Claudio Rocchi
Volo Magico N.1

In 1971, a landmark year for new Italian "pop" music (which, decades later, would be rightfully recognized as Progressive Rock), a very young singer-songwriter from Milan, Claudio Rocchi, emerges. He already has a solo LP ("Viaggio", created with the violin collaboration of Mauro Pagani) and the debut album of Stormy Six, where he recorded the bass parts, under his belt. This new album, "Volo Magico", completely differs from the first: the naïve and acoustic melodies are replaced by meticulous composition and instrumentation, and by a mystical atmosphere that permeates the first side of the record, entirely occupied by the lengthy suite "Volo Magico": an 18-minute journey blending hare krsna choirs, guitar solos by another young musician who would become a protagonist of the '70s, Alberto Camerini, and obsessive piano riffs that deliver to Italy its first true psychedelic rock album, which in my opinion feels much more heartfelt and genuine than the more acclaimed American or British ones.

The second side opens with one of Rocchi's most beautiful tracks: "La Realtà Non Esiste", a piano and vocal gem just over two minutes long: one of the most beautiful songs of the entire '70s. "Giusto Amore" is an anthem to free love in all its forms, which cannot be restrained, from love for bodies to love for music, and love is also what emanates from Claudio's voice. The album concludes with a piano and mellotron ballad, "Tutto Quello Che Ho Da Dire", a worthy ending to an album that can undoubtedly be considered one of the greatest masterpieces not only musically but lyrically within the Italian '70s music movement.

For those who always think negatively, it might seem like just a religious delusion of a freak era now dead and buried in our generational cynicism, and they may keep on thinking that if they wish; for everyone else, especially those unfamiliar with Rocchi's discography, it's an excellent way to approach it, or in any case, a classic of Italian rock from the '70s waiting to be discovered and savored, also to pay homage to one of the most valid and original singer-songwriters of our scene, who prematurely passed away this June.