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Rating: In 1972 (a very prolific year for Italian progressive music and beyond) the first and only album "Per... un Mondo di Cristallo" by Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno was released, a Roman group among the leading ones in our country... and with the peculiar characteristic of breaking up due to pressures from the record company to participate in the Sanremo Festival (I already appreciate them just for this)!
The group was composed of Luciano Regoli (vocals, acoustic guitar), Francesco Froggio Francica (drums, percussion), Manlio Zacchia (bass), Damaso Grassi (flute, sax), Nanni Civitenga (guitar), and Stefano Piermarioli (keyboards), and throughout the album, a clear local flair is evident, although compared to other Italian works, it is less rocking and more jazzy.
The album follows a story of a man who returns to Earth after a space expedition and finds it completely different from how he left it, practically deserted and desolate, and so by wandering and passing through the neighborhood where he lived as a child, he tries to understand how humankind has managed to self-destruct. The album is well constructed, and there are few dead points; moreover, the acoustic guitar, flute, and keyboards are always prominent. Some tracks, such as the first track "Nulla" and "Un Palco di Marionette" are truly noteworthy with beautiful interludes of flute-keyboard-drums... in my opinion, the vocal part is nothing exceptional, but it has good expressiveness!
Finally, worth mentioning is the cover, which is really very original with the representation of a postal package with the artists’ faces drawn on the stamps; the inside of the LP cover is also very beautiful, with a man on the cliff looking at the world in ruins.
In short, an album to listen to in order to better understand what Italian progressive music was like in the '70s... perhaps not unmissable, but certainly very beautiful, and anyway, the rating is eloquent!Tracklist
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By signorprog
The very refined sounds and rich jazz inserts are the backbone of the concept.
The references to the masters KING CRIMSON are evident, however, RRR demonstrate their instrumental prowess sufficiently passing the tough test.
