Collage 1971

"1971, are the year in where very many groups formed, the great majority very good, another ones not as much, but what there is no doubt, is that all almost had a quality that to the day of today would be simply enviable, the quality, execution, sense of the harmony and notion of which it was being created, he was something that hardly will be repeated in the history of contemporary music, and please understanding like contemporary music the one that includes all century XX and what we took of the XXI, if we spoke of old music, will be then of Century III A.D. until the last years of Century XII, and thus it is followed, but I do not want to crush with definitions or periods of the music, that in this review do not take place, we are then going to analyze what Le ORME offered to us in that year. Collage, is one of the most interesting discs and more energetic, than this Italian grouping has recorded and I dare to say that of all its discography until the present time. This work of art that offered to us Le ORME is of its better discs and I dare to affirm from my own perspective that is the best disc of this great band, with very algid moments and minimum errors and mainly, that coming to record discs of psychedelic pop cut, change their perspective and they adapt it to the times of the best time of the Progressive rock, and they assimilate it really fast, this Magnus opus contains the best songs than they have recorded like for example “Collagé, “Cemento Armato”, “Sguardo Verse il cielo”, “ Morte di un fiore”, and that they became instantaneously in classics live tracks, still psychedelic influences notice, jazz appearances also, but rock in a very fine form, but there is no doubt that we are in front of a musical document of first level on the part of Le ORME, and authenticate monument of Progressive music, combining, all the accumulated slopes by these musicians, throughout years 1966- 1970, and without a doubt opening to passage from the country of the boot like Progressive power forehead to the world.

It is a disc very different from which they would do later and I include here all the discography from Uomo Di Pezza in ahead, very many creativity, single lengths of keyboard part of PAGLIUCA, great melodic lines on the part of under TAGLAPIETRA, (in fact Aldo shows to us here that great use of the overdrive pedal bass does the delight to us with a little of its notes distorted through the effect) and of course could not lack the great drumming of Michi that does the delight to us of the lovers of I generate, is no doubt which pair TAGLIAPIETRA/PAGLIUCA are composers of surprising fecundity, the sample is this work in his totality.

Also this album is listened to live engraving and in short whiles also very crude the sound, when recording this first disc, for the Phillips company and is no doubt that occurred all facilities to Le ORME so that they could create to the his wide and truth note to first instance, when changing the sound that brought in the last years of 60's to 1971, is an almost quantum advance, really few groups have made that gigantic musical step and with effective results, single the great ones have done it and for that reason always it is necessary to consider that Le ORME in that famous first division of Italian Progressive rock. It is necessary to make notice that the group was reduced to a trio made up of Aldo TAGLIAPIETRA (voice, bass, acoustic guitar), Antonio PAGLIUCA (Hammond Organ, electrical, Generator Piano) and Michi DEI ROSSI (Drums, percussions), and that other elements of Le ORME Claudius GALIETI and Nino SMERALDI no longer are, reason why they create a formation in style to THE NICE, QUATERMASS or EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER, with great prominence in the PAGLIUCA keyboards, and the result is this disc, who are characterized by the audacious writing and the precious style and the freshness of a new sound, aggressive and with great elements of very evident polyphonic refinement in most of the musical pieces.

Completion is necessary to indicate that Le ORME is one of the historical groups in Italy and there is no doubt that when knowing what happened in the scope of the Progressive rock in other countries, mainly England, and combining that Anglo-Saxon influence, with the freshness characteristic of the towns near the Mediterranean created a style that many Italian groups later followed, aside from which went ahead a year in release this disc, net Progressive, to groups of the stature of PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI and BANCO, sharing the honors with NEW TROLLS that in that year offered his to us the great Concertto Grosso n°1. and that also is considered one of fundamental discs of the Italian Progressive rock and others as DELIRIUM and their exquisite work Dolce Aqua or FORMULA 3 with its idem disc that is an also fundamental work.

This magnificent album opens with “Collagé”, a series of skillful notes to more pure style of great composer Italian, Domenico SCARLATTI and which PAGLIUCA with their Hammond recreates and demonstrates so that he is one of the best pianist of Italy with rhythmic rates, melodic fresh and with a refinement, own brightness and elegance of the group, great work of Michi in the drums and Aldo accompanying in the bass guitar and maintaining to the structure of the song a orquestal structure to the purest classic style, pseudo baroque motives and a end that seems accompanied by a small orchestra and that I suppose makes Tony with its keyboards, definitively a piece with much force and live favorite for many (I including).

“Era Inverno” Another one of the favorite songs by the great majority of followers of Le ORME and without a doubt the song that introduces us to the “leormenian” sound that crystallized in the masterpieces Uomo I gave Pezza and Felona and Sorona, here Aldo shows to us so that one of the best singers of the Italian Progressive rock is considered and of the world! Great work on the part of PAGLIUCA in the keyboards, giving sparks to melodies that it is maintained by simple but sublime arpeggio on the part of TAGLIAPIETRA in the guitar, very good jam in the middle of the song, with Michi developing polyphonic rates and practically touching all his drum kit, at the same time that PAGLIUCA develops a series of melodies which they go on a par with the rate that imposes the percussions, whereas arpeggios of Aldo is transformed at heart into a rhythmic, dramatic and melancholic rate located of the musical piece, very good letters on the part of the group, and in the end a dissonant rate but cash, without a doubt this song dominates to the listener with its direct and frank language. “Cemento Armato”. The song which I consider basic and the best one of the disc, is true ode to the keyboard and other time PAGLIUCA demonstrates as they are due to touch the Hammond organ, this work emphasizes by its animated style and the diversity of its rates, the form as TAGLIAPIETRA mainly demonstrates that she is an incomparable bass player, in the form to play bass guitar in the very similar one to those English protoprogressives groups like MAY BLITZ, TONTON MACOUTE or THE RUNNING MAN and if Le ORME had followed this vein musical, that a more aggressive in its form knows that it had happened, perhaps to a less symphonic group. Here also it is possible to mention the work of Michi in the drums, where it allows him to interact with the keyboard of Tony to create a climax of great musical levels, dark and enigmatic but at the same time aggressive and it also sublimates the letter is one of the best ones than the group wrote and it speaks to us on the aggressiveness that is lived in the great large cities; also PAGLIUCA obtains a balance with the chromatist and the contrapuntist science that finery does, in the keyboards and the piano, without a doubt this is a musical piece of inexhaustible force, and definitively the best of Le ORME. Excellent.

“Sguardo verse il cielo” Another one of the songs that are of the best thing in this album (and as no? If it is a masterpiece), on the part of Le ORME, also favorite from the first concerts, this group and with a rhythmic rate and notes very either executed in the interaction between very good in the duet PAGLIUCA/TAGLAPIETRA, and of top form very good written, this kind of music is, joyful and accessible for all and arrives at the greatness by simplicity and the rate from the musical piece, remarkable work in the Hammond organ distorted and the bass playing with much force, the drums, like always with much rythmical power and, also or towards the end of the song the appearance of an acoustic guitar, recreating an autumnal landscape and poetic on the part of the group, definitively a enlighten of musical poetry! And the Phatos of very present music, I authenticate leormenian hymn.

“Evasione totalé” One melody for the standards of Le ORME nevertheless, demonstrates the range of options that tapeworm the group as opposed to if to know that direction would go to take, this he is one melody very enigmatic, dark, space and with a touch of progressive jazz, very near PINK FLOYD circa To Saurcerful of Secrets, or some groups of Krautrock of those years, is listened to clearly as they happen of the madrigal of space penumbra to the descriptive virtuosity, nevertheless the interest of the piece is based on the rate and I engage in a dialog between the bass and the drums with the keyboards of Tony, a song experimental and in short whiles severely full of harmonic findings of strong color, without a doubt it reflects the atmosphere of. It planted that it is a complaint piece, funeral in its shade, but also as if it described a cosmic desert, without a doubt is a rare polyphonic exercise and perhaps as it says his to it I title a total evasion.

“Immaginí” Definitively the more loose song of all the disc, with much marked influence of its psychedelic years and reminiscence of that pair of first discs where they touched more psychedelic rock, than progressive, the TAGLAPIETRA voice is sung here with a little distortion, the PAGLIUCA keyboards are following the voice of the bass, with brief note intervals touched with much force, thanks to the effect of the generator that PAGLIUCA touches here, but of it does not have much relevance there, a song that in short whiles sounds like outtake of Ad Gloriam that is its first disc, being able to be relegated and/or to be replaced with another one piece musical comedy, in aim a low point in this masterpiece but that altogether does not affect much.

Another one of hymns of Le ORME, “Morte di un fioré” in the version of the disc In Concert, at the end of Collage, listening that put this song or they are beginning it to touch, reason why was the first time that listens to it, excellent closing of album and a very evocative song, thanks to the great voice of TAGLIAPIETRA, and that in his under uses a little the effect again overdrive, so that it is listened to with power and cadence, new harmonies and a searched carefully chromatist, create a climax very characteristic of which later Le ORME will do in the next three discs, but with a fine writing but and a symphonic style but, with rate, hard cheer and to a definitively progressive style and PAGLIUCA already offering us more dose of Hammond keyboard to classic style (SCARLATTI is pronounced again), and in the end being listened to what they seem a brass section, nevertheless I believe that it is the effect of the electrical piano of Tony. the drumming like all the album maintaining that poly fine rate on the part of Michi. There is no doubt that this album must be considered one of the maximum works that have become on the Progressive rock in Italy and the world, I consider it as it leaves from the disc trilogy better of Le ORME and to side with Uomo I gave Pezza and Felona and Sorona, definitively is a disc that does not have to lack in the collection of that boasts connoisseur of the Progressive rock. The elegance, the simplicity of the counterpoint and the purity of melodies are united is this work to a deep mystical and enigmatic feeling to all lights perfect that give that universal character."