PAOLO SIANI ft. NUOVA IDEA
The Leprechaun's pot of Gold

THE REVIEW

The Nuova Idea was a prog group from Genoa, a city that has been a true hotbed of talent for the genre in Italy. Just think of the New Trolls – with whom, among other things, Nuova Idea shared two musicians, the keyboardist Giorgio Usai and the guitarist and singer Ricky Belloni. But even today, the legacy left by groups like the aforementioned New Trolls, Delirium, Garybaldi - or by other bands also from Liguria such as Museo Rosenbach and The Trip - can be found in the work of other Genoese artists like Fabio Zuffanti, Il Tempio delle Clessidre, La Coscienza di Zeno, and Il Segno del Comando. The best album by Nuova Idea is perhaps “Clowns” from 1972, considered a small classic and sought after by collectors. Actually, Nuova Idea is not considered among the most influential names of the period, even if they have carved out a small space for themselves. Now Black Widow releases the third work by Paolo Siani, the historic drummer, entitled “The Leprechaun’s Pot of Gold”. Among the guests, we find the aforementioned keyboardist Giorgio Usai.

The opening track “Standing Alone” is a great piece: the music is a prog with blues influences: the atmospheres vaguely recall the Pink Floyd: the keyboards and electric guitar are prominently featured, while the guest Anthony Brosco is on vocals. In the second track, “Inflate Your Vains”, we find the guest saxophonist the great Martin Grice from Delirium: the beginning is calm with Grice as the protagonist, then the rhythms become frantic while the interplay between the musicians is perfect: the ending is still very atmospheric. The title track is very elaborate, although I wasn't convinced by the sound of the rhythms. “Statue Of Wax” is electronic and vaguely reminded me of the Kraftwerk: in the end, it didn’t seem very successful to me. “Lord Brummel” is introduced by the sumptuous sounds of the keyboards: it is a song with classical elements. Then there is room for another version of “Standing Alone” with Paul Gordon Manners on vocals. But the real gem is represented by “We’re going wrong”, a 9-minute live track by Nuova Idea recorded live in 1971 at Studi RAI during a broadcast on Radio Nazionale: the program was the then-famous 'Per voi giovani' hosted by Mario Luzzato Fegiz and Paolo Giaccio. It is undoubtedly a historical document of absolute value that confirms all the value of Nuova Idea even if the quality of the recording is not optimal: the music combines progressive and hard rock and features Marco Zoccheddu's guitar prominently.

Overall, “The Leprechaun’s Pot of Gold” is still an album worth listening to and not only aimed at nostalgics. Available at Black Widow and on Spotify. https://blackwidow.it/