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Antologia

"Antologia" is one of the three titles that RCA Italiana dedicated to the Milanese group, but it is not the collection itself I wish to discuss, rather this fortunate series that has always accompanied our listening habits. Who doesn't own at least one Linea Tre title in their collection? From the most experienced listener to the occasional one, we have all benefited from the small sale price to discover new things or simply to have just something from that group or singer.

Linea Tre has turned 40 years old, with three thousand lire as the original sale price. An enormous catalog that embraces all genres: singer-songwriters, groups, jazz, folk, cinema, classical, traditional music, popular songs, and for children. LPs, Cassettes, and initially also Stereo 8, it would eventually cover the advent of digital with a new graphic design, but in our imagination, it remains the big disc with the green label and the three colored stripes; in the early titles, even a brief review completed it all.

There is no complete list of what has been published; often I find titles in my hands that I didn't know existed. Most are collections, but there are also some complete albums. The quality of the recordings is good, but what is truly appreciable is the successful attempt to make music accessible to everyone. Others would follow the example: the hugely successful "Orizzonte" (Emerson Lake and Palmer, Traffic) specializing in original titles, the "Successo" series (Bee Gees, Gentle Giant), the excellent "Best Buy" (Lou Reed, Ramones), and many others. Many discs we bought, exchanged, shared, and gifted.

Today they fill the stalls of flea markets, often ruined and scribbled on, sometimes surprisingly new or sealed.

I still find them beautiful, and regarding PFM, needless to say, the trilogy "Antologia," "Prime Impressioni," "Celebration" still proudly displays itself in my albeit diminished collection.

So many memories, dear old Linea Tre.