Stormy Six
L'Apprendista

It is with great pleasure that I review this album "rediscovered" some time ago from one of the boxes of memories.

As I mentioned in one of my previous reviews, I have decided to catalog the musical collection of a lifetime.

Time, unfortunately, is what it is, so I still don't know how long this operation will last.

I will talk to you about "L'Apprendista", perhaps the most beautiful album by Stormy Six. One of the few bands related to the local progressive genre to boast a nearly twenty-year career.

Eight studio albums and numerous musicians have completed over time the various line-ups. Over the years, the Milanese group progressively connected with the left-wing youth circles to the point of becoming almost their spokesperson.

The album in question, from 1977, represents the turning point of a group that, in my opinion, risked with some of the previous works (especially "L'Unità" and "Guarda giù dalla pianura") of remaining somewhat too confined in its extreme left ideas.

"L'Apprendista" is, in fact, a work of broader scope and more marked (and inspired) progressive roots compared to its predecessors.

In this homogeneous work, I greatly appreciated the baroque arrangements that pervade a good part of the compositions with excellent violin, keyboards, bass parts. I would have preferred a greater incisiveness of the electric guitars in the musical scene, instead, the latter are somewhat sacrificed to the other instruments, resulting in them being sometimes difficult to identify as opposed to a magnificently played bass that is always at the forefront.

A noteworthy mention for the originality of the "choral" singing which, although not excelling in quality, gives a certain personality to the group.

I can point out "Buon Lavoro", "L'Apprendista", "Carmine", "Cuore" as the best tracks.

Many time changes, the originality of the compositions, and a certain detail of the sound scene make this album one of the most valid works of the '70s in the progressive field.