Premiata Forneria Marconi
Per Un Amico

Progressive rock, the romanticism turned into music, music as a work of art, when time was not an issue, when the intertwining of flute, guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums created a new world, when one applied makeup as if perpetually acting in a theater, when more than one album a year was made and it's unclear how, when emotions were powerful and the super-fast super-intertwined melodies couldn't help but incite pleasure. At least for the lovers of progressive.

Premiata Forneria Marconi: an Italian group characterized by originality and closely related to other contemporary foreign groups of the same musical genre. Even today, I wonder, and after them?

"Storia Di Un Minuto" will have fascinated millions of people for its medieval yet deeply Italian sounds, "Per Un Amico" is something different. The tracks become longer and the quality of the music even higher, compared to the very short lyrics where little work was done. An album of refined compositions and less stark than the previous one.

"Appena Un Po'" is the mini-suite that opens this work, an absolute masterpiece of world prog, nothing is wrong in this track, nothing out of place. Everything is practically emotional, from the introductory keyboards, to Mussida's delicate guitar arpeggio, to the subsequent intertwining with Mauro Pagani's flute, majestic in this album, to the climax reached with the other instruments... and then unexpectedly a slowed-down pace used decades later mostly in metal, until it explodes faster and faster amid flutes here and there, mighty drums, intoxicating violins: "Via di qua via di qua come un re via di qua subito come vorrei..", the delicate voices and far from understated offer their best interpretation here, indeed majestic I would say: reaching peaks of emotion thanks to the ethereal musicalities surrounding them. After a more lively and joyful interlude, Pagani still the protagonist, the previous atmospheres return... and a grand finale for one of the band's masterpieces.

The slightly melancholic atmosphere of the first track is in stark contrast with "Generale", introduced by a bizarre mini-solo by Di Cioccio, to then enter a whirling world where the piano with its scales takes center stage, along with an electric guitar that begins to make itself heard among the complex drum beats and the melodies of a crazy violin, subsequently Giorgio Piazza's bass aims to change the musicality making it more rocking and Mussida's guitar draws an excellent acid interlude... strangely everything flows into a charming little march, with flute, bass, and piano then meeting an organ, stopping abruptly, and returning to the previous whirling melody. Second instrumental masterpiece.

"Per Un Amico" is the third track that seems dedicated to Claudio Rocchi, a utopian artist of the '70s and protagonist along with other groups of the events at Parco Lambro. The text indeed proposes, with a perfect vocal interpretation, against those who think to change the world only with words and dreams without intervening directly: "you run away and hide and you can't, you live your compromises and you can't, it's no longer time for dreams you have to fight more, more". I can say it is a ballad with sometimes melancholic tones tending towards emotional growth reached in Pagani's wonderful solo before the final coda amidst keyboards, odd times, and almost imperceptible piano counter-blows. Perhaps a too short track, 5 and a half minutes.. "Il Banchetto" is the next very long track, the first part almost acoustic sung, sunny and nothing special. More interesting are the instrumental parts with Premoli's keyboards in the middle of an acoustic atmosphere that then unfortunately becomes almost spatial (I indeed read: spinetta, mellotron..) between 4:08 and 5:39, too bizarre for my taste and too far from the dreamy and delicate atmospheres of the entire album. Then fortunately back to a Premoli who gives us a piano interlude with strong jazz hues. The piece ends as it began leaving nothing, alas, sensational.

The final piece is "Geranio", certainly better than the previous one, opening with a sweet flute along with the arpeggios of a guitar and the usual gentle piano caresses. "Dance slowly in the street, dance the wind of the night, dance a dream that is no more.." is a very complex composition made of various melodic lines sometimes imperceptible other times more sustained, others still purely dramatic and almost like a soundtrack for a movie (listen to what happens between three and four and a half minutes), then again those voices that many criticize, of which I personally see nothing wrong, on the contrary. Those voices that gradually accompany us through Franz's beats in the almost apocalyptic finale, amid Premoli's keyboards and certain sounds that remind you of bells... evocative it manages to raise the average of the album after the too ambitious experiments of "Il Banchetto".

The album concludes around 34 minutes like the previous one, offering the public a more experimental side, more imperceptible, forcing repeated listens to appreciate every slightest contribution of each single component, as many instruments are used, it is very particular the way they are put together, and then to understand the great ability and genius of these musicians. It is a work less immediate and for this reason more fascinating.

P.S.: WARNING danger strong emotions!!!