Darwin!, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso's second album, released in 1972 and reissued here in 2021, is an absolute masterpiece of Italian progressive rock.
A tribute to biologist Charles Darwin, this concept album explores the evolution of life on Earth. Using guitar, synthesizers, organ, and piano, it musically describes the prehistoric world, from dinosaur dances to tribal dances.
A sound dominated by complex arrangements with splendid synthesizer sounds coexisting with traditional instruments like piano, harpsichord, oboe, and clarinet, in a fusion of hard rock, splendid organ parts, symphonic moments, and jazz with frequent rhythmic shifts.
Francesco Di Giacomo's voice is powerful, almost operatic, and highly interpretative, extraordinary.
Seven interconnected songs, yet beautiful even individually, a splendid work on the keyboards of the Nocenzi brothers and on the guitar of Marcello Todaro.
- "L'Evoluzione" opens the album, an epic track that, clocking in at approximately 14 minutes, is one of the album's top tracks, featuring fantastic keyboards. It's extraordinary.
- "La conquista della posizione eretta" (The Conquest of the Standing Position), with splendid keyboards that blend rock and classical sounds.
- "Danza dei grandi rettili" (Dance of the Great Reptiles) is a beautiful instrumental with a jazzy vibe, featuring great piano, bass, and synth parts.
- "Cento mani e cento occhi" (One Hundred Hands and One Hundred Eyes), a captivating song with beautiful, unusual keyboards and a tribal ritual chant at the end, set to a driving rhythm. Beautiful.
- “750.000 anni fa... l'amore?” (750,000 Years Ago... Love?) is the album's masterpiece, a splendid, deeply moving ballad with great vocals and piano.
- "Miserere alla storia" (Miserere to History) is an energetic and at times disturbing instrumental, with distorted vocals.
- “Ed ora io domando tempo al tempo ed egli mi risponde... non ne ho! ” (And Now I Ask Time for Time, and It Answers... I Have None!) The album closes lightly, with a beautiful bass, a grand finale.
The beautiful cover by Cesare Montalbetti depicts an onion-shaped clock, a now iconic cover.
A fantastic album, a milestone with its unique vision of prog that distanced itself from the influences of international prog as early as 1972.
A unique, unrepeatable, and unrivaled album.
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page.
Tracklist
1. L'Evoluzione (13:59)
2. La Conquista Della Posizione Eretta (8:42)
3. Danza Dei Grandi Rettili (3:42)
4. Cento Mani E Cento Occhi (5:22)
5. 750,000 Anni Fa ... L'Amore? (5:38)
6. Miserere Alla Storia (5:58)
7. Ed Ora Io Domando Tempo Al Tempo Ed Egli Mi Risponde ... Non Ne Ho! (3:29)
Duration 46:50
LineUp
- Francesco Di Giacomo - lead vocals
- Marcello Todaro - electric and acoustic guitars
- Vittorio Nocenzi - Hammond organ, Moog synthesizers, harpsichord, vocals
- Gianni Nocenzi - piano, E-flat clarinet
- Renato D'Angelo - bass, double bass
- Pier Luigi Calderoni - drums, timpani
