Volo Magico N. 1 by the great Claudio Rocchi, an album released in 1971, one of the leading figures of Italian Progressive Rock, in particular Psychedelic Rock and Italian singer-songwriter music in general, and we find all of this in the same album, this one.
Young bassist with Stormy Six, he soon embarked on a solo career in 1969 with the record "Viaggio", featuring songs already of a high compositional and poetic level, and he outdoes himself in 1971 with, precisely, Volo magico n. 1, in my opinion his best album, with an excellent group of musicians among whom, on electric guitar, a very young Alberto Camerini.
Just over 36 minutes, 4 tracks including a suite of more than 18 minutes.
- Il Volo Magico N. 1, the title track, is a huge and perfectly successful work. We find splendid tablas and percussion, a hypnotic crescendo and a repetitive chorus, fantastic rock explosions and a decidedly prog piano. The guitars are very beautiful too.
- La Realtà non Esiste is closer to the sound of the debut album, just piano and voice, a piece with a wonderful text and which, besides being a beautiful oxymoron, is also his manifesto track.
Beautiful the passage:
"When you think you are creating something
The illusion is to call it illusion
When you ask you need to give
When you have given you have realized love"
- Giusto Amore is a beautiful track with great improvisations and an atmosphere at times Hare Krishna. It starts with a beautiful guitar-and-voice figure and at some moments it reminds me of the moods of certain Gaber monologues thanks to the splendid interaction between voice and music, then the piano and the other instruments join in, a beautiful, very articulated piece.
- Tutto Quello Che Ho Da Dire, a wonderful piece, piano and voice, of unmatched sweetness and lightness, a track that closes the album with a beautiful text that I quote in full
"You make it so dawn can find you like this
You make it so the sun can reach you
On you, here, who are sleeping
You make it so the air can play with you
You make it so loving can always be a joy
For you, here, who are sleeping
Let fly whoever you see above you
Let them go to find you higher up
You here, you here, you are singing now"
A gem of Italian progressive rock and of Italian music in general, an absolutely top-rank album.
Classical piano, a great mellotron, splendid percussion, a splendid voice and great compositions but above all beautiful lyrics, the kind that represent an era of music, society and Italian culture during which people questioned fundamental themes, the subjectivity of reality, and even love was put into question, changing its shape and, from a private matter, becoming a social issue.
Beautiful and highly recommended to all lovers of great Italian singer-songwriter music, because here there is prog, but not only.
Tracks
1. Volo Magico N. 1 (18:31)
2. La realta' non esiste (2:33)
3. Giusto amore (11:10)
4. Tutto quello che ho da dire (4:05)
Duration 36:19
Line-Up
- Claudio Rocchi - guitars, vocals, piano (4)
- Eugenio Pezza - keyboards, piano, Mellotron
- Alberto Camerini - guitars (1,3)
- Ricky Belloni - guitars (1,3)
- Eno Bruce - guitars, bass, harmonica (1,3)
- Lorenzo Vassallo - drums (1,3)
- Donatella Badi - vocals (1)
- Gigi Belloni - vocals (1)
- Michel Kanah - vocals (1)
- G. F. Lombardi - vocals (1)
