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The last truly great album by Ken Hensley and with the mid to late 70's formation of UH, contains great tracks in UH vintage style.

1971, are the year in where very many groups formed, the great majority very good, another ones not as much, but what there is no doubt, is that all almost had a quality that to the day of today would be simply enviable, the quality, execution, sense of the harmony and notion of which it was being created, he was something that hardly will be repeated in the history of contemporary music, and please understanding like contemporary music the one that includes all century XX and what we took of the XXI, if we spoke of old music, will be then of Century III A.D. until the last years of Century XII, and thus it is followed, but I do not want to crush with definitions or periods of the music, that in this review do not take place, we are then going to analyze what Le ORME offered to us in that year. Collage, is one of the most interesting discs and more energetic, than this Italian grouping has recorded and I dare to say that of all its discography until the present time. This work of art that offered to us Le ORME is of its better discs and I dare to affirm from my own perspective that is the best disc of this great band, with very algid moments and minimum errors and mainly, that coming to record discs of psychedelic pop cut, change their perspective and they adapt it to the times of the best time of the Progressive rock, and they assimilate it really fast, this Magnus opus contains the best songs than they have recorded like for example “Collagé, “Cemento Armato”, “Sguardo Verse il cielo”, “ Morte di un fiore”, and that they became instantaneously in classics live tracks, still psychedelic influences notice, jazz appearances also, but rock in a very fine form, but there is no doubt that we are in front of a musical document of first level on the part of Le ORME, and authenticate monument of Progressive music, combining, all the accumulated ... -> show full review

In the year of 1972 the Italian Progressive rock was developing almost all the slopes that existed in this context, as it shows are the works of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Premiata Forneria Marconi and Le Orme, among other very many groups, but remarcable it is the quick maturity of many of them in his sound and that almost all of them competed with the great names of world-wide the Progressive rock, it is the case of Yes, Genesis, Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP), and King Crimson, among others.

There is no doubt that great names many of these Italian groups and that its real and true one influence exerted it with the live in concert presentations and the spreading of their work, in this case with albums and simple that appeared in the noticeable world-wide and national markets.

Between all of them there is a group that beginning formally activities at the end of 1970 named Il Rovescio della Medaglia and the publication of this, its second titled disc Io Come Io, that is one of hidden jewels of the Progressive, full Rock of harmonic findings of very strong sonority, with a struggle sound and a line noticeably and oriented to the hard sound, heavy of the Progressive Rock. And that contains one of the best ones and more obtained works done between melodies touched by a distorted fuzzy bass, distorted guitar and an electrical one, that using an effect of distortion known like overdrive and fuzztone, the heaviest sound created than I have listened in an instrument of these, and that it resounds as giant in all the disc, without a doubt touching wildest and crude musical notes, harmonies and riffs that remembers of a Progressive group!

The group was integrated by Enzo Vita. - guitar, Ballarini. Pino - vocal and flute, Stefano Urso. – electric bass and Gino Campoli. - drums and this formation that is one of the best ones ... -> show full review

If an Italian group exists that very is known at international level, after Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), is Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (BMS) one of the fundamental groups of the Progressive Italian rock. This originating group of the city of Rome is of the best examples of the development of the Italian Progressive rock and also one of the best groups than has arisen from world-wide the Progressive rock. Their music is stirring and of delicate and fresh mysticism, as well as of a exacerbated chromatist. There is a deep doubt that the music of Banco has a very classic development, subjects and with extraordinary shades, and extreme professionalism in the musicians who integrate this great group and which they are: Gianni Nocenzi -clarinet, piano, Keyboards, Flute Piccolo, Vocals, Pier Luigi Calderoni. - Drums, Renato D'Angelo. - Bass and Guitar, Francesco Di Giacomo. - Vocals, Vittorio Nocenzi. - Organ, Clarinet, Keyboards, Vocals and Marcello Todaro. - Guitar, Vocals, guitarrón. Banco has been always a pilar of the Progressive rock in Italy, It practically was present in all the festivals of Progressive rock that organized in principles of 70's like Villa Pamplihi or the Caraccalla and next to the great Italian groups of those years like PFM, Osanna, New Trolls, Le Orme and IL Balleto di Bronzo, to name those. The sound of the group is very characteristic by the use of double keyboard, courtesy of the Nocenzi brothers, who studied classic music and is to notice since they perfectly dominate to the contrapuntist technique and the long harmonic developments, are musical of fertile spontaneity and encyclopedic knowledge and without a doubt of the best keyboard players than has given modern music.

Before do the analysis of the recording that occupies to us, I want to mention the vocalist of this group Francesco Di Giacomo to who ... -> show full review

Le Orme in 1974, Release to the Market the disc titled Contrappunti, without a doubt one of more classic discs, of this Italian group that is formed by Toni Pagliuca Keyboards, Aldo Tagliapietra - voice, bass and acoustic guitar, Michi Dei Rossi - Drums and supported percussions and in this occasion by the great pianist Gian Piero Reverberi, in some songs in the production of this disc. I consider that this is one of the highest points in his discography, comparable with the Felona e Sorona and Uomo di Pezza, nevertheless, is one more a work abstruse and difficult to listen, in some parts also I believe that it contains much of the elements (embryonic even), of Le Orme 77-80, mainly in the acoustic parts, but in any case in this album it has for all the tastes of the Progressive Rock, from frontal attacks with the Hammond of Pagliuca (e.g. Contrappunti, Maggio), progressive acoustic ballads, with a romantic and delicate touch by part the skillful voice of Tagliapietra (e.g. Frutto Acerbo, La Fabricante d' Angeli), and melodies very “sui generis” for the leormenian rank (e.g. Aliante). Independently of the previous thing it is without a doubt the last great disc of the most progressive stage of Le Orme, and in some songs this is simply impressive. Even so I believe that the disc has a species of concept although he is not very apparent at first sight, but start from Aliante I feel that a musical connection with the rest of the work exists, since the harmonies are very similar in certain musical intervals, also is the last complete album of 70's with that sound so characteristic of the keyboard of Pagliuca, in the style of ELP and also in which the keyboard player takes the lead role with the prominence of these to the front of the disc; of all ways I believe that the disc in comment is one of key albums of the discography of Le Orme, less ... -> show full review