Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM)
Label: Aereostella
Release: 2015
Rating: 4/5
The champions of Italian symphonic prog rock, Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), paid a visit to Japan’s capital Tokyo on May 30 and 31, 2014, and played two unforgettable shows on which they performed five classic albums from the first half of the seventies in full, the period of their greatest creative bloom.
The fact that after playing the whole classic »L’ Isola Di Niente« (1974) they also did its English version, »The World Became the World« (1974), is a little odd, considering the Italian version is still far superior vocally by comparison. The end result of the latest live take on that studio classic is the live album »The World«, the final act in a series of five live albums recorded over the two Tokyo shows.
The three PFM chieftains and regular members, singer/drummer Di Ciocco, guitarist/singer Mussida and bassist Djivas, once again got help from three talented younger countrymen on keyboards, violin and extra drums, while a Japanese backing choir added some extra life to the air in recreating the »The World Became the World« standards, and they really shone on the opening »The Mountain«. That one, along with the title track (»The World Became the World)«, »Four Holes in the Ground« and the epic triumph »Have Your Cake and Beat It (Vila Lumiere)«, counts among the best moments, according to most PFM fans, of their last classic album, though some also put »Chocolate Kings« (1975) in that category. The individual renditions are once again as faithful as can be to the studio originals, except that the English of both lead singers has noticeably improved over the years and (by usual Italian standards) now sounds pretty decent and listenable.
With the series of live albums recorded during their two-day stay in Tokyo, PFM proved that age isn’t catching up with them anytime soon. »The World« is yet another successful (and the last) live take on a classic PFM album in a winning streak. There’s not much to add to that, except maybe that it’s a nice feeling to know their music is still loved beyond Italy’s borders, even in countries as ‘far-off’ as Japan.
Lineup
Franz Di Ciocco – vocals, drums, percussion
Patrick Djivas – bass guitar
Franco Mussida – vocals, electric guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Alessandro Band – keyboards, backing vocals
Roberto Gualdi – drums, percussion
Edoardo De Angelis – violin, additional keyboards
Choir:
Serena Tanaka – first soprano
Yuko Kurita – second soprano
Sakura Kurita /- first alto
Ayaka Fujuta – second alto
Junya Hosaka – first tenor
Hibiki Kina – second tenor
Kosuke Shimada – first bass
Yosuke Kawano – second bass
Production
Premiata Forneria Marconi
Track list
1. The Mountain
2. Just Look Away
3. The World Became the World
4. Four Holes in the Ground
5. Is My Face On Straight
6. Have Your Cake and Beat It (Via Lumiere)
