Cervello - Melos 24bt Mlps (7 tracks) +Album Reviews

Another incredible gem of Italian prog

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 03/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cervello was another one of those Italian prog bands that gave us one album then disappeared. Melos, was that one and only album from Cervello. Originally released in 1973 on the Ricordi label, same label that gave us Banco and Museo Rosenbach, the original LP comes with a gimmick cover, which was nicely replicated to CD size when Si-Wan Records in Korea reissued this on CD. Anyway, if you're a fan of Osanna, particularly Palepoli, you need Melos. As a matter of fact, guitarist Corrado Rustici was the younger brother of Osanna's Danilo Rustici, so of course the comparisons to Osanna can't be avoided. But I can also compare this with Semiramis (particulary because vocalist Gianluigi di Franco sounds just like Michele Zarrillo) and of Biglietto Per L'Inferno (because of that similar sinister atmosphere), so if you're a fan of those groups, you're sure to enjoy Melos as well. Like Osanna, Cervello featured sax and flute, as well as the usual guitars and vocals, but unlike Osanna, the flutes and sax are more tame, and there's no Mellotron like on Palepoli, but the music is still quite incredible. The opening "Canto del Capro", which starts off with some really sinister chanting, before the music kicks in. Others highlights include "Trittico", "Scinsione" and the title track. And while Cervello disappeared from sight after this album, Corrado Rustici did not, he was later with a band called Nova, before coming to the United States, and unfortunately, playing with the likes of George Michael and Whitney Houston, which really smells of sellout to me, which is too bad. On Melos, Rustici's guitar playing is very much like Mahavishnu Orchestra's John McLaughlin (no surprise as McLaughlin was one of Rustici's guitar heros). As a matter of fact, if McLaughlin was a member of Osanna, it would end up sounding like Cervello. Anyway, as far as Italian prog is concerned, Melos ranks up there with Banco's Darwin and Io Sono Nato Libero, Museo Rosenbach's Zarathustra, Osanna's Palepoli, and PFM's Per Un Amico. Essential stuff, as far as I'm concerned."

How obscure can you get?

relayer66 | FPO, AE United States | 08/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a huge fan of Italian prog, and I am familiar with much of the repertoire. Very rarely in music, you run into something which is so obscure, unknown and rare, and which completely blows you away. This disc is one of the best pieces of music I've ever found. It's consistently superb from start to finish. It's consistent harmonically, in complexity, and has real scope, at turns sinister and soothing. It has a unique sound to it, and isn't as derivative of English bands or American fusion groups as some other Italian prog...though if you like Genesis and Mahavishnu I don't see why you wouldn't like this one. It epitomizes dark heavy Italian prog such as Il Balletto di Bronzo, Osanna and Museo Rosenbach. I don't know why this is always mentioned (usually in a lesser light) in connection with Palepoli, besides the guitarists being brothers. This is the better album IMO."

An obscure masterpiece

Warren W. Nelson | Mooresville, NC USA | 08/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This release of a spectacular masterpiece of early seventies Italian progressive rock is yet another example of the wide gap between the producion of art and commercial success. This discrepency is demonstrated in the fact that this sole release by Cervello artistically rivals some of the very finest prog ever made: with soaring and complex melodies, compelling and angular instrumental passages culminating in some aggressive individual performances, all weaved together in a tapestry of beautiful and emotional musical syncopation. One of the few Italian prog releases without a prominent keyboard arsenal, the rich sound of this band is achieved with powerful drumming, multiple woodwinds, and intellegent scaler runs on guitar. But not least of all are the typically emotionally powerful vocals. Dynamic change-ups and exquisite group interaction complete another example of one of the finest Italian progressive albums you will ever hear. This is one of the more consistantly perfect albums in the progressive genre and comes with my highest reccomendation."

Light and dark

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 11/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Released in 1973 this album seems to generate very mixed reactions - people either love it or hate it. I happen to fall on the "I love it" end of the spectrum and feel that it is not only excellent Italian prog, but an important work unto itself. This album really is wonderful and blends aggressive, atonal passages with more delicate pastoral sections dominated by the flute and acoustic guitars. I like to think of it as a cross between the delicate side of PFM and the harshness of Van der graaf Generator (VDGG) (both incredible bands by the way).

The musicians on Melos include Antonio Spagnolo (bass guitar; 6 and 12 string acoustic guitar, flute voice); Giulio D'Ambrosio (alto and tenor electric saxophone; flute; and vocals); Corrado Rustici (lead guitar; flute; vibraphone; voice); and Remigio Esposito (drums; vibraphone). All of the musicians are superb and create an incredibly full and symphonic sound that alternates between the light (acoustic/pastoral) and the dark (heavy/atonal/avant-garde). Interestingly, there are no keyboards on this album and most of the lead parts are played primarily on heavily distorted electric guitars (he does use clean tones occasionally), although flute parts and jagged passages on the electric saxophone also fulfill the leads. Come to think of it, some of the sax work is vaguely reminiscent of David Jackson's playing (of VDGG). The vocals are also very good (in Italian) and the vocalist occasionally uses a falsetto. The vocal harmonies are also well done.

The dark passages on this album can take some getting used to - they are extremely intense, especially when the guitarist is flailing away on free form electric guitar solos (played with bone-crushing distortion and volume). This effect is magnified several orders of magnitude when the thunderous drummer is also smashing away on his drum kit. The light parts are extremely nice however, and provide nice contrast with the heavier sections. One other album comes to mind that deals with similar extremes in dynamics (perhaps to even greater degree actually) is King Crimson's Larks Tongues in Aspic (1973).

This remastered release is part of the Strange Days Paper Sleeve Collection and duplicates the original LP cover art which features a "gimmicky" cover of a soup can that folds back to reveal the musicians heads wrapped tightly in clear plastic - the image is very disturbing actually. Although liner notes are included, they are printed in both Japanese and Italian - unfortunately I don't have an even rudimentary understanding of either language. The sound quality is just fantastic though.

All in all, I regard this as another Italian gem that falls on the darker side of prog. Although I generally enjoyed this recording a lot, I did feel that it ended a bit too abruptly. This really is a minor complaint however, given the high quality of the music. This album would most likely appeal to fans of 1973-1974 King Crimson and 70-71 VDGG, although all proggers would definitely find something of interest here. Very highly recommended."

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	Cervello Melos (24bt) (Mlps) Genres: International Music, Pop, Rock Track Listings (7) - Disc #1 Canto del Capro Trittico Euterpe Scinsione (T.R.M.) Melos Galassia Affresco Japanese reissue of 1973 album, packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve. Ricordi/BMG. 2003.
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