Circus 2000
An Escape From A Box

1972, as everyone knows, gave birth to some of the most beautiful albums in the history of Italian progressive rock ("Storia di un minuto," "Uomo di Pezza," "Darwin!," just to name a few). However, not many know that in the same year Circus 2000 released their second and last album: "An Escape From A Box".

"And why should I care?!" you might be thinking. Well, you should definitely care because this work absolutely deserves to be part of the list above, not so much for the sonic impact that those records have, but for the originality of the music expressed by the group. Yes, because "An Escape From A Box" is an album capable of creating atmospheres that no other Italian or foreign album can evoke.

The work (sung entirely in English) opens with the acoustic guitar of "Hey Man", accompanied by the clear and powerful voice of Silvana Aliotta that introduces us to the middle of the song, where we find a splendid psychedelic digression perfectly seasoned by the guitarist Marcello Quartarone. At the end, the initial theme returns with a crescendo of choruses leading us to the second track of the album: "You Aren't Listening", where a psychedelic atmosphere reigns thanks to the superb dialogues between the guitar and the drums of the excellent Franco Lo Previte.
"Our Father" opens instead with Silvana Aliotta demonstrating how powerful her voice can be. In this track, there is also space for the bassist Gianni Bianco who, with a persistent riff, accompanies the song to the end while the other group members digress on the theme with solos and drum rolls.

The discussion of psychedelia continues with the masterpiece of the album "Need". Here all four musicians give their best, leaving no moment of respite for the listener who is escorted from the beginning to the end by extraordinarily powerful vocalizations (especially for a woman) and blends of notes perfectly mixed by Marcello Quartarone. In the final, hallucinated choirs allow the singer to express herself perfectly even in the high notes.
The work (about 34 minutes long) closes with "When The Sun Refuses To Shine", which perfectly summarizes the essence of the album with words played backward and guitar solos.

In summary, "An Escape From A Box" proves to be an excellent album, with a very distinctive sound, capable of stirring much more emotion in just over half an hour than most modern albums do in over an hour of music (music?).