3VEL - Strange Shape ($13.99)
Titles are arranged alphabetically with the latest additions highlighted in yellow.
3VEL - Strange Shape ($13.99) 
Strange Shape is the 2000 second CD from an Italian instrumental jazz-rock ensemble. “The style is light, jazzy, mellow and inoffensive, very professionally played and produced, with all the rough edges smoothed out. Guitarist Maurizio Neri is an exceptional player in the context of this style, and interestingly enough plays mostly acoustic and classical guitars (electric on three tracks). They are at their best when they go for a more quiet and introspective sound. At their most energized, they have a more generic sound reminiscent of the lighter side of Pat Metheny or John Scofield, albeit acoustically driven. An exceptional tune is their cover of Il Baricentro’s Akua (from Trusciant). The bass, drum and keyboard work are fully supportive of the guitar’s lead role.” [Exposé]
Riflessioni (1998) is their first. The band is a quintet of guitar, keys, bass, drums, and percussion, with Neri playing exclusively acoustic and classical guitar on this one. The music is again instrumental, mellow, light jazz-rock.
Abiogenesi - Io Sono il Vampiro ($16.99)Abiogenesi play very good Italian early-1970’s style symphonic progressive featuring keys (primarily Hammond organ), flute, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, drums, and Italian vocals. Le Notte di Salem (2000) is their third album, which features guests Gigi Venegoni (Venegoni & Co., Arti e Mestieri), Marco Cimino (Arti e Mestieri), and Clive Jones (flute and sax of the band Black Widow). This echoes the work of I Teoremi, Biglietto per L’Inferno, Le Orme, and other classic Italian prog bands.
Io Sono il Vampiro (2005, 64-minutes) is the soundtrack to an Italian horror movie, which is a bit of a mystery as it doesn’t sound at all like a soundtrack. In fact, most of the songs have vocals. Gigi Venegoni and Marco Cimino are again among the guests. The music is melodic prog mostly in the 1970’s vein, but not as retro as some bands. The album includes a cover of Camel’s Never Let Go (which is not the only song showing a Camel influence), plus a Uriah Heep and a Black Widow cover, all translated into Italian.
AdiB - Spinning Like a Top ($14.99)This is the band Assolo di Bongo, who’ve decided to shorten their name. Their 2001 debut Primetime was a spirited romp of high-energy instrumental prog rock. On their follow-up Spinning Like a Top (2006), they are still an instrumental keys/guitar/bass/drums quartet but with guests on cello, sax, trumpet, trombone, and percussion on some tracks. This album is even better. AdiB blend a little fusion into their nimble progressive rock. The music touches upon the complex fusion-prog of Deus Ex Machina or DFA in spots, but AdiB are always more melodic and are invigorating rather than fatiguing. Ultimately, the sax and brass are not that prominent, and this is just a great instrumental prog album with sophisticated arrangements and stellar playing, highlighted by the 11-minute title suite.
Algebra - JL ($19.99)Algebra are an Italian band who released one album previous to this one, 1993’s Storia di un Iceberg, and have contributed to just about every tribute CD released by the Mellow label. Algebra’s JL (2009) is on the AMS label, whose description reads: “JL is a concept album inspired by Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Musically, the basic structure of this album can surely be seen as belonging to progressive rock, embracing at once different influences from jazz to folk, from fusion to opera, from classical music to a more traditional songwriting approach, never forgetting the strength of the typical Italian melody, which has been so appreciated abroad over the years. Apart from the well-known Algebra band, the project features some illustrious guests whose credentials shine in the firmament of progressive rock, beginning with Steve and John Hackett (the former Genesis guitarist plays a short but stunning solo on Il molo deserto, while his brother adds his wonderful flute playing to three tracks), while two of the most characteristic singers of the 70’s can also be heard: the dreamy voice of Le Orme’s Aldo Tagliapietra (who introduces the protagonist of the story) and the raving singing of Osanna’s Lino Vairetti. But the project also showcases artists of completely different backgrounds such as Italian-Serbian songwriter Goran Kuzminac or rocker Graziano Romani.” JL is much better than Algebra’s previous album, though not yet on the level of the best current Italian bands. The Italian vocals and vocal melodies are a strong point, and the music is strongest on the last chunk of the album, where most of John Hackett’s flute is and also the contributions of two guest violinists. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve.
Alluminogeni - Scolopendra mini-LP ($19.99)
Alluminogeni - Geni Mutanti ($16.99)Alluminogeni or Gli Alluminogeni were a keyboard-oriented prog trio who released the well-regarded album Scolopendra in 1972. See ProgArchives for an mp3 and reviews. The mini-LP edition comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Geni Mutanti (1993) consists of new recordings while Green Grapes (1994) includes both unreleased old tracks as well as new tracks. Green Grapes had been the name of the band before changing it to Alluminogeni, so feel free to switch band and album name on that one.
Alusa Fallax - Intorno Alla Mia Cattiva Educazione mini-LP ($19.99)Alusa Fallax released their sole album in 1974, a gem of a record in the best Italian progressive tradition. It is reminiscent of Banco, Metamorfosi, and Locanda delle Fate. The album plays as two long suites. This mini-LP edition comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 20-page bilingual booklet.
Amanita - L’Oblio ($13.99)This six-man Italian band’s 1995 recording is 1970’s style progressive rock with lots of flute in addition to voice, keys, guitar, bass and drums. Long flowing tracks, slightly psychedelic, slightly jazzy, with hints of Jethro Tull and various Italian 70’s bands. Italian lyrics.
Analogy - same ($16.99) 
While most of the members of this band were German, the band had an Italian keyboardist, was based in Italy, and the album was released on an Italian label in 1972. With their female vocalist, the music is comparable to Sandrose or early Earth & Fire.
Antares - Sea of Tranquility ($14.99)This Italian progressive rock obscurity came out in 1979, after most of the original Italian progressive bands had ground to a halt. Mellow Records reissued it on CD in 1994. Antares had a connection with Antonio Bartoccetti of Antonius Rex, who co-wrote two of the six tracks, but Antares don’t have as much of that demonic style. After a dodgy first track with accented English vocals, it settles into mostly instrumental symphonic progressive with a spacey, Floydian feel. Rather than the Hammond and Mellotron favored by earlier progressive bands, Antares’ keyboardist used Roland and Korg synths of that era, favoring more electronic (and cheesy) sounds, though other prog bands did the same during those years. Unfortunately the album is all of 28-minutes long. The album was optimistically subtitled Volume I, but the band never managed to record another.
Antonius Rex - Per Viam ($16.99) 
Jacula - Tardo Pede in Magiam Versus ($13.99) Antonius Rex are one of the more esoteric of the Italian progressive bands. They were the continuation of the band Jacula, whose first album is from 1969. They were known for making dark, demonic music, but by the time of Ralefun (1979), that was no longer the case. Here a quintet of electric & acoustic guitars and vocals, synths & piano, flute, bass, and drums, the music is richer and closer to classic symphonic progressive rock. Not great sonically, but the music is more listenable than much of their previous output.
Antonius Rex released albums through 1980, took a 24-year break, then started in again. Switch on Dark (60-minutes, digipack) is their 2006 CD, now on the Black Widow label, which is a perfect fit for a band whose music is dark, occult, mystical and sinister. Switch on Dark definitely sounds like a soundtrack to a horror film, except that it isn’t soundtrack-y. This is not background music; it is symphonic prog and at times it rocks hard. It is classically-based, the predominant feel is gothic, and male and female voices are used to add a horror element (whispers, screams, Satan impersonations). There are parallels with the work of Goblin and Devil Doll. Even though the music is dark and haunting, it is also quite beautiful at times. It is primarily instrumental, with some vocals that are most often wordless. The CD includes one video track. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
A mere 40 years after the first Jacula album, Antonius Rex are still making excellent music and not just retreading old ground. Per Viam (2009, digipack) continues in a similar style as Switch on Dark and also includes one video track. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
This is the Mellow Records edition of Tardo Pede in Magiam Versus, the 1972 album by Jacula, the predecessor band to Antonius Rex. It’s a mythical if unusual album, focused on the occult and using a lot of pipe organ. It would have made a good soundtrack to an Italian horror film.
Apryl - Alorconfusa ($14.99) The 2002 debut by this Italian band is firmly in the 1970’s classic progressive style, influenced both by the Italian 70’s bands as well as Genesis, ELP, and Van der Graaf Generator. There are just four long tracks, each going through numerous changes, with lots of instrumental passages. Some of it is upbeat, but it is just as often melancholy. This is romantic and elegant symphonic rock that should earn high marks from all fans of 70’s-style progressive. Vocals in Italian.
Archangel - The Akallabeth ($19.99) Behind the Archangel moniker is Gabriele Manzini, keyboardist and primary composer for Ubi Maior and former keyboardist of The Watch. The Akallabeth is a concept album based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fall of Numenor, a tale taken from The Silmarillion, the cosmological book of Tolkien’s world. The English-language lyrics are faithful to the original story, which has many characters and so several singers were used, principally Damian Wilson (Landmarq and others), Zachary Stevens (ex-Savatage, Circle II Circle), and Ted Leonard (Enchant). There are other important singers and musicians from the Italian progressive rock scene: Francesca “Elayne” Naccarelli (vocals, Dunwich), Walter Gorreri (bass, Ubi Maior), Alessandro Di Caprio (drums, Ubi Maior), Stefano Mancarella (guitars, Ubi Maior), Ettore Salati (guitars, ex-The Watch), Marco Schembri (bass, ex-The Watch), Davide Martinelli (drums, Darksky) and others.
“In comparison with his band Ubi Maior, the sound of Archangel on The Akallabeth is more in the realm of heavy prog and melodic rock. The 12 songs are very tastefully arranged, with strong vocal contributions, splendid harder-edged guitar work, and wonderful work on a wide range of vintage keyboards. These elements remind me of the sound of fellow Dutchman Arjen Lucassen with his project Ayreon (especially the 2CD The Electric Castle), but less bombastic and less focused on guitar. In my opinion Gabriele is also a more elaborate composer... An album to discover if you like heavy prog and keyboard-oriented melodic rock. I am sure that especially the fans of Ayreon and Uriah Heep will be pleased with the sound of Archangel.” [Erik Neuteboom]
Areknamés - Love Hate Round Trip ($16.99)Areknamés are a retro-sounding Italian prog band on the Black Widow label. Their sound comes closest to Van der Graaf Generator, and as with most of the music on the label, their self-titled 2002 debut is dark, murky, dreamy, gothic, and comes no further forward than the early 1970’s. The vocals are in English, but it matters little since they are so buried in the mix. Their second, Love Hate Round Trip (2005, 78-minutes), is clearly superior. The production is improved, the music is more symphonic, powerful, and very close to Van der Graaf Generator. One song is a Gnidrolog cover. Along with the second Il Bacio della Medusa, this is one of the most symphonic albums on the Black Widow label, and anyone requiring a retro prog fix need look no further. Read reviews at ProgArchives of Areknamés first CD and Love Hate Round Trip.
Aries - same ($14.99) Aries (2005) is an all-star project headed by the talented and prolific Fabio Zuffanti of Finisterre fame. The key feature of Aries is the beautiful, fragile female vocals of Simona Angieloni (in good English). Imagine merging the folk-inflected vocals of Karnataka, Mostly Autumn or October Project with a deep Italian symphonic progressive sound. Two epic pieces are mixed with four shorter tracks ranging from 4 to 7 minutes each. The playing during the instrumental passages gets intense, a nice contrast to the mellower vocal sections. Here is an mp3 from the track Morning Song.
Arpia - Racconto D’Inverno ($15.99) Terramare (2006, 60-minutes) follows more than ten years after Arpia’s previous CD Liberazione. Arpia’s sound on Terramare is heavily guitar-driven, with keyboards playing a secondary role. All 12 tracks have Italian-language vocals, mostly male with a guest female singer. This one falls into the prog-metal and progressive hard rock category, with a dark ambience. The more reflective numbers with the cleaner guitar tone come off as more refined and more progressive, while the vocals do much to broaden the scope of the album and give it an Italian progressive feel.
Racconto D’Inverno (2009) is substantially different than Terramare, much more progressive. The hard rock of Terramare is absent here, as all the guitar is acoustic rather than electric, and along with the Italian-language vocals, it is the acoustic guitar that dominates the sound. The role of the female vocalist is increased, complementing the male vocals. The mood is again dark yet beautiful, serious-sounding but not gloomy. Read the DPRP review.
Ars Nova - same ($14.99)Not the Japanese female trio, rather this Ars Nova was a Roman band who recorded these tracks between 1974 and 1979. It’s quite typical of the Italian symphonic progressive style of the time, very melodic, though the music is simpler than that of the top tier Italian bands. The recording is slightly muffled and not up to professional standards, but it’s quite listenable. So not an essential album, but certainly of interest to Italian prog lovers. Vocals in Italian.
Art and Illusion - Seasons ($13.99) “None of their three albums really break any new ground, yet they offer an interesting mix of [Genesis, Marillion, Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd], melodious and subtle 70’s prog / 80’s neo-prog with a rich, full-bodied sound, focusing mainly on alternating acoustic and electric guitars. They can rock like Hogarth-era Marillion or cruise along simple, folksy tunes à la Jethro Tull. The vocalist, although a little shaky, has a pleasant voice, sounding somewhat like a cross between Peter Gabriel and Steve Hogarth. Their third CD Seasons (1995) is the more personal of the three, proving that the band can be original without totally abandoning their love for the old masters.” [Prog Archives] Here is an mp3 of the song Seven Seasons.
Astralia - Connected ($13.99) The 2000 debut album by an Italian quintet singing in English. Their style is much more British than Italian. It sounds completely familiar, and yet there isn’t anyone you can easily compare it to. If at the beginning of the album you think they’re a guitar-oriented band, by the end of the album you’ve decided that the keyboards dominate. Neither in fact dominates, and the songs are melodic and well-crafted.
Aton’s - Capolinea ($14.99) 
Aton’s - A.I. 2984 ($13.99)Aton’s is an Italian band formed in 1977, though their first LP did not appear until 1988. Aton’s mix English prog/neo-prog with the Italian romantic progressive and pop tradition. Their Italian language vocals are one of their great strengths. They’ve been one of our favorite post-1970’s Italian bands because their music is filled with such brio, as befits the Italian culture and sunny Mediterranean climate -- nothing dark, brooding, or plodding here. Merge the feel of PFM’s Passpartu album with more electric instrumentation and more rock and you have Aton’s. Though H (1985) is their first album, A.I. 2984 (1988) was the first to appear, initially on vinyl. They followed with the album Caccia Grossa (1991) on the Contempo label; Contempo didn’t last long and so that one is hard to come by. Dr. Faust is from 1992, Klein & Wagner from 1996. After 25 years, the band decided to call it quits, so Capolinea, recorded between 1997-2000, may be their last (but never say never). Here is a full-length mp3 of the song Buio courtesy of ProgArchives.
Pietro Ratto - Xenia ($15.99)Pietro Ratto is the leader, singer, and guitarist of the band Aton’s. This is his 1997 first solo album, all-instrumental, in which he alternates classical and electric guitar-dominated pieces, with keyboards, bass, and programmed drums filling out the sound. Between the styles of Riccardo Zappa and Marcello Capra, this will surprise many guitar fans. Always tasteful and rarely demonstrative.
Atto IV - A Parte ($13.99) On their 2005 debut A Parte, this Italian band exists between progressive rock and prog-metal. There is no doubt Atto IV play prog-metal, but they have an excellent keyboardist and are capable of playing PFM and Banco style Italian symphonic progressive at a very high level. Apart from the generic metal riffing, they have great technique and ideas, and they sing in Italian to boot.
Il Bacio della Medusa - Discesa agl’Inferi d’un Giovane Amante ($16.99) |   |
Balletto di Bronzo - Trys ($12.99) SALE!Il Balletto di Bronzo’s 1972 album Ys is for some one of the greatest Italian progressive rock albums, for others not so much, but it is certainly the album upon which this band’s reputation rests. This 1994 CD reissue on Polydor contains one bonus track: La Tua Casa Comoda. You can read many reviews and opinions of the album at ProgArchives.
Trys marked the welcome live return of this famous Italian progressive band, still lead by Gianni Leone, aka Leo Nero. On this 1996 recording, they are a keyboard/bass/drums trio with vocals. All of Ys is performed plus tracks from the two Leo Nero albums, as well as a few unreleased tracks composed in the 1970’s.
Banco - En Concierto Mexico (2CD, $14.99)
Banco - Il 13 ($9.99) SALE!Banco are, along with PFM, one of the two pillars of Italian progressive rock. As a live act, they are still going strong. The full title of the En Concierto Mexico double-CD is Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Live in Concert, Mexico City, May 28, 1999. This was a wonderful Banco concert and the sound here is excellent. The tracks are: Brivido, Il ragno, Sirene, R.I.P., Bisbigli & Pasaggio, La conquista della posizione eretta, E mi viene da pensare, Canto di Primavera, L’evoluzione, Moby Dick, Roma/Tokyo, Lontano da..., Traccia.
Nudo Live in Tokyo ’97 is the same as Disc 2 of the Nudo 2CD set. (Disc 1 of Nudo contained one new studio track and unplugged versions of older songs.) You’d think the title would be self-explanatory, but while it is all live, not all of it is from Tokyo nor is it all from 1997. It is a well-recorded live album with an excellent selection of vintage material.
Seguendo le Tracce (2005) is a 75-minute official live CD recorded at Teatro Verdi in Salerno, Italy on 23 April 1975. This is Banco at their peak, performing R.I.P (English version), L'albero del pane, La danza dei grandi rettili, Passaggio, Non mi rompete, Dopo...niente è più lo stesso, Traccia II, and a 26-minute extended version of Metamorfosi. This is probably the best of all the Banco live albums, a completely-professional recording that had been in the band’s archives.
Il 13 (1994, 64-minutes) is from Banco’s pop phase, but as Banco weren’t otherwise producing any new studio work, it’s either this or nothing. The album has its moments and occasionally harkens back to the 70’s, but most prog fans probably pick this up only because they’re curious to hear what Banco sound like as a pop band.
J.B. Banfi - Galaxy My Dear ($19.99)This is the first time on CD for the 1978 first solo album by Biglietto per L’Inferno keyboardist “Baffo” Banfi. This is electronic music influenced by Klaus Schulze, who wrote the note on the back of the LP jacket: “...I consider you the best electronic musician composer of my time (including myself).” One bonus track. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 16-page bilingual booklet.
Il Baricentro - Trusciant ($16.99) Sconcerto (1976) and Trusciant (1978) are the only two albums by this Italian progressive jazz-rock band that grew out of Festa Mobile. They are heavily keyboard-based, with symphonic aspects and a funkiness a la 1970’s Weather Report. The band added two percussionists on the Trusciant album, which sports more African and Latin elements. As Italian 70’s jazz-rock bands go, Il Baricentro are second only to Arti & Mestieri.
Baroque - La Fiaba della Buonanotte ($15.99) La Fiaba della Buonanotte (2009) is the debut CD for this Italian band from Torino. We may need a new sub-genre: glam-prog, as Baroque blend progressive rock with early Queen, David Bowie, or Mott the Hoople. The result is sometimes similar to the Swedish band A.C.T. It’s great fun, with the Italian-language vocals only adding to the eccentricity. The ballads are more purely in the romantic Italian style, and there is more than enough musicality to keep prog fans entertained, with classical/baroque influences in the keyboards.
Barrock - La Strega ($13.99)Solid instrumental (with some wordless female vocals) symphonic progressive and classical rock. This overlaps at different times with the work of Ars Nova, Banco, and Synergy.
Luciano Basso - Free Fly ($17.99) 
Keyboardist/composer Luciano Basso is best known for his 1976 album Voci, an outstanding instrumental work of classically-influenced progressive rock. Basso was already an accomplished pianist at that time. He also plays organ, Mellotron, electric piano and harpsichord. Other musicians handle guitar, bass guitar & contrabass, drums, violin and cello. This is an essential part of any collection of Italian progressive rock. This mini-LP edition adds one short, inconsequential bonus track and comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 4-page bilingual booklet.
Cogli il Giorno (1978) is his second, which was very rare on LP. It is another instrumental album blending neo-classical and progressive, featuring piano, synths, violin, cello, flute, soprano sax, operatic soprano voice, electric guitar and more. One live bonus track. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
The label’s description: Free Fly is the 2007 release by acclaimed author and pianist Luciano Basso. Basso plays classical chamber music with a fresh and modern approach. After having concentrated on solo piano music for many years, here Basso displays a broader range of his extraordinary talent, playing twelve sparkling piano gems nicely blended with violin and cello interplay. Luciano Basso plays expressive, authentic progressive music, blending Italian classic tradition with a personal, spontaneous and colorful approach. Stunning audiophile recording quality. (Apparently, Basso actually does jump out of perfectly good airplanes.)
Pierpaolo Bibbò - Diapason ($13.99)“This singer/songwriter from Sardinia recorded in 1979 a very good and little-known album that went completely unnoticed at the time, being released on a local label in 1980 when his prog-inspired sound was definitely out of date. The album includes eight tracks with very nice instrumental parts mostly based on synths, though the voice is always present. Only one track is totally instrumental... Bibbò sang and played guitars, bass and synth on the album, helped mainly by Adriano De Murtas on keyboards and Franco Medas on drums along with a few more guests on a couple tracks.” [ItalianProg.com]
Biglietto per L’Inferno - same mini-LP ($20.99) 
The self-titled album is the 1973 Italian heavy progressive classic, like an Italian Uriah Heep perhaps but more complex and proggy, featuring dual keys, flute, and fuzz guitar. Il Tempo della Semina was recorded in 1974 but not released until the 1990’s because the record label folded. The album shows its age in the recording quality, but it is a good progressive album, not as heavy as their first. Many consider it superior, probably depending on one’s taste for the hard rock elements of the first. The jewel box version is the Trident Records edition, which has better sound than the first CD edition. Trident later issued both albums in the mini-LP format. Biglietto per L’Inferno’s debut comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet. The mini-LP edition of Il Tempo della Semina comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Blocco Mentale - POA ($16.99)1973 Italian progressive rock classic. The actual title is in Greek: Pi Omicron Alpha. This is the Vinyl Magic edition.
Blue Phantom - Distortions ($19.99) “A popular album among European psych and prog collectors, Distortions was released along with a single in Italy in 1971 by a group of unknown studio musicians, and later released in other European countries (with a different cover).” [ItalianProg.com] This all-instrumental album is in a proto-prog style, but a different prog style than the dominant Italian progressive style then in its formative stage. Some of the tracks are based around heavy guitar riffs in the Iron Butterfly or Sabbath style, while other tracks are more keyboard-based with fairly sophisticated (for the time) sonic exploration. This is the 2008 edition on AMS, which comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet. The two tracks from Blue Phantom’s 1971 single appear here as bonus tracks.
Bondage - Anima Terra ($16.99)This album was recorded in 1995 but not published until 2000, and it appears Bondage has joined the ranks of one-shot Italian bands. Their sole album is an adventurous and inventive progressive rock with some similarities to Deus ex Machina, DFA, and Area, but more melodic and accessible than any of them. Bondage has just as much of the romantic Italian symphonic style. They have a suitably dramatic and charismatic vocalist singing in Italian, and the music is constantly exciting, always changing but in a completely natural way.
Cabaret du Ciel - Blue Form ($13.99) Recorded in 1998, this Italian melodic progressive band is criminally under-recognized. They have a female vocalist with a dark and enchanting voice and use violin in addition to the usual keys, guitar, bass and drums. Original and modern, sensual and intoxicating, they are hard to classify but easy to fall in love with.
I Cadmo - Boomerang ($19.99)This is the CD reissue of the 1977 debut by I Cadmo, a piano/bass/drums jazz-rock trio from Sardinia. The music consists of four long instrumental tracks and is more jazz than rock, ranging from Soft Machine’s improvisational style to wild jazz-rock in the best Italian tradition to tribal/ethnic Mediterranean-flavored tracks similar to Mauro Pagani, all executed with top-notch musicianship. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Cage - Secret Passage ($15.99) This Italian band has existed since 1987, but it took until 2005 for the CD 87/94 to see the light of day, comprised of songs composed between 1987-1994. Here Cage consists of two keyboard players, a flute/guitar player, a singer/bassist and a drummer. These six pieces, including a 20-minute suite, mix instrumental and English-language vocal passages and are often structured around the delicate and beautiful piano parts of Alessandro Bugliani, the band’s composer and keyboardist. And this is the real thing: dynamic, powerful, complex symphonic progressive in the 1970’s style, with elements of Genesis, Yes, ELP, Gentle Giant, and any number of Italian 70’s progressive bands. A brilliant album that elevates Cage to one of the best latter-day Italian progressive bands.
Many years passed before Secret Passage (2009). Cage have added a new singer (vocals in English), and musically, Cage have taken a big step in the direction of Kenso, that is, melodic symphonic fusion of the highest order. This is married to aspects of the band’s former style, which is more to the fore during the vocal sections. These have the warm intimacy of Peter Gabriel and the pastoral nature of Steve Hackett, mixed with a Canterbury flavor. So Cage have gone from strength to strength, as this is an exceptional album and a unique blend.
I Califfi - Fiore di Metallo mini-LP ($19.99)1973 Italian progressive classic. The mini-LP edition comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 4-panel bilingual booklet.
Davide Camerin - 40 Metri Quadri ($13.99)40 m2 is the 1999 debut by singer/guitarist Davide Camerin, on a side label of the Italian progressive label Lizard. Assisted by a large number of musicians, Camerin creates a personal style of pop/rock with a dark, late-night feel. It can’t be called progressive rock, but neither is it very commercial. Vocals are in Italian, aside from brief female vocals in English. This is an album where an understanding of Italian would probably enhance the listening experience more than usual. Here is an mp3 of the track Mister Sun.
Campo di Marte - same mini-LP ($19.99)Campo di Marte are one of the legendary Italian 1970’s progressive bands, based on their sole album (self-titled) from 1973. This classic combines the delicate melodicism of early PFM and the progressive hard rock of Il Balletto di Bronzo’s Ys. It turns out that United Artists, the original record company, screwed with the track order, disrupting the flow of what was intended to be a conceptual album. The mini-LP edition not only restores the track sequence to the way the band intended, it also restores the cover art to its original colors. The mini-LP edition has been remastered under the supervision of band leader Enrico Rosa and comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet.
Capitolo 6 - Frutti per Kagua jewel box ($13.99)This is the jewel box edition on Mellow Records of this 1972 Italian progressive classic. This Roman band featured flute, keys, guitar, bass, drums, and expressive vocals in Italian. The hard-edged sound with flute in the lead is similar to Jethro Tull but with a distinct Italian flavor. They left us only this one album plus a couple singles.
Enzo Capuano - Storia Mai Scritta ($13.99) “A little known album, Storia mai scritta (1975) is definitely a much more progressive album than the works of similar singer-songwriters like the expensive Affresco by Franco Maria Giannini or Antico teatro da camera by Gianni D’Errico. A singer-songwriter from Calabria but raised in Bologna, Capuano released this, his debut album, for the just-born small independent Divergo label, and it is a surprisingly good album. An eight-part 36-minute long suite, Storia mai scritta is in fact mostly instrumental, vocal parts just covering the first six minutes and a final reprise, and based on Capuano’s impressive 12-string and classical guitar playing, with good keyboards (mostly synth, but also organ) and a rhythm section. The result is not far from Alan Sorrenti’s Aria or Claudio Rocchi’s Volo magico n.1 suites on the albums of the same names, starting with vocal parts and evolving into a long instrumental with a complex musical structure. Helping Enzo Capuano (vocals, acoustic & classical guitar, synths) are keyboardist Mario Panseri and drummer Giovanni D’Aquila, while the bass parts are obtained with the synthesizer.” [ItalianProg.com]
“Enzo Capuano’s Storia Mai Scritta is a gem! I’m not sure why this CD hasn’t received more attention from prog fans, but the music is equal in quality to better known Italian groups such as Celeste, Reale Accademia di Musica, and even St. Just. While most of the 70s Italian prog bands focused on creating electro-acoustic music bursting with energy and virtuoso playing, like the bands mentioned above Enzo went for a mellower, acoustic guitar and piano-led sound that emphasized warmth and simple melodies over complex instrumental explorations. Enzo’s music brings back a traditional Italian acoustic folk sound while updating it with 70s synths, Hammond organ, and drums. While the music is mostly instrumental, several passages feature romantic vocals that never get overly melodic or dramatic. Enzo, vocally-speaking, seems to hit the right mood with a small amount of notes... Storia Mai Scritta might at first sound song-oriented, yet after a few listen most listeners will realize that the album consists of eight parts that flow into one another to make a whole. Even when the tracks fade out, I can hear certain themes and melodic patterns reappear on the following tracks. Overall, here is another high-quality Italian prog album.” [Zoltan’s Progressive Rock Webpage]
Alex Carpani - Waterline ($13.99) Classically trained at the University of Bologna in composition and piano, composer/arranger Carpani continues the great Italian keyboard-centric prog rock tradition. His fluid and inventive keyboards are accompanied by an American rhythm section. Waterline (2007) is mostly instrumental but does feature Aldo Tagliapietra (Le Orme) on vocals and is between the Italian and British 1970’s progressive rock styles. Dan Shapiro (Clearlight) and Ken Jaquess (K2, Atlantis) play bass, while Neil Bettencourt (Clearlight) plays drums. A number of guitarists contribute, among them Tony Spada (Holding Pattern). The cover art is by Paul Whitehead. Read the Sea of Tranquility review. The CD comes in a fold-open cardboard sleeve and counts as only one-half CD for shipping.
Il Castello di Atlante - Passo Dopo Passo ($16.99) Il Castello di Atlante is a band featuring violin in addition to keys, guitar, bass, drums, and Italian-language vocals. The band was born in 1974 but did not release their first album until 1992. Their music is very much in the romantic 1970’s Italian symphonic progressive style (particularly PFM, Quella Vecchia Locanda), and the violin really takes their music to the next level. Sono... is from 1992, Passo Dopo Passo from 1994.
Central Unit - Internal Cut ($15.99) On Internal Cut (2004), this Italian quintet plus guests blends ambient, jazz-rock, and progressive rock in a novel and modern way. They don’t use much guitar but instead use sax, flute, and trumpet to go with the keyboards, bass, drums, loops, samples, and English-language vocals. The first song is a tribute to Demetrio Stratos (Area) and uses samples of his voice, while the final song is a cover of Riders on the Storm. There is a lot of variety here, but the dominant aesthetic is close to that of Sylvian, Jansen, Barbieri, and other ambient-minded Brits. Digipack, 69-minutes.
Centrica - same ($15.99) Centrica are a young Italian instrumental prog-metal quartet with this 2008 debut. They have a good keyboardist and are more symphonic than most prog-metal bands. Swap out the metal guitarist for a progressive one and you’d have a formidable progressive rock band.
Il Cerchio d’Oro - Il Viaggio di Colombo ($16.99) out-of-stock The self-titled CD was a posthumous one when released in 1999, documenting the activity of this Italian band that only released three singles at the end of its first life. Formed in 1974, Il Cerchio d’Oro recorded the tracks for an album circa 1976 that remained unreleased until this CD. The album is in a typical Italian progressive style, though on the simpler side. The sound quality varies, most of it is fine but one or two tracks sound like a bootleg cassette. The three singles appear at the end of the CD, but they are in a pop and disco style. The Mellow label describes this as a missing link between Alphataurus, Corte dei Miracoli and Panna Fredda. Maybe throw New Trolls and Le Orme in there.
Il Cerchio d’Oro reformed in 2006 with all the original members and released their first proper album in 2008, the concept CD Il Viaggio di Colombo. It is firmly in the 1970’s Italian melodic, song-structured symphonic prog style, using vintage sounds and sung in Italian (English translations in the booklet). The band list their influences as Le Orme, New Trolls, The Trip, PFM, and Pink Floyd, which are good reference points; Delirium is another. Beautiful digipack.
Clarion - Bourrée ($13.99)Clarion is essentially Zauber in disguise, which means they play soft Italian prog with lots of flute. Bourrée (1995) is their second CD and consists mainly of covers of songs by other prog artists, to name some of them: Focus, Gentle Giant, PFM, Steve Hackett, I Nomadi, Amazing Blondel, Banco, Mike Batt, McDonald & Giles, and the original prog artist: Bach.
Conqueror - Istinto ($16.99) 
Istinto is the 2003 debut by a Sicilian quartet fronted by female singer/keyboardist Simona Rigano, though the band has been in existence since 1994 with Simona only joining in 2002. Their sound is modern, or at least closer to 1980’s Marillion than to the 1970’s Italian bands, though of course much of the 1970’s symphonic style has been carried forward. It’s a mature debut, and the female vocals (in Italian) set Conqueror apart from most of the other Italian prog bands. Imagine Lana Lane singing for an Italian progressive band rather than an American AOR band.
Contrappunto Project - Elegie d’Inverno ($15.99) This is the same Contrappunto that released the albums Subsidea (1998) and Lilith (2001), but this is called Contrappunto Project because it is the work of keyboardist Andrea Cavallo with the assistance of other musicians on flute, clarinet, bandoneon, trumpet, french horn, and sax. This is a very classical work, informed by rock and jazz, but with orchestral percussion rather than drums. As classical music, it tends toward the dark and ominous, not overly so, but it is a serious sounding work rather than a new agey one.
Cooperativa del Latte - Il Risveglio ($13.99)This is a 1998 recording that, aside from the improved production values, could have come straight out of the Italian 1970’s scene, and would probably now be regarded as a classic. Echoes of early Le Orme, Banco, Alphataurus, and any number of other classic Italian bands are here. Thanks to Cooperativa del Latte for keeping the Italian symphonic tradition alive. Vocals in Italian.
Coral Caves - Mitopoiesi ($13.99) This is an excellent 2008 debut by a Sicilian prog band, no relation to the Japanese synth musician using the same name. This Coral Caves have strong vocals in Italian, and the music for the most part sounds like a 1970’s Italian symphonic prog album, though some passages with lyrical electric guitar leads suggest early Marillion. Lots of lush keys and occasional flute, warm, melodic, romantic progressive rock in the tradition of the great Italian bands. 62-minutes. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Cormorano - Giro Tondo (Giro) Fuori Scena ($14.99) This Italian quintet was formed in 1976 but didn’t record this album until 2000. The compositions are all from the late 70’s and early 80’s. Cormorano could be considered the heir to Area, since their lead singer is a clone of Demetrio Stratos and also played with Stratos in the 70’s. Cormorano is more accessible than Area though, less jazzy, a lot less avant-garde, more of a straight symphonic progressive rock band, though not too straight. So if you’d like to hear a vocal gymnast like Demetrio Stratos fronting a more conventional prog band, Cormorano is it. 67-minutes.
Corte Aulica - Il temporale e l’arcobaleno ($14.99) This is the 2007 debut by an Italian progressive rock quartet. The seven tracks of the album proper are instrumental and in a pleasant, flowing 1970’s style vaguely in the Camel direction. The Mellow label feels there is also a resemblance to (instrumental) Hatfield and the North and Caravan, but the resemblance is in the sound palette, not the harmonic and metrical sophistication of the Canterbury bands. The final two tracks are for some reason listed as bonus tracks and have vocals in Italian and a slightly more contemporary (heavier) guitar sound. The vocals help the songs come alive, so it would be good to see Corte Aulica use more vocals in the future.
Corte dei Miracoli - same ($17.99)1976 symphonic prog album from a band with two keyboardists and no guitarist. Their style relates to Banco and ELP but only in general terms, as Corte dei Miracoli’s sound is unique. This one is among the most essential Italian progressive albums.
Dalton - Riflessioni: Idea d’Infinito mini-LP ($20.99)A 1973 Italian progressive rock classic, with synths/Mellotron/piano/organ, flute, acoustic & electric guitars, bass, drums, and all five members singing. There is some Jethro Tull influence present and other links to the early English progressive style, blended with the characteristic Italian lyricism. This edition comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Fabrizio De André & PFM - In Concerto Vol. 1 ($12.99) This is the 2002 24-bit remastered jewel box edition of Volume 1 of Italian singer Fabrizio De André (who passed away in 1999) in concert in 1979 backed by PFM, with all arrangements by PFM. De André’s classic songs are featured, the recording quality is superb, and it’s pretty obvious the backing band know what they’re doing! Read reviews at ProgArchives.
De De Lind - Io Non So Da Dove Vengo… mini-LP ($19.99)1973 Italian progressive classic. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
D.F.A. - 4th ($13.99) The first two studio albums for the Italian band known as Duty Free Area were Lavori In Corso (1996) and Duty Free Area (1999). These have been remastered and reissued as the 2CD set Kaleidoscope, with the addition of three live bonus tracks. Here D.F.A. play an intricate, mostly-instrumental, symphonic fusion prog with lots of keyboards and spacey touches.
4th is D.F.A.’s 2008 studio CD, and you would be forgiven for thinking this is a new National Health album. It is that good. The music is written by the keyboardist and drummer, and this often results in a more structured, symphonic music than that written by guitarists. National Health is National Health because of Dave Stewart’s composing. The music is instrumental until the last quarter of the album, where there is one track with male vocals and the final track featuring the Sardinian female vocal trio Andhira. This final track is based on a Sardinian oral poem, and while it retains some of the National Health feel, it also branches out from there, with the traditional vocal polyphony and more delicate feel leaving one hoping for more of this in the future. Four cellists and a violin/viola player guest on two of the six tracks. Let’s hope another decade doesn’t pass before the next D.F.A. album, though this one is good enough to keep fans satisfied for a long time. 64-minutes, digipack.
Delirium - Il Nome del Vento ($16.99) out-of-stock
Delirium released three albums in the early 1970’s, with their 1974 third album III: Viaggio negli arcipelaghi del tempo usually considered to be their masterpiece and an Italian progressive classic. See Prog Archives for an mp3 and several reviews. This mini-LP edition comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Delirium disbanded in 1975 but reformed in 2003 with three original members plus a new bassist and new guitarist-vocalist. The 70-minute Vibrazioni Notturne was recorded at the end of summer 2006 and presents a mix of old classics revitalized, new material, and a couple of perfect covers for a live show: a Jethro Tull medley and With a Little Help from My Friends. But the live CD was just the prelude to their 2009 comeback album Il Nome del Vento (59-minutes, digipack), which is arguably the best thing Delirium have ever created. Not really a retro album in the sense of sounding like it was made in the mid-1970’s, but the music is pure 70’s-style prog, with that facility with jazz and classical that tends to distinguish the first-generation prog bands. For more details, the ever-useful Prog Archives has several reviews.
Dono Celeste - So Linger ($15.99)Dono Celeste’s 1999 recording is unusual for an Italian band, closer to the Krautrock of the 1970’s or early Pink Floyd. It is cosmic and psychedelic, with guitar improvisations on the wild and noisy side, backed by spacey effects. There are also gentle vocal tracks (in English), suitably drowned in reverb. The electric guitar contrasts sharply with the overall mood, which is languid and ethereal.
Doracor - Lady Roma ($15.99) 
Doracor - Transizione ($15.99)
Doracor is an anagram/pseudonym for keyboardist and drummer Corrado Sardella. Segni Premonitori (1998) and Antiche Impressioni (1999) are the second and third Doracor albums. These are high-caliber, primarily-instrumental symphonic rock albums, with Sardella handling most of the instruments himself, with assistance from guest musicians. These have a very full-band sound and a 1970’s orientation. The best way to think of them is as the albums Tony Banks could have made if Tony made progressive rock solo albums instead of trying to match the chart success of Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford. Antiche Impressioni features a female vocalist, a bassist and a guitarist, while Segni Premonitori features a male singer and a guitarist.
Transizione (2001) trumps the earlier albums, as here Sardella is aided by seven other musicians, and the sound is that of a full band, with male and female vocals in Italian. It is one of the best symphonic progressive albums that no one has heard and is quite similar to the first album by the French band Hecenia. Though it does have most of the hallmarks of the Italian 1970’s romantic progressive style, it is even more influenced by Genesis circa Wind and Wuthering, while at times the energy level suggests later bands such as IQ. Evanescenze (2005) continues in this vein but is even better. Just male vocals this time around, but they are very strong, reminding one of Aton’s or even Locanda delle Fate at times.
Doracor has long since gone from being a solo vehicle for Sardella to being a full band, though Sardella still writes the music. Mixing three parts Genesis with one part classic Italian prog, Doracor have perfected their style with Onirika (2007) and created another wonderful symphonic prog album. Female vocals return on this album and the male vocals are downplayed (lyrics in Italian), but the album is heavily instrumental. This isn’t any less original than half the progressive rock being made today, and recognition for Doracor is long overdue.
On Lady Roma (2008, 58-minutes), Sardella heads up a band that uses Taproban drummer Davide Guidoni on most tracks but features two guest drummers: well-known Italian drummer Vittorio Riva and some guy named Ian Mosley. The marriage of Genesis-style symphonics and Italian romanticism is still at the music’s core. This album sees Doracor expanding their sound some, always with pleasant atmospheres and, aside from the five instrumental tracks, warm Italian vocals. Lady Roma continues the string of great albums Doracor have made this decade. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Dr. Dude - Ykaro ($16.99)This 1997 CD is between 1990’s hard rock and classic Italian prog, blending a crunchy guitar style with analog keyboards and a singer with a classic 1970’s style voice. The hard rock subsides on the later tracks.
E. A. Poe - Generazioni ($16.99)This 1974 album was a huge rarity on vinyl, reissued on CD by Vinyl Magic in 1991. It’s another outstanding example of 1970’s Italian symphonic progressive and another one-album band, along the lines of Apoteosi, with fine interplay between the guitar and the classically-inspired keyboards. Remarkably, the musicians were apparently still not out of their teens when they made this record!
Ego - Egofuturismo ($16.99) This is the late 2008 debut (following two demos) for an Italian keys/bass/drums instrumental progressive trio that say they are united by their passion for Italian 1970’s progressive bands such as Le Orme, Goblin, Metamorfosi, PFM, etc. Ego’s keyboardist also plays some flute. Some of the tracks sound like Ego are imitating Le Orme imitating ELP, while other tracks are jazzier, particularly one featuring a guest saxophonist. Still other tracks get away from these two styles into something a bit more original.
Egoband - Earth ($13.99) SALE!
On Trip in the Light of the World (1991), this Italian progressive band singing in English meld high-energy neo-prog with hard rock. They followed with another neo-prog CD Fingerprint in 1993. By the time of We Are (1995), Egoband’s style was in transition, with a lot of space rock on this album.
On their 1999 fourth album Earth, Egoband completely abandoned their earlier styles. Here they are more instrumental and much jazzier, with a sax and oboe player in the lineup and Rhodes piano dominating their sound. Their music now has more space to breath. There is still a fair amount of Italian symphonic progressive blended with the fusion, the end result sounding like an Italian Canterbury style.
Empire - Back to Knowledge ($16.99)1994 Italian prog album. “The duo Rogani/Sburlati, who operate under the name of Syndone, have created a new band called Empire together with singer Rosanna De Luca. Because no guitar can be heard, this CD makes an ideal treat for lovers of keyboards. While the [contributions] of the Syndone duo are very symphonic, the voice of De Luca is rather an ordinary rock voice. Compared to a lot of similar projects however, Empire uses a real drummer, but unfortunately he uses triggered drums which sound as nerve-racking as computers! Concerning the keyboard parts, it is mainly the inspiration of Keith Emerson that can be felt. It is also the main idea of Empire to create an up-to-date sound which can easily be heard on The Power. The influences remain, but Empire wants to get close to the sound of today by means of modern rhythms and the rock-flavored vocals. [The] balance between instrumentals and vocal tracks give a nice diversity to the album.” [John “Bo Bo” Bollenberg]
Endlich Allein - Le Voci del Mondo ($14.99)Despite the German band name, this 1996 recording is by an Italian band who you might swear is the same band as Aton’s, as their style is identical. So not surprisingly, we find that Aton’s singer/guitarist Pietro Ratto co-arranged all the songs and recorded the album in his studio. It happens that we like Aton’s style a lot. Like Aton’s, Endlich Allein take the Italian romantic progressive tradition of the 1970’s and apply it to more contemporary rock, with their Italian language vocals and classical guitar as their trademarks. The music is filled with such brio, as befits the Italian culture and sunny Mediterranean climate -- nothing dark, brooding, or plodding here. Merge the feel of PFM’s Passpartu album with more electric instrumentation and more rock and you have Aton’s and Endlich Allein.
Eris Pluvia - The Ancient Veil ($13.99) Rings of Earthly Light is a top-notch Italian symphonic progressive album from 1991, one of the best of its era. After some departures from the band, the two core members used several new musicians to realize their second album The Ancient Veil (1995), which is not up to the level of their first album but is still a good one. It is more acoustic and delicate, often folky and baroque, with a lot of flute and saxophone a la Celeste.
L’Estate di San Martino - Febo ($19.99)L'Estate di San Martino was formed back in 1975 to provide the musical background to a theatrical production. In the following years, the lineup was expanded to enrich the sound, with new musicians on keyboards, electric guitar and drums, and the group had intense live activity with shows featuring long tracks with extended instrumental sections. After the success of Alder, the CD of their 1983 concert in Perugia (now out-of-print), L’Estate di San Martino decided to reunite with the original lineup and compose a new work. Febo (2007) is simply outstanding, a concept album in the best tradition of Italian melodic progressive rock, highlighted by superb production with complex yet beautiful atmospheres and skillful musicianship. The music is a blend of Wind & Wuthering-era Genesis and classic Italian progressive, like a collaboration between Banco, Locanda delle Fate, and Genesis. But it is not self-consciously retro like some other prog bands who limit all instrumentation and effects to those available in 1972. Febo is the tale of a young boy who discovers progressive rock and decides to move away from downloading piracy, rediscovering the taste of buying a record and enjoying both music and artwork. Heavyweight mini-LP gatefold sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet.
Etna - same ($13.99) Etna’s sole album is from 1975. Though Etna is the same band as Flea, their album has nothing in common with Flea’s Topi o Uomini (1972). Most of Etna’s album is tasty European fusion with loads of Fender Rhodes, melodic and high-energy, along the lines of Nova, Il Baricentro, Arti & Mestieri, Iceberg, and Surya. The slower songs are more symphonic, emphasizing guitar and piano, with Spanish guitar and mandolin in spots.
Exploit - Crisi ($16.99)Exploit was an obscure Roman keys/bass/drums trio that released only one album, the extremely rare Crisi (1972). The first side of the LP (now the first half of this CD) contains the lengthy three-part title suite, while the second side consists of six melodic pop songs. The side-long suite is the reason to get this album. It is typical of the keyboard-driven Italian progressive rock of the era, with some similarities to Le Orme, and there are good male vocals in both Italian and English.
Fancyfluid - The Sheltering Sea ($11.99) SALE! SALE!Fancyfluid are an Italian neo-prog band singing in English, greatly influenced by the 1980’s English bands. After a relatively weak debut, Fancyfluid grew by leaps and bounds on King’s Journey (1992) and The Sheltering Sea (1995), moving closer to 1970’s progressive. Rodolfo Maltese (Banco) and Pietro Ratto (Aton’s) contribute to King’s Journey.
Alessandro Farinella - Momo ($19.99) This is the first solo CD by Alessandro Farinella, who founded Brainstorm / Theatre in 1987, one of the most important Italian neo-prog bands of the early 1990s. Momo is a refined, melodic progressive rock concept album. Farinella lists his influences as King Crimson, Genesis, Marillion, Yes, Steve Morse, and Anthony Philips. Much of Momo sounds like pop-rock songs dressed up in symphonic rock clothing, but as many musicians will tell you, it’s the arrangement that makes a song progressive. Three instrumentals remove the restraints and allow the progressive nature of the music full reign. Farinella is assisted by several other musicians. He sings in English, and we can’t help but feel that Italian vocals would have enhanced the feel, as English lyrics tend to make Italian prog sound more common and ordinary. Beautiful mini-LP style packaging.
Fiaba - I Racconti del Giullare Cantore (CD+DVD, $17.99) Lo Sgabello del Rospo (2001) is the third CD from a Sicilian quintet with an operatic singer, playing a guitar-based progressive rock or prog-metal, generally dark and often heavy. They started out blending heavy prog with medieval folk, though on this album they’ve shifted toward prog-metal and a harder-edged sound. Lo Sgabello del Rospo is a rock opera whose main attraction is vocalist Giuseppe Brancato; he has that dramatic style descended from Demetrio Stratos (Area) or Alberto Piras (Deus Ex Machina). 62-minutes.
I Racconti del Giullare Cantore is Fiaba’s 2005 studio album. This one restores some of the medieval/Mediterranean folk and fairy-tale qualities, with enough acoustic guitar to keep it interesting. As far as guitar-only bands go, Fiaba is unique in the world. This CD comes with a PAL DVD (all-region, 16:9 widescreen) containing a very professional video of the first track of the album, with elaborate sets and costumes and credits that go on nearly as long as the video. Most U.S. and other NTSC DVD players won’t play it, though it will play in a computer DVD drive. Note we will not accept returns of this item because the DVD will not play on your NTSC player.
Finisterre - La Meccanica Naturale mini-LP ($19.99) 
Finisterre - Storybook ($9.99) SALE!Finisterre are one of the very best Italian progressive bands to emerge during the 1990’s, an heir to PFM perhaps. They may not be on that lofty level, but they are very good, with loads of flute, guitar, and keyboards crafting compelling melodies and romantic atmospheres. La Meccanica Naturale is Finisterre’s 2004 studio album, produced by PFM drummer Franz Di Cioccio. More so than most bands, Finisterre don’t make the same album twice, and even on the same album, they don’t stick to just a single prog style. This album opens in prime Italian symphonic prog territory, suggesting Museo Rosenbach or even Locanda delle Fate, with majestic Mellotron and everything else. But by the end of the album, the sound is more modern, a bit like Porcupine Tree even. The band added a second keyboardist on this album and dropped the flute. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 16-page booklet.
In Limine (1996, 62-minutes) is Finisterre’s second studio CD. There are a lot of different progressive styles on this disc, so while one can certainly say that this album is in the spirit of PFM and Banco, it doesn’t strongly resemble either of them. Finisterre’s self-titled 1994 debut was already a fully-mature album and remains the favorite of many fans. It features prominent flute and guests on violin, cello, sax, recorders, plus several vocalists. 62-minutes.
Storybook (digipack) is an excellent-sounding live CD recorded at the 1997 ProgDay festival, drawing from the first two albums. This is the same concert originally released as Live at ProgDay ’97 with the addition of the ten-minute Altaloma, Finisterre’s cover of the PFM piece. Read the ProgWeed review. Check for the related band Rohmer below.
Flea - Topi o Uomini ($19.99) This 1972 album is a classic of guitar-oriented hard progressive rock, sung in Italian. Side 1 of the record is a 20-minute piece, with three shorter tracks on Side 2. This is actually the band’s second album, more progressive than their first which was released under the name Flea on the Honey. They changed their name to Etna for their third album, which saw a change in style to jazz-rock. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet.
Floating State - Thirteen Tolls at Noon ($16.99) The 2003 record by this Italian band could have come straight out of the early 1970’s British progressive scene. Floating State have numerous influences including Genesis, Jethro Tull, medieval and psychedelic folk, but the dominant one is Van der Graaf Generator circa Pawn Hearts or even earlier. One track alone, the 44-minute Pilgrimage to Nowhere, could be a lost Van der Graaf Generator album. Aside from that track, there are three shorter tracks and another epic at 22-minutes, for a total length of 75-minutes! This could be the best British 1970’s progressive rock album released in another decade, in another country. (Would’ve been a double-LP though.)
Fonderia - Re>>enter ($16.99) Fonderia’s two CDs are excellent and innovative instrumental works between progressive rock and jazz-rock, between 1970’s styles and modern electro-ethno-ambient. The lineup for most tracks consists of guitar, keys, drums, and trumpet. The keyboardist favors vintage instruments (Fender Rhodes, Hammond, MiniMoog, clavinet, etc.), and there is both acoustic and electric guitar. The overall feel is “cool”; this is not about fast, demonstrative playing. The music flows effortlessly despite the sophistication of the playing and arrangements. The self-titled album is their 2002 debut and runs 71-minutes. This is the 2007 second edition, which comes in a slipcase. Re>>enter (2006) is 73-minutes long, with Rodolfo Maltese (Banco) guesting on one song.
Fungus - Careful! ($15.99) This is the 2006 debut from an Italian psychedelic rock band singing in English, with a female vocalist on three tracks and the greater part of the album instrumental. The Mellow label mentions Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd and Gong, which is fair enough on most of the tracks, though the vocal tracks are more modern than that and with more of a pop influence.
Gan Eden: Il Giardino delle Delizie - Ritratto di Ballerina ($20.99) This Italian project is headed by Angelo Santo Lombardi, who released the wonderful I Giorni di Eurisko CD under his own name in 2005. Gan Eden is even better, more purely 1970’s Italian symphonic prog in the tradition of the best of them. The previous Gan Eden CD Lavori in Corso (currently out-of-print) was probably the Italian symphonic prog album of 2007. Ritratto di Ballerina (2009) trades off some of the warmth and romantic flavor of Lombardi’s previous work for a more challenging and complex brand of Italian symphonic prog. It is again of very high quality, and the list of progressive rock keyboardists with piano chops like Lombardi’s is a short one. While this album is more instrumental, Lombardi has a tremendous voice and sings entirely in Italian here. As the AMS label says: “This record represents the artistic maturity of the Gan Eden project, that confirms itself as one of the best bands of the current prog scene.” Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve.
Gap Party - Additives ($15.99)Additives is the 2004 second CD from this Italian band singing in English. The track Afterwards is a tribute to Van der Graaf Generator, and that is the best reference for their style, specifically the pre-Pawn Hearts VdGG style when they were at their most psychedelic. A short CD at 36:23.
Garden Wall - Forget the Colours ($15.99)After four CDs in the 1990’s on the defunct WMMS label, Garden Wall reemerged in 2002 on the Mellow Records label with Forget the Colours. They began as a pretty good heavy progressive band, but with each album, they moved closer to metal: heavier, more technical, less melodic. That trend continues here, as Forget the Colours is a technical prog-metal with English lyrics, though it would be generous to refer to what Alessandro Seravalle does as “singing”. Make sure you like metal and noise.
Garybaldi - Astrolabio mini-LP ($19.99)After their 1970 debut album under the name Gleeman, which had a 1960’s sound, this band changed their name to Garybaldi, moving up musically as well as alphabetically. The first side of Nuda (1972) sounds mostly like an Italian Jimi Hendrix tribute band. The second side is taken up by a beautiful suite of Italian progressive rock, more instrumental, with only a few more references to the Hendrix style, far and away their best piece of music. Garybaldi were more guitar-oriented than the typical Italian progressive rock band, but still they were a quartet with a keyboardist. Beautiful heavyweight tri-fold mini-LP sleeve with 4-panel bilingual booklet.
Astrolabio (1973) consists of just two side-long pieces of guitar-dominated hard progressive. Their keyboardist is present on the album but was no longer a member of the band. Guitarist Bambi Fossati’s love of Hendrix is still evident. The spaciness and semi-improvisational nature of the music takes it close to the kosmic krautrock style of the era or to Grobschnitt’s Solar Music Live. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 4-panel bilingual booklet.
Gatto Marte - Faust ($16.99) 
A top-notch, charming, and very original Italian acoustic progressive band. They are a quartet of violin, bassoon, piano, and double-bass, with additional musicians on drums, percussion, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, organ, string quartet, and vocals, varying with each album. Sonically these are close to Le Orme’s two acoustic albums of the late 1970’s, though less vocal and song-oriented. They all feature sophisticated arrangements, similar to After Crying’s chamber music pieces, Julverne, or an Italian Penguin Café Orchestra. Gioco del Mago (2000, 52-minutes) is their second.
Faust is the sixth Gatto Marte CD, recorded live in California in 2005. Gatto Marte toured the U.S. and Canada, performing an original soundtrack to the 1926 silent film Faust live while the film was shown. The music here is at times a little more, well, soundtrack-y than their other albums, and though the visual element would enhance the experience, the music still has the same charm. Faust has a playing time of 72-minutes. There is some hidden music at the end. After the film finishes, Gatto Marte play a couple Italian chestnuts in light-hearted fashion for the audience’s amusement.
Animali Rari is the second solo album from Pietro Lusvardi, the double bass player of Gatto Marte. It was recorded live in September 2002 and features Francesco D’Auria on drums & percussion and Michel Godard on tuba and serpent (an obsolete bass cornet). The rest of Gatto Marte joins in on one song. Most of this album is low-key and more ambient than Gatto Marte.
Genco Puro & Co. - Area di Servizio mini-LP ($19.99)Another one-off Italian progressive band, the ItalianProg.com site says that despite the name, Genco Puro & Co. was not a group but a solo artist from Sicily whose real name was Riccardo Pirolli. He played on Fetus, the first album by Franco Battiato, who in return helped Pirolli on this 1972 album. The album is mainly song-based, built on keyboards and guitars, with Battiato singing on the best two tracks, and seven of the 12 LP tracks composed by one Ed De Joy who, according to many sources, was Franco Battiato himself. The label says the album was remastered for this edition, which comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 4-panel bilingual booklet. The two tracks from the band’s first single are included as bonus tracks.
Germinale - Scogli di Sabbia mini-LP ($19.99) 
Germinale - same ($14.99)Cielo & Terra (2001) is the third album from Germinale, an Italian quintet plus guests playing a lyrical and refined progressive rock with classical and jazz touches, very good male vocals in Italian plus occasional female vocals. Lush and romantic, nothing heavy here. The self-titled album is their 1994 debut, while E Il Suo Respiro Ancora Agita le Onde (1995) is their second. These first two albums are more in the classic Italian 1970’s prog style; their second especially was one of the best of the 1990’s.
Scogli di Sabbia (2005) is an 80-minute CD that contains four new tracks (26-minutes), four tracks released previously on tribute or various artists CDs, seven live tracks from 2002 (27-minutes), and a short song from their early career. Two of the new songs are instrumentals and two feature new female singer Sara Nannipieri. The covers include Genesis’ The Knife, Jethro Tull’s - Wond’ring Aloud, and a new version of their cover of King Crimson’s Dr. Diamond. These are followed by a remix of Germinale’s song from the Kalevala 3CD. The live tracks are drawn from all three of their previous studio albums, and the sound quality is very good. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 16-page booklet.
Giallo! One Suite for the Murderer ($15.99)This 2008 CD is another in the long line of various artists progressive rock concept albums organized by the Finnish magazine Colossus and published by the French Musea label. Giallo!, subtitled One Suite for the Murderer, takes the 1975 Dario Argento film Deep Red as its subject matter. The story has been divided into three chapters, each assigned to a band to create a suite inspired by it. These suites average 24-minutes each, plus there is a short intro and outro performed by Alfio Costa on keyboards. Costa is also featured on the first track Visions of Helga (3:02 mp3 excerpt here), performed by Dark Session, an offshoot of the Italian band Tilion. The other two bands are Leviathan with Vecchi Giochi and Floating State with Suite dall’Inconscio dell’Assassino (14:48 mp3 excerpt here). The style is clearly influenced by Italian 1970’s symphonic rock and relies on vintage keyboards.
Giardini d’Autunno - Frammenti di Idee Perdute ($14.99)This 2003 release features long instrumental tracks of good symphonic progressive using a fair amount of Mellotron, ranging from pastoral early Genesis to the more dissonant Anglagard/Anekdoten style with a smattering of ambient soundscapes. The one vocal track is in the classic 1970’s Italian progressive style.
Goad - In the House of the Dark Shining Dreams ($16.99) The Italian progressive band Goad have been in existence since the 1980’s and have several privately-released CDs that have rarely sold outside Italy. The In the House of the Dark Shining Dreams (2006, 77-minutes) CD is their first for the Black Widow label, which is a good fit, as Goad play dark progressive rock firmly entrenched in the early 1970’s. The feel of early Genesis, early King Crimson and mostly Van der Graaf Generator is present throughout. No points for spotting the last two influences, as the CD includes covers of 21st Century Schizoid Man and Killer. In addition to the analog keys, electric & acoustic guitar, bass and drums, Goad toss in some flute, sax, and violin. Consistent with the change of label to Black Widow, the music here is darker and harder than on The Wood, and the production is murky. Maurilio Rossi has one of those voices like Mr. Doctor of Devil Doll that only a mother could love, but it’s his band and he can do what he likes. Read reviews at ProgArchives.
The Wood, subtitled Dedicated to H.P. Lovecraft’s Lyrics, was recorded 2004-2005 and released in 2006 on the Mellow label. Here Goad are influenced by early Genesis, but their style is distinct. They have a dark, mystical, under-produced sound, and they add a small amount of violin, trumpet, and French horn. 80-minutes.
Greenwall - Il Petalo del Fiore e Altre Storie ($14.99) The other Greenwall CD on Mellow, Elektropuzzles, is really a solo CD by keyboardist/composer Andrea Pavoni. While that one is symphonic new age, Il Petalo del Fiore is symphonic progressive with a full band. This CD kicks off with the 33-minute title suite, which was recorded in 1989. Given the opportunity to issue the suite, Greenwall decided to include some other tracks belonging to the same period, plus one track recorded between 1994 and 1998. The feel of this is close to Aton’s, joyful and romantic in the Italian progressive tradition, but more instrumental and more keyboard-oriented. You could also compare much of it to Rick Wakeman’s two collaborations with Mario Fasciano, and there’s a suggestion of Genesis circa Wind and Wuthering. Vocals in Italian. 63-minutes.
Gruppo d’Alternativa - Ipotesi ($19.99)This paper-sleeve edition is the first time on CD for another great Italian progressive rarity from 1972. Think of Gruppo d’Alternativa as PFM’s odd cousin. Gruppo d’Alternativa have a similar sound but are less symphonic and more experimental, closer to the jazz-rock side of early PFM. There are Canterbury influences as well as a style that Stormy Six would pick up on later. It should be noted that men with the voice of Gruppo d’Alternativa’s singer Tino Guasconi traditionally do not choose singing as a career. Using keys, flute, bassoon, electric & acoustic guitar, bass and drums, the music is complex and unpredictable, never settling into one idea for long. The nine tracks of the CD are connected to form two long suites. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet. Note this CD was mastered from vinyl, as presumably the master tapes are lost. The label conveniently neglects to mention this, as do most reviewers and retailers.
Monica Guareschi Group - Two Kingdoms ($11.99)This is an Italian quintet (vocals, guitar, keys, bass, drums) with a female singer and English lyrics. The first half of the album is rock with a few progressive touches, generally played fast and hard. Fortunately, the CD is 72-minutes long and the second half of the album is respectable progressive rock. It’s on the melodic and song-oriented end of the progressive spectrum, sounding somewhat similar to 90125-era Yes. Read the DPRP review. Note there are two editions with different covers of this CD; this is the Vinyl Magic edition with the non-ugly cover.
Heatwave - Inside Me, Out of Time ($15.99)Heatwave is a male/female Italian duo of Massimo Mazzeo on 6 & 12-string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, and vocals; and Paola Buscaglia on vocals. Mazzeo is the founder of the band Nostalgia and has contributed to the Zarathustra’s Revenge Italian progressive tribute set. On this 1999 recording, they are assisted by a number of other musicians who add fretless bass, electric guitar, drums, keyboards, and a bit of harp and fiddle. It’s a blend of folky pop-oriented songwriting and expansive, progressive arrangements. The main features of the music are the acoustic guitar and the lovely female vocals, plus a big vibrant sound. Nothing earth shattering, but a very pleasant listen. The lyrics are in both English and Italian.
Hero - Hero mini-LP ($19.99)This is a prog rarity recorded in 1972 and originally released on LP in 1974 for an obscure German label, unearthed and released on CD in 2006. Hero was an Italian trio singing in English. This album sounds very much like the British Vertigo-label bands of the early 1970s, that early progressive style with spaciness, lots of Hammond organ, fuzz guitar, and the appropriate singing voice for the style. Quite a find; one wouldn’t have suspected there was any more of this type of prog left to be discovered. This CD reissue was licensed by the band members and includes one bonus track, an alternate version of one of the songs. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page booklet containing the English lyrics.
Höstsonaten - Autumnsymphony ($20.99) 
Höstsonaten - Springtides ($14.99)The first Höstsonaten CD was released under the name Finisterre Project, because all the Finisterre members appear, but here Fabio Zuffanti has creative control. Their first album Höstsonaten (1997) is the closest sounding to Finisterre, an impressive and ambitious symphonic rock work with renaissance music influences via the use of recorder and flute. Here is an mp3 from the track The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Springtides (2005) is a 68-minute collection of rare and unreleased tracks recorded between 1992 and 2002 and taken from various sources. Some of the tracks are demo quality but are included to illustrate the genesis and evolution of Höstsonaten. It sounds a bit like Zuffanti is cleaning house until midway through the album where the full band lineup appears and the album really picks up.
Winterthrough (2008) comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve. It is instrumental aside from a little spoken word, a 1970’s-sounding blend of Genesis and Italian symphonic prog. The six-man lineup includes two keyboardists commanding a large arsenal, with Mellotron strings or choir usually forming the backbone of each track. In addition to synths and electric guitar, there is soprano sax, clarinet, and brass. Most of the tracks are deliberately paced. A wonderful work as has come to be expected from Zuffanti. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Springsong is the fourth and final chapter of Höstsonaten’s ‘SeasonCycle Suite’, but like Star Wars, things don’t come out in order. Springsong was originally released in 2001. The band consider this remastered mini-LP edition on AMS to be a new album based only in part on the first version. For starters, the artwork and booklet are new, and they are beautiful. Musically the 2001 album has been completely reworked, remixed and remastered. Fabio Zuffanti and Robbo Vigo added many new musical parts: new Mellotron parts played with a real Mellotron (the old parts were played with samplers); new bass parts throughout; new Moog, bass pedals and percussion parts; and a 13-minute bonus track: the acoustic suite Suite Bretonne, the track from which Springsong was born. As the label says: “If you love such works as Genesis’ Trespass or Anthony Phillips’ The Geese and the Ghost, you will certainly welcome this album enthusiastically. If you like acclaimed bands such as Clannad, Nightnoise, and Moving Hearts, bands who usually play on the edge of several musical worlds, you will find the good vibrations you need. But you will also feel at home if you are searching for jazzy and traditional echoes from other European latitudes. For this adventurous trip, Fabio Zuffanti united some former Finisterre members -- Stefano Marelli, Agostino Macor, Boris Valle, Francesca Biagini -- as well as some very talented musicians who normally approach rock music in a different way -- Sergio Caputo, Federico Foglia, Edmondo Romano (ex-Eris Pluvia/Ancient Veil). The result is a blend of powerful modern sounds and traditional instruments that give Springsong a unique and original flavor. With Springsong, Fabio Zuffanti offers us his most painstaking recording, a work which shows the maturity he has reached and that goes beyond the fences that sometimes enclose the progressive rock world.” Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve.
Autumnsymphony is the 2009 installment in Höstsonaten’s ‘SeasonCycle Suite’ and again comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve. It is again instrumental aside from wordless female vocals on one track. This is very much a symphony performed with prog rock instrumentation as well as violin, viola, cello, flute, trumpet, oboe, and more. There is lots of Mellotron and touches of the ambient jazz one can hear in Zuffanti’s other recent projects. It all feels late autumn, leaves off the trees, heading into winter, as the mood is very melancholy and often somber. The way Zuffanti blends the classical and rock elements is seamless and very sophisticated.
Hunka Munka - Dedicato a Giovanna G. mini-LP ($19.99)1972 Italian soft prog rarity. The mini-LP version is the Korean edition that comes in a die-cut heavyweight triple-gatefold mini-LP sleeve. The jewel box version is a Japanese edition. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Ibis - Ibis ($15.99)Ibis were one of two offshoots of New Trolls, being the same band as Nico, Gianni, Frank, Maurizio, whose album Canti d’innocenza, Canti d’esperienza was actually released with no band name due to legal wrangling over the use of ‘New Trolls’. Drummer Gianni Belleno then left and was replaced by Ric Parnell from Atomic Rooster, and the band now known as Ibis released Sun Supreme (1974), one of the great Italian progressive rock albums, sung entirely in English. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Though self-titled, Ibis (1975) came after Sun Supreme. Parnell left, keyboardist Maurizio Salvi left, and two new members took their places. Ibis has only two tracks sung in English, the rest in Italian. Ibis the band ended when New Trolls reformed later that year.
Imagin’aria - Esperia ($15.99) Esperia is the 2002 third album by this Italian quintet (vocals, two guitars, bass, drums) with guests supplying keys, flute, and violin. There is an acoustic folk element as on their first album, but this is primarily energetic progressive rock on the hard and heavy side. While Imagin’aria do have an influence of 1970’s Italian progressive, their overall approach is more contemporary. They’re not quite as symphonic as some of the best-known Italian bands. Their sound is more weighted toward guitars, but not metal or hard rock guitar. Rather they subtly blend in folk and fusion influences in the Italian progressive tradition. Excellent vocals in Italian. La Tempesta is their 1999 second album.
Indaco - Amorgós ($19.99) Indaco are something of an Italian supergroup, formed in 1997 by six musicians from different backgrounds, with the goal of fusing the melodic warmth of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions with the impact of a big rock sound. Indaco mix the sunny Mediterranean feel of PFM’s Passpartu album or Banco’s more acoustic tracks with folk and Middle Eastern melodies, with ethnic instruments sitting alongside rock instruments. Of bands that could be lumped into the world music category, Indaco are among our very favorites, though clearly they transcend that genre -- much of this is Italian progressive rock with more emphasis on acoustic instruments.
The Indaco lineup includes Banco guitarist Rodolfo Maltese, Mario Pio Mancini (bouzouki, violin), keyboardist Carlo Mezzanotte (who has his own fusion band), drummer Pierluigi Calderoni (Banco), bassist Luca Barberini and percussionist Arnaldo Vacca. Guests on Amorgós include Lester Bowie, Francesco Di Giacomo (Banco), Vittorio Nocenzi (Banco), Mauro Pagani (PFM) and more. Guests on Vento del Deserto include Pagani, Di Giacomo, Toni Esposito, and more. These are the mini-LP sleeve reissues (with new covers) of Indaco’s second CD Amorgós (1999, 74-minutes) and first CD Vento del Deserto (1997, 54-minutes). Both CDs come in heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeves with bilingual booklets including extensive liner notes compiled by Rodolfo Maltese. Both include one live bonus track.
J’accuse! - Abbandono del tempo e delle forme ($16.99) This is the 2008 debut from an atypical Italian band playing modern psychedelic progressive along the lines of (most of the albums by) Brazilians Violeta de Outono or Italians LaZona. The music is guitar-dominated, varying from dreamlike to moderately heavy. There is some Fender Rhodes, organ and synth that tend to be used only as spacey backdrop. There are some vocals in Italian that function as part of the instrumental palette rather than as traditional lead vocals. The 13+ minute track that concludes the CD seems to be everyone’s favorite, as it bears some resemblance to Porcupine Tree or The Pineapple Thief in instrumental psychedelic mode. There are links to more detailed reviews from the band’s MySpace page (mp3 icon above).
Jumbo - Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni? mini-LP ($19.99)Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni? (1973) is Jumbo’s third album and their best, an Italian progressive rock classic. It comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet.
Bernardo Lanzetti - Eclecticlanz ($19.99)Lanzetti was the singer for Acqua Fragile and for PFM on Chocolate Kings, Jet Lag, and Passpartu. Don’t expect anything like PFM on his solo albums, though to some extent he has gone in a Peter Gabriel direction. Eclecticlanz (2008) is a varied set of 15 songs sung in both English and Italian that maintain a progressive edge if not a symphonic one. Other musicians assist, and Lanzetti uses a voice-to-MIDI controller at times. The packaging is unique, a cloth jacket that Lanzetti had a hand in designing. The label says that no two are alike, varying in color and pattern.
On his 1998 solo album I Sing the Voice Impossible, there is some interesting experimentation with voice-controlled electronics. It’s a varied set of mainly pop and rock songs sung in English, with other musicians handling guitars, keys, sax, bass and drums. If you can overlook the more commercial moments, there is a lot of quality work here, especially on the more atmospheric songs with their sophisticated synth arrangements. Digipack.
LaZona - Le Notti Difficili ($14.99) This instrumental Italian quintet features Fabio Zuffanti of Finisterre. Le Notti Difficili (2002) consists of one 45-minute track divided into four parts. It lulls you into a false sense of serenity, starting ambient and featuring an ambient, heavily-reverbed style of trumpet. But it steadily builds to a powerful, Mellotron-drenched climax reminiscent of Anekdoten and Godspeed You Black Emperor.
Lethean - same ($16.99) This is the 2001 debut by an instrumental Italian progressive band featuring two guitarists, bass, and drums, augmented by violin, flute, and sax. There are several styles present. The first track is wild in a King Crimson way, with the sax making its only appearance and the violin adopting a David Cross tone. Several tracks emphasize structured Ozrics-style instrumentals, while two others are beautiful, pastoral acoustic tracks. Although there are two guitarists, they are generally not playing in a hard rock style. They complement each other well, providing a sufficient variety of textures and effects to compensate for the absence of keys and to keep things sounding progressive and spacey.
Living Life - Mysterious Dream ($14.99)Mysterious Dream (1981) is the second of two releases for Living Life. It followed a six year intermission, as their debut Let: From Experience to Experience was released in 1975. The lineup on the two albums is very different. Mysterious Dream is the more cohesive of the two, more keyboard-based, with both a flute player and an oboe player in the lineup. The music is very good and fairly original, a mix of symphonic prog and melodic jazz-rock, mostly instrumental, with vocals in English. Let: From Experience to Experience is a blend of jazz, rock and ethnic music, instrumental except for one vocal track in English.
Locanda delle Fate - Homo Homini Lupus ($16.99) Locanda delle Fate’s 1977 debut Forse le Lucciole non si Amano Più is simply one of the greatest Italian progressive albums. Given that, their 1999 comeback album Homo Homini Lupus was unlikely to measure up to its predecessor. Five of the seven original members are present, but it’s the singer and keyboardist who aren’t. Homo Homini Lupus is by no means a bad album but it is more song-oriented and more modern sounding.
Lomé - Fiori su Marte ($17.99) 2004 CD from a unique and adventurous quartet with an incredible singer named Riccardo Ruggeri who reminds one strongly of Demetrio Stratos, though Ruggeri sticks to singing and doesn’t attempt the strange vocalizings. The rest of the band consists of piano, contrabass, and drums/percussion. Fiori su Marte contains 11 tracks with ever-changing moods, from prog to jazz to avant-garde, but generally melodic and stately. All the tracks are centered on the talents of one of the best new Italian vocalists. 59-minutes.
London Underground - Through a Glass Darkly ($15.99)London Underground are four experienced Italian musicians who played for a number of bands in studio sessions, among them the psychedelic/prog band Standarte. Through a Glass Darkly (2003) is their second album and is in an early-1970’s progressive or proto-progressive style. Their sound emphasizes “dirty” Hammond organ, piano, and vocals, coupled with guitar using a period tone, and occasional Mellotron, clavinet, or Fender Rhodes. With sax, flute, and female vocals from guest musicians, London Underground offer eleven concise prog songs here. Like fellow Italians Men of Lake, this may remind you of the Canterbury bands, early Pink Floyd, and the Italian progressive bands of the 1970’s, but their style never really comes further forward than about 1971. Read the Progressive World and DPRP reviews.
Lost Tales - A Volo Radente ($14.99)A Volo Radente (1999) is the sole album from an Italian symphonic prog quartet (keys, guitar, bass, drums) singing in Italian and leaning toward the neo-prog style.
Simon Luca - Per proteggere l’enorme Maria ($15.99)Vinyl Magic reissued the second and third albums from this Italian artist, which they rather euphemistically refer to as progressive rock albums. Simon Luca was an assumed name for singer/songwriter Alberto Favata, who has one of those gravelly Joe Cocker voices. These are rock/pop albums with some progressive touches. Per proteggere l’enorme Maria (1972) has several name Italian musicians in the backing band. It is the more pop-oriented and dated sounding of the two. E la mia mente? (1973) is the more rock-oriented, with the 17 tracks linked to form two long suites.
Luna - same mini-LP ($19.99)First ever CD release for this forgotten 1981 album by Osanna’s guitarist Danilo Rustici. The album is sung in Italian and features a new arrangement of Stravinsky’s Firebird. Luna fills the gap between Osanna’s 1978 split and the later Rustici solo works, though the music is less progressive than the cover art would suggest. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet.
Macromarco - Il pianeta degli uomini liberi ($19.99) Macromarco, alias Marco Grieco, apart from being the composer of the famous Odissea musical, is also a great lover of Italian prog, and his 2009 debut Il pianeta degli uomini liberi (The World of Free Men) follows directly in the footsteps of the best melodic/romantic Italian prog giants such as PFM. While deeply rooted in that tradition, this is not a retro album. Rather, it is the album PFM might make today in a perfect world, with contemporary production but not contemporary compromises. Marco’s Italian-language vocals are excellent, and it is impossible to tell that this is the work of one man just by listening to the music. Marco does depart from the Italian tradition on a few occasions to rip through some classic Genesis-style instrumentals. This is just a beautifully-crafted Italian symphonic prog album, full of gorgeous melodies as only the Italians can do, and pretty much required listening for fans of the genre. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page booklet containing the lyrics with English translations; 60-minutes. Read the review by veteran Polish journalist Artur Chachlowski.
Mad Crayon - Diamanti ($15.99) The 1999 second album from this Roman band manages to be very much in the Italian 1970’s progressive style of PFM, Banco, and Locanda delle Fate, without losing its contemporary edge. Here are those characteristic lush, warm Italian vocal melodies and harmonies. The music is lyrical and romantic, with both delicate and powerful passages, compositions and arrangements approaching the level of the best Italian progressive bands.
Madrugada - Incastro mini-LP ($19.99)These are the CD reissues of two rare Italian progressive albums from 1974 and 1977, some of the last such albums to be reissued on CD. Incastro was the second of two albums for Madrugada. Guests on Incastro include Lucio Fabbri on violin (from Piazza delle Erbe and later PFM) and Luciano Ninzatti on guitar (from Eugenio Finardi’s band Crisalide). Some of the music is typical Italian progressive in the early PFM vein, while there is also some jazz-rock and some experimental and spacey parts. Three live bonus tracks lasting nearly half an hour have been added: two renditions of tracks from the album plus an unreleased 14-minute track. The audio quality of the bonus tracks is what you’d expect, adequate but not high fidelity. They depart from the studio versions, sounding more improvised.
Madrugada’s self-titled debut is purely in the soft symphonic prog style. This CD adds four bonus tracks. The first two are live tracks similar to the Incastro bonus tracks. The third is an early demo of one of the album tracks, and the fourth is a 2006 symphonic instrumental with excellent sound. Both CDs come in heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeves with 8-page bilingual booklets.
Malibran - Strani Colori ($14.99) 
Malibran is a six-man Italian band with a 1970’s-oriented style featuring lots of flute. They were one of a handful of bands keeping the progressive torch burning in Italy during the late 1980’s, just before the explosion of new prog bands. Think of a cross between Genesis, Camel, Tull, and all those Italian 70’s bands, and you get the idea. The Wood of Tales plus is the CD reissue of their 1989 first album plus three bonus tracks averaging 7-minutes each. The 67-minute official live CD Live on Stage 1994 was recorded in 1994 in Italy, edited and mastered in 2002. Strani Colori is subtitled Rare Tracks 1989-2002 and features Jethro Tull, Jeff Beck, and Camel covers in addition to previously-unreleased live and studio tracks.
Malombra - The Dissolution Age ($16.99) The 2001 third album by this heavy gothic prog band is a hefty one at 73-minutes. The lineup has changed with frontman Mercy the only original member. Malombra use a wall of symphonic sound to support Mercy’s deep, operatic, apocalyptic, and generally over-the-top vocals. The lyrics are in English (sort of). In some ways, Malombra are a more symphonic and bombastic Hawkwind.
Rodolfo Maltese Group - Il Gabbiano Jonathan ($19.99) Il Gabbiano Jonathan is the title of the Italian translation of Richard Bach’s 1970 novella Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Rodolfo Maltese, the guitarist of Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, recorded this concept album in 1987, prior to forming Indaco. Rodolfo’s band on this CD includes a keyboardist, bassist, percussionist, sax player and, on drums, Walter Martino (Ritratto di Dorian Gray, Reale Accademia di Musica, Goblin). Guests include keyboardist Vittorio Nocenzi (Banco), singer Riccado Cocciante and others. However, the album was not released until this 2009 CD. As the label says, Il Gabbiano Jonathan is a wonderful record, mainly instrumental and focused on Rodolfo’s great guitar playing. You can find the first ethnic Mediterranean sounds that became typical for Indaco, some laidback and high-class Italian jazz-rock, and some more epic and guitar-solo focused tracks. It is an important missing link between Banco and Indaco. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve.
La Maschera di Cera - LuxAde ($19.99) 
LuxAde (2006, 63-minutes) is the third studio album by “The Wax Mask”, a five-man Italian progressive band featuring Fabio Zuffanti of Finisterre fame. This is their best work, as they have created not only a perfect recreation of an Italian 1970’s symphonic progressive album, but one that can stand alongside most of the classics. Using all analog keys, Italian-language vocals, flute, sax, 12-string guitar, bass and drums, they sound like a lost classic Italian band. Franz Di Cioccio, PFM’s drummer/vocalist, produced. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 16-page full-color booklet.
Il Grande Labirinto (2003, 65-minutes) is La Maschera di Cera’s second album. Like their self-titled 2002 debut, it is a perfect recreation of a 1970’s Italian symphonic prog album, right down to the production. Think PFM, Museo Rosenbach, Banco, Locanda Delle Fate, Osanna, RDM, and all the rest. Close your eyes and it’s 1972.
Maury E I Pronomi - (Ec)citazioni Neoclassiche ($14.99) (Ec)citazioni Neoclassiche (2005) is the third for this band from Turin, following two private releases. It sounds like it came straight out of the 1970’s, not so surprising though for a band that traces it roots to 1979. Le Orme is probably their biggest influence. Maury E I Pronomi isn’t quite on that level, but most fans of classic Italian prog will enjoy this. 61-minutes.
Maxophone - Italian lyrics version mini-LP ($19.99) out-of-stock The self-titled 1975 album from Maxophone, their only album, is one of the greatest Italian symphonic progressive albums, influenced primarily by PFM, with vocals in a Genesis style. The mini-LPs are the 2009 remastered editions on AMS, which come in heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeves, exact replicas of the vinyl versions. The album was first released in Italy with Italian lyrics, which is what you’ll find on the Italian lyrics version of the CD. The mini-LP Italian version contains two bonus tracks. In 1976, an LP with lyrics sung in English was released by the U.S. subsidiary of the Italian label, which is what appears on the English lyrics version of the CD. In addition to the vocals, the sound and instrumental mix is slightly different from the Italian version. The mini-LP English version does not contain the bonus tracks. Both mini-LP versions have a 16-page bilingual booklet with an extensive biography, though they are not exactly the same. The jewel box edition of the English version is the Mellow Records edition, which does contain the two Italian language bonus tracks.
Mellonta Tauta - same ($13.99)Mellonta Tauta evolved into the Genesis tribute band Duke, which should provide a clue to their sound. This 1993 CD contains eight original songs dating from 1978-1980, plus three Duke live recordings: Every Day (Steve Hackett), I Know What I Like (medley), and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway / The Musical Box (closing section). 73-minutes. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Men of Lake - Music from the Land of Mountains, Lake and Wine ($11.99) SALE!Men of Lake are an Italian progressive band emphasizing a nostalgic style and vintage Hammond organ sound on their earlier albums such as Men of Lake (1991) and Out of the Water (1994), closer to British bands such as Cressida and Gracious than to the Italian symphonic bands. Music from the Land of Mountains, Lake and Wine (1998) is more adventurous and diverse than their previous albums, featuring wind instruments (sax, flute, brass) on some tracks. The organ sound is now accompanied by modern keyboards and there is more room for guitar.
Metamorfosi - Inferno mini-LP ($19.99)Metamorfosi had its beginnings in Rome in 1971 and recorded two of the classic Italian progressive rock albums: E fu il Sesto Giorno (1972) and Inferno (1973). Inferno was based on Dante’s Divine Comedy. Inferno comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Mindflower - Little Enchanted Void ($15.99) out-of-stock 
Mindfloater (2001) is a classy and fairly original symphonic progressive album from an Italian band singing in English. They sound much more like a British prog band than an Italian one though, with a slight Pink Floyd and Genesis influence, some spaciness, and a predominance of dreamy and intimate pieces. Mindfloater is more rock-oriented than Mindflower’s 1995 debut Purelake, with a richer sound palette. It isn’t retro but it isn’t particularly modern either. It’s more of a contemporary take on classic progressive, using synths, piano, and delicate guitar, emphasizing beauty over heaviness. The album has a lot of instrumental content, with male vocals the rest of the time and female vocals on only a couple tracks.
Little Enchanted Void (2009) is exactly 80-minutes long. Between this album and Mindfloater, band leader Fabio Antonelli recorded the album The Art of Dreams in a Little Bottle with his Fabio Antonelli Ensemble, and Little Enchanted Void sounds like a further development of that album’s style. Some of this album was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, and there is a strong Peter Gabriel feel throughout, particularly vocally. It is even closer to the work of the American band Product, characterized by a predominance of intimate, low-key passages with subtle details, bursting out into full-blown sections, occasionally with extreme dynamics. Relative to Product, Mindflower show a stronger classical influence as should be expected from Italians, with wonderful string arrangements on some pieces. This is sophisticated progressive music that doesn’t go down the same very well-beaten path. Read the Sea of Tranquility review. Links to more reviews can be found by clicking the mp3 icons above.
Minstrel - Ahab ($20.99) Faust (2000) is an excellent concept album of romantic symphonic rock somewhat in the vein of Atons, between classic Italian symphonic prog and neo-prog. Minstrel have a very good operatic male vocalist singing in Italian. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Minstrel’s second CD Ahab (2009, 60-minutes) is heavier and more bombastic, with more of a metallic edge than Faust. It is quite ambitious, with an orchestral arrangement on one track at least. The highlight is the classically-influenced piano work one expects from an Italian prog band, and the operatic vocals. The label says: “This concept CD is dedicated to the mortal journey of Captain Ahab as told in Melville’s Moby Dick, and is characterized by classic guitar riffs, hard rock rhythms, and the astounding lyrical vocals. In Ahab, the typical concept opera meets theatre, operatic melodies, heavy sounds and typical Italian prog rock. The story of the captain of the Pequod is told by dramatic metal passages, romantic piano interludes, Pink Floyd-ish guitar solos, and long opera melodies (with Italian lyrics). This is a unique gem of Italian prog rock.” Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve, with poster included. On bandleader Mauro Ghilardini’s MySpace page (second mp3 icon above), the clips from Ahab are Vendetta/Revenge, Alba/Sunrise, and Rampone/Harpoon.
Mirage - Frammenti ($13.99)This is a very good 1994 CD in the classic Italian symphonic prog style, with Rodolfo Maltese (Banco) guesting. Unfortunately, it was the only album for Mirage. Read the review at Prog Archives.
MO.DO. - La Scimmia Sulla Schiena del Re ($13.99) “A minor band from Bergamo founded in 1978 from the ashes of Dalton by drummer Walter Locatelli, that released only one album, in 1980. La scimmia sulla schiena del re is a short eight track album with the usual classical influences and some Gentle Giant-inspired sounds and rhythm changes. Half of the tracks are instrumental.” [ItalianProg.com] Read the Ground and Sky review.
Montefeltro - Il Tempo di Far la Fantasia mini-LP ($15.99)With their debut Il Tempo di Far la Fantasia (1992), Montefeltro made one of the very best second-generation Italian symphonic prog albums, right up there with Eris Pluvia. Read reviews at Prog Archives. The mini-LP version is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve.
Moongarden - Songs from the Lighthouse ($12.99) Moongarden are an Italian progressive band led by keyboardist Cristiano Roversi and guitarist David Cremoni. They began as a mostly Genesis and Camel-influenced band. Both Roversi and Cremoni were also part of the very Genesis-like Submarine Silence, and Roversi’s solo album The Park owes a large debt to Tony Banks. (Check below for both CDs.) As Moongarden have evolved, they’ve added other influences to make their music more contemporary. With their 2004 CD Round Midnight, they had achieved an intriguing blend of old-school prog with aspects of Porcupine Tree, Radiohead, or The Amber Light. Moongarden added a new guitarist and vocalist before recording Songs from the Lighthouse (2008, 71-minutes). The result is an album with more energy than the previous one. It is also more lush and symphonic, with wave after wave of Mellotron strings crashing ashore, but it remains primarily a contemporary progressive rock record. This is close to Porcupine Tree at their best (before their slide into metal), but more symphonic and with more ties to classic progressive. Moongarden’s old Genesis style is even allowed center stage on a track or two. Andy Tillison of The Tangent guests on lead vocals on one track. All in all, this is an outstanding record that will appeal to fans of both classic and modern British prog (which is to say there isn’t much influence of the Italian progressive bands here).
Now that Moongarden have become better known, fans will want to work their way back to The Gates of Omega, Moongarden’s 2001 double-CD. As the ProgressiveWorld.net review says, “Moongarden is indeed progressive all the way without feeling it necessary to copy the big names from the seventies. The result is some of the finest and most interesting music to be released the last decade.” 2CD set in fat case, counts as 2 CDs for shipping.
Il Mucchio - same ($15.99) This 1970 album was one of the rarest Italian progressive albums on vinyl, and among the first. As such, it bridges 1960’s psychedelia and progressive rock, using light organ and very melodic vocals a la New Trolls. This Mellow Records reissue adds the tracks from their singles, so it contains the band’s entire output.
Murple - Quadri di un’esposizione ($19.99)This is the jewel box edition of Io Sono Murple on Mellow Records. This 1974 album had been the sole album by this progressive quartet from Rome, released on the German BASF label. It is typical Italian symphonic progressive, not in the top tier but excellent nonetheless. The album plays as a long suite with classically-inspired keyboards and frequent shifts in mood. It was a highly-sought after collector’s item on LP and for good reason.
Quadri di un’esposizione (2008) is a reunion album featuring the original line-up! Murple still play vintage instruments, and this is a lovely concept album in a similar style to their 1974 debut (and almost the same 34-minute playing time). Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve. More info and a video at the Murple website.
Roberto Natullo & Nawba Ensemble - Ida y Vuelta ($15.99) Flautist Roberto Natullo leads a large ensemble of Italian musicians in a spirited romp through jazz-rock, progressive, Celtic and ethnic folk territories. This is exuberant music, using lots of acoustic instruments with flute in the lead, very appealing.
La N.A.V.E. - Le Quattro Stagioni ($13.99)This is a 2000 CD of retro-sounding Italian progressive rock sung in Italian from a keys/guitar/bass/drums quartet, with the keyboardist adding a little trombone. “The name N.A.V.E. is an acronym for ‘Nuovo Avanguardia Voci Etniche’ (or ‘New Vanguard of Ethnic Voices’). Their sole album, Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons), is reminiscent of Le Orme’s Felona e Sorona with hints of Collage. The compositions are organ-based and feature many mood changes, nice solos and interesting dynamics and developments, while the trombone adds a personal touch to their sound. All vocals are in Italian and the production is quite good. Nice addition to any Italian symphonic prog collection but especially recommended to fans of Le Orme.” [Prog Archives]
Giorgio C. Neri - Logos ($16.99) This 2008 release on the Black Widow label is the debut album of Giorgio C. Neri from Genova. Neri plays most of the instruments: electric & acoustic guitar, bass, mandolin, dulcimer, keyboards and flute, with the assistance of a drummer and guests on flute and vocals. The label says that Logos is a tribute to the artists that influenced Neri, “a path through tradition, music created according to the aesthetic and the sounds of the 1970’s.” One such influence would have to be PFM, particularly on the one track with vocals, which are in Italian. Apart from a little spoken word, the rest of the album is instrumental. Hawkwind, Ozric Tentacles or Gong appear to be influences on other tracks, and the album as a whole covers the spectrum between the romantic symphonic prog style and the space-rock style. Of the other influences Neri lists on his MySpace page, Mike Oldfield, Osanna, and Genesis are probably the most relevant, but no one influence dominates. And while Neri’s influences are primarily from the 1970’s, this is not a strictly retro album. Overall, Logos is excellent and sounds indistinguishable from a full band. Digipack.
Leo Nero - Vero ($15.99) Leo Nero was a pseudonym used by Gianni Leone, keyboardist and leader of Il Balletto di Bronzo, for the solo career he embarked on following the demise of Il Balletto. Despite a few commercial pop songs, Vero (1977) is quite a good progressive rock album, sometimes reminiscent of Il Balletto di Bronzo. Leone sings and plays everything himself including drums and a little guitar, with keyboards dominating.
New Trolls - FS ($9.99) 
New Trolls - UT mini-LP ($20.99)
New Trolls - Searching for a Land jewel box ($15.99)New Trolls are an Italian progressive band with a relatively long (and convoluted) career. The mini-LPs are BTF’s 2009 editions of New Trolls’ 1972 albums Searching for a Land and UT, which come in heavyweight gatefold sleeves with 12-page bilingual booklets. Searching for a Land is sung in English and was originally a double-LP, with the second half recorded live. It’s all here on a single CD, and although the album is disjointed, there’s at least one album’s worth of good material. UT is perhaps New Trolls’ most popular album, but you can hear the band pulling in two different directions, one progressive and one heavy rock. An uneven album, but the good material is really good!
Following UT, New Trolls split into two bands: Nico, Gianni, Frank, Maurizio (later Ibis) and the band initially called New Trolls Atomic System. Inexplicably, both offshoots immediately produced albums more progressive than they had as New Trolls. Considered alongside all the New Trolls albums, Atomic System (1973) is the best and is considered by many to be one of the essential Italian progressive rock albums. One bonus track. Tempi Dispari (1974) is different from any other New Trolls album, completely instrumental, recorded live, and in an English jazz-rock style.
FS (1981) is from the band’s pop phase, but at least the disco of the previous couple albums was gone. The opening track Il Treno (6:16) is excellent symphonic prog, which cruelly raises one’s expectations, as the rest of the album varies from OK to dreadful.
Next - The Virtual Cage ($16.99)1994 progressive rock in the Yes and Peter Gabriel veins.
Nico, Gianni, Frank, Maurizio - Canti d’Innocenza, Canti d’Esperienza ($19.99)This group was an offshoot of New Trolls. The question mark on the cover had to do with a legal battle at the time over the use of the name New Trolls. They later changed their name to Ibis and released two more albums. Canti d’Innocenza, Canti d’Esperienza (1973) blends keyboard-dominated progressive rock with the Led Zeppelin style. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet.
Nodo Gordiano - Flektogon ($20.99) SALE!
The 1999 debut by Nodo Gordiano is a very good, mostly-instrumental progressive rock album in the 1970’s style with a more modern sound. The quartet has the typical keys/guitars/bass/drums lineup, but the keyboardist also plays various woodwinds (sax, flute, clarinet). The drummer has a style similar to Furio Chirico of Arti & Mestieri, using many creative embellishments. Track 1 sounds like a blend of Red-era King Crimson with fusion, while track 2 moves into PFM territory with lots of flute, then track 3 is again completely different: It’s the one song with vocals (in Italian) and has some of the horror film feel of Goblin or Antonius Rex. The rest of the album is a blend of symphonic progressive and fusion. Every style they tackle they do well.
Alea (2005, 37-minutes) is their second CD, released on Mellow Records, but it may as well be a different band. Nodo Gordiano is a trio here, with bass player Andrea De Luca the only person in common with the lineup that recorded their debut. Alea is a collection of instrumental improvisations for synthesizers, bass and drums. The tracks are generally spacey, using electronic-sounding analog synth patches, and evolve in a linear fashion as most jams do.
Flektogon (2009) sees Nodo Gordiano back on track, showing a strong Red-era King Crimson influence, a flowing space rock style not far from You-era Gong, and many original components as well. The album is instrumental apart from operatic female vocals on one track. As the label says: “Nodo Gordiano are back with their definitive masterpiece. After their successful 1999 debut and the rather experimental and improvised Alea from 2005, Flektogon is surely the magnum opus of this band hailing from Rome. Their spooky, dark and complex yet dreamy prog rock has an irresistible hypnotic edge that captures the listener from the very beginning. Besides some shorter tracks, the most outstanding moment of this record is the 30-minute psych-opus Avventure di mastarna, a progressive firework in which the music develops its very different moods while keeping a regular pattern and taking the listener on an adventurous and never boring musical trip.” Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve. Read reviews here.
Nostalgia - Welcome to Edo’s Land ($15.99) Nostalgia is one of those bands that has contributed to just about every one of Mellow Records’ tribute CDs. This is their third album, a mellow (pun unavoidable), melodic progressive rock with a slight folk influence, with male and female vocals in English aside from one song in Italian. It’s all rather tentative and second-rate but may be of interest to Camel fans for the covers of Drafted and Camelogue. 60-minutes.
Notabene - Sei Lacrime d’Ambra ($13.99) On their 2005 self-titled debut, Notabene play a 1970’s-style Italian symphonic prog with touches of jazz-rock. They have an excellent singer along the lines of Locanda Delle Fate’s Leonardo Sasso, and the lyrics are in Italian. They add violin and trumpet for a unique twist on classic Italian prog, and the shortest track is about 7-minutes long. Sei Lacrime d’Ambra (2007, 63-minutes) drops the jazz-rock, violin and trumpet and concentrates on classic Italian symphonic prog. Notabene are not trying to replicate a 1972 album the way La Maschera di Cera have, as the sounds and production get at least a few years more modern, but the inspiration is the same. There is a 16-minute suite followed by a 17-minute suite, and oh those vocals! It’s a good time to be a fan of Italian progressive rock.
Notturno Concertante - Riscrivere Il Passato ($13.99) 
Notturno Concertante were one of the small number of Italian progressive bands who began in the 1980’s, after the classic Italian prog bands had been all but killed off, but before the prog resurgence began. Initially Notturno Concertante released only cassettes, and their early style was more acoustic, in the vein of Anthony Phillips, Gordon Giltrap, and acoustic Steve Hackett. By the time they began releasing CDs in the 1990’s, they were more of a neo-prog band, though still using a lot of acoustic guitar. Their most recent CD Riscrivere Il Passato (2002) is probably their best, with a more classic style and a switch to Italian lyrics. Some instrumentals are close to Mike Oldfield. The Glass Tear is from 1994, while Erewhon is from 1993. Read reviews at Prog Archives, where you’ll also find one mp3.
Nova - Blink ($16.99)After the band Uno broke up, the former Osanna members Elio D'Anna and Danilo Rustici remained in London and formed the band Nova with other well-known Italian musicians such as Corrado Rustici (Cervello) and Dede Lo Previte (Circus 2000). Blink is their 1976 debut, which features Morris Pert on percussion and was produced by Rupert Hine. Some of the Osanna feel is there but Nova is more oriented towards jazz-rock.
Nova Malà Strana - NeMeSi ($15.99)1997 second album by this dark progressive rock band with female vocals from Genoa, more symphonic than their debut.
I Numi - Alpha Ralpha Boulevard mini-LP ($19.99)This 1971 album is a minor classic of Italian progressive rock, a melodic song-based prog album with soft, dreamy atmospheres. The mini-LP edition is housed in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Nuova Idea - Clowns ($16.99) Clowns is a classic Italian symphonic progressive album from 1973, the third and final album for Nuova Idea, and their best. In the Beginning (1971) was their debut, a mix of proto-prog, psych, and early-70’s hard rock.
Obscura - Le città invisibili ($14.99) This is the 2007 debut by a six-man Italian symphonic prog band, an offshoot of Moongarden and Submarine Silence. It is an excellent album in the Italian and British early 1970’s styles, betrayed only by a small amount of more modern, metal-inflected guitar. Italian-language vocals, flute, vintage keys, grandiose arrangements and delicate passages; everything one would expect is present.
Odessa - Stazione Getsemani ($13.99) Odessa are a great Italian band debuting with this 1999 CD but with their heart deep in the 1970’s. They use Hammond organ, analog synths, piano, flute; they play covers of tracks by The Trip and Il Rovescio della Medaglia; and their singer is heavily influenced by Demetrio Stratos (Area). His voice is so strong and charismatic that he could carry the material on his own, but he’s also the keyboardist and makes sure the instrumental content is also a highlight. Odessa do have many similarities to Area but are not nearly as jazzy or as experimental.
Odissea - same ($16.99)This 1973 album is the only one from this quintet. It’s a beautiful and very representative Italian symphonic progressive album, free of any hard or blues-based rock, which cannot be said of some better-known Italian prog albums.
Officina Meccanica - La follia del mimo di fuoco ($20.99) Rome’s Officina Meccanica existed from 1972-1978 and released several singles but never an LP. This CD contains their best singles plus five previously-unreleased tracks from a planned LP, of which three exceed the 10-minute mark. Officina Meccanica play a very theatrical and dramatic progressive rock somewhat similar to Osanna, but jazzier, less symphonic and more experimental. The six-piece lineup includes trumpet and sax but no keyboardist -- keys were supplied by the guitarist and, on one song, by Gaio Chiocchio of Pierrot Lunaire. La follia del mimo di fuoco (The Madness of the Fire Mime) documents a unique part of Italian progressive rock history. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 16-page bilingual booklet featuring unreleased photos and an extensive band history.
Opus Avantra - Introspezione/Donella del Monaco ($16.99) This 1974 Italian progressive classic is alternately known as Introspezione or Donella del Monaco (the name of their soprano singer). This first album is their most accessible work, as their avant-garde leanings increased on later albums. The music combines opera, neo-classical, and progressive rock in sophisticated arrangements.
Le Orme - Elementi ($11.99) SALE!After a period of dormancy, Le Orme returned to active duty in 1996 with Il Fiume, followed in 2001 by Elementi. These albums demonstrate that Le Orme have lost nothing since the 1970’s, that is unless you’re looking for the faux ELP of their early albums. Instead, this is their rich, warm, lyrical, and unabashedly romantic symphonic prog style, with lyrics in Italian. Lush Italian symphonic prog from one of the top progressive rock bands of all time. Cover artwork by Paul Whitehead. This is the Sol & Deneb label edition.
Osanna & David Jackson - Prog Family ($19.99) The legendary Osanna returned in 2009 with a new expanded lineup they call the ‘Prog Family’. David Jackson from Van der Graaf Generator signed on for this project and became a stable element of the band, making major contributions, as do guests Gianni Leone (Balletto di Bronzo), David Cross (King Crimson), Tim Stevens, Lello Brandi, Sophya Baccini, and many others. The addition of Jackson makes perfect sense, as Osanna were the Italian band most influenced by Van der Graaf Generator. This CD contains 70-minutes of rearranged, re-recorded versions of existing Osanna songs, mostly from their first four albums, but also one track each from Suddance and Taka Boom, one track from Città Frontale’s El Tor album, and a version of Van der Graaf Generator’s Theme One! Lino Vairetti approached the new arrangements as if they were new songs, but retained the vintage sounds such as Hammond and Mellotron, not to mention flute and sax from David Jackson. The violin of David Cross is the most noticeable and refreshing new element in what is a consummate “inside job” homage to one of the great Italian progressive bands. Lyrics mostly in Italian, some English. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 24-page booklet.
Osanna - Milano Calibro 9 mini-LP ($20.99)Osanna are one of the legendary Italian progressive bands. L’uomo (1971) was their debut. Milano Calibro 9 (1972) was their second album, the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The album’s proper name is probably Preludio, Tema, Variazioni, Canzona, but most call it by the name of the film. Milano Calibro 9 comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet. The mini-LP edition of L’uomo comes in a heavyweight triple-gatefold sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Overdrive - The Human Machine ($11.99) SALE!The Human Machine (1991) is the sole album by this Italian neo-prog band, who at times evoke the great Italian 1970’s bands (e.g., PFM, Banco, Quella Vecchia Locanda).
Paciana Story - Opera Pop ($19.99)This album was originally released as a private pressing LP in 1975. Two musicians from the legendary Italian prog band Dalton were involved in this pop opera, though it has nothing in common with Dalton musically. Paciana Story is a concept album based on the life of a 19th century brigand who was sort of an Italian Robin Hood. The music takes traditional Italian folk tunes and does them up as soft prog songs, sung in Italian of course. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Il Paese dei Balocchi - same mini-LP ($20.99)This 1972 album is the only one by this Roman band, a typical Italian symphonic prog album of the era, generally mellow with strong classical influences and some orchestral arrangements. The jewel box edition on Mellow Records contains two commercial bonus tracks from a single, but according to the ItalianProg.com website, these are actually by an unrelated band with the same name! The mini-LP edition on Vinyl Magic comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Mauro Pagani - same mini-LP ($19.99)Violinist Mauro Pagani left PFM in 1976 and released this, his first and best solo album, in 1978. All of PFM guest on the album, as well as most of Area, Roberto Colombo, and other prominent Italian musicians. Here Pagani blends progressive rock with Mediterranean music, what would today be called world music. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Pandora - Dramma di un Poeta Ubriaco ($19.99) Pandora are a five-piece band from Piedmont that follow in the footsteps of the Italian progressive rock giants. Their 2008 debut Dramma di un Poeta Ubriaco features long tracks with all the hallmarks of the style: intricate vintage keyboards, a progressive (not metal) guitarist, and a powerful singer delivering Italian lyrics. At times Pandora reference the harder side of Italian prog, while at other times one hears the medieval or renaissance Italian folk influences typical of the 1970’s Italian bands. At one time it was almost unthinkable that we’d have true Italian symphonic prog being produced in 2008, but we live in interesting times! Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve.
Panna Fredda - Uno mini-LP ($19.99) The sole album by Panna Fredda is from 1971, right at the beginning of the Italian progressive rock explosion. This is high quality progressive rock, the keyboards dominated by organ, with some influences of the early English prog bands such as Gracious. This mini-LP edition adds six bonus tracks which would appear to be from their singles, as all are in the three-minute range. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Stefano Panunzi - Timelines ($15.99) This outstanding 2005 debut by Italian keyboardist Stefano Panunzi was recorded in Italy, Germany, the UK, and Japan, and features many guest musicians including Mick Karn (Japan, Rain Three Crow), Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, Mick Karn), and Peter Chilvers (No Man, Henry Fool). This is highly-polished, moody progressive music in the No Man, Porcupine Tree, Nosound, and David Sylvian veins, with detailed ambient textures and elements of jazz, about evenly divided between songs (sung in English) and instrumentals. 65-minutes, digipack.
Gigi Pascal e la Pop Compagnia Meccanica - same ($13.99)Gigi Pascal is a pop singer from Naples who assembled a band and took his shot at prog with this 1973 album. It’s a short album of Italian pop with some progressive rock injected. Stylistically it straddles the early-1970’s and late-1960’s. At the time of this writing, there is one song from this CD on this MySpace page.
Pensiero Nomade - Per Questi e Altri Naufragi ($19.99) This is the 2007 debut solo CD of former Germinale guitarist Salvo Lazzara. Germinale released four CDs between 1994-2005 before splitting up. The music here consists of relaxing acoustic and clean-tone guitar instrumentals with overdubbed bass, some percussion and piano, similar to Riccardo Zappa’s mellower pieces, refined, dreamy, pastoral, and atmospheric. The use of found voices and sounds adds a slight avant-garde edge. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve.
PFM - Come Ti Va in Riva Alla Citta ($13.99)PFM’s 1981 album is from their pop phase. This is the Italian jewel case edition on RCA.
Piero e i Cottonfields - Il viaggio, la donna, un’altra vita ($19.99)This six-piece band was led by singer Piero Cotto, whose music career began in the early 1960’s and continued long after this 1972 album, the band’s only LP. It contains folky, symphonic pop/rock between early Delirium and Odissea, featuring the powerful, somewhat gruff voice of Piero Cotto (similar to Delirium’s Ivano Fossati), with occasional female backing vocals. The band use period progressive sounds: synths, Mellotron and other keyboards, and flute here and there. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Planetarium - Infinity ($16.99)CD reissue of a very rare 1971 instrumental symphonic prog album (with some wordless vocals) that is not representative of the Italian prog style. Much of it has a soundtrack feel.
Presence - Evil Rose ($16.99) Presence are one of the under-recognized gems of the Black Widow label. The superb vocals of Sophya Baccini cover the range between soaring opera-style and Kate Bush-style, while the music is heavy and dark symphonic progressive with a sinister edge and lots of synths. On Gold (2001), their third, their progressive side is at its most prominent, with Sophya sounding more like Annie Haslam and the band approaching Renaissance at times, albeit darker. The guitar leads are inspired, the keyboard work and arrangements quite sophisticated, and the overall result very original.
Evil Rose (2008, 69-minutes) includes a Queen and a Rainbow cover done up in Presence style, and more touches of prog-metal than before, perhaps to appeal to fans of Within Temptation and related bands. Only the more intelligent end of that crowd will likely make the jump, as Presence keep the metal in check and their music in the progressive realm. Tri-fold digipack with 20-page booklet. Read the reviews at Sea of Tranquility and Jerry Lucky’s site. At the Presence website (mp3 icon above), click discography, then audio, then the desired album cover.
Procession - Fiaba mini-LP ($19.99) Frontiera (1972) was the first of two rather different LPs for Procession, as the lineup that recorded 1974’s Fiaba had changed substantially. Frontiera is a good heavy progressive album, similar to De De Lind’s, with lots of acoustic passages used to offset the heavy ones. The distorted guitar tones here sound dated of course, but the arrangements are complex, and the electric mandolin and Mellotron add welcome textures.
Fiaba is the more mature work, more original and more symphonic than their first, also using sax and flute. It is similar in style to Delirium and Era Di Acquario. Guests include Raccomandata con Ricevuta di Ritorno drummer Francesco Froggio Francisca, Delirium keyboardist Ettore Vigo, and Circus 2000 singer Silvana Aliotta. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Progressive Italia Gli Anni ’70 Vol. 1 6CD boxset ($49.99)Each volume of these limited edition boxsets features six Italian 1970’s progressive rock albums on CD. More importantly, it’s the first time on CD for some of them, and all have been remastered by Maurizio Biancani at Fonoprint in Bologna. Volume 1 includes Balletto di Bronzo - YS, De De Lind - Io non so da Dove Vengo, Jumbo - Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni, Sensations’ Fix - Portable Madness, Latte e Miele - Passio Secundum Mattheum, and Mauro Pelosi - Al Mercato degli Uomini Piccoli. Volume 2 includes Locanda delle Fate - Forse le Lucciole non si Amano Più, Sensations’ Fix - Finest Finger, Ibis - Ibis, Roberto Cacciapaglia - Sei Note in Logica, G. Vivaldi / P. Minieri - Carnascialia, and Stradaperta - Maida Vale. The individual albums come in printed jackets. Each set counts as 2 CDs for shipping.
Prowlers - Mother and Fairy (2CD, $21.99) Mother and Fairy (1996) is the second and more progressive album for Italian band Prowlers, who feature the beautiful female vocals (in English) of Laura Mombrini. Prowlers sans Mombrini morphed into the band Tilion. Read the review at Prog Archives. Comes in the old-style fat 2CD case and counts as 2 CDs for shipping.
Psychonoesis - Superflualismo ($17.99) Superflualismo (2005) is the second CD by an instrumental quintet from Milan with a lineup of two guitarists, bass, drums, and a talented young trumpeter. Someone plays some synths, even if it is uncredited. Psychonoesis is an adventurous band with an original style. They blend jazz-prog, Canterbury, and RIO and include a beautiful cover of King Crimson’s Starless that sounds like Mark Isham had joined Crimson. The melodies are sometimes angular, but the music is not nearly as impenetrable as some RIO bands. 64-minutes. The Psychonoesis website is done in Flash, so after clicking the mp3 icon above, you’ll have to navigate to the mp3’s for Superflualismo yourself.
Quadraphonic - Il Giorno Sottile ($9.99)This album, recorded in 2001, is one of Fabio Zuffanti’s (Finisterre, Hostsonaten, La Maschera di Cera, etc.) projects. This one is experimental ambient music, sound collage, that sort of thing. 65-minutes. Here is an mp3 from the title track.
Quella Vecchia Locanda - same mini-LP ($20.99) Quella Vecchia Locanda’s 1972 debut is an Italian progressive rock classic, in the vein of early Jethro Tull and PFM, featuring flute and violin in addition to the usual keys/guitar/bass/drums lineup. It has a bit more hard rock than their second album Il Tempo della Gioia, which followed a year later and is more classical/romantic and refined. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet.
Raccomandata Ricevuta di Ritorno - Per un Mondo di Cristallo mini-LP ($20.99)1972 Italian progressive classic. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Randone - Hybla act 1 ($14.99) 
Nicola Randone - Morte di un Amore ($14.99) Nicola Randone is a singer and multi-instrumentalist from Sicily performing in the Italian romantic progressive tradition. Fans of 1970’s Italian progressive rock are familiar with this style, which really requires Italian-language vocals. In a short time, he and his band have risen to the upper echelon of the current Italian progressive scene. These CDs are all the MALS label editions.
Morte di un Amore (2002) is Randone’s debut. Nicola has a fabulous voice and the music on this album, while not as complex as the best Banco or Le Orme, stands up well to his influences, which would seem to be Franco Battiato, Alan Sorrenti, Claudio Rocchi, Aldo Tagliapietra (Le Orme), and Locanda delle Fate. Behind Randone’s vocals are keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums. Highly orchestrated, symphonic, lush and romantic with some spacey touches, fans of Italian progressive will not be disappointed.
Nuvole di Ieri (2003) is his second CD. Nicola added a guitarist and drummer to make it a band while shortening the name to Randone. It’s a noticeable improvement on his first. Most significantly, Beppe Crovella of Arti & Mestieri not only produced the album but plays keyboards throughout, so the album is full of Mellotron, Hammond, Moog, and other keys. It’s always great to see musicians from the first generation of prog working with younger musicians who are carrying on the tradition. And Nuvole di Ieri certainly does carry on that tradition, with a slightly more contemporary guitar style.
Ricordo (2004) is stunning. Randone is a quintet here, and that doesn’t even count Beppe Crovella, whose vintage keys are again all over this album. This suite is noticeably different from Randone’s previous work. Stylistically, it could have come straight out of the classic 1970’s era of Italian progressive rock. Lushly orchestrated and full of beautiful vocals, we could mention Locanda Della Fate, Banco, and many others.
Hybla act 1 (2005) is a “barock opera”, a long, dramatic suite about the band’s hometown, the ancient town of Hybla, now Ragusa. It’s probably the most ambitious work for Randone thus far. Beppe Crovella again adds lots of Mellotron, Moog, and Hammond B3, there are four guest vocalists both male and female, and a guest violinist adds a new dimension. Stylistically this is classic Italian symphonic progressive except that the electric guitarist sometimes plays in a metal style. But rather than try to fit into a particular progressive rock camp, Randone are carving out a style of their own and have quietly become one of the most important Italian bands currently active.
Reale Accademia di Musica - Tempo Senza Tempo ($18.99) Today the name Reale Accademia di Musica is being used by singer/songwriter/keyboardist Adriano Monteduro, who back in 1974 made an album that was co-credited to him and Reale Accademia di Musica. The current lineup includes Adriano’s son Antonello on keyboards and two other musicians on bass and drums. Tempo Senza Tempo (2009, 60-minutes) is the second and more progressive album for this incarnation of the band. The music is along the lines of a more powerful and dynamic Jon and Vangelis album, only instead of Jon Anderson, think of an Italian Peter Gabriel. Monteduro’s romantic, majestic Italian vocals work better with the lush symphonic synths than Jon Anderson’s, and the music here is fuller, as there are four instrumentalists rather than one. For those who love those romantic Italian vocals in a progressive rock context, from a singer with a great voice, this is really appealing.
Riddle - Tomorrow ($19.99) Riddle are an atypical Italian progressive rock band whose sound comes closest to modern King Crimson, not surprising given Riddle’s guitar player Jacopo Bertacco is a member of The League of Crafty Guitarists. On their self-titled debut CD, originally released in 2005, their music is instrumental and features sophisticated Frippian stylings. This is the remastered 2008 edition, which comes in a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve and adds one bonus track.
Tomorrow (2009) is their second, which adds some vocals in English, though it is still primarily instrumental. The band has expanded to a quintet, and they seem a bit stronger melodically here. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve.
Claudio Rocchi - Pedra Mendalza ($19.99)This 2008 CD contains the music to Claudio Rocchi’s movie of the same name. In addition to Rocchi, the CD features well-known Italian musicians such as Walter Maioli (Aktuala, Futuro Antico) and Paolo Tofani (Area, Electric Frankenstein). Claudio Rocchi was the original bass guitarist of Stormy Six and has had a long and successful solo career that began in 1970 with his first album Viaggio. His music was influenced by eastern culture and psychedelia, and a little of that is present here, though the subject of the movie is ancient Sardinian “power places”. The music is not ambient as one might expect of a soundtrack. There are excellent songs with vocals in English, and in typical Rocchi fashion, the music covers a wide range, all the way from heavy rock to Mediterranean folk to psychedelic instrumentals to classically influenced pieces. It all flows together seamlessly though and is full of Italian charm and Rocchi’s progressive sensibilities. Much of this is as good as his earliest albums. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve, 75-minutes.
Rohmer - Rohmer ($18.99) Rohmer are the continuation of the band Finisterre, who were one of the most important latter-day Italian progressive bands. Bassist Fabio Zuffanti became well known by starting several other progressive bands and projects, and he is on board on this, Rohmer’s 2008 debut. According to the band, Rohmer’s music begins where Finisterre’s 1996 album In Limine left off and “continues its works between tradition and experimentation, mixing prog, ambient, electronic, post-rock, contemporary, minimalism and jazz”. That statement is quite true. This is the ambient rather than the rock side of Finisterre. Drums are used, but the music remains low-key, dreamy and ambient. Some of this is similar to Zuffanti’s LaZona project. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve, 61-minutes.
Cristiano Roversi - The Park ($13.99) The 2003 solo album from Moongarden’s keyboard player is completely different from his debut. It evokes the typical Genesis mood with particular reference to the works of Tony Banks and Anthony Phillips. It is influenced most by Tony Banks circa A Curious Feeling and songs such as Evidence of Autumn and others during that timeframe. But The Park is a symphonic album and is not song-oriented aside from the final track, which is the only one with vocals. Roversi also adds some symphonic electronics ala Vangelis or Michael Stearns. He employs vintage keys: electric piano with that characteristic Banks sound, Mellotron, Polymoog, ARPs, and more. In a way, this is the solo album Tony Banks should have made, rather than trying desperately to have a hit single.
Runaway Totem - Pleroma ($11.99) SALE! SALE!Runaway Totem are one of the more original bands from Italy, in existence since 1988, their music a successful combination of diverse musical elements. The dominant influence is Magma, for obsessive, syncopated rhythms; the strangeness, mystery, and anguish; and distorted, aggressive guitars. Their sound might also be described as gothic for the sacred, religious, and satanic atmospheres. The dark operatic/chanted vocals may be partially inspired by Christian Vander, but they are also steeped in the Italian operatic tradition, and thus Runaway Totem are sometimes comparable to Devil Doll or a darker Deus Ex Machina. Symphonic floating sounds of synths and organ manage to create fascinating, dreamlike atmospheres. Overall, it would be hard for Runaway Totem to be more ponderous and turgid, but that’s part and parcel of this style.
Andromeda (1999) is their third album and consists of five tracks averaging 10-minutes each. Plemora (2005, 69-minutes) is their fifth album and completes the trilogy of Andromeda and Tep Zepi. It narrates the soul’s journey to heaven, its fight against demons and its judgment by God. Nothing less than that. After all the tension and anguish of the first part of this album, it finishes glorious and majestic with the 20-minute I due orizzonti. The soul apparently does all right in the end.
Il Ruscello - Paesaggio Solare (Estate 1972) ($20.99) Il Ruscello is a trio of Italian ex-pats living in London, which is where Paesaggio Solare (2009) was recorded. As the AMS label says, “When we first heard Il Ruscello, we thought we had discovered an unreleased Italian seventies prog record. Only afterwards did we realize it was a band at its debut.” This is a very good recreation of an Italian early-70’s progressive rock album, sung in Italian and capturing the vibe of that era: warm, dreamy, sometimes gentle and pastoral, sometimes up-tempo and energetic. Read the band bio and reviews at Prog Archives. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve.
Sad Minstrel - The Flight of the Phoenix ($15.99)The Flight of the Phoenix is the 2001 debut album by Fabio Casanova, former keyboardist of Malombra. Many of the musical ideas on this album were originally intended for Malombra, but after the split, Casanova shaped them into something quite different. This sounds not at all like a solo project. In fact, it is one of the more purely progressive albums on the Black Widow label, mostly a blend of symphonic prog and folk influences, specifically from Ireland and Occitania (an ancient region now mostly within France). The end result has an enchanted feel, perhaps like Jethro Tull’s folkier material.
Samadhi - Samadhi mini-LP ($19.99)1974 Italian progressive classic. The label’s description: Samadhi were a sort of supergroup, as most of their members came from well-known bands. Samadhi were formed after the split of Raccomandata Ricevuta di Ritorno by singer Regoli and guitarist Civitenga, along with keyboard player Sabatini (from Free Love and Kaleidon), Aldo Bellanova from Teoremi on bass and drummer Ruggero Stefani (L’Uovo di Colombo), plus two other members. The album mixes very good prog influences with some jazz and even pop, the best of the seven tracks being the closing L’ultima spiaggia with its religious text. The beautiful lyrics were written by poet Enrico Lazzareschi. The mini-LP edition comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet.
Scenario - A Fearful Symmetry ($11.99) SALE!2001 release from an Italian progressive metal band with English lyrics and a decent singer. They use a lot of keyboards and are more melodic than your average Dream Theater clone. Recommended to fans of Shadow Gallery, Queensryche, modern Saga.
Tito Schipa Jr. - Orfeo 9 mini-LP (2CD, $23.99) Orfeo 9 was perhaps the first rock opera in Italy, first presented live in 1970, later released as a double-LP in 1972. This double-CD features a heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve, an exact replica of the original LP artwork, and a 28-page booklet that incorporates the original booklet with all lyrics plus bio in both Italian and English. Read the reviews at Prog Archives.
La Seconda Genesi - Tutto Deve Finire ($15.99)This 1972 album was one of the rarest Italian LPs. As with so many Italian 1970’s progressive bands, La Seconda Genesi released one LP and disbanded. The album starts out instrumental, loose and jazzy with sax in the lead. Fortunately that doesn't last long. The sax is replaced by flute, and the music becomes structured with both Hammond organ and guitar featured, plus vocals in Italian. This is the Mellow Records edition.
Semiramis - Dedicato a Frazz mini-LP ($20.99) This 1973 album is one of the top Italian progressive rock albums of all time. This mini-LP edition comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with an 8-page bilingual booklet. Essential.
Sithonia - Hotel Brun ($14.99) 
Sithonia - Spettacolo Annullato ($14.99)Sithonia was one of the best Italian progressive bands of the 1990’s, influenced by Locanda delle Fate, Banco, and Genesis. Spettacolo Annullato is from 1992, Folla de Passaggio (digipack) from 1994, Confine from 1995, Hotel Brun from 1998. Their excellent 1989 debut Lungo il Sentiero di Pietra has yet to be reissued on CD.
La Statale 17 / Emphasis - Rock Scene ($13.99)“These bands from near Bozen are always mentioned together due to their only release, a very rare split album released by a small local label in Alto Adige in 1978. Both played a mainly-instrumental, keyboard-led progressive, though Emphasis had some English vocal parts.” [ItalianProg.com] Read reviews at Prog Archives.
StereoKimono - Prismosfera ($19.99) Prismosfera (2003) is the second album by this instrumental trio from Bologna, released on PFM drummer Franz Di Cioccio’s Immaginifica label. StereoKimono set themselves apart from other Italian progressive bands with a modern sound and a quirky, original style, sometimes close to 1980’s King Crimson but more melodic and symphonic, as they do employ keyboards. They add touches of jazz-rock and space-rock. The last track is a collage that is fun to listen to for the short samples taken from other prog rock albums. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page full-color booklet.
Stormy Six - Al Volo mini-LP ($19.99)
Stormy Six - Un Biglietto del Tram mini-LP ($19.99)Un Biglietto del Tram, the 1975 album by Italy’s RIO band, is not actually in the RIO style. Stormy Six’s sound here is acoustic and lacks the avant-garde aspects of their later work. Un Biglietto del Tram is a unique blend of European folk with rock and progressive elements. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 16-page bilingual booklet.
In contrast, Macchina Maccheronica (1980) is a full-on RIO album, heavily influenced by the more experimental 20th century classical composers. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with two booklets, one 8-page and one 20-page.
Every Stormy Six album is different, and Al Volo (1982) is not avant-garde like the previous album. Al Volo adds elements of arty 1980’s electro-pop to the typical Stormy Six style, ending up in the vicinity of King Crimson of the same timeframe. The mini-LP edition comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Sunscape - same ($15.99) This is one of those Mellow Records releases that deserves far more attention than it has received. This 1999 CD is by an Italian band who play progressive rock that can’t be neatly stuck into the style of any one decade. Some of what they do could have come straight out of the 1970’s, and some of it is traditional Italian symphonic rock. They use a lot of flute and have excellent male and female vocals (in Italian). But a lot of what they do is of a more flowing, atmospheric, spacey style, earning them comparisons to Porcupine Tree, and there are ethnic influences as well. So maybe call this the best synthesis of space rock and accessible psychedelia with Italian symphonic rock. 64-minutes.
Syndone - Spleen ($16.99)“[Syndone] are a trio in the style of ELP, Quatermass, The Trip, Le Orme, and a whole lot more. On Spleen (1992), their music is characterized by shorter songs with a heavy keyboard leaning -- piano in the vein of Festa Mobile or organ a la Alluminogeni or Le Orme. This isn’t superb music (some of the themes verge on pop-styled), but at least it isn’t following the typical neo-prog patterns.” [Exposé]
“Syndone are a trio from Italy who carry on the tradition of ELP with a virtuosic gentleman named Nik Comoglio manning the keyboards. His lead lines and comping bring to mind the heyday of Keith Emerson. This is mixed in with a steady beat and strong bass, all of which combine to fine effect. Vocals are in Italian which, to these ears, is preferable to delivering lyrics in a second language to reach a mass audience. The overall sound is almost unrehearsed, conveying a live energy that adds another dimension to the music. If I had to offer an opinion, I would rate this as one of the better releases of 1992.” “Their sound is a mixture of modern prog, fusion, jazz, and high energy chaos, like Arti E Mestieri in overdrive. Vocals are excellent (in Italian), and the album covers a vast amount of territory in a 3-4 minute short-song format. Recommended.” [Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock]
Tale Cue - Voices Beyond My Curtain ($15.99) Tale Cue were an above-average Italian neo-prog band with a female singer, who released only this one album in 1991. The music is in the Marillion, Arena, and Twelfth Night veins but darker, more mysterious and melancholy. Lyrics in English.
Taproban - Posidonian Fields ($16.99) SALE!Ogni Pensiero Vola is the 2001 debut by an Italian trio consisting of Gianluca De Rossi (keyboards, vocals), Davide Guidoni (drums) and Guglielmo Mariotti (bass, guitars, mandolin, lead vocals). Their music is 1970’s-style progressive rock, about half instrumental and half vocal, with influences of Genesis, Le Orme, and ELP. The vocals on this album are in Italian.
The follow-up Outside Nowhere was recorded in 2003. Alessandro Papotto of Pereferia Del Mondo guests on saxophone. This album is superior to their debut, highlighted by the 19-minute instrumental title track. The vocals on the remaining tracks are split between English and Italian. This is keyboard-dominated symphonic prog similar to Le Orme, Rick Wakeman, Nuova Era, etc.
Posidonian Fields (2006) is their best yet, with improved production. Apart from Greek speech on the opening track, they stick to English lyrics on this one. They show influences of many 70’s symphonic prog bands, both Italian and English, but each track is distinct and no one influence dominates. Furthermore, those influences are less obvious than before, as Taproban have matured and their style has become more original. This band now deserves much greater exposure to the prog rock faithful.
Tenmidnight - Run ($15.99) This is the 2008 second CD for Tenmidnight. The lyrics are split between Italian and English, and likewise this quintet is split between the Italian tradition and the North American one (Kansas, Saga). One track is listed as an homage to Kansas, which would explain why the central riff from Carry On Wayward Son is cloned; another track is an homage to Led Zep. Flute is used in addition to the usual symphonic rock instrumentation. Energetic sympho-prog with AOR flavoring.
Tilion - A.M.I.G.D.A.L.A. ($15.99) Following a 2000 demo, Tilion’s 2003 debut CD Insolitariamente is quality Italian progressive rock sung in Italian, leaning towards the dark side a la Goblin, with a 1970’s sound emphasizing analog keys.
Tilion returned in 2008 with A.M.I.G.D.A.L.A., switching to English lyrics. All the vocals on this album are handled by guests that include Sophya Baccini (Presence), Lino Vairetti (Osanna), and Clive Jones (Black Widow). (Black Widow were an obscure British band who for some reason were big in Italy, sort of like how David Hasselhoff apparently had a singing career in Germany.) Tilion play dark symphonic progressive rock, taking most of their cues from 1970’s progressive rock. They may not be as self-consciously retro as a band such as La Maschera di Cera, but keyboardist Alfia Costa uses only Mellotron, Hammond, Minimoog, piano, Rhodes, and Korg MS-10 (vintage 1978). With the upgrade in vocals, Tilion are now ready for some of the attention given to the other current top Italian progressive bands. Note you can also hear Tilion on Mellow’s Canterbury and King Crimson tribute CDs and the first two volumes of Musea’s The Spaghetti Epic CDs.
Tower - Tales from a Book of Yestermorrow ($16.99)This 1994 progressive rock album is the work of Beppe Crovella (Arti & Mestieri), joined by a drummer and a female singer. Crovella composed all the tracks and plays Hammond organ, piano, Mellotron, and synths.
Trama - Prodromi di Finzioni Sovrapposte ($14.99) It’s probably fair to call Trama the Italian equivalent of Karnataka, even if this 1998 recording predates most of Karnataka’s output. Trama’s singer Annalisa Accorsi has a similar voice to that of Rachel Jones, and the sound and style of the bands are also similar: accessible, melodic, and on the rock side of progressive rock. Trama do have some ties to Italian 1970’s progressive, but it’s blended with a more straightforward style. Trama’s keyboardist is very good and accounts for many of the instrumental highlights. You can hear Trama performing ELP, Camel, and Locanda delle Fate covers on various Mellow Records tribute CDs.
Triade - 1998: La Storia di Sabazio mini-LP ($20.99)Not sure what the concept behind this 1973 album is, other than that 1998 seemed like the distant future when it was made. Another in a long line of one-shot Italian progressive bands, Triade had two composers. One composer dominates side 1 of the LP, which is classically-influenced instrumental prog a la RDM or ELP, while the other composer gets side 2, which has vocals and is more song-oriented, closer to Le Orme. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
The Trip - Time of Change ($16.99)Time of Change (1973) is the fourth and final album for The Trip, here a keys/bass/drums symphonic rock trio in the vein of the Nice and Le Orme. Furio Chirico, perhaps the finest drummer Italy has produced, is the drummer on this album. This album shows stronger classical and jazz influences than their earlier albums. Vocals are in English.
Twenty-Four Hours - Oval Dreams mini-LP ($17.99)Musea says: Twenty-Four Hours is a modern Italian band led by keyboardist-singer Paolo Lippe. The quartet performs music close in spirit to early Porcupine Tree. Their 1999 debut Oval Dreams elegantly and convincingly blends airy guitars with linear rhythm lines and energetic themes. Pink Floyd and Ozric Tentacles can also be mentioned (one track is named Twenty-Four-Pink-Hot-Tentacles). There are two covers that point to other major influences: Van der Graaf Generator’s Darkness (11/11) and The Beatles’ Mother Nature’s Son. The album finishes with The Bastards, a nearly 20-minute suite. This mini-LP edition is the 2009 limited edition released by the MALS label under license from Musea, which comes in a heavyweight cardboard sleeve.
Ubi Maior - Senza Tempo ($18.99) Nostos (2005, 61-minutes) is the debut CD for this talented Milanese quintet and is further evidence that there is more good progressive rock coming out of Italy now than at any time since the early 1970’s. Ubi Maior play in a pure 1970’s Italian symphonic prog style. The keyboardist focuses on Hammond and piano, and the guitarist sticks with a period tone. The Italian vocals are strong and original. There are influences ranging from Biglietto per l’Inferno (Baffo Banfi writes the bilingual liner notes) through to PFM, blended with the band’s own style. The long title suite is a great example of the abilities of the band. The CD also features a beautiful cover of Il Balletto di Bronzo’s La tua casa comoda. Ubi Maior features Gabriele Manzini, former keyboard player for Italian Genesis-soundalikes The Watch. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page booklet.
Senza Tempo (2009, 61-minutes) is Ubi Maior’s second CD. As the label describes it: “It is not a proper concept album, but its major influence is Neil Gaiman’s graphic-novel masterpiece Sandman and one its main characters, The Endless: seven brothers and sisters named Destiny, Death, Dream, Desire, Despair, Destruction and Delirium.” Senza Tempo is again a fantastic album of 1970’s-style Italian progressive rock, tending toward darker atmospheres and echoing Il Balletto di Bronzo, PFM, and many others. The only time Ubi Maior depart from that is when they reference British progressive rock bands directly. There are passages that are closer to Genesis, and a few instances of a more modern guitar tone. Overall the sound of the band is still vintage, heavily based on Hammond organ, Mellotron and piano. A second booklet contains English translations of the lyrics. Digipack.
Universal Totem Orchestra - The Magus ($16.99) Universal Totem Orchestra are an offshoot or side project of the band Runaway Totem (check above), and though the main aspect of UTO’s style is also Zeuhl, UTO are actually better. The Magus (2008) is the long-awaited successor to 1999’s Rituale Alieno. The Magus is 80-minutes long, and even some hard-core Magma fans must get worn out by 80-minutes of Zeuhl music, but UTO blend in quite a bit of more conventional progressive rock and jazz-rock, symphonic sounds, and melodic, beautiful parts, making this a deeply satisfying opus. UTO feature beautiful operatic female lead vocals in Italian, plus six male vocalists doing the Carmina Burana thing. Tri-fold digipack with 24-page booklet. Read reviews at Prog Archives.
Uno - same mini-LP ($19.99)Uno was the band formed by Danilo Rustici and Elio d’Anna after Osanna split up in 1974. They were joined by drummer Enzo Vallicelli and went to London to record this album. The music here is fairly similar to Osanna on Landscape of Life, with vocals in both English and Italian. Uno managed just the one album, after which Rustici and d’Anna formed the jazz-rock band Nova with Danilo’s brother Corrado (from Cervello) and other musicians. This mini-LP edition comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with an 8-page bilingual booklet.
Vedda Tribe - Good Night to the Bucket ($15.99)Vedda Tribe is an Italian trio of keys, guitar, and drums. Someone is playing bass but it is not credited. Their self-titled 1999 debut consists of five long tracks of which only one has vocals, and aside from a little King Crimson influence, the results are quite original. The keyboardist concentrates on classically-influenced piano, while the guitarist plays in a sort of space rock meets fusion style. The music is structured, melodic, inventive, and a bit psychedelic or spacey. The lineup is unchanged on their second CD Good Night to the Bucket (2004), but the music has undergone changes. For one, the keyboardist plays only synths and no piano, and the synth textures are modern-sounding, even industrial at times. The guitarist has added some acoustic guitar, and there are more vocals (in English). The King Crimson influence is more noticeable, and the overall sound is edgier and more aggressive.
Venegoni & Co. - Mosaico ($9.99) SALE! Venegoni & Co. was the band of guitarist Gigi Venegoni after his time in Arti + Mestieri and became one of Italy’s foremost jazz-rock bands. Rumore Rosso (1977) is the CD reissue of the first Venegoni & Co. album, more fusion-oriented than Arti + Mestieri but not far from their style. This edition includes a bonus 8-minute live track and an expanded booklet with new notes by Gigi Venegoni. Mosaico was recorded in 1982 and should have been the third Venegoni & Co. album but was not published until this 2001 CD release, with two bonus tracks added. It is melodic, upbeat jazz-rock from these consummate professionals.
The Watch - Primitive ($14.99) 
The Night Watch - Twilight jewel box ($14.99)Italian band The Watch, formerly The Night Watch, are a clone of Gabriel-era Genesis. Even their singer sounds like Gabriel. It isn’t really necessary to say anything more, though of course The Watch lack the songwriting abilities and melodic sense of Genesis. But they mimic all the sounds and surface details perfectly, so take a little trip back...
Primitive is from 2007, Vacuum from 2004; both are digipacks. Twilight is their 1997 first CD, which was reissued in 2009 in a cardboard sleeve as opposed to the original jewel box version; the former counts as only one-half CD for shipping.
Wicked Minds - Witchflower (CD+PAL DVD, $22.99) Witchflower (2006, 79-minutes) is the third album by this Italian hard progressive quintet singing in English, their second album recorded for the Black Widow label. (The previous CD From the Purple Skies is now deleted.) They blend powerful tracks saturated with Hammond organ in the Deep Purple and Uriah Heep style, with some more progressive compositions employing other vintage keys (Mellotron, analog synths, Rhodes) and flute. Influences of King Crimson, Pink Floyd, and others can be heard in the proggier tracks. The production is excellent. The DVD (PAL, all-region) contains two videoclips, 10 songs performed live, a Making of Witchflower featurette, and seven bonus audio tracks. (The audio tracks can be played on NTSC players with a little work.) This is the jewel case edition. Read the Progressive World review. Note we will not accept returns of this item because the DVD will not play on your NTSC player.
Wyxmer - Feudal Throne ($15.99) 2005 CD on the Black Widow label of progressive hard rock sung in English, roughly in the Uriah Heep vein. From Florence, Wyxmer’s music is in the 1970’s style, though modern keyboards are permitted. For the most part, the keyboards are relegated to playing pads to add symphonic textures to what is otherwise 70’s-style hard rock.
Yleclipse - Trails of Ambergris ($15.99) 
This Italian band from Sardinia began under the name Eclisse with the privately-released Mercury and Sulfurus (2000), sounding close to Genesis and Marillion with a Gabriel-style vocalist singing in both English and Italian. The band then changed their name to the unpronounceable Yleclipse and released Prime Substance (2002, 49-minutes) on the Mellow label. The recording quality here is markedly improved. The style is similar, with the eight tracks evenly divided between English and Italian lyrics. We prefer the Italian-language tracks, which are reminiscent of bands such as Aton’s, who have aspects of both 1970’s Italian prog and neo-prog in their sound, with the lyrical vocals tying the two together.
Yleclipse stick with English lyrics throughout Opus (2006, 59-minutes) and Trails of Ambergris (2008, 75-minutes), and Genesis remains their primary influence. The Watch are the best comparison, but Yleclipse are not the complete Genesis clones that The Watch have been to this point. Both bands have a ways to go before they become the tunesmiths that Genesis are. Sonically Yleclipse are sometimes closer to early Marillion, probably less a direct influence than simply having the the same Genesis starting point and ending up in the same general area. In any event, Yleclipse have polished this style by now, so these CDs are easily recommended to fans of The Watch and Mangala Vallis.
Zaal - La Lama Sottile ($15.99) This 2004 CD is mostly melodic jazz-rock dominated by keyboards and violin, highly-structured. But it also makes forays into symphonic progressive, with some Frippian guitar. Fabio Zuffanti (Finisterre, La Maschera di Cera) plays bass on this album.
Riccardo Zappa - Celestion mini-LP ($19.99)The classic first two albums from a guitarist who might be thought of as the Italian Gordon Giltrap and who is one of the top Italian acoustic guitarists. Celestion is from 1977, Chatka from 1978. Zappa is joined by other musicians on keyboards, bass, and drums on these instrumental CDs. Zappa was innovative, playing an amplified classical guitar using a pickup and applying effects such as tape delay echo. These mini-LP editions come in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 8-page bilingual booklet.
Zaq - same ($15.99)This is the 2002 debut by an Italian quintet (flute, keys, bass, drums, percussion) born from the ashes of Aria Palea, one of the more original of the 1990’s Italian progressive bands, playing instrumental jazz-rock with flute in the lead. It leans more to the jazz side than the rock side, though there are elements of symphonic rock and Italian folk here and there.
Zauber - Phoenix remastered mini-LP ($19.99)The mini-LP is the 2009 edition on AMS, which is limited to 500 hand-numbered copies and comes in a heavyweight gatefold sleeve with 12-page bilingual booklet. Phoenix contains recordings made in 1977, just before the release of Zauber’s acclaimed debut album Il Sogno. The original Phoenix album was carefully remastered for the AMS CD and one bonus track added.
Zauber - Profondo Blu ($13.99)
Zauber are a long-lived Italian symphonic prog band who you can also hear on several of Mellow Records’ tribute CDs. They are from the Italian romantic prog tradition, but are not purely a throwback; witness the Celtic-flavored tune that opens Profondo Blu (2001). Their sound is on the soft side, dominated by keys and flute and often close to Camel. Profondo Blu is Zauber’s sixth album. Here they feature excellent male vocals in Italian, and cover two Frank Zappa songs as well as a bit of ELP’s Tank, Dvorak’s New World Symphony, and a Debussy piece with a long French name that we’re not going to type. (One reviewer who apparently didn’t actually listen to the album stated that the song For Absent Friends is a cover of the Genesis song. It isn’t.)
Il Sogno is the CD reissue of Zauber’s 1978 debut album plus four bonus tracks. Here they are primarily instrumental, with some very nice female lead vocals. The music is dreamy Italian prog dominated by keyboards and flute, roughly in the Genesis and Camel veins. This was their only album for a long time, as their second was not released until 1991. (Their 1990’s albums were mostly older recordings from the 70’s and 80’s.)
Venti / Live is a compilation of live recordings to celebrate Zauber’s 20th anniversary. The recordings are from four different venues, most tracks recorded in 1996 but some in 1994. On most of the tracks, Zauber are augmented by second flute player Dino Pelissero, and on some tracks by a female singer, guitarist Marcello Capra and a percussionist.
Fabio Zuffanti - same ($19.99) This 2009 CD is the first album for Fabio Zuffanti under his own name, as his work in the bands Finisterre, Rohmer, LaZona, Hostsonaten, La Maschera Di Cera, Aries, and Quadraphonic just doesn’t keep him busy enough. You can divide Zuffanti’s output into his classic prog rock work and his modern, mellow, cutting-edge work. His solo CD is of the latter, a mix of electronica, songwriter, post-rock, ambient and dreamy psychedelia. Zuffanti plays a long list of instruments and sings in Italian, and the album remains low-key, slow tempo, and surreal, with an introverted, rainy-day feel. Of his other projects, it comes closest to Rohmer. Heavyweight gatefold mini-LP sleeve with 12-page booklet.
Zarathustra’s Revenge: A Tribute to Italian Progressive Rock of the Seventies (4CD, $49.99)This is Mellow Records’ 1997 4CD boxset of bands from around the world covering 1970’s tracks by Italian progressive rock bands. The list of participating bands and songs covered is quite long but can be found at Prog Archives along with reviews. The four discs are accompanied by a tall 40-page booklet and housed in a hardcover book style case. Counts as 3 CDs for shipping. (Note Mellow does not seal this item. The discs are shipped in sleeves as they would tend to fall off the hubs of the case in transit.)