Rare Bird
Sympathy

Summer 1970: the highly followed appointment at one p.m. every Friday on the first RAI program with the "Hit Parade" hosted by Lelio Luttazzi is an unprecedented hymn to foreign music: out of the top eight sales positions in Italy for "45 rpm" records, six are foreign songs! Announced by Luttazzi in the position they occupy week by week, and broadcast almost in full, alternate the not yet mythical "Let It Be" by the Beatles, the fluid "Yellow River" by the Dutch Christie, the catchy "In The Summertime" by the unknown Mungo Jerry, the Greek Aphrodite's Child with yet another hit "Spring Summer Winter And Fall"... and also an enchanting ballad titled "Sympathy" by the unknown English band Rare Bird.

Rare Bird is a progressive band (what times, progressive bands in the "singles" chart in Italy...) in an unusual four-piece formation: bass/drums/organ/... piano! No guitars, then, but there's a trick, the pianist David Kaffinetti almost always plays a distorted electric piano, which ultimately simulates the electric guitar.

Who is the "leader"? The organist, of course, named Graham Field, a fine creative and measured musician, absolutely nothing to do with the torrential approaches to the keyboard by Emerson, Wakeman, and the likes, to frame him accurately, I add that Tony Pagliuca of Le Orme, his personal friend, was enormously influenced by his style. Therefore, the aficionados of the Venetian group cannot help but esteem this band, and if they are not yet familiar with it, it would be a pleasant surprise. The similarities end here, though, because the vocal approach of singer/bass player Steve Gould is entirely different from that of Aldo Tagliapietra: Gould has a blues tone, and the contrast between the quietly progressive atmospheres created by the organ and the strong and powerful voice of this bassist is precisely the distinctive feature of Rare Bird.

The band plays a lot on this, often entrusting the first verse of singing to the drummer Mark Ashton, endowed with a very sweet voice (to be honest, also somewhat uncertain in pitch). When the strong and confident voice of Gould arrives in contrast, the effect is always suggestive. In "Sympathy", too, this scheme is followed: Ashton begins "a cappella", just supported by a minimal, almost unintelligible intervention by Fields on the low registers of the Hammond. On the second round, the rhythm arrives and especially Gould's interpretation, which imparts intensity and pathos to the whole. Rare Bird is this: delightful "old fashioned" progressive atmospheres, very analog, very "from a turntable" if I may use the image, upon which effective blues melodies are grafted, sung with blood and strong flair.

The "Sympathy" CD is a compilation of the group's first two works, a commercial initiative by the record company that in 1976 intended to draw attention to this band by assembling, under the title of their first and only hit, the best tracks from "Rare Bird" (1969) and "As Your Mind Flies By" (1970). Virgin then reissued on CD in 1990 the work which historically is, of the group, the most easily available in stores.

Actually, it would make sense to own the second record "As Your Mind...", much more inspired and interesting than the first, but "Sympathy" is on the first "Rare Bird"... so this CD represents a good compromise. The masterpiece of the album is in position 6 and is titled "What You Want To Know": it was the group's second single, placed at the opening of the 1970 album. This too is a very slow ballad, beginning with a wide arpeggio on the Hammond that transmits suspension, then resolves into a fascinating chord and that's when the beautiful singing of the good Gould begins. Great melody, great atmosphere, great track!