RARE & RATED HIGHLY '71 ORIG ITALY HARD PROG PSYCH BLUES CLASSIC "OSANNA" 1st Lp

$

87

    ORIGINAL 1971 TRIPLE FOLD COVER FIRST PRESS       ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..
                                            = OSANNA =                   
                       "L'omo"
            ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                          ITALY - FONIT - LPX 10


Rare and rated highly = 1971 underground Italian Prog/Psych/Hardrock collectible housed in an eye-popping TRIPLEFOLD cover ... one of the better, more accessible, now collectible from the era as it combines a certain degree of consistent hardrock elements with potential to turn many unsuspecting heads.
Just like many other underground rock albums from 1971, Osanna's "L'Uomo" gives a great insight in how quickly the early Italian scene developed from 60's-inspired psychedellica to the dazzling prog masterpieces from the 72-73 era. Spread over 9 no-nonsense rock songs, Osanna amply display their well-developed writing skills and solid intricate playing. Osanna's sound on "L'Uomo" is very raw and immediate and reminds of the 60's blues and acid rock sounds of the era, recalling Jimi Hendrix in the guitars and early Jethro Tull in the whirling flutes.....but there's much more to this complex progressive hard-rock blend...
The FIRST album `L'uomo' by the legendary Osanna makes for a fascinating time capsule of both Italian rock and the developing progressive styles from that era. The album offers a fascinating blend of established 60's sounds with the emerging potential of the 70's. Osanna attack a wide variety of styles and genres with a thrilling energy and recklessness, presenting an unpredictable, colourful collection of genres and moods. Many tracks may start as a ballad, then divert into boisterous hard rock or wild instrumental outbursts at a moments notice! Everything from acid rock, hard R & B, blues, jazz, psychedelic rock, folk and classical blur together to make for an addictive listen. What more could a listener want aside from a 3 minute pop ditty?

The album overwhelmes with variety. Fragments of contemplative, spacey keyboard effects, soft and romantic acoustic guitar passages, unhinged electric guitars and driving hard rock seamlessly flow together. Especially satisfying is an aggressive use of flute and saxophone (as well as harmonica) that would become trademarks of the Italian progressive bands to come, deeply passionate, confident and lusty vocals as well as some occasional classical sophistication too.

`Non Sei Vissuto Mai' features some addictive snarling electric guitar, the grooving funk rocker `Vado Verso...' will get your hips shaking in no time, and `In Un Vecchio' could lift you away to the clouds with it's blissful dreamy harmonies. The band definitely seemed to have an international audience in mind too, with tracks like the powerhouse `Mirror Train', the howling `Everybody's Gonna See You Die' and grinding Jimi Hendrix-like `Lady Power' all utilizing English vocals and having a more straight-forward rock sound.

Their decision to use both English and Italian vocals may seem confusing but works fine in the context of the style of the varied song structures. Overall there is no denying the talent and ambition on display here, and listeners who enjoy adventurous 60's flavored rock meshed deliciously with Italian progressive music should love these works.

Introduzione (3:26)
L'uomo (3:34)
Mirror Train (4:56)
Non sei vissuto mai (6:00)
Vado verso una meta (3:15)
In un vecchio cieco (3:31)
L'amore vincerà di nuovo (6:13)
Everybody's Gonna See You Die (3:04)
Lady Power (3:56)