Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM)
Label: Numero Uno
Release: 1972
Duration: 34:25
Rating: 4.5/5
Italians ‘gave’ the world three splendid things without which reality would surely be a lot poorer: Renaissance art, Italian food and Italian progressive rock. The most notorious and famous, if not the best, band of the Italian branch of the progressive rock movement in the early seventies was the Milan group Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), which in English translates as ‘Award-Winning Marconi Bakery’, as they were also, among other things, the only Italian band of this kind that managed to score some real success on the other side of the Atlantic for a short while.
After psychedelic beginnings under the name Quelli, guitarist/vocalist Franco Mussida, drummer/vocalist Franz Di Cioccio, bassist/vocalist Giorgio Pazza, keyboardist Flavio Premoli and violinist/flutist Mauro Pagani formed PFM, and the history of Italian rock was never the same again; its evolution got a serious shot of acceleration. PFM threw rock, classical music and the occasional bit of folk and jazz into their musical vocabulary, while drawing on a rich and utterly distinctive Mediterranean musical tradition, which brought a hefty dose of warmth, melancholy and passion to the individual symphonic rock arrangements.
Most of the arrangements on their splendid debut »Storia Di Un Minuto« wear autumnal, ambient shades, so it’s only fitting that after the short pastoral intro »Introduzione«, an epic treat called »Impressioni Di Settembre« steps in, where you can hear for the first time PFM’s exceptional knack for grand melodrama and for building pompous soundscapes with synchronized interplay between keyboard and guitar passages. The keyboard textures are mostly based on the Mellotron, and the not-insignificant influence of King Crimson is easy to hear. Occasional flute and string inserts fill out the sonic collage beautifully, while the pastoral guitar subtly ramps up the dramatic mood. The vocals, handled mostly by Di Cioccio and Premoli, although all the members swapped successfully in the singing roles, were far from spectacular at this stage of their career, but they were passionate and solid enough to win over even listeners with shaky Italian to this day.
This is followed by the hard-hitting »E’Festa«, one of their best-known and best-loved pieces, marked by a hard rock riff, plenty of complex rhythmic twists and a rowdy mood, with no shortage of brilliant flute improvisations either. One of the best moments of PFM’s entire career is accompanied by a jazzy approach in the rhythm section, where intricate bass lines push to the front, while the melancholic folk arrangements keep bringing in a lovely, pastoral atmosphere that really does recall an all-night, noisy fiesta, typical of the average Italian hedonistic soul.
Both parts of the masterpiece »Dove…Quando…« also rank among the best moments of Italian symphonic prog. The first part is mostly pastoral in color, with gentle acoustic guitar arrangements and serene singing, creating a still-life atmosphere with Mediterranean melancholic shades, while the second, rhythmically more complex part, with mighty classicist piano arrangements and spirited transitions, marks a considerable ambient turn into symphonic waters. »La Carozza Di Hans« is yet another PFM classic with plenty of melodramatic moments and tense ambient build-ups, in which Mellotron curtains and pastoral acoustic guitar interludes play the key roles. The closing masterpiece »Grazie Davvero« is another picture-perfect showcase of their eclecticism, with plenty of pompous arrangements and forceful genre-hopping leaps, amid which there’s no shortage of passionate improvisations, majestic symphonic turns and rich vocal harmonies, which are among the key ingredients of the classic PFM sound.
PFM’s debut gem »Storia Di Un Minuto« is one of the cornerstones of the rich Italian prog rock scene, and it sounds every bit as impressive today as it did decades ago, when the genre was still young. Just like Le Orme, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso and similar acts at the same time, PFM proved right at the start of their career that in terms of quality they can stand fully on equal footing with the better-known British prog rock bands. Perhaps the best indicator of the quality of »Storia Di Un Minuto«, one of the best debuts in progressive rock, is the fact that on release the album topped the Italian charts, something no Italian rock group had managed before.
Lineup
Franco Mussida – guitar, vocals
Flavio Premoli – keyboards, lead vocals
Giorgio Pazza – bass guitar, vocals
Franz Di Cioccio – drums, Moog synthesizer, lead vocals
Mauro Pagani – flute, violin
Production
Premiata Forneria Marconi
Tracklist
1. Introduzione
2. Impressioni Di Settembre
3. È Festa
4. Dove… Quando… Parte 1
5. Dove… Quando… Parte 2
6. La Carrozza Di Hans
7. Grazie Davvero
