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Rating: Yes, they tried it too.
Among the many Italian melodic pop bands born, grown, and often deceased between the '60s and '70s, many ventured into progressive music. Sometimes, the approach was spot-on, such as with I Giganti, Nino Ferrer, in certain respects Alunni del Sole and Equipe 84, and even Battisti and Pooh. Others, perhaps due to lack of foundation, shot somewhat aimlessly, at least commercially speaking.
This was the case with Dik Dik, who in 1972 attempted to "make the leap" and, supported by a series of noteworthy lyrics by Herbert Pagani, began working on various ideas written by Mario Totaro, the band's keyboardist and main composer. The concept album, with its convoluted title, was released in 1972 and turned out to be quite distant from what the Dik Dik audience was accustomed to hearing. Thus, fans snubbed it, and prog lovers, given the name and previous works, did likewise.
We are not talking about progressive tout-court; perhaps it's more accurate to maintain the concept of melodic pop with symphonic intrusions and prog glimpses. But the mere fact that the tracks, though short, were not true songs with their verses and choruses, somewhat bewildered the audience and everything was experienced as a "change of course," which led to an initial commercial failure with ridiculous sales, a quick turnaround, and a marked return to easily engaging melodic songs, in the forms we well know.
The album also featured a rather unusual cover, not very appealing and not in the best taste, which also contributed to the album falling into oblivion. This is confirmed by the lack of important reissues, at least until 2003, when BMG digitized the work, but the print run was so low that after a few months it was already out of print. There are some Asian reissues (Korea and Japan), but, in fact, the album on the market is almost unobtainable.
The concept is practically a journey within the body and mind of a woman, from a very poetic and devotion-rich perspective, at times naive, towards the female gender. The tracks, as usual, flow continuously without any solution of continuity, creating a mega suite of about 40 minutes.
Analyzing the musical aspect in detail, one can safely say that the work is good: the composition is coherent, and despite the predominance of the melodic direction, the parts are interesting and well intertwined, with well-flowing inserts, also determined by the excellent general arrangement. Overall, everything is well-played and sung, so, taking into account the aforementioned compositional and arrangement premises, one might think that the attempt failed simply due to the excessively 'dance hall' past of Dik Dik, who instead, make us savor what could have been but never was here.
Musically, starting from the keyboard composition, the main inspiration is clearly audible, which can be traced back to Procol Harum. Several moments recall the impactful force of the English group, majestic but not pompous, rich but not redundant. This is especially evident in tracks like “Donna paesaggio” or “Il viso” and even more so in the organ-driven “Le gambe.” More delicate and intimate parts are found in “I sogni,” while others are slightly more experimental and typically more prog, like “La cattedrale dell’amore” or “La notte.” The album closes typically with the reprise of the album's main concepts and the melodic elements that characterized it.
I believe it's nice and important to be able to give a group a second chance, even after many years, and perhaps even when they might no longer be interested. But recognizing a moment of "greatness" in a group that too many and too hastily consigned to the dance hall from which they started, I believe is a positive gesture, a gesture that this work with its emotional charge, sensual and melancholic, truly deserves.
p.a.p.
Tracklist
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