BTF NEWSLETTER >> 19th february 2010

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PROGRESSIVE   NEW The group was formed by four German musicians living in northern Italy, near Varese (three of them had grown up there, Thurn-Mithoff arrived in 1968), along with two italians, keyboardist Nicola Pankoff (originating from Arona) and bassist Mauro Rattaggi. The initial name was The Joice, but it was changed by mistake by their record company to Yoice, and it was with this name that their first single was released by the small Produzioni Ventotto label, distributed by Messaggerie Musicali.In 1972, when Rattaggi quit and rhythm guitarist Schoene switched to bass, the group changed its name to Analogy, and had the chance to play some very important concerts like Caracalla Pop Festival in Rome (first concert with the new name) or the Be-In in Naples, though they remained totally unknown outside Italy, apart from Switzerland. Their only album, very rare and interesting, shows some rock-blues influences, with the nice voice of singer Jutta Nienhaus in strong evidence, and had a distinctive cover with the group members all naked. In 1973 keyboardist Nicola Pankoff left the group, though he kept playing and also dedicating to painting, he was replaced by flutist Rocco Abate. The group split around 1974, after more than 250 concerts in Italy and around 60 in Switzerland. Jutta Taylor-Nienhaus and Martin Thurn-Mithoff collaborated with Franco Battiato on his Sulle corde di Aries 1973 album, with the musician/composer Paolo Ciarchi and also with director/actor Dario Fo's Collettivo Teatrale La Comune in 1974 (they appear on a cassette called Cammina, cammina). These two musicians then moved to England, where they formed a new band called Earthbound in 1975. The original group split in 1977 and soon reformed with new musicians, only releasing a rare EP, with a style not far from Curved Air but even some influences from the then popular new-wave. It's odd to notice that Nienhaus and Thurn introduced themselves in the press information sheets as past members of the "Italian group Analogy". During their career Earthbound also played some dates in Northern Italy, and split at the end of 1979. The same two musicians recorded in 1980 in London an ambitious symphonic-influenced opera, The suite, which had been composed and played live since 1974, but this was only released for the first time in 1993, again under the old name Analogy. A new CD, released in 1996 by the German Ohrwaschl label but recorded in Italy, includes reworkings of old songs by a line-up including the above duo of Nienhaus and Thurn and original bassist Rattaggi with other musicians. The album was intended as a homage to drummer Mops Nienhaus, passed away some years before. The only live appearance after these recordings was in 2003 when Analogy (Jutta Taylor-Nienhaus, Martin Thurn-Mithoff, Mauro Rattaggi and Geoff Cooper, second drummer of Earthbound) played God�s Own Land in a club near Saarbr�cken for Jutta's 50th birthday. It was the first concert ever by Analogy in Germany! Analogy is a very rare and expensive album, pressed in around 1000 copies, some of which had a promotional stamp on label. It had a delicate single cover made of thin cardboard, and some copies were wrapped in a giant poster with a foot (pictured also on the back cover, this was in fact an ashtray!), folded in six parts, to hide the naked bodies. The original picture used for the LP had the six members of Yoice, but at the time of its release Mauro Rattaggi has left the group, so he was hidden under a blue stripe printed on the cover. The Akarma reissue has a retouched picture of the five Analogy members without the blue stripe which has been added to the record like the Japanese albums' obi's. The album was reissued for the first time in Germany by Ohrwaschl, with a cover identical to the original and a different poster (with the five musicians naked), and later by Akarma, with a reworked gatefold cover. The CD reissue by Garden of Delights issued in 2001 contains an unreleased extra track, Milan on a sunday morning. The CD The suite was issued in Germany in 1993 by Ohrwaschl, and later in 10-inch form by Akarma in 2000 with a different cover design. Even the single by Yoice is rare. The track Sold out also appears on a promo single backed with a song by Terza Classe. The song God's own land also appears on a promotional single, but under the name Eternity, on the other side the German group Ihre Kinder. Eternity was the name of the old band of Wolfgang Schoene, and was chosen by the record company for this promo single. The Earthbound single is rather rare, having been issued in 2000 copies each for both the 7-inch and 12-inch versions, the latter has an extra track. The 12" version has a laminated cover and an insert. Singer Jutta Nienhaus also appears on a 1971 single issued on the Cooper label (CPI 7008) by Jutta & Ice, containing Here's to you and Hot love also issued in a juke box version with blank cover. This exclusive deluxe - limited to 500 copies - boxset features ALL songs recorded by Analogy-Earthbound over the last 40 years, including lots of material never issued on cd, and even some completely unreleased tracks. 38 tracks! The box includes a huge book with many unreleased picture and an extensive band history in English, German and Italian. All vintage songs have been carefully remasterd. A must have for psych-prog freaks!!! Questo elegante cofanetto in edizione limitata contiene la summa della produzione edita e inedita di Analogy ed Earthbound, forse il primo fenomeno musicale Europeo per dimensione, artisti partecipanti e culture che vi si fusero. In un elegante box-set trovano spazio: - 3 CD con 3 ore e un quarto di musica restaurata o rimasterizzata con cura. - Un booklet di 24 pagine a colori con fotografie inedite e informazioni di prima mano, con testi in italiano, inglese e tedesco. - Un mini-book di 12 pagine con la riproduzione di tutte le copertine del gruppo. Analogy: oltre a tutto quanto già pubblicato, troverete due brani finora inediti compresa la registrazione più recente degli Analogy, "Il Viaggio dei Grandi Spiriti" (Milano, 15 aprile 2009). Earthbound: potrete ripercorrere, attraverso numerose tracce inedite, i vari momenti musicali del gruppo, le tante e illustri collaborazioni (Kevin Ayers, Lol Coxhill, Nico, Lady June, Paul) e l'unica uscita ufficiale per la loro etichetta Archway Records nel 1979, prodotta da David Vorhaus. La raccolta comprende anche la lunga "The Suite", una vecchia composizione degli Analogy registrata dall'ultima formazione degli Earthbound nella primavera del 1980. Matthias Sheller e Claudio Fucci hanno così ricostruito, con il fondamentale apporto degli artisti coinvolti, la storia e la discografica di questi due gruppi.

PROGRESSIVE   NEW Finally on a 4CD-box the complete works of Celeste, starting from Il Sistema to Saint Tropez! Many records of this box where out of print for a long time! Stunning bonus tracks included! Apart from the classic and seminal recordings of Il Sistema (including one track that would later become Zarathustra of Museo Rosenbach and originally was featured only on the vinyl version of "Viaggio senza andata"), this deluxe box set features their symphonic magnum Opus "Principe di un giorno", but also of the haunting "Celeste 2" and the follow-up project "Saint Tropez". All tracks have been carefully remastered by Celeste's Ciro Perrino. But the most incredible bonus is the original and complete demo recording for the Celeste debut called "Prince of one day", recorded with a female singer and with English lyrics. A stunning historical document! This limited oversized deluxe box-set also features a huge, glossy 100 page book with the complete history of Celeste and the Liguria prog-scene with more than 100 rare pictures, directly from Ciro Perrino's archive. A must-have!!! Finalmente un box con ben 4 CD contente l'opera completa dei Celeste, a partire dalle registrazioni del Sistema fino ai Saint Tropez! Molti CD di questo box sono stati fuori catalogo per molto tempo! Ma non mancano notevolissime bonus track! A parte le classiche e seminali registrazioni del Sistema (incluso un brano che successivamente diventerà Zarathustra del Museo Rosenbach e che originariamente era contenuto solo nella versione in vinile del "Viaggio senza andata"), questo cofanetto contiene uno dei grandi classici del prog sinfonico italiano come "Principe di un giorno", ma anche il meraviglioso "Celeste 2" nonchè il successivo "Saint Tropez". Tutte le tracce sono state attentamente rimasterizzate da Ciro Perrino dei Celeste. In ogni caso il bonus più clamoroso è l'intera registrazione del demo per quello che doveva essere il debutto dei Celeste, ovvero "Prince of one day", registrato con una cantante femminile e con testi inglesi. Un documento storico incredibile! Il cofanetto misura 26x14 cm e contiene anche un patinato libro di oltre 100 pagine contenente tutta la storia dei Celeste e della scena prog ligure con oltre 100 foto mai pubblicate, direttamente dagli archivi di Ciro Perrino. Edizione limitata.

PROGRESSIVE   NEW After their first album, Dolce Acqua, from 1971 and their memorable TV presence at Sanremo music festival gave around mid-1972 Ivano Fossati suddenly had to leave Delirium for his military service, later to pursue a solo career that's still successful today, even with a lighter (but always full of jazzy and ethnic influences) kind of music. His replacement was Englishman Martin Frederick Grice (from Boomerang) who, along with the ever present flute, was also a brilliant sax player. With this renewed line-up they released their second album, Lo scemo e il villaggio, still with some jazz influences and a stronger use of sax by the new member Grice, with the evident lack of a role singer in the band, all members taking the lead singer role. The track La mia pazzia is the closest to first album's style. Source: www.italianprog.com Deluxe 180g vinyl in gatefold cover. Dopo l�uscita del loro primo album, Dolce acqua, e la loro memorabile apparizione televisiva al festival di Sanremo, verso la met� del 1972 Ivano Fossati dovette lasciare improvvisamente il gruppo per il servizio militare, a cui sarebbe seguita una carriera solistica che prosegue con successo ancora oggi, con uno stile pi� leggero, ma sempre pieno di riferimenti al jazz ed influenze etniche. Il suo sostituto fu l'inglese Martin Frederick Grice (dei Boomerang) e che oltre al sempre presente flauto suonava molto bene anche il sax. Il secondo album Lo scemo e il villaggio presenta ancora influenze jazz ed un forte uso del sax di Grice, ma mostra anche l'evidente mancanza di un cantante di ruolo, con tutti i musicisti che a turno cantano. Il brano La mia pazzia � il pi� vicino allo stile del primo album. Fonte: www.italianprog.com Vinile 180g in copertina identica all�originale!

PROGRESSIVE   NEW Delirium came from Genova, from a previous beat band called I Sagittari, and formed in 1970, releasing their first single a year later. Canto di Osanna, presented at first Viareggio pop festival was a successful single and gave the band an immediate notoriety. They had also won a Radio Montecarlo rock contest in 1971. First album, Dolce acqua, also from 1971 contains a good and original mix of prog, jazz and some tuneful melodies, the leading role of singer Ivano Fossati is evident, with his furious flute soloing being one of the band's most distinctive elements. The album, housed in a nice triple gatefold cover, is structured in various movements like a classical suite, but here and there some parts seem a little incoherent with the whole LP. Source: www.italianprog.com Deluxe 180g vinyl in triple gatefold cover. I Delirium vennero formati a Genova nel 1970, da un precedente gruppo beat chiamato I Sagittari, e realizzarono il primo 45 giri un anno pi� tardi. Canto di Osanna, presentato al primo Festival Pop di Viareggio fu un 45 giri di successo e diede al gruppo un'immediata popolarit�. Nello stesso anno il gruppo vinse il concorso rock di Radio Montecarlo. Il primo album, Dolce acqua, sempre nel 1971, contiene una buona ed originale miscela di prog, jazz e pop pi� melodico, � evidente il ruolo di leader del cantante Ivano Fossati, i cui furiosi assoli di flauto diventano uno degli elementi distintivi della musica del gruppo. L'album, contenuto in una bella copertina apribile in tre parti, � strutturato in vari movimenti come una suite classica, anche se qua e l� alcune parti sembrano fuori luogo con il resto. Fonte: www.italianprog.com Vinile 180g in copertina tripla identica all�originale!

PROGRESSIVE   NEW Jazz flavour, post-rock and minimalistic songs, all in this new episode for Flora ensemble. "Traiettorie di volano" dei piacentini Flora è un disco dall'atmosfera soffusa giocato fra sonorità jazz, post-rock, math-rock e canzone d'autore minimalista, giocata sui silenzi di alcuni brani completamente strumentali ed altri dove l'elemento testo diventa il "volano" scagliato oltre la rete da racchette immaginarie imbracciate dagli strumenti e dalle voci maschile e femminile che s'intersecano su binari dissonanti." da http://www.lankelot.eu/musica/flora-traiettorie-di-volano.html