Celeste: Principe di un giorno (Grog, 1976)

Published in 1976, but actually composed and recorded between 1974 and 1975, "Principe di un giorno" is the first album by Sanremese band Celeste and one of the finest of the spaghetti-prog era.
The mood is prevailingly soft, fairytalesque and slightly melancholic. It certainly reminds of La Locanda delle Fate, early Pierrot Lunaire and the gentler episodes of the first King Crimson LPs.
Acoustic guitars, mellotron and so much as two flutes dominate the sound, which is occasionally enriched by saxophone, violin and very delicate cymbal touches. The synthentetizer plays apparently a secondary role (just a few melodic themes in the background, here and there) but in fact is very important to create a dreamlike, sometimes grandiose atmosphere.
Not to mention the more experimental episodes, where the synthetizer is loaded by effects, the winds shift to a non-jazzy chamberlike style and the overall sound comes quite close to Picchio dal Pozzo.

The arrangements are elegant and balanced, the melodies weightless and memorable. The album has the power to charme and entangle the listener: it won't easily be left aside.


Tracklist:

1. Principe di un giorno
2. Favole antiche
3. Eftus
4. Giochi nella notte
5. La grande isola
6. La danza del fato
7. L'imbroglio

Download (192 kbps)