Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso
Come In Un'Ultima Cena

THE REVIEW

Here is my second review, once again on a Banco album, more precisely "Come in un'ultima cena". We are in 1976, the year when Progressive Rock breathes its last and gives way to Punk and Disco Music of the '80s. Banco resists (but not for long) and releases a good album, indeed "Come in un'ultima cena".

This time there are shorter songs and, above all, more of them, which makes the album less interesting (and especially less prog). In fact, there are no long suites, and the longest track reaches seven and a half minutes. But these are just technical details: let's move on to the real description of the album. Overall, the work is still Progressive, but it already hints at the pop motifs that will make Banco sadly famous (for prog enthusiasts). It begins with the light "....a cena per esempio", which, however, hides an underlying unease, also perceivable through the lyrics. The piece is a good play of keyboards and guitars, rather well played by Rodolfo Maltese. "Il ragno" is one of Banco's most famous songs: it's energetic Progressive, dominated by "aggressive" keyboards and electric guitars. The piece is very enjoyable and one of the favorites during live performances. It is followed by the loving "E'buono Giovanni, ma...", perhaps the most pop piece of the album.

"Slogan" is the longest track of the album. Energetic like "Il ragno", but perhaps a bit less effective. "Slogan" is nonetheless one of the best tracks. The dreamy "Si dice che i delfini parlino" is perhaps the most captivating piece, at times psychedelic, with delicate "bursts" of synth. The following track is "Voilà Mida (Il guaritore)", with a beautiful introduction of electric guitar and piano. The shortest track is "Quando la buona gente dice", which vaguely resembles "R.I.P." mixed with "In volo", but it's hard to tell as it ends in less than two minutes. It is followed by the sweet "La notte è piena" and "Fino alla mia porta", with good synth work by Vittorio Nocenzi. "Come in un'ultima cena" ends here.

The verdict: this is definitely a good album, especially considering the period in which it was released, but it failed to give me the emotions of the first three albums, as it lacks high moments and is at times too easy. And then, one cannot really look down on it, considering Banco's subsequent works. Let's say 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, because I am fond of Banco!