Le Orme – Collage

Collage is Le Orme's first try at progressive rock, after one album of psychedelic pop (Ad Gloriam), and a bunch of singles released as far back as 1967 (many which appeared on L'Aurora Della Orme). By this point, the band was trimmed down to Aldo Tagliapietra, Tony Pagliuca, and Michi Dei Rossi. Now I have to say the picture of Aldo Tagliapietra on the back cover on the far bottom right looks utterly ridiculous. The photo makes him out like he's a screamer on the lines of Ian Gillan or Rob Halford. Not even close. If you're familiar with his singing, his voice is the same as you expect him on other albums. Many people really don't look too fondly on this album. They go for a more raw approach, and Tony Pagliuca often goes for that same fuzzed Hammond organ sound Jon Lord goes for. But the music is nothing like Deep Purple, aside from the organ playing. The title track has what sounds to me like classical themes. There's even a short part played on clavinet, in the classical style (it needs to be noted that Hohner meant the clavinet for the classical market, little did Hohner know the keyboard was most often used in funk, like Steve Wonder's "Superstition" or Herbie Hancock's more funky stuff). Many of the songs are of a more proto-prog direction, than full-on prog, like "Era Inverno" and "Sguardo Verso il Cielo". "Cemento Armato" is most noted for that extended organ solo, in that Jon Lord manner. They really trip me out with "Evasione Totale", with some great spacy organ, and trippy sound effects. "Morte di un Fiore" is more pop-oriented, and probably how Le Orme might have sounded like in 1971 if they didn't progress much further than Ad Gloriam. This was to Italian prog what In the Court of the Crimson King was to prog in general. This album was responsible for launching the Italian prog scene. Certainly people will look towards their following albums, Uomo di Pezza, Felona e Sorona, Contrappunti as better albums, but Collage is not bad, if you don't mind their more raw, often proto-prog approach.