Customer Reviews

Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso gets a whole lot of hype in the Italian prog community. I had bought Di Terra and Come In Un'Ultima Cena, and while I thought those were good, worthwhile albums, I hardly call them the greatest the Italian scene had to offer. Of course I had to try one of their first three releases, so I bought their self-entitled 1972 debut. Already Francesco di Giacomo's voice is instantly recognizable, and their classically-influenced sound is fully intact. The album starts off with "In Volo" which is a real cool medival influenced piece complete with recorder and spoken dialog. The next cut, "R.I.P." is one of their most popular cuts, but for me I prefer their 1975 English-language remake called "Outside" from the album simply called "Banco" as it has a stronger melody and more powerful than the original. The original isn't bad, of course. There's a little interlude on the harpsichord before coming to "Metamorfosi" which demonstates the keyboard abilities of the Nocenzi brothers. Then there's the wonderful 18 minute long suite "Il Giardino del Mago" which starts off calm, showing off Di Giacomo's vocal talents before picking up pace with organ works that remind me a bit of ELP, before calming down for several minutes, then picking up again, well you get the picture. Then the album closes with "Traccia" which features a real cool "La la" chorus in a uniquely Italian fashion. This album will require a few listens but trust me, this album is truly one of the Italian greats, which means if you already have albums like Museo Rosenbach's Zarathustra, Osanna's Palepoli, Il Balletto di Bronzo's YS, Semiramis' Dedicato A Frazz, Corte dei Miracoli's self-entitled 1976 album or Locanda Delle Fate's Forse Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Più, this album is right up your alley!

Different, unique, lovely, intense and strange are some of the words to describe this group on their first Album. If you enjoy intense melodies and excellent keyboards(piano, synthezicers, moogs, etc) this is for you. And if you do like them, there's some more on their next three recordings Darwin, Io sono nato libero and Come in un'ultima cena which are all great in composition and unique taste. All deserve a 4 star minimum.

Banco would not fully develop their sound until their masterpiece Come in Un'ultima Cena. On that recording their sense of composition and melody is nothing short of brilliant. Here they are just beginning to put their sound together. As a result they can come across as trying a bit too hard. Where they are clearly exceptional musicians the efforts on this disc seem to lean toward overplaying (showing off their chops)rather than using their considerable skill to fully develop and present their compositions. There is a wee bit too much of the entire band playing identical lines of musical progression at a frantic pace. This is a more primitive beginning not unlike Le Orme's Collage. They would slow down and mature in subsequent recordings. Still, there are some fine moments here and it is worth adding to the prog collection...Simon

prog rock, in general, is quite a dramatic form of music. the genre tends to embrace a theaterical approach to the ragged canvas of rock music and requires a virtuosic level of playing ability from it's band members. throught it's conception, there have been some heralded names in the prog rock circuit whose greatness cannot be denied....some obvious examples are King Crimson, Yes, ELP. but my favorite prog bands are those from Italy. there'sd just something about the Italian's brand of prog rock that appeals to me in a great way. i think it has something to do with the language. the Italiano accent just sounds like a perfect match with the melodramatic feeling of the songs and the twisted , complex melodies that stream forth. the Italians also seem to have a special place for discordanance within their songs; and (when done right) it's impact can be overwhelming.

Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso is probably my absolute favorite Italian prog rock band. and their 1st three records are all a joy to discover. this self-titled album has alot of cool surprises and interesting twists and turns. there are are moments of fuzzy guitar-driven overdrive rock and roll, as well as hyper keyboard passages (that are full of that distinctly Italian discordance), and some beautiful vocal harmonies that add a superior mysterious touch to all of these songs.

since this is an early work by this band, their songs on here are a little ragged, but only in comparison to their great albums Darwin! and Io Sono Nato Libero; both of which, deserves the highest praise. my advice is to begin with those 2 fine albums, then move on to this excellent record.

There's few bands which had such promising beginnings and the fulfilled all their promises. While the recording of this first LP is sometime far from perfect, here are some of their best songs: Requiescat in pacem, Metamorfosi, Il giardino del mago. If you're not scared by plenty of keayboards, baroque melodies, and sophisticated harmonies, this is for you. It may be a good beginning for those who wish to get acquainted with Italian prog-rock. Here Francesco Di Giacomo's voice is already at its best. This LP can't be given 5 stars only because then B.M.S. recorded Darwin, Io sono nato libero, and Come in un'ultima cena. But this CD should be awarded 5 stars and those three should get 5 'n 1/2!

BMS is one of the three top italian prog groups of all time (PFM and Le Orme being the other two). This first record is a show of magic, music that is able to carry your awareness into different worlds, along with poetic lyrics that will inspire the sensible listener. Take Il Giardino del Mago, for example:

"Forse la sera non verrá a uccidermi ancora, ha avuto pietá, solo ora"

"Maybe the the night will not come, to kill me again, only now it pitied me".

Other BMS records are also excellent (Di terra, Darwin, etc.), but this one is unique.

This was the first Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (Banco) album I ever listened to and it absolutely knocked my socks off. This is a fully developed album of progressive rock that features incredible ensemble work, individual virtuosity, excellent melodies/harmonies, and the remarkable vocals of operatically trained singer Francesco Di Giacomo. Although some folks may find his vocal style a bit over the top, I absolutely love it - in fact, I could not imagine Banco without his voice.

Central to the Banco instrumental sound on this album is the dual keyboard work of the Nocenzi brothers Vittorio (Hammond organ) and Gianni (acoustic piano). These guys are simply superb, and are supported by the equally excellent bassist Renato D'Angelo, drummer Pier Luigi Calderoni, and acoustic/electric guitarist Marcello Todaro. The pieces range from the somewhat silly 1'18" harpsichord piece Passaggio (over which the player hums) to the 18'28" epic prog masterpiece Il Giardino del Mago (Garden of the Wizard?). Other excellent pieces include the 6'42" R.I.P. and the incredible 10'52" Metamorfosi.

I personally regard Banco as the finest band to emerge out of the Italian scene (along with PFM of course) and this debut is simply stunning. Very highly recommended along with Darwin! (1972), Io sono nato libero (1973), and Banco (1975).

This debut album from Italian progressive rockers Banco is a bit rough around the edges, but definitely shows why these guys would go on to become one of the top prog bands from their country. For a bunch of really young guys at the time, the band were already fully engaged, writing full realized compositions that would rival many of their peers. Especially evident are the fantastic keyboards of the Nocenzi brothers and the operatic vocals of Francessco Di Giacomo. This is a great debut and is certainly worth of any Banco fan's collection.

Sometimes Gentle Giant and Yes are mentioned as possible influences, but it shows very little on this album if at all.