Flea On The Honey (Italy) - Flea On The Honey, 1971

1. Mother Mary
2. A woman of distinction
3. King's thoughts
4. Let the flags fly high
5. Louise (my little ship)
6. Moon Park woman
7. Face to the sun
8. Happy Miller
9. Don't you ever feel glad
10. The next election

Tony - vocals, keyboards, flute, harmonica
Dustin - drums, percussion, guitar, backing vocals
Charlie - guitars, percussion, backing vocals
Nigel - bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals

Progarchives:
"This band released in fact three albums with different names, the first as FLEA IN THE HONEY, with the members only identified with english nicknames, then as FLEA, and later as ETNA.

A group from Sicily, but based in Rome, they were one of the many bands taking part to the very influential (and often mentioned in these pages) Viareggio 1971 Pop festival, and in the same year their first album was released by RCA subsidiary Delta, with short songs, a style influenced by hard rock and totally sung in english. Band members were hidden under pseudonyms and the label probably wanted to promote them as one of the many english bands coming to Italy in search of success. There are some good thing, though, like "Mother Mary" that was also released as a single with "Louise (My Little Ship)" (a song that was also recorded by CYAN and MIDDLE OF THE ROAD), but generally the album still shows a lack of personality.

After some more live appearences (like in the Rome Villa Pamphili festival) the band shortened its name to FLEA and released their second album on Fonit, moving towards a progressive sound. "Topi O Uomini" is a more mature and much better work than the previous one, with side A comprising the 20 minutes long title-track and three shorter tracks on side B. The band's sound is much more original here, with good italian-sung vocals and long instrumental parts, mainly dominated by guitar.

FLEA disbanded after "Topi O Uomini", with Elio Volpini going to L'UOVO DI COLOMBO. They reformed in 1975 as ETNA, releasing an eponymous album with another radical change of style. "Etna" is a jazz-rock inspired work, with seven all instrumental tracks, showing strong influences by the likes of MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA and coming close to the work of similar italian bands like NOVA or IL BARICENTRO.

Soon after the album, drummer Agostino Marangolo joined GOBLIN and had a successful later career as sessionman, Pennisi briefly played with MEDITERRANEO."


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