist Gabriele D’Annunzio in the gatefold, who pioneered Mussolini’s tactic of haranguing crowds from his balcony window and in an unrelated incident later fell out of a window and hurt himself so badly he had to withdraw from politics, which is confusing. The album itself is… fine really, has some cool Mellotron, though I’d rather hear Goblin play The Godfather theme. Someday I will try to sell it for a profit, but if God is just the bubble will collapse before then and I’ll be entombed with it.

297 reviews in, I am finally lost.

297/365

Premiata Forneria Marconi, my personal favorite of the Italian prog scene

@daveslutstaine - Premiata Forneria Marconi

I didn't forget bout you BUT I was -and am- in my deepest Jazz-Fusion obsession and don't know what happened to me.

Ok I take a listen--

they do deserve to be your favourites!!

love how the drums are like jazz

They are master of the riffs

^ hidden gem !!

I listened to their debut album and it got me the same feeling I had as LedZep II -for the first time-

So many songs on it sound like a hit

LOVE the sound of their guitar

it's nice when they have a flute on their records!!

sometimes remind me of Blood Sweat & Tears

E festa

Impressioni di settembre

Again- Italian is a m a z i n g when it comes to singing and prog

By the way thank you for recommending me Le Orme, they showed me how beautiful Italian music was 😭

//

Il Tempio Delle Clessidre

Italian Progressive Rock band

"Third Eye Light" by Eris Pluvia: https://youtu.be/XMuqZ6KQyKM

ProgRock #ProgressiveRock #Spirituality #Meditation #ErisPluvia

"The concept album “Third Eye Light”, continues the themes of the previous album. Eris Pluvia play a majestic classic progressive rock, symphonic yet pastoral with influences ranging from bands like Camel and Pink Floyd, through the best international neo-prog and the classic Italian prog of the seventies."

Il Balletto Di Bronzo - La Tua Casa Comoda (English Translation)

English translation and italian lyrics of the song "La Tua Casa Comoda" by Il Balletto Di Bronzo. English Translation You've wanted for yourself The house always neat And you don't like that I live this way This way; in my clutter

You don't go out because Every emotion is uncomfortable for you What a boredom though In your comfortable home

What is my life now? Similar days along with you At night, what do you want? I don't even try it anymore

I can't dream no more And I'm willing to fly Into the world that's outside You never think about it

You don't go out because Every emotion is uncomfortable for you What a boredom though In your comfortable home

Original lyrics

Hai voluto per te La casa sempre in ordine e non ti va Che io viva così Così nel mio disordine

Tu non esci perchè Ogni emozione è scomoda secondo te Quanta noia però Nella tua casa comoda

La mia vita ora cos'è Giorni uguali insieme a te Poi la notte cosa vuoi Neanche ci provo più

Non posso più sognare E ho voglia di volare Al mondo que c'è fuori Non ci pensi mai

Tu non esci perchè Ogni emozione è scomoda secondo te Quanta noia però Nella tua casa comoda

this is my favorite song rn. rest of the album is also really good.

Finisterre's xxv, was expecting a cd edition but this is just as good!

Aldo Tagliapietra peacefully arguing with Michi dei Rossi when they both ended up with two different bands named Le Orme

"Let's be clear, now we...no...mmmh...GODDAM-"

Gentleoctopus: Hero / Hero (1974)

Hello! I am once again asking for some Italian Prog recommendations (if that's ok) :)

Of course it’s ok! I’m always happy to talk about Italian music, my beloved! I was afraid that I had scared you away for good with my last recommendations 😆 I’m glad that I didn’t!

Some random Italian Prog albums that I recommend are: 

Città Frontale - El Tor. The track “Mutazione” is especially stellar! 

Blocco Mentale - POA

Alphataurus (self titled) - La mente vola is so good!!

Picchio dal Pozzo (self titled) - a rare example of Italian prog with a Canterbury sound (the third track, Seppia, is a little out there. Actually, you might want to skip that song 😆)

This isn’t really Prog, but I enjoy listening to Alberto Radius. He played in the band I Quelli, which later became Premiata Forneria Marconi. He was also in a group called Formula 3, and later played guitar for Franco Battiato. I really love his solo albums from the late 70s: Che cosa sei, Carta straccia, and America Good-bye. Formula 3’s Sognando e risognando is also worth checking out if you’re looking for Prog! I would consider this more pop, but Franco Battiato put out some wonderful albums in the late 70s/early 80s that I hope you’ll give a listen to: L'era del Cinghiale Bianco, Patriots, and his masterpiece, La Voce del Padrone. That record quickly became the soundtrack of my summer last year! 

Eugenio Finardi is also a great guitarist and solo artist who had some amazing albums in the late 70s. Sugo, Diesel and Blitz are some of his best, I think!

Mental health got me like

im just a weird guy like not even silly just awkward like just offputting