BUON VECCHIO CHARLIE - Buon Vecchio Charlie
This Italian band recorded their sole album in 1971, but we had to wait another 21 years to get to hear it. Why is a mystery as it has since been hailed as one of the best ever Italian progressive albums. Almost totally instrumental, it features organ, guitars, flute and sax to produce a classic progressive rock sound, and with twelve minute opener 'Venite Giu Al Fiume' incororating Greig's 'In The Hall Of The Mountain King' they may elicit comparisons with The Nice and ELP, but really their adaptation is all their own. This jazzed up opener sets the scene for the rest of the album, and whether on slower tunes like 'Evviva La Contea Di Lane' or rockers such as 'Prima Stanza' from the side-long suite 'All'uomo Che Raccoglie I Cartoni' they produce a sound that is easily accessible to UK audiences despite the few lyrics being in Italian. My vinyl copy even comes with two short bonus tracks, of which the best is 'Il Guardiano Della Valle' - an up-tempo folky violin-led piece which ends the album on a high. At the moment only available on vinyl, but still a recommended album for anyone into classic progressive music but who wants a bit of a change from the UK and US variety.