Cervello - Melos

This one gets overlooked a lot by the Italian Prog fans but in my opinion it's one of the best things to come out of Italy in the 70s! I actually picked it up completely at random many years ago...I knew absolutely nothing about it except that it was a band from Italy. Like you, I usually do a bit of research on some of the various prog sites out there before buying something, but it's always nice when a surprise like this comes along.

This is a very dynamic album. A very heavy sound at times, with lots of great guitar work, but plenty of nice lighter moments as well that use the the flute, vibraphone, and acoustic guitar. In fact, it's a pretty wild ride...the quiet passages linger for a bit and then tend to give way to sudden outbursts and cool odd-meter vamps. The vocals may be a tad on the harsh side for some tastes, but I think the aggression here suits the music well.

Cervello is: Gianluigi Di Franco (vocals, flute, percussion), Corrado Rustici (guitar, flute, vibes, voice), Giulio D'Ambrosio (sax, flute, vocals), Antonio Spagnolo (bass, acoustic guitar, flute, vocals), Remigio Esposito (drums, vibes). A couple of these guys were in the band Osanna, a group that I'm only vaguely familiar with (add another thing to the list...!). Again, the guitar work in particular is outstanding, but also the way the group uses the flutes and saxophone in addition to some interesting guitar tones. They really get some very interesting sounds going, to the point where you might actually be fooled into thinking there are keyboards on the album. Through their creative arrangements and use of additional instruments, they sound larger than a five-piece group.

I highly recommend this recording for Italian prog fans. It was out of print for a while, but I believe it's now available again on Japanese mini-LP CD.