Alusa Fallax
Intorno Alla Mia Cattiva Educazione

1974

That the vast majority of Italian prog bands in the '70s were inspired by the great English bands is a certain fact. However, there are numerous groups that managed to produce records with personal elements, thanks to the use of warm Mediterranean sounds, classicisms typical of tradition and, above all, an Italian feeling, a touch that distinguishes the product. The result was a total and worldwide appreciation, so much so that Italian progressive music became almost a genre in itself. Among the bands that best redefined progressive themes and used them in an objectively personal way are the Milan-based Alusa Fallax.

This band formed in 1969 from the ashes of a suburban dancehall group, at a time when no one was denied a 45 rpm. They produced a couple of melodic and rather insignificant songs, basically no label gave them the slightest credit. So, for the years to follow, they decided to live on two different paths: a public one, which involved the usual 300 evenings a year in the dancehalls and dancing of the Milan area, and a private one, in which the band composed progressive tracks, thus combining territorial and musical experiences played with increasing experience and expertise with the progressive concepts that were beginning to heavily arrive from England.

After four years of such a life, there was enough material ready for a record and the band managed to secure an invitation to the summer festivals in Rome and Naples. Luckily, at Naples, there was the general manager of Fonit Cetra, who allowed them to record "Intorno alla mia cattiva educazione."

The album is, as usual at the time, a concept album based on a representation initially conceived for theater, but which perfectly suited the recording standards. Two long suites, divided into a total of 13 movements, narrate the story of a puppet. The protagonist's journey initially sees an education that is bad, harsh, and extremely bigoted, indeed like a puppet in the hands of its manipulators. The story then develops with various attempts to break free from that state of heavy constraint, up to the physical and mental liberation towards a normal existence.

Musically, the album sounds elaborate and intricate in its structures, yet rich in melody and musically centered solutions, also thanks to the technical skill of the members, strong not only with great experience but also important Conservatory foundations. Alongside wide symphonic and evocative parts, there are also ethnic-themed passages, with percussion prominently played often on odd times, frequently utilized by the band, especially in the first part of the record. Notable is the moment of the puppet's emancipation in which, in an instrumental shiver, there comes a moment of classical-avant-garde cacophony, anticipating much of the noise in the years to come. There are also moments of jazz rock tendencies, intertwining flutes and acoustic guitars, with some references to the best Jethro Tull of "A Passion Play". Sounds reminiscent of King Crimson, Banco, or PFM and choral parts in the style of New Trolls can often be heard. To be clear, without any intent of reproduction, simply those were the years and those sounds entered the ears to reside there firmly and then to emerge also spontaneously and naturally. Great keyboard work, a constant, precise effort in which the class and the training of Massimo Parretti come out in the best way possible. But what is most felt is a strong sense of melancholy, of continuous emotion, both when the scores rise towards a hard dark prog, and when everything becomes rarefied, to give way to a soft percussion and an evocative and dreamlike flute.

Despite everything, the album passed without much promotion and the 5000 copies of the original pressing sold out without any reprint. Needless to say, today we listen to it thanks to the "usual" foresight of Mellow Records.

The band dissolved in 1979 after a return to the melodic genre and the disco music trend, those were the years, unfortunately.

Sioulette