The Trip
Atlantide

Tough times for The Trip, in 1972 there were only two members left: Arvid Andersen (bass and vocals) and Joe Vescovi (keyboards and vocals); Pino Sinnone (drums) and William Gray (guitar) had left to earn their living in another way. A young man, not even in his twenties, Furio Chirico, joined the band as a drummer, and all three opted to continue playing as a trio.

Andersen is really skilled with the bass and vocals, Furio Chirico, as his name suggests, is a fury, yet he is also very refined and intelligent as a percussionist (The Trip will serve as his springboard, and he will become one of the most appreciated Italian drummers), Joe Vescovi is everything else: a formidable and virtuosic keyboardist (in the noblest sense), an agile and avant-garde composer, who spans from classical music to jazz rock with impressive fluidity; he is not fond of synthesizers (at the time, they were still monophonic), he plays an electric piano and a Hammond organ, which he filters to give these two instruments a variety of sounds that a Minimoog could not achieve, in short, Vescovi was (and I hope he still is) a real genius.

And from this situation comes "Atlantide," The Trip's most famous album, the one they are remembered for (even more than "Caronte" from the previous year). It is a concept album based on the legend of the continent lost in the Atlantic with the usual English lyrics mostly sung by Andersen and a completely renewed sound: away with blues and hard rock, welcome jazz rock and experimentation.

Vescovi filters the electric piano and the organ, managing to imitate and even surpass the sound of the synths of that era (yes, because with a Hammond you can press as many keys as you want simultaneously) creating meditative and rarefied atmospheres suitable for the theme addressed, with few concessions to symphonic parts, as in "Analisi," where a church organ sets the stage for a solemn melody sung very intensely by Andersen.

And what about the first two tracks "Atlantide" and "Evoluzione," where Vescovi's fingers seem unstoppable and flow smoothly on the keys like a piss after a long car journey, outlining situations, images, faces, sensations... and the omnipresent Chirico and Andersen perfectly keeping up with him. It is incredible how such a lean sound can give rise to so many different forms.

And so, we weave through irregular rhythms or moments of pure experimentation as in "Energia" and "Ora X," passing through the bouncing "Leader" until reaching the final apotheosis of "Distruzione"/"Il Vuoto," the former a long drum solo by a fiery Furio Chirico introduced by sinister and atmospheric noises, all serving as a soundtrack for the sinking of Atlantis, the latter is instead the symphonic account of what remains after the catastrophe: it lasts only 49 seconds, but it is one of the most evocative moments of the album.

The Trip were labeled as the watered-down copy of ELP, but if you take the time to listen to their albums, especially this one, you notice the minimalist approach they had towards their compositions, always agile and streamlined and certainly not monolithic and cumbersome like those of the great Keith Emerson. In conclusion, it is undoubtedly a small hidden gem in the Italian progressive scene, so fervent and varied even in its hidden corners.