rare ORIGINAL first pressing- (this is not a reissue!) of ALPHATAURUS
- self titled on MAGMA records out of italy.

YEAR OF ISSUE: 1973
MATRIX: MAGL 18001/A - MAGL 18001/B
DEAD WAX: MAGL 18001-A 6/2/73 - MAGL 18001-B
6/2/73

SIDE A label HAS ORIGINAL RED 'ITALIANA' RECORD STAMP



features amazing cover art in the vein of boris vallejo ( he did the band's 2nd lp cover art), roger dean + mark wilkinson.
TRIPLE-FOLD SLEEVE!! that has incredible APOCALYPTICal artwork on one side and a full 3 page photo spread on the inside.
the cover art is worth the price alone!



band members:
Michele Bavaro (vocals)
Pietro Pellegrini (keyboards,moog, vibes)
Guido Wasserman (guitar)
Alfonso Oliva (bass)
Giorgio Santandrea (drums)




band history
from italian prog.com:
"According to one of our sources Alphataurus came from Genova, though we tend to think they were from Milan, but in any case they were one of the many unknown italian bands who suddenly had a recording deal, made an album and disappeared into oblivion.

Their only album, Alphataurus, the first on the newly born Magma label, is a masterpiece, so well crafted and played that it seems impossible that's been made by a group of unknowns. The singer Bavaro has a very original voice, keyboard player Pietro Pellegrini plays with competence and no self-indulgence, guitar-playing of Guido Wasserman is well cared and the rhythm section of Oliva and Santandrea creates a powerful background.

The album includes five long compositions of which Peccato d'orgoglio and La mente vola are the best, the latter featuring a nice moog intro and a stunning vibes solo.

Soon after this the band split while recording a second album. This has been reissued on CD as Dietro l'uragano but only includes the instrumental parts and no vocals, the result being rather dull and incomplete.

Drummer Giorgio Santandrea was briefly in Crystals, while keyboardist Pietro Pellegrini has long collaborated with Riccardo Zappa and PFM. Singer Michele Bavaro released a commercial solo album near the end of the 70's. He's probably the same Bavaro that has recently released a CD of italian songs for the brazilian market.

Alphataurus has never been reissued on vinyl in Italy, neither counterfeited. It had a distinctive nice triple gatefold cover."



review from greg northrup
- of progweed of http://www.progweed.net/
"The self-titled Alphataurus album was one of my earliest ventures into the world of Italian progressive rock, and today stands, in my eyes, as one of the unequivocal classics of the scene. Stylistically, the group falls squarely into the heavy progressive mold, sitting nicely alongside bands like Il Balleto di Bronzo and especially Museo Rosenbach. Alphataurus incorporates something of a bluesy, hard rock-ish vibe in along with frenzied Hammond riffs and thundering mellotron movements, combining for a shuddering attack of unparalleled power and energy. The vocalist has a raspy, earthy tone that lends itself perfectly to the alternately exquisite and violent instrumental underpinning. Despite the aggressive stance of the band, the melodies here are absolutely gorgeous when the band wants them to be, rising from the cacophony like a butterfly.

The entire album is pretty much flawless, and features three long tracks divided by a short mellotron-driven instrumental, and the short, but monstrous "Dopo L'Uragano", a relatively simple track with a ballsy guitar riff that crushes you with all the subtlety of a Panzer tank. The other three tracks are fairly varied but all retain a consistently high quality; catchy, emotional and biting, with a tendency to for total balls-to-the-wall ferocity. Alphataurus is an unparalled heavy prog classic to my ears. Don't miss out on the kick ass artwork either."




review from progarchives.com
"What else can I say that many others haven’t in praise of Alphataurus’ eponymous album? Well, for starters, this is one of the top masterpieces of hard rock oriented Italian prog, or Italian prog, for that matter. The level of beauty and imagination instilled in all compositions, the fine interplay created among the four musicians, the captivating layers and chords played on synth, organ, harpsichord and mellotron, the stunning vocal lines sung by the lead vocalist… there are so many ingredients that make this dish made in Columbus’ hometown such a fantastic feast… Actually, none of these five tracks sounds as heavy as some other bands catalogued in this sub-genre (Balletto, Biglietto, Museo Rosenbach, for example), but there’s always that special intense fire drifting through the electric guitar lines, the keyboard solos and textures, the powerful rhythm section, and of course, the half-operatic rock linings of Michele Bavaro’s singing (sometimes, anticipating and over-Dioing Dio). ‘Peccato d’Orgoglio’ is a great 12-minute opener: this track itself is the most representative incarnation of the band’s style. After the bluesy ‘Dopo l’Uragano’, comes ‘Croma’, a delicious baroque- oriented instrumental with some incorporated jazzy twists: the alternation of spinet and organ passages finds a perfect background in the massive moog layers and added colours on guitar. Alphataurus focuses on their symphonic side on ‘La Mente Vola’ (with keyboardist Pietro Pellegrini singing the lead vocal parts), which includes a short but effective vibraphone solo, as well as eerie moog passages, while the closure ‘Ombra Muta’ returns to the essence of the first two tracks. In short, an Italian hard prog masterpiece."



condition:
vinyl- looks and sounds great! few slight surface scratches but, are not audible..plays through fine.

jacket: in great shape
ONLY MODERATE SPINE AND CORNER WEAR, NO STAINS, NO DISCOLORISATIONS, SPINE FULLY READABLE.


shipping $4 within u.s. ( media mail)
$9 within u.s. ( priority mail)
$6 canada
$10 international orders



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