Premiata Forneria Marconi
Storia di un minuto

An English journalist, after seeing one of their performances in England, will say about PFM: "They are good, excellent musicians... too bad they're Italian".

This makes us reflect on how musical products in Italy are perceived worldwide. It's no coincidence that PFM is the only Italian band to climb the Billboard charts. All of Italy should be proud of PFM; in a country where rock bands have always been overshadowed by British giants, having a band that has been praised even by bands like Led Zeppelin should make us happy. Instead, 8 out of 10 people you ask: "Do you know who PFM is?" give you a face as if you suggested a new financial plan. Even saying "Premiata Forneria Marconi" fully, no luck. And it pisses me off. That people like Vasco and Ligabue are acclaimed as the emblem of Italian rock in the world, and PFM is more famous in the USA than in Italy... This should make us reflect on how many idiots there are in our country, even outside the Quirinale. And unfortunately, the new generations seem to be going further downhill... we are forgetting the '70s. The years of Page, Plant, Blackmore, Gilmour, Waters, Jim, and many others and, why not, also the joyful company of PFM. This, excuse me, was more of a rant than an introduction. But I hope you'll understand me, dear readers. Now let's move on to the album.

"Introduzione": well, this is a prelude to the melodies and sounds that recur in the album, especially in "Impressioni di Settembre"... slowly it leads to a crescendo of choruses that transport you to an almost serene atmosphere, bringing you to... 7.5/10

"Impressioni di Settembre": the symbol of PFM, the most applauded and sung song of our band. The chorus performed with the Moog is now a cult... but even from this song, you can admire the quality and touch of Mussida on the acoustic guitar, and especially in the second part, the technique of the legendary Franz Di Coccio on drums. From a pretty simple melodic stanza, PFM managed to make an almost orchestral arrangement, enriching it with everything that a guitar, a drum, a bass, a flute, and a keyboard can do together. A masterpiece, in short. One of those songs that directly enters your veins while you're listening. 9/10

"È festa": the progressive masterpiece. Another cult, another miracle. An overwhelming melody, perfect sounds, perfect rhythms in sync with everything. It expresses the full expressive ability of PFM. Here again, you notice the technical and compositional capabilities of the guitar and various orchestrations. 9/10

"Dove Quando pt. 1": here from the exciting and progressive atmosphere of "è festa" you enter a dreamy, romantic world, full of calm, simple yet sophisticated sounds, with simple but effective orchestrations, where Mussida's acoustic guitar is of sublime cleanliness. 7.5/10

"Dove Quando pt. 2": from the melody of the previous part, our group indulges in fabulous arrangements and virtuosity, where Premoli truly gives his best, in beautiful interweavings, without overdoing it though, and without even detaching from the soul and atmosphere created by the previous song, so as not to create breaks or abrupt changes... it's from track one that you're on a dreamlike journey that never stops, evolving and gradually changing into new sounds... 8.5/10

"La carrozza di Hans": a fierce, almost psychedelic start, and then take a journey in the music carriage, crossing first fierce sounds and then calming down later... this is also a song that gets under your skin, that gives you an incredible amount of sounds and emotions; but the beauty of this album and also of this song is that never is there a break between the various sounds, but it's a continuous mutating and evolving throughout the album, up to the conclusion of this our story... 9/10

"Grazie davvero": The least noteworthy song in my opinion... although it cannot be said that it's not a worthy conclusion. The multifaceted journey concludes, a fantastic journey that really gives us so much. To be listened to in one breath, and truly to be listened to while dreaming. The technical and compositional abilities of our band are indescribable...