1 La vie en bref 2 Voyage au fond de l'amour 3 La grande déglingue 4 Ne pas partir ne pas mourir 5 Dis-moi qui tu embrasses 6 La nuit des errants 7 La parole est à la victime 8 Paix 1980: * Prélude * 1er mouvement * 3ème mouvement Catherine Ribeiro - Parolier, Vocals Francis Campello - Guitare Basse René Werneer - Violon Patrice Moullet - Claviers Patrice Lemoine - Clavier Pierre Gasquet - Percussion
AMG: "On La Deboussole, les Alpes treads into a more conventionally accessible sound and away from the experimentalism of earlier works. In fact, the band is far more funky on this outing, with driving bass hooks on most of the tracks. There are enough peculiar touches to keep it from being so much stale pop fodder, especially with the addition of a violinist adding some old European-style charm. Unfortunately, Ribeiro's voice gets confined or lost in these less free-form arrangements. It's only on the last cut, a new version of "Paix," where she finally gets to cut loose with some of her strange and emotionally intense vocalizing, and even that piece is better heard on the album of the same name. The rest is OK, odd progressive funk music with Ribeiro's unique voice, but none of it is anywhere as distinct as the material from previous albums."
1 Une infinie tendresse 2 Prélude médiéval 3 Parle-moi d'un homme heureux 4 Qui a parlé de fin? 5 Poème non épique No.III: * Prélude * Poème non épique * Tombe Catherine Ribeiro - Parolier, Auteur De La Musique, Vocals Patrice Moullet - Auteur De La Musique, Guitarres Daniel Motron - Orgue, Piano Henri Texier - Basse Caroll Reyn - Percussion
AMG: "Libertes? follows a similar path to Catherine Ribeiro's earlier records with the group les Alpes. The band tends to rock out more on this one, with bass and drums more prominent in the mix, though the music retains much of the cosmic spaciousness of earlier works. The standout is the side-long opus, "Poeme Non Epique N. III," where, after a lengthy instrumental passage, Ribeiro delivers some raw, emotional poetry with an intensity that threatens to explode at any moment while drum clatter and keyboard squalls create a choppy-sea backdrop. Toward the end, the group kicks into off-kilter rock while Ribeiro is on the verge of screaming as she belts out the final lyrics. As for the rest, there's the rocking "Parle-Moi d'un Homme Heureux," the slightly slower and creepier "Un Infinie Tendresse," as well as "Prelude Medieval," which has some odd wordless chanting from Ribeiro. On all of these, the music is closer to progressive rock than the cosmic folk songs of earlier albums, and Ribeiro matches the energy of the band well. "Qui a Parle de Fin," on the other hand, is just Ribeiro reciting poetry in a near whisper with no musical accompaniment."
1 Made in Germany 2:49 2 The Arrow and the Song 6:55 3 Find Your Way 3:21 4 Pain of War 3:14 5 Leisure 5:42 6 Don't Forget the Time 3:06 7 Away 4:54 8 Man in History 9:33 9 Custom of Live 3:22 10 That's What I Want to Do 3:15 11 Birthday 2:07 12 Magic Land 3:02 13 In the Hell 2:21 14 Here I Am 2:58 15 Assembly Line 4:30 16 Isn't It Fine 4:09 Dieter Alsleben - drums, percussion Hans-Dieter Graber - organ, piano Joachim Pade - sax, flute, vocals, percussion Stephan Pade - bass, vocals, percussion Rita Peuker - vocals, percussion Wolfgang Schulz - guitar, vocals,
1. Aire cálido de abril (4:05) 2. Puente azul (3:47) 3. Santa Clara (5:30) 4. Cuando llega la aurora (3:56) 5. El portil (3:07) 6. Sangre Caliente (3:23) 7. Zalima (3:38) 8. Tierra del sur (3:25) 9. Urbana princesa en flor (5:12) José Roca - guitars, lead vocals Rafael Marinelli - keyboards Manuel Marinelli - keyboards Manuel Rosa - bass Luis Moreno - drums, percussion + Enrique Melchor - Spanish guitar (9) Javier Benet - Symphonic percussion Tito Duarte - Latin percussion David Thomas - String and brass arrangemens (except for 4, 7, 8) Pedro Vicedo - String arrangements (5) José María Guzmán & Jesús Conde - Backing vocals (9)
Noche Andaluza
1. Noche Andaluza (5:04) 2. Con música y aroma (3:52) 3. Dias de amor (4:26) 4. Por los espacios del tiempo (4:31) 5. Umbría - Bajo la sombra y el sueño (6:13) 6. Desnudos (4:11) 7. ¿Que queda despues de amar? (4:46) 8. Lamentos (3:07) Jose Roca - guitars, lead vocals Rafael Marinelli - keyboards, drums & percussion on 2 Manuel Marinelli - keyboards Manuel Rosa - bass Luis Moreno - drums, percussion (bateria) + Paco de Lucia - Spanish guitar Jose Maria Guzman & Jesus Conde - backing vocals
Progarchives: "This Spanish band is rooted in 1977 when four musicians met each other on the Conservatory Of Seville. They experimented with music in bands like Orquesta Union, Gong, Nuevos Tiempos and Tartessos and then decided to found their own group named Alameda. In 1979 the band was allowed to record a demo-tape in Ricardo Pachon his studio ("El Aljarafe"). Soon after Alameda went from company to company to find their luck with the demo. And they were lucky because CBS deputee Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo gave the band a contract. So Alameda got the opportunity to record their demo tape in the AudiFilm studio in Madrid with the help from Maximo Moreno, known for his work with Rock Andaluz legend Triana. In 1979, the same year that Triana released their third LP entitled "Sombra y Luz", Alameda released their eponymous debut album. Between 1979 and 1983 Alameda produced four studio albums, on their fourth entitled "Noche Andaluza" famous flamenco player Paco De Lucia joined the band on one track. The band split up in 1983 but in 1994 Alameda re-united. They released three studio-albums and one live-CD, a registration from their 20th Anniversay concert in 1999. In 2003 record company CBS released a very comprehensive 2-CD compilation from their early work between 1979 and 1983."
1. Santiago (9:13) 2. Leda (4:30) 3. Conn (3:48) 4. C.T.6 (14:02) 5. Brilla (5:39) Fiorenzo Bonansone - cello, electric piano, synthesizer Marco Di Castri - guitars, Tenor saxophone, percussion Furio Di Castri - bass, percussion Enrico Grosso - drums, percussion Rene Montegna from "AKTUALA" - African percussion AMG: "The Turin-based Dedalus rank among Italy's most enterprising jazz rock bands and that despite their public profile being the highest among collectors, for whom their two albums remain a holy grail of sorts. Appropriately signed to the Trident label, whose own output is much sought after, Dedalus was formed in 1972 by Marco Di Castri (guitar, sax), Fiorenzo Bonansone (keyboards, cello), Furio Di Castri (bass) and Enrico Grosso (drums), releasing their self-titled debut LP the following year. Di Castri quit shortly after the album's release - opting not to replace him, Dedalus soldiered on as a trio, replacing the errant bass with a heavier reliance on electronics and avant-garde textures. Their second album, 1974's Materiale per Tre Esecutori e Nastro Magnetico reflects these concerns with considerable success, but Dedalus themselves would not pursue the experiment any further. The band broke up later in 1974."
1. Sea Horses (4:13) 2. The Homecoming (16:12) 3. That Did It (3:44) 4. Fields and Me (5:57) 5. The Crazy World of Pod (1:43) 6. 1999 (4:02) 7. About the Dove and His King (3:44) Julian Laxton - guitars Ramsay MacKay - bass Gerard Nel - keyboards Nic Martens - Organ Brian Davidson - vocals Colin Pratley - drums
1. La Petite Fille Aux Fraises (5:13) 2. L'Ère De La Putréfaction (3:28) 3. Un Regard Clair (Obscur) (4:47) 4. Poème Non Épique (Suite) (25:22) Catherine Ribeiro - vocals Patrice Moullet - cosmophone, acoustic guitar Patrice Lemoine - organ Claude Thibaut - percuphone
1. Roc Alpin (3:02) 2. Jusqu'à Ce Que la Foce de T'Aimer Me Manque (2:56) 3. Paix (15:37) 4. Un Jour... la Mort (24:33) Catherine Ribeiro - Vocals P.Moullet - Cosmophone, acoustic guitar Jean Sebastian Lemoine - Percuphone, bass guitar Patrice Lemoine - Organ Michel Santangelli - Drums (1)
AMG: "Her fourth album, Paix, is one of Catherine Ribeiro's more intense recordings. The band is less folkish on this outing and veering more into space rock, with a sound that is even more cosmic, especially on the 15-minute title track as well as the 24-minute "'Un Jour la Mort" that fills side two. Both tracks contain long instrumental passages with multi-layered keyboard and guitar soundscapes over pulsing percussion, as well as some of Ribeiro's more gutsy and emotional singing (especially on "Paix," where at some places she is practically screaming). "Jusqu'a Ce Que la Force" is a short moody piece, while "Roc Alpin," on the other hand, is joyful, with an upbeat rhythm and playful melody that Ribeiro vocalizes wordlessly. Her second album, simply titled N. 2, is just as good but almost impossible to track down, so Paix is probably the best place to start."
1. Ame Debout (7:54) 2. Diborowska (3:39) 3. Alpes 1 (5:46) 4. Alpes 2 (6:22) 5. Alpilles (1:25) 6. Aria Populaire (2:09) 7. Le Kleenex, Le Drap De Lit Et L'étendard (3:28) 8. Dingue (4:36) Catherine Ribeiro - vocals Patrice Moullet - cosmophone, acoustic guitar Patrice Lemoine - organ Claude Thiebaut - percuphone
Progarchives: "Born in Lyon during the war, Catherine Ribeiro started her career in acting, even shooting a film for JL Godart, Les Carabiniers, he met future writing partner Patrice Moullet (then under the name of Albert Juroost), before she started singing, recording a bunch of singles throughout the 60's, both in Portuguese (her parent's origins) and in French. These singles are now compiled in a set called Libertés. In the late 60's, Moullet asks her to starts a band, first named 2Bis (one record released under that moniker), than Alpes, where she'll be the front person. The group was lucky enough to participated to one of the very few festival still organized in France in the early 70's (most of them being banned to avoid further youth/student riots after May 68 both the group and festival getting the "go-ahead" from authorities a few hours before starting) in Port Leucate, then Avignon, playing to huge crowds and getting wide notice of the public.
During the early 70's, Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes recorded a string of stunning albums, starting with Ame Debout and ending with Le Temps De L'autre, the most remarkable being Rat Débile Et Homme Des Champs, with stunning tracks such as Poeme Non-Epique and Ere De La Putréfaction (sic). The group is then centered around Catherine, (guitarist) Moullet and (keyboardist) Lemoine (future Gong) and Motron, but by 76, only Lemoine remained with Catherine. The later 70's will see albums getting wiser in terms of provocations, but will gain in musician abilities and spectrum, but Ribeiro started recording solo albums dedicated to poets (Jacqueries for Jacques Prévert) and semi-anarchists singers (Ferré, Brel etc..).
In 80's, the group will disband in full glory (awards and academy prizes) after la Déboussole, Catherine recording a string of albums increasingly gentle and decreasingly interesting, until she will recontact Moullet for solo collabs. The very same Moullet will reform Alpes in the early 90's without Ribeiro, and two more records will be released, both sounding a tad new age, but remaining prog records. Moullet is still playing experimental music through his project Atelier Alpes, while Ribeiro still graces discs of her voice.
As a quick conclusion: Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes have recorded a string of fairly successful albums, gathering a few plaudits and yearly awards from specialized press, played throughout Europe and even in Latin America and Northern Africa and are now seen as an iconic group of the hippy 70's in France. Their use of seldom-seen percuphone and cosmophone (both alpine instruments), their lengthy Poème Non-Epique pieces, Ribeiro's anarchist avant-garde and ecologist lyrics and doomed atmosphere (there is some VdGG feel in their music) made this group a very distinct and very original group that has their own sound. Their record company will print at the back of the cover that "the lyrics of the group only engage the musicians and them only", therefore taking a distance to Ribeiro's incendiary diatribes. This disengagement is to be seen as CR&A's best compliment, as in their manner, they were at the forefront of the Counter Culture."
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."
1. Radio Gnome Prediction (0:27) 2. You Can't Kill Me (6:18) 3. I've Bin Stone Before (2:36) 4. Mister Long Shanks/O Mother/I Am Your Fantasy (5:57) 5. Dynamite/I Am Your Animal (4:32) 6. Wet Cheese Delirium (0:31) 7. Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen's Heads (0:12) 8. Fohat Digs Holes In Space (6:22) 9. And You Tried So Hard (4:38) 10. Tropical Fish/Selene (7:36) 11. Gnome The Second (0:27) Christian Tritsch - guitar, bass Didier Malherbe - sax, flute Gilli Smyth - vocals, space whispers Pip Pyle - drums Daevid Allen - vocals, guitars, bass Eddy Louiss - organ & piano Constantin Simonovitch - phased piano
AMG: "This is a classic, the epitome of the band's early Daevid Allen phase with Ph.P.'s (pothead pixies) in full, blazing glory. In its infancy, Gong was a unique prog rock band that branched out in all directions at once while most other prog bands chose simply one path or another. Camembert Electrique is a testament to that. The band's eclectic "electric cheese" rock is a mixture of psychedelic rock, spacy atmospherics and lyrics, and doses of jazz often presented with a pop sensibility, yet always intense. From the first cut on Camembert, you are transported to planet Gong via the voice of a "radio gnome" who drops in intermittently to remind you you're not in Kansas anymore. Daevid Allen leads the band through several compositions musically (not lyrically) reminiscent of, and possibly influenced by, early King Crimson -- a hard, raw-edged sound propelled by a strong guitar-sax-percussion combo. Drummer Pip Pyle played on only a few Gong sessions; he is a major figure here, as is saxophonist D+6idier Malherbe. Both are up front on the wailing progressive rocker "You Can't Kill Me," which also features guitarist Allen in top form. Allen's declarative "I've Bin Stone Before," the first part of an inventive three-song medley, is of particular interest; introductory church organ and avant-garde sax make this another unique Gong experience. But the real gem on Camembert is "Tropical Fish: Selene." This jazzy composition is the most involving and intricate piece on the recording. The band moves tightly through several progressive movements and Gilli Smyth scores with her trademark "space whispering." Camembert Electrique remains undated after almost 30 years and hovers "strong and steamin'" over most of the Gong catalog."
1. Ingresso 2. Ma Per Colpa Di Chi? 3. Unpugno Di Mosche 4. Amo Mia Madore 5. Maria 6. Sogni E Delusioni 7. Fortuna E Ragione 8. Nella Tua Mente 9. Qualcosa Per Sognare 10. Sortita Silver Scivoli - keyboards, vocals Luciano Spotti - guitar Giuliano Quarantotto - bass, vocals Roberto Caroli - drums
Italianprogrock: "This melodic pop band was formed in Cremona around 1967, and had a rather anonymous career with the early production, their only interesting album being the nice Pensando from 1972.
Their first album "Cercando la vita" contains the typical Italian melodic pop of that era, with the voice in evidence and the organ as the main instrument, a short (around 30 minutes long) LP that includes eight tracks all around three minutes with the sole exception of the long title track; the album was re-released a year later as Hydra with just an extra track.
Pensando their third album is a surprisingly good album, mainly organ-driven and with some hard fuzzy guitars. Only this album belong on this site.
The band disbanded around 1975 and their last production was again in a commercial direction, their last single Piccolo amore was presented at that year's Disco per l'Estate contest."
1. Antartide 2. Metamorfosi 3. Pathos 4. Senza un perché 5. Nessuna scelta 6. Murple rock 7. Preludio e scherzo 8. Tra I filí 9. Variazioni in 6/8 10. Fratello 11. Un mondo cosí 12. Antarplastic Pier Carlo Zanco - lead vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, bowed contrabass, chorus Pino Santamarià - lead vocals, guitars, chorus Mario Garbarino - bass, bongos, triangle Duilio Sorrenti - drums, timbales, gong, tympani
Progarchives: "MURPLE was one of those bands that only made one album and then disappeared. Typically symphonic Italian progressive, as always quite inspired by classical music. On their release, this four-piece group from Rome plays a long suite divided on the two sides, based on the story of a penguin. The music is very good, with classical inspirations especially in the keyboards playing and nice guitar parts. I really don't find any bands that would make a good comparison, indeed I urge you to buy this album about the penguin MURPLE and his long strange journey. You will for sure find some very nice moments here. A CLASSIC AND FIRST QUALITY OPUS. "
1. La montre (6:03) 2. L'Arbre (5:50) 3. La Rire des Pierre (2:01) 4. Cage en Béton (2:43) 5. Passant de la Nuit (6:35) 6. Sans nom (5:56) Serge Nevez - keyboards, vocals Bruno Nevez - guitar, bass, vocals Gilles - bass Daniel Abherve - drums
Progarchives: "ALPHA CENTAURY is a rare French band from the seventies. Like many others, they recorded one album, and that was it. As you can imagine, information is very hard to find. This is evidenced in the discrepancy in the spelling of the name. On the album, Cenaturi is spelled with a Y. However, if you try to search with that spelling, you find nothing. The band was comprised of Daniel Abherve on drums, Serge Nevez on keyboards and vocals, Bruno Nevez on guitar, bass and vocals, and Gilles on bass
The have a lot in common with other French arists of the time, but not entirely. The closest comparison could be made to Asia Minor. There is that darkness that was prevalent with others, but they have more of a jazz influence. That is mixed with a bit of spacey, almost psychedelic, element. There is even a bit of an operatic tinge in some of the vocals. Their self-titled album was released in 1976."
1. L'Uomo Ed Il Cane 2. Sporcandosi Di Sangue 3. Quando La Luna 4. Se Perdessi La Vita Cosi 5. Il Pagliaccio 6. Francesco Ti Ricordi Mimmo Sanseverino - guitar, vocals Leonardo Sanseverino - organ, synth Mario Sanseverino - bass Matteo Sanseverino - drums
Progarchives: "Like their contemporaries HERO, ATLANTIDE was an all-Italian band active in Germany in the Seventies. Its four members, the Sanseverino brothers (Mimmo, Matteo, Leonardo and Mario), originally came from Cirigliano, a town in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. They already used to play together as a band before their move to Rottweil (Germany) in 1973, where they still live (though one of the brothers, Leonardo, died in 2006).
In their new country ATLANTIDE engaged in a lively concert activity, mainly as a support act to local bands, such as THE SCORPIONS, and gained critical acclaim from the press. However, their only, self-produced album, "Francesco ti ricordi" (1976), released exclusively in Germany, had very little commercial success (though it seems to have been printed in relative large quantities). It is a good heavy progressive rock album, strongly influenced by the likes of DEEP PURPLE, featuring six tracks one of which, "Quando la luna", is over 11 minutes long."
1. The Red Tape Machine (5:24) 2. The Last Debutante (5:12) 3. Window On The City (4:10) 4. Metro Song (4:57) 5. Dog's Life (4:13) 6. Triangle (7:00) 7. Freedom (3:19) 8. The Roofer (4:34) Richard Ingersoll - vocals, flute Massimo Meloni - guitar, vocals Claudine Reiner - vocals, percussion Lamberto Clementi - guitar Peter Dobson - guitar Piero Cecchini - bass, vocals Velio Galazzi - drums
Progarchives: "Formed in 1964 in the Italian city of Urbino, ANONIMA SOUND were a beat-pop trio that recorded four singles, including the hit single "Fuori piove", released in 1967. In 1970, lead vocalist and guitarist Ivan Graziani left to pursue a career as a solo artist, which would see him become one of the most popular Italian singer-songwriters of the Eighties.
At this point, after having recruited new members, the band changed its name in ANONIMA SOUND LTD. After the release of the single "Io prendo amore" in 1971, they became a seven-piece that included one English and two American musicians, and completely changed their musical orientation. In 1972 they released an album, "Red Tape Machine", entirely sung in English and influenced by British psychedelia and progressive rock. It's an interesting effort, featuring obvious JETHRO TULL influences: the singer tries in places to imitate Ian Anderson, and one of the main instruments used by the band is the flute. However, ANONIMA SOUND LTD. were also one of the most distinctive-sounding bands on the Italian prog scene of the early Seventies.
Anonima Sound Ltd. are a rare, very interesting example of an Italian prog band of the Seventies influenced by psychedelia rather than by symphonic prog."
