Le Orme - "Verità Nascoste" [1976] @ VBR 224 (Excellent Italian Progressive Rock)

Excellent 70's Italian progressive trio (still around today) with classical stylings, featuring keyboards to the fore and a unique dreamy/powerful style. Le Orme was one of the three major Italian groups, the other two being PFM and Banco. This band is usually considered as the Italian ELP and even Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso by the Italian singing. Its music is based upon organ developments and soli reminding Seventies groups which works are essentially built upon keyboards parts.

Verità Nascoste is an excellent album recorded in London and released by Le Orme in 1976, after the previous and more commercial Smogmagica, which has its interesting moments, yet. Now Tolo Marton is gone, replaced by other guitarist Germano Serafin who stayed with the group until 1982. He sadly passed on in 1992. Electric guitar takes now its own place, a more appropriate and right equilibrium with the mythic keyboards of Toni Pagliuca. Verità Nascoste signed the most high point of glory for Le Orme in Italy.

The opener is the strong 6 mns piece titled Insieme al Concerto (Together at the Concert). It starts with the usual soft acoustic guitar and is well conducted and played to a more strong melodic-prog way from the 2nd minute. ”People has already gone away…what a marvellous full-moon evening…”. In Ottobre is a 6:43 long track, another favourite of mine, speaking about the time the group spent in London to work on this good release. They commenced October the first and finished October the 31th. Great rhythm session here, one of the best tunes of the album. Verità Nascoste is a soft and acoustic gem within very nice strings, presage of what would have appeared later, with the excellent 1979 album Florian.

Vedi Amsterdam… is the true highlight, in my honest opinion! “Mothers don’t know why their sons go to Amsterdam…Never-crying-Venice…”. Great keyboards parts, very good drums and bass, it reminds me of Contrappunti album! Regina al Troubadour is another good 6:44 long piece with soft opening vocals: “Queen of the Snow, we’re sitting besides you, why you cannot say no? You give to each one the Most Near Good…easy, so easy!”. Radiofelicità is an interesting song, not at the level of the previous tracks, though. Radio frequencies acting during the song…some more commercial keyboards. Salmoni is an awesome arranged track with funny lyrics telling all the risks and the dangerous life of these fishes during their river-climbing. Il Gradino Più Stretto del Cielo is another excellent track in a very similar Contrappunti vein!

-- http://www.progarchives.com

Highly Recommended!

Track 2 - In Ottobre.............

Keep Listening!!!!

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