L'isola di niente by Premiata Forneria Marconi

L'isola di niente by the legendary  Premiata Forneria Marconi, released in 1974, is here in a beautiful limited-edition 2022 reissue on 180g vinyl.

Instrumental virtuosity and great creativity give the band an international dimension, a work of great quality and complexity with a solid rhythmic foundation and exceptional technical prowess in every song.

The album contains five tracks composed primarily by Mussida, Premoli, and Pagani, with the participation of the great  Peter Sinfield for the English-language pieces.

Terry Gough's cover depicts the island of the title, symbolizing the band's departure from any model to find their own. "Niente" stands for "nothing already heard," "nothing related to other groups," "no hypocrisy."

The album opens with a choir from Milan's Accademia Paolina, then unfolds a prog sound of rare beauty that, in my opinion, culminates in the highly complex piece "Via Lumière," with plenty of room for virtuosity. Slow and compelling moments alternate, and the keyboards are majestic.

An album considered by many to be less spontaneous than its predecessors, in a negative sense. I believe that anything born from intention, study, or aesthetic research has enormous value, because without change there is never evolution. To those who say there are more or less explicit references to  King Crimson or the Mahavishnu Orchestra, I reply that if the greats didn't influence their time and the future, they wouldn't be great at all. This concept, I believe, is not far from the message "Only in the gardens of minds sits the time to come" found in the beautiful title track.

For me, an indispensable masterpiece.

Tracklist

1. L'Isola di Niente (10:42)
2. Is My Face On Straight (6:38)
3. La Luna Nuova (6:21)
4. Dolcissima Maria (4:01)
5. Via Lumiere (7:21)

Duration 35:29

LineUp

- Franco Mussida - guitars, lead vocals
- Flavio Premoli - keyboards, lead vocals
- Mauro Pagani - violin, flute, vocals
- Jan Patrick Djivas - bass, vocals
- Franz Di Cioccio - drums, percussion, vocals

With:
- Accademia Paolina Da Milano - choir
- Claudio Fabi - choir director, co-arranger, and co-producer

Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page