Saturnalia
Magical Love

The English underground psychedelic, hard-rock, and prog music scene of the late '60s and early '70s is very diverse and full of underground and legendary bands like Black Widow, High Tide, Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Atomic Rooster, Quatermass, Fuzzy Duck, Pink Fairies, Deviants, Horse, to name a few. Among them were also the Saturnalia of the Austrian singer Aletta, who released only one album (it is not quite clear if it was in 1969 as some sources claim or in 1973) titled "Magical Love", which quickly became a cult object by virtue of being the first picture disc in history (for the record, the sound quality of these vinyls was terrible). Indeed, from the mentioned hard-rock band Horse came guitarist Road Roach and singer Adrian Hawkins. But if you expect psychedelic hard-rock music in the style of Black Widow, you are off track. We are closer to the more accessible and less experimental Jefferson Airplane, those of "Crown Of Creation" and "Volunteers" to be precise. Aletta's voice alternates with Adrian Hawkins' while the sound is a robust psychedelic rock without any truly remarkable creative peaks, to be honest. Nonetheless, it remains a decent work worth rediscovering, a testament to a fertile period rich in creative ferment. It’s not always easy to find the right records, and one can end up disappointed among the plethora of reissues released on the market. This "Magical Love" deserves a listen in any case. In my opinion, the best moments are when the folk sounds prevail, as in the ethereal "Dreaming". "She Brings Peace" is also a very powerful track worthy of mention, reminiscent of the Jefferson Airplane of "Volunteers" with a beautiful liquid electric guitar standing out. If you are seekers of ancient nuggets, make it yours. The CD has just been reissued by Black Widow - in vinyl and CD - from Genoa after previously being published by the label Akarma.