Unknown Soldier

1.What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in?

Quite engaging as it appeared that the band knew what they wanted to achieve on their very first album. You can actually hear a lot of the band's better known influences in the first five minutes of the album but what is great about the album, is that the band very much had their own style, it would've been a shame if they hadn't because this band from the word go have an obvious talent.

2. What did you think of the opening tracks?

Just focusing on the opening track, it quickly displayed the musical virtuosity of the band and distinctly ticked all the right boxes when it came to 'classic era' prog of the early 1973.

3. What did you think of the later tracks?

A real mixed bag throughout on here you can hear elements of Yes, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant. On the heavier side of things Led Zeppelin and especially the keyboard influence of Deep Purple and Uriah Heep.

4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?

Had a typical strong dominant voice that was often associated with either Italian or Spanish vocalist from the 1970s and 1980s and he added some diversity at certain moments as well. His vocals were pushed high in the album mix and so you either loved or hated them as there was no escaping them, luckily I really liked him

5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not?

As Trollheart has said, Pietro Pellegrini on keys/synths was the stand-out musician here and his work on the keys quite exceptional, but it should be noted that Andrea Guizetti is also credited with the keys/synths as well, so not sure which was more dominant here.

6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)?

I listened to it just once, I guess on another listen it would get even more involving as there was a lot to take in here.

7. What did you think of the lyrical content?

Understood about 30% of the lyrical content and seemed to be based around feelings of nostalgia and choosing the right path in life, might be wrong here as I had a bit of a hangover

8. Did you like the instrumental parts?

As I've been going on about how good they are, I've already answered this question.

9. What did you think of the production?

A very good production which has real clarity and doesn't take away the passion of the band in any way.

10. How well do you already know the band/artist?

Never heard of them, my knowledge of Italian music of this era has largely been limited to just a couple of hard rock bands and to be fair they were good listens as well.

11. What sub-genre, if any, would you assign this music to?

Progressive rock without any shadow of a doubt. They incorporated the elements of hard rock very well into their sound.

12. On repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less?

N/A.

13. What would you class as your favourite track, if you have one?

So many good tracks but "Domo l'Urugano" was superb and its hard rocking were right out of the Led Zeppelin music book, in fact Led Zeppelin would've proud to have called it their own. The instrumental "Croma" was great as well.

14. And the one you liked least?

They were all accomplished tracks.

15. Did the fact that this album is a debut allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated? (Note: if the album is or was NOT a debut, ignore this question or put "n/a")

Didn't sound exactly like a debut to me, mainly because a lot of prog rock debuts from bands of this era were often disjointed efforts, whilst the bands were trying to find their true sound in a complex genre. This though, was accomplished and could've passed for a second, third or fourth album whilst the band were still fresh with ideas.

16. Are you now looking forward to hearing other albums by the band/artist?

Sadly they split up after this album and the next release I saw was so much more recent, and I guess the continuity would be long gone.

17. Did you get, thematically, the idea behind the album if there was one?

See question 7.

18. Did the album end well?

"Ombra Muta" is an accomplished track that musically shifts textures around the place and mixes crunching moments in with some nice sounding reflective sounding stuff.

19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?

I thought the lack of guitar presence (but there were still some great guitar moments) actually a feather in the cap for the band, I think the lack of guitar put a greater emphasis on the other instruments which often took the place of guitars to achieve the sound the band wanted, kind of reminded me of what Tom Scholz did with Boston on Third Stage.

20. Do you think the album hung together well, ie was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss?

Solid all the way through.

Overall Album Rating: 8 out of 10.

PS. I saw a list of Italian progressive bands for the 1970s when I was checking out this band and there were over 100 bands on that list

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Trollheart

Good review US: glad to see you think in the same basic terms as me on this one.

Can the rest of you get any reviews on "Alphataurus" in by let's say Monday, as we're now into 2013 and need to move on to the next album. I think that's either US or BE's choice?

Thanks guys!

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Trollheart

OK guys I think we've all had time to get over the Xmas slump. It's now one week into the new year, so any reviews of "Alphataurus" need to be posted today, otherwise we move on.

Unknown Soldier, the next choice is yours...

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Anteater

1.What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in?

Oh hai Italian prog! It's not bad at all really: the production has a lot of clarity for an early 70's record, and it doesn't sound like most of the other RPI albums coming out around '73 either.

2. What did you think of the opening tracks?

'Peccato D'Orgoglio' is fairly interesting, with a great middle section that lets the band show off a bit in the virtuosity department. 'Dopo L'Uragano' wasn't as interesting: comes off as one of those honky tonk ELP-inspired jams that never really goes anywhere.

3. What did you think of the later tracks?

A real hodgepodge of what you'd expect out an early 70's progressive rock record: I love all the synths in 'La Mente Vola' in particular!

4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?

Strong voice, and as others pointed out he's got a great range on top of that. The fact I don't know Italian at all doesn't really detract from his vocal quality: might not have been a bad idea to try getting him to sing in English to reach a larger international audience though.

5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not?

It appealed to me, but on the whole its not cohesive or interesting enough from start to finish to measure up to any of the classic progressive rock records of the era, so I'd say the appeal was somewhat limited.

6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)?

Better to one degree or another.

7. What did you think of the lyrical content?

Mama mia!

8. Did you like the instrumental parts?

Yep.

9. What did you think of the production?

Probably the best aspect of the album overall. Reminds me a lot of Gentle Giant's debut on that note, especially in how the drums are mixed.

10. How well do you already know the band/artist?

I already knew of them as a 2nd tier RPI band long before I listened to this album the first time.

11. What sub-genre, if any, would you assign this music to?

Rock Progresivo Italiano, of course.

12. On repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less?

Meh.

13. What would you class as your favourite track, if you have one?

Probably 'La Mente Vola'. Very spacey, very fun!

14. And the one you liked least?

N/A

15. Did the fact that this album is a debut allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated? (Note: if the album is or was NOT a debut, ignore this question or put "n/a")

The production and general flow of the album is good enough to where I wouldn't normally see it as a debut: the professionalism is actually fairly unusual and really says a lot about the people involved.

16. Are you now looking forward to hearing other albums by the band/artist?

Since there really wasn't any direct follow up, probably not.

17. Did you get, thematically, the idea behind the album if there was one?

N/A.

18. Did the album end well?

As others have pointed out, 'Ombra Muta' was a fairly nice closer with a bit of crunch in the right areas to leave a solid impression.

19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?

Even more keyboard emphasis would have been interesting, but besides the suggestion of recruiting in a sax/horn/flute player for some flavor, I don't have any major improvement suggestions that might have helped a whole lot.

20. Do you think the album hung together well, ie was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss?

More miss than hit: it's not melodically cohesive as a whole, which is an important feature for me in progressive rock. These guys aren't quite there for me, and kind of a representative from my point of view of why there's no real record in the RPI canon of music that measures up to Yes's Close To The Edge or the classic Genesis stuff. Different strokes for different folks I suppose. :P

Overall Album Rating: 7 out of 10.

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Big Ears

Apologies for my lateness, but here are my comments:

1. What were your VERY FIRST impressions on listening to the album, say from the first five minutes in?

It is immediately clear why Alphataurus is regarded as a 'lost classic'. On the one hand, there does not appear to be an English language version of the album and they did little to capitalise on the artistic success of this album. On the other hand, this is an exercise in economy of style and combines its influences (Genesis, ELP) with something that is uniquely Alphataurus.

2. What did you think of the opening tracks?

Subtle and effective, but I am alienated by the vocals as I do not speak Italian. For some reason, not understanding the language/lyrics makes the vocals difficult for me to evaluate properly. The vocals are by no means bad. I have looked up the lyrics on song websites and they are reassuringly deep and meaningless.

3. What did you think of the later tracks?

There is a stylistic thread running throughout the album. On a limited mp3 player (as I used) the tracks sound like one continuous piece of music. They are influenced by the usual suspects, such as Genesis and ELP, but are not a Genesis or ELP copy.

4. Did you like the vocalist? Hate him/her? Any impressions?

He is clear and in tune, but difficult to appreciate for an English-only listener.

5. Did the music (only) generally appeal to you, or not?

The music is excellent, while the vocals are tolerable - being in (to me) another language.

6. Did the album get better or worse as you listened to it (first time)?

It definitely stands repeated playing. I have not heard the album for a while, but it has lost none of its tasteful qualities over the years.

7. What did you think of the lyrical content?

I understand they are appropriate cosmic nonsense, just as as I like them.

8. Did you like the instrumental parts?

This is the band's strength as they use a cranked-up acoustic guitar as a lead instrument, a bit like like Genesis or even Michael Schenker's (much later) experimental period. They also use what sounds like a harpsichord, but could be a 12-string acoustic guitar. In other places there are keyboards reminiscent of Wakeman and Emerson. Less is more and the drummer is a paragon of restraint.

9. What did you think of the production?

Clear and high-quality.

10. How well do you already know the band/artist?

I do not remember Alphaturus from the seventies. I came across them in a thread or review on PE a few years ago. They appear to be a bit like Captain Beyond in producing one great album and then vanishing.

11. What sub-genre, if any, would you assign this music to?

It may seem glib, but Italian progressive rock. England has dominated progressive rock, but the Italians occasionally came close with PFM, Banco and others. Perhaps it is their heritage in opera that gives them an indefineable something.

12. On repeated listens, did you find you liked the album more, or less?

More. I keep hearing new things in the album.

13. What would you class as your favourite track, if you have one?

I do not think I have a favourite.

14. And the one you liked least?

Likewise. Everything is good.

15. Did the fact that this album is a debut allow it, in your mind, any leeway, and if so, was that decision justified or vindicated? (Note: if the album is or was NOT a debut, ignore this question or put "n/a")

Some bands hit the ground running with their first album and Alphataurus are a case in point. It is a pity that they did not record more material.

16. Are you now looking forward to hearing other albums by the band/artist?

I would be interested to hear the remaining albums.

17. Did you get, thematically, the idea behind the album if there was one?

The instrumentation is very cohesive. I am not sure about the lyrics.

18. Did the album end well?

It does end quite abruptly.

19. Do you see any way the album could have been improved?

I have tried to track down an English language version of the album and I am fairly sure it does not exist. It's a minor point, but would be helpful to an Anglocentric like myself.

20. Do you think the album hung together well, ie was a fully cohesive unit, or was it a bit hit-and-miss?

Cohesive is the operative word. This is all hit and no miss. A final word should go to the album cover design, which is very distinctive and makes the album difficult to forget.

Overall Album Rating: 8 out of 10 (probably 8.5 or 9.0 if it was in English).

Trollheart

Thanks guys for those last-minute reviews. Interesting differences in some instances, but overall everyone seemed to like the album and rated it as 7 or higher.

So, what's next?

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Unknown Soldier

I think it's my turn and if it is, I'll put mine up tomorrow. To be honest I've kind of lost track of whose turn it is, so if it's somebody else please go ahead. If not my selection will be up tomorrow.

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Dark Horse

So how exactly would I join this? Do I just have to post my responses to the current album?

Big Ears

This is the order since August:

TH - Twlefth Night
BE - Spock's Beard
US - Captain Beyond
AE - Big Big Train
TH - Alphataurus

If it's me next, I suggest Hall Of the Mountain Grill by Hawkwind. If it's not me, forget I said anything.

Unknown Soldier

Post your response using the questionnaire (if you want) and it's probably best doing it now for the next album when it comes up.

Good to see you back and it looks like you're next. so fire away.

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