Osanna
Palepoli

LA RECENSIONE

In the 1970s, Italian progressive rock was dominated by groups like PFM, Banco, Orme, and Area. However, in the shadow of these giants, a subculture of lesser-known but noteworthy bands developed, including Biglietto per l'Inferno, Latte e Miele, Pholas Dactylus, Quella Vecchia Locanda, Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno, and Osanna. The latter is a Neapolitan group formed in 1971, that deviates from the typical progressive sound through its reduced use of keyboards and the blend with Neapolitan traditional sounds, and they are also famous for their theatrical look (they performed concerts with painted faces).
After "L'Uomo", which boasted a greater exploration of Neapolitan tradition, and "Preludio, Tema, Variazioni, Canzona", the soundtrack for the film "Milano Calibro 9", Osanna released what would be the absolute peak of their career and one of the highest points of Italian prog, "Palepoli".

The band consists of Lino Vairetti - vocals, organ, keyboards, harmonica, Elio D' Anna - saxophone and flute, Danilo Rustici - rhythm and solo electric guitar, acoustic guitars, Lello Brandi - bass,  Massimiliano Guarino - drums, percussion.

The album is composed of two long songs and a shorter one that acts as a bridge between the two. With "Oro Caldo" we are transported to a market; voices of merchants from another time blend with an oriental rhythm marked by drums and flute, before the arrival of the electric guitar and the rest of the band in a tarantella rhythm and a text that reads: “Fuje 'a chistu paese, fuje 'a chistu paese./Parole, penziere, perzone nun vanno ddaccordo nemmanco nu mese”. In the first part of the song (with a total duration of 18 minutes), there is ample space especially for the flute, which weaves solos à la Ian Anderson, and the guitar reminiscent of Hendrix, which later gives way to the sax and the musical explosion accompanying the verses "Gente distrutta e una città di più/Cerca se puoi, cerca Palepoli/La realtà di un'età senza noi" and which transforms into a jazzier tempo in the finale.
"Stanza Città" is a one-minute track that reprises the oriental intro of the previous song with reversed voice overdubs. "Animale senza Respiro" is probably the most ambitious track of Osanna's entire career: in its 21 minutes, the lyrics narrate the slow and endless agony of an idealized animal paying for crimes committed against humanity. Musically, we are faced with a huge collage of sounds, ranging from jazz-rock to harder ones, without neglecting acoustic and electronic inserts and various solos of sax, flute, guitar, drums... practically everything that can make a Progressive enthusiast happy.

During the tour that followed the album, the band was accompanied by a theatrical show, with great visual impact.

A great album to discover and love.