Italian Prog Rock!

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Beast of Burden
Don't know anything about it. Who does?

Love all the Italian soundtracks by Goblin and I got the pre-Goblin Cherry Five album (replete with song called 'Oliver'!) and I liked that too. I love Fabio Frizzi's stuff ('Zombie Flesh Eaters'! 'The Beyond'!) and the De Angelis brothers ('Street Law').

This has led to a slight curiosity about Italian prog rock. In my imagination, it all sounds as warped and off-kilter and intense as the 'Suspiria' soundtrack or Can or lovely and brittle like Popol Vuh. In reality, it's probably all Genesis-style multi-time changes and ponderous interludes with flutes and things.

Anyone with good information or tips?
 
bunnnnnn

bunnnnnn

Well-known member
By no means an expert but I'd recommend the early 70s Battiato albums to anyone (Fetus, Pollution, Clic, Sulle Corde di Aries). Sort of like Aphrodite's Child with lots of wild edits, sound fx and lashings of fizzing EMS Synthi action.

Woebot as ever did this earlier.

Not delved into most of this stuff, but the Area album is bonkers - similarly sproingy and energetic like Goblin. The singer Demetrio Stratos also did a couple of strange sound poetry LPs too. The Le Orme record has its moments too, although it's veers a bit into the realm of Genesis / PFM.


*edit* actually the Aphrodite's Child comparison is probably pretty wide of the mark (except maybe for bits of Pollution or Fetus) - Battiato had his own vision (man)
 
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nomadthethird

nomadthethird

more issues than Time mag
Good thread idea.

Enter IdleRich stage right with some leftfield recommendation of a once-pressed album that costs $300 on the open market.
 
B

bassbeyondreason

Chtonic Fatigue Syndrome
Jacula/Antonius Rex and Paternoster are strongly recommended. Doomy, heavy prog with organs and some genuinely creepy vibes. Paternoster also has completely insane lyrics that need to be heard to be believed.
 
H

heroesandvillains

Lono ̴
honestly everything i've ever heard of this stuff was from that WOEBOT post. I've still only heard about half of them.

This is just crazy, crazy music. Wild grooves, absurd vocals, colors going in every direction...epic shit. Im so glad I don't know any of the lyrics to any of these songs though, because my mind paints wild portraits of dragons breathing purple smoke on lakes of hellfire.


That Alphataurus album was a mainstay of the soundtrack to my psychedelic gallivanting across the states this past summer. Seeing the sunset over Monument Valley after having not slept for 2 days and listening to this...makes life worth living.
 
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S

scottdisco

rip this joint please
this all sounds incredible, and some of the descriptions of you lot are sublime.

nice one Ollie.

the WOEBOT post was indeed legendary.

i was trying to rack my brain and have a vague (possibly manufactured) recollection of a post on same that the lovely Jon (Dale) might once have done on one of his older blogs, either the Astronauts' Notepad, or Worlds of Possibility.

of course they're both off-line these days.

(i may be imagining it anyway; Jon is quite a prog aficionado from various countries, but it might be more Polish prog or Turkish prog or something i am thinking of, in his case.)
 
nomadthethird

nomadthethird

more issues than Time mag
scottdisco said:
this all sounds incredible, and some of the descriptions of you lot are sublime.

nice one Ollie.

the WOEBOT post was indeed legendary.

i was trying to rack my brain and have a vague (possibly manufactured) recollection of a post on same that the lovely Jon (Dale) might once have done on one of his older blogs, either the Astronauts' Notepad, or Worlds of Possibility.

of course they're both off-line these days.

(i may be imagining it anyway; Jon is quite a prog aficionado from various countries, but it might be more Polish prog or Turkish prog or something i am thinking of, in his case.)
Click to expand...

There's a really good Turkish prog guitarist whose name escapes me...
 
nomadthethird

nomadthethird

more issues than Time mag
craner said:
Good Lord, Nomad, do you change your profile picture every day? Let's see your face!
Click to expand...

If it were up to me, my picture would automatically change based on a random google image search done according to random words taken from Dissensus threads one time per minute. Plus it would have lots of flashing lights and colors.

Apparently it's not cool around here to put pictures of yourself up. It's a good thing the webcam that is built into my laptop isn't feeding into this avatar, otherwise Dissensians would catch me triple tasking watching TV and half-sleeping lying around and trying to type at the most ridiculous angle, well, basically always.

pajbre said:
Erkin Koray?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure, I don't think that's it--I'm thinking of a guy you see youtube clips of in black and white. Come to think of it, he may not be Turkish at all, maybe he's Romanian or Albanian?
 
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Beast of Burden
I felt better ever since I put my passport photo up. It's probably not cool, but then I'm Old School.
 
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Beast of Burden
I'm glad no one mentioned Osanna. I had a horrible feeling that might be it. Also, I completely forgot about that Woebot thread, which is pathetic seeing as I actually read it at the time. Sorry Matt!
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
"Enter IdleRich stage right with some leftfield recommendation of a once-pressed album that costs $300 on the open market."
Click to expand...
Ha ha, I may have used the internet to create a more knowledgeable persona than I possess - I certainly know next to nothing about Italian prog.

Love all the Italian soundtracks by Goblin and I got the pre-Goblin Cherry Five album (replete with song called 'Oliver'!) and I liked that too. I love Fabio Frizzi's stuff ('Zombie Flesh Eaters'! 'The Beyond'!) and the De Angelis brothers ('Street Law').
Click to expand...
What about Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue? Not exactly prog but seems to fit in with some of what you just mentioned.

http://www.moviegrooves.com/shop/cmvmanchester.htm

Also, my friend played me this one (which, er, appears to cost 300 dollars - dunno how the fucker got hold of that at a good price).

http://www.gemm.com/item/MARIO-MOLINO/GLI-ANGELI-DEL-2000/GML125340039/

I do like a lot of what I've heard of the library stuff which I suppose is on the border between prog and psych. The Braen's Machine stuff with Alessandroni (who I think was the whistler in the Good, The Bad and The Ugly) and another guy is cool from what I've heard and the seven inch they did under the name Pawnshop is wicked (wish I had that)

http://www.popsike.com/php/detaildata.php?itemnr=110038365627

Another collectable bit of prog-funk is that Young Amazzonia track. If you like that then those Mo'Plen compilations are good. Loads of flute and fuzz guitar soundtrack business.

More experimental and electronic, the same friend also has this one

http://waxidermy.com/2006/02/20/moggi-tra-scienza-e-fantascienza/
 
N

Numbers

Well-known member
I don't know anything about Italian prog, but the idea intrigued me and I went searching and came across this:

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I think I like it.
 
mixed_biscuits

mixed_biscuits

_________________________
For better or for worse, this is the only Italian prog-rock record that I own:

Jet_Lag-3a.jpg
 
Leo

Leo

Well-known member
how about zombi, a modern-day equivilent/homage? pittsburg-based instrumental duo, totally into the goblin/john carpenter film score vibe, but probably more proggy. pretty cool.
 
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