Lord

Good job, I recommend Le Orme.

"The massacre of Brandenburg number three in G minor," you got me, it's true, but it's an isolated case. I don't want to offend anyone, I just mean that the jazz rock of Area isn't as complex as it seems: it's the riff I was talking about that's intricate, based on odd time signatures, but for the rest, it's all improvisation, whether in even time or odd time, it's still improvisation. If you play, you'll realize that improvisation isn't as difficult as it seems. But on the other hand, Area were a live band, and lately I've learned to appreciate them for their music, leaving aside the politicized message. Anyway, tastes are tastes, we can't argue about it; I'm going back to my beloved Orme and Battiato. Ah, one last thing: what do elementary melodies have to do with this? It's logical that a melody, in itself, might seem elementary, as melody gives way to harmony. Battiato chose that path, Area were more dodecaphonic, but I think that melody and dodecaphony are on the same level: one can enchant or fatigue with both.

Mirage is the colossal one that nobody forgets. Still, in your last sentence, you state something untrue: "Moreover, the first Battiato lacks a cent of the compositional complexity and broad scope that are typical of Area." A typical Area song is practically composed of a riff (even quite complex) from a synthesizer that ties everything together along with a lot of improvisation. If you hear Area live, you realize that the studio tracks are just starting points; in reality, they played it differently every time. There are few Area songs that showcase a concrete compositional effort, such as "...Settembre Nero" (the first part), "Gerontocrazia" (the beginning), "Megalopoli" (though there's also a lot of improvisation), the album "1978, gli dei se ne vanno, gli arrabbiati restano" (which, if you look at it, is the most schematic and rigid in song form, yet still very good), and many more. Battiato's suites, on the other hand, are daring electronic experiments, calculated to the second; yes, here and there there is improvisation, but in general, they are genuine compositions. The same album "L'Egitto prima delle sabbie" (built on very few piano notes to highlight all the resonances of the same) is a coldly calculated album, where the compositional effort is far superior to any Area track. That being said, I don’t dislike Area at all; in fact, I've reevaluated them lately, I just don’t find them as important as some claim.

Supersoul, you reached, the Hosannas, fuck

I listened to them once at the user's house Cristo, but I don't remember much. Thanks Manliù, I'll download them.

Yes, in the end here in Italy, Orme or no Orme, we had a progressive school that is truly impressive, and I reiterate, for me it is second only to England (and if I'm being honest, I prefer the Italian prog underground to the English one).

True, "Dimmi che cos' è" managed to appeal to me despite its '80s sound. It’s worth noting that among other things, in the second half of the '70s, when they transitioned to a kind of high-level Pop-rock-new-wave, they ended up inspiring Battiato's '80s works (La voce del padrone, Patriots, L' era del cinghiale bianco, Orizzonti perduti, Mondi lontanissimi); for example, take the song "Tramonto occidentale" from the beautiful Orizzonti Perduti of 1983: in the chorus, it’s impossible not to hear the heavy influence of "Le Orme". If we also consider "Cuccurucucu," it has a similar rhythm to "Sera," but I don’t want to overstate things now.

That said, I believe the most valid progressive groups in Italy are Le Orme (still at the top), Banco, PFM, and Area, in short, the usual suspects, not to mention that genius Antonius Rex (perhaps the greatest precursor of all time in terms of music and content). There are many others deserving of attention, "Picchio dal Pozzo," "Rovescio Della Medaglia," "The Trip" (tremendously ahead of its time), "Arti e Mestieri" (perhaps a bit too jazzy), "Biglietto per l'inferno" (the most powerful), "La Locanda delle Fate" (their debut album is already as mature as the 5th or 6th album of a normal band). In the realm of progressive music, Italy has undoubtedly made a remarkable impression.

No, no, I said Orme and Banco, you understand PFM and Banco. PFM is a debtor group of the English scene, OK, Banco uses synthesizers a bit like Keith Emerson, and that's fine. Le Orme, which many incorrectly associate with EL&P (for me, Le Orme devour EL&P) just because at the time there were three of them, seem to me a fusion of Italian melody, singer-songwriter style (the lyrics of Tagliapietra are something more than those of a normal rock band, not in terms of themes tackled, but in the incredible ability to articulate poetry), progressive (the most futuristic and abstract part, in a sense avant-garde, can be heard for example in the legendary "Contrappunti" from 1974). If we want to see it, Le Orme are beyond progressive and do a bit what they want (in 1975 they came out with the single "Sera," practically new wave at least 5 years early). The bands you mentioned are of jazz-avant origin, and everything you want, but that doesn’t mean that making jazz with some sprinkles of avant-garde means making great music. The Area weren’t even the first to try to do what they did (Perigeo started earlier, but were soon surpassed), not to mention Battiato, who in '73 was dabbling in new-age music, with "Sulle corde di Aries," which deviates from cosmic music and embraces Mediterranean climes and electronic atmospheres unusual for the time. In short, we Italians have to inevitably shovel shit on our product, without realizing that we were a step ahead in terms of ideas. This applies to art, music, cinema, etc. I don’t know what this disease of self-diminishment that afflicts us is, we've always had it.

Let's free ourselves from prejudices. Renato Zero's early albums are not the crap people think they are (a bit like the early ones by Pooh). I'm not giving a rating because I need to listen to them more closely.