Era di Acquario
Antologia

Sicily and prog. A very strange pairing, even if I try to remember that big names have never emerged from the Italian island (apart from "Panna Fredda" and "Era di Acquario").

The band I have to propose to you, however, is a great example of Italian prog dated 1973 where a southern power trio destroys the usual Italian canons. The album in question is not an anthology even though the title suggests the type, but it is an intense mix of acoustic songs accompanied by a sweet flute that reminds me of the "Fairport Convention".

The band:
Michele Seffer: vocals, guitar, and bass
Angelo Giordano: vocals, flute, and sax
Pippo Cataldo: vocals, drums, and percussion

"Antologia" encompasses 10 beautiful tracks with a duration of 30 minutes.....perhaps 10 little gems, but the ones that tickled my taste buds the most were "Geraldine" which closely resembles the rock sound of the "New Trolls", "Padre Mio" as an experimental new age song reminiscent of the ethnic style of "Quintessence", "Idda" the ballad in Sicilian dialect, and "Vento d'Africa" as a delightful interplay between a 12-string acoustic guitar and a sweet flute.

At the release of this work, the Sicilian band did not skyrocket like other more aggressive prog groups, but they managed to advertise themselves on some shows of the time, for example in a famous music program where a rather young Renzo Arbore emerged.

The vinyl is unfindable, the CD can be purchased online even though it's hard to come by, but some gems can be glimpsed on YouTube (oops... I did some advertising!). Anyway, very interesting but not essential.