TODAY'S ALBUM: No.5 (30th October 2011)

'Per Un Amico' 

by PFM
(1972)

Standing for Premiata Forneria Marconi(translation: Award-Winning Marconi Bakery) PFM were one of the leading lights of the incredibly fertile Italian progressive rock scene that developed during the early part of the 1970's. After Great Britain it was Italy that housed the next largest prog scene of the era thanks in no small part to the impact made by British outfit Van Der Graaf Generator and their extraordinarily-successful 1971 album 'Pawn Hearts', an album which spent 12 weeks at the pinnacle of the Italian pop charts and subsequently influenced a generation of budding young Italian groups who were uninterested in pursuing a standard 'pop' career. 
The PFM story would start in the late-sixties and in particular with the Italian pop outfit I Quelli, a group formed by various session and back-up musicians who had tired of playing the simplistic material of Italian pop stars such as Fabrizio De Andre and Adriano Celentano. I Quelli officially began in 1968, featuring Franco Mussida(guitar, vocals), Flavio Premoli(keyboards, vocals), Giorgio Piazza(bass) and Franz Di Cioccio(drums). By 1970 however the Italian musical landscape, much like the one in Great Britain and the USA, was shifting rapidly and after just one rather lightweight self-titled pop-psych flavoured album and a minor single I Quelli joined forces with Mauro Pagani(flute, vocals, violin) a multi-instrumentalist who had been with the Italian rock group Dalton. Pagani's influence would see the group expand their sound to include a host of new instruments and within months of his arrival I Quelli had morphed into PFM. The group's early shows under their new name would mix original compositions with cover versions of material by the likes of King Crimson and Jethro Tull, demonstrating the considerable musical talents of each member and the group's willingness to mix differing styles. Their first big success would follow a year later when, alongside fellow Italian prog-rock outfit Osanna, PFM won the semi-prestigious D'Avanguardia e Nuove Tendenze Festival(The Festival Of Classical Music & New Trends) which in turn brought them to the attention of the Italian division of RCA Records. RCA quickly signed the group to their Numero Uno imprint and a synthesizer-led single, 'Impressioni Di Settembre'('Of September') was issued to both critical and commercial acclaim, garnering the young group yet more plaudits. The next logical step for PFM was an album and 1972 saw the release of their debut LP 'Storia Di Un Minuto', which was also released on the Numero Uno label. The first ever Rock album by an Italian group to reach the number one spot on the national album charts, 'Storia Di Un Minuto'('Story Of A Minute') was a breakthrough success and gave PFM  a national profile that would soon stretch across Europe.
Featuring a more sophisticated 16-track production and also released in 1972 'Per Un Amico'('To A Friend') would follow hot-on-the-heels of it's predecessor and once again reach the pinnacle of the Italian charts. The album featured a plethora of different instruments and in particular made use of the emerging Mellotron device which would add a glowing warmth to their complex sound. Tracks such as 'Appena Un Po'('Just A Little'), the speedy and intricate 'Generale!' and the gorgeous title-track would benefit hugely from both the improved production facilities and the addition of violins, various keyboards, flutes and acoustic guitars, expanding the lush PFM sound into almost orchestral territory whilst simulteneously creating their own highly-original and emotive brand of progressive music that was obviously influenced by their musical colleagues in England yet also sounded utterly original. The strong folk and classical influences are also evident throughout 'Per Un Amico', whilst a striking experimental undercurrent would also make itself heard on the album's longest piece 'Geranio'. 
Whilst the progressive rock of England was anchored in the blues, rock and jazz genre's that had proved so popular a decade-or-so earlier, the progressive rock of 1970's Italy was wonderfully different and diverse affair that would easily rival their colleagues across the continent. Even though the lyrics were in Italian the strength of the actual music was so much that PFM would find an audience outside of their homeland anyway, impressing audiences in France, Germany, England and even America. The success of their first three albums would lead to a deal with Manticore Records, a label owned by British group Emerson Lake & Palmer, and the group would enjoy a brief period of success in the United States, staging a series of concerts in both New York and Los Angeles and also touring Britain. Their mid-to-late-seventies English language albums, which were co-written by King Crimson-lyricist Pete Sinfield, would also showcase the trademark PFM soundscapes - lush keyboards, Italian folk touches, intricate instrumentation and glistening harmonies - though by the end of the decade the groups international fortunes had changed along with much of their line-up. However, with 'Per Un Amico' PFM created not only one of the great Italian progressive rock albums, but one of the great Progressive Rock albums of all time. Alive with numerous ideas and brimming with an emotive and instrumental warmth not apparent on the more technologically-assured albums of the English and American set, this is truly beautiful music from seriously talented musicians.


Key songs: Appena Un Po, Generale!, Per Un Amico