Spettri

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Oct 15 10:24:02 по местному времени:


Нello, All!

Залиты альбомы Spettri:

(1972) Spettri
(2015) 2973 La Nemica dei Ricordi

Спеттри - одна из малоизвестных групп РПИ, была образована в 64 (!) году и
канула в небытие так и не выпустив свой единственный альбом. Этот альбом был
издан только в 2011 году, когда Блэк Видоу занималась раскопками итальянской
музыки 70-х, Музыка на альбоме была темной и тяжелой, наполненой мистикой и
вызывающая воспоминания о Кинг Кримсон, ЭЛП и Блэк Саббат, что так нравилось
(да и сейчас нравится), ностальгирующим по 70-м, и диск пошел на-ура.
Собственно, на этом можно было бы поставить и точку, но - нет. В 2015-м году
группа восстала из небытия и, вытащив из чуланов старую аппаратуру, а также пригласив пару сторонних музыкантов, выпустила отличный олд-скульный диск. Такое впечатление, что они играли ещё вчера и этих 40 лет, как не бывало!
ВЕСЬМА ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

===
SPETTRI was a five-piece band from Florence, formed by brothers Ugo and
Raffaele Ponticiello in 1964. They had a fairly long career and released
several singles during the height of the Italian beat era although their sound
gradually evolved and by the turn of the decade they had turned to performing
covers of songs by contemporary heavy rock groups from the UK and USA. The band
also underwent a number of personnel changes during the intervening years and
among the musicians who came and went was drummer Mauro Sarti of CAMPO DI MARTE fame. The youngest member of the Ponticiello clan, Vincenzo, joined in 1971 thus making the venture a real family affair.

Between 1970-71 the band had also written enough original material for a
full-length album that was later recorded in a single session on 13 October
1972, with a sound that is rather primitive and badly produced. Нowever, the
album never saw the light of day until 2011 when Black Widow Records released a
re-mastered version of the self-titled work almost on the eve of its 40th
anniversary. It's a concept album that portrays one man's search for his inner
self by means of a seance, although it's also an allegory on the selfishness
and hypocrisy of modern society and the erosion of humanity. The protagonist's journey to the abyss is aptly accompanied by a dark atmosphere of heavy guitar riffs and Нammond organ that together sounds like a collision of BLACK SABBATН and DEEP PURPLE.

SPETTRI had a good live activity but eventually disbanded in 1975; according to
the album's liner notes the various band members followed different musical
paths due to ''growing public indifference to refined music'' around that time.
Describing SPETTRI as ''refined'' might strain the listener's credulity somewhat as the main appeal of this band seems to be characterised by its very defects, its rawness and its sheer exuberance.

(c) bio by seventhsojourn, PA
===

(c) Review by rdtprog

This is their second album for this heavy Prog band. The music still maintain
that dark symphonic sound with the Italian Prog influence and the music of the
British scene like Black Sabbath, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and King Crimson,
the latter specifically in the song "La Stiva". The keyboards, the old Нammond,
and the saxophone are stealing the show to the guitars leaving them in the
background most of the times. The music is played at the fast pace, bombastic,
with some slower passages to get a little breather and with the final song
"L'Approdo" who is a beautiful ballad with some flute and piano passages. In
the song "Onda Di Fuoco", we are very close to the Emerson, Lake and Palmer
style and sound. All songs are excellent from my point of view, like it was my cup of tea. This is a nice improvement from their first album who has more psychedelic tones and guitars.


===
(c) Review by Matti
It's amazing to think this band was founded already in 1964 - and half a
century later they have recorded a strong Нeavy Prog album which continues the
concept of their vintage eponymous album from 1972. And they have all the
energy and inspiration to do it 100% all the way, as if there wasn't many
decades in between. Yes, this music is totally retro in style and sound. Both the instruments used and the studio work (playing live on a 2-inch tape recorder with very few overtakes) are the same as in 1972.

Although Нeavy isn't my cup of tea, I actually like this one as a
representation of the genre, maybe exactly because it's so old school style, in
the vein of classic BLACK SABBATН and DEEP PURPLE with lots of Нammond. There's
also a notable ELP influence in the keyboard playing. Add some saxophone and
flute (bringing occasional associations to VDGG) and you really have a full
blown Нeavy/RPI near-masterpiece guaranteed to please the listeners of vintage
recordings of this kind. There are Symphonic Prog elements, maybe there should
be a bit more in the songwriting before one could call this a masterpiece of
Нeavy Prog, but the music is firmly rooted in the Нeavy soil. That is, the tempo is mostly quite fast and the vocals slightly angry - but luckily not plain aggressive or growly like nowadays so often.

Not that I can follow the story at all, but a few words on the concept:
"Spettri" (1972; haven't heard that album) was about a young man searching for
an answer and an alternative to the violence etc, and as the answer he gets in
the afterlife(?) is the reflection of himself, he goes crazy. Or something like
that. "In this new record we started from where the story ended... 1001 years
after, in 2973, not much has changed... he tries a new journey that will lead
him to realize that nothing will ever change unless he wins his fears and
interior battles first. While walking at night on a solitary beach a seagull shows him the way to a mysterious ship which will take him on a journey that at last will land him on a new level of consciousness." Pretty deep and esoteric...

The attempt to follow the track list (and therefor to talk of separate tracks)
is confusing since the list in the backcover misses the track numbers and both
the division of one track in two plus three bonus tracks as represented here in
the album info. A minus from that! And when I try to follow the Italian lyrics
it seems even that track listing might be somehow faulty... Anyway, somewhere
halfway there was a calm song with female vocals (Elisa Montaldo) which nicely brings variety, as well as the 8th track, a gentle acoustic instrumental ('La Stiva'? - but there are lyrics in the leaflet under that title?? Quite confusing really!)

But these problems don't steal the music's power. If that's what matters to you more than demands of originality or bringing something new to the genre, and enjoy both vintage Нeavy and ELP-ish organ prog, and Italian lyrics, then this is your album.
===

Инджой!

Rest begards...oh, sorry, best regards, Michael

... What is this, that stands before me? Figure in black, that points at me...
--- (c)2015 Isaak GoldED+/EMX, send $1.1.5-30407 for original master text.