BMS (Banco del Mutuo Soccorso) In Volo - R.I.P.
#beautifulcovers
The cover of the original vinyl edition was shaped exactly like a piggy bank (and indeed the album in question is also known as Piggy Bank). From the slot, one could retrieve a strip of cardboard featuring the faces of the band members, starting with the late Francesco "Big" Di Giacomo. The creator of this masterpiece is the illustrator Mimmo Mellino. Someone, I can't recall who, remarked regarding this cover that it was impossible not to look at the modern (at the time) CDs with disdain, and I think they were not entirely wrong.
The album is one of the most beautiful (and most famous) not only of the BMS but of the entire Italian progressive scene (though perhaps not solely progressive and perhaps not solely Italian). R.I.P (Requiescant In Pace) is simply stunning, but the other tracks on the record are no less impressive, starting with the long and captivating suite "Il giardino del mago."