The Italian formation Il Cerchio D’Oro was founded in 1974. They started as a trio, but a year later a second keyboard player and a guitarist joined the band. Unfortunately, they only released three singles in the late seventies. In 1999, the Italian prog rock label Mellow Records released an album with twelve tracks recorded in the mid-seventies. In 2005, Psych-Out released the LP La Quadratura Del Cerchio. It contains nine, unreleased recordings including original material and covers of Le Orme, New Trolls and The Trip. In 2006, Il Cerchio D'Oro reformed with the original line-up and in 2008, they released their first studio album, the concept Il Viaggio Di Colombo. And what a wonderful lay-out this album has! A fold-cover with sketches that take you away to the time that Columbus set sail to America and met the native Indians, an encounter of two different worlds. On this first studio album, Il Cerchio D’Oro sounds melodic and accessible in the thirteen alternating songs with passionate Italian vocals from drummer Gino Terribile, bass player Guiseppe Terribile and guitarist Piuccio Pradal. Sometimes you hear a typical classic Italian prog rock atmosphere like in the bonus track Futuro Prossimo. A strong feature of their music is the way they colour their tasteful arrangements with strong and varied guitar work and keyboards. You can enjoy a slow rhythm with sensitive electric guitar or a dreamy atmosphere with twelve-string acoustic guitars, but also mid-tempo pieces with swinging piano and bombastic atmospheres with powerful organ (Franco Piccolini). It is hard to mention absolute highlights, because Il Cerchio D’Oro arranged the thirteen compositions on this new CD in a very tasteful manner. You can enjoy lots of shifting moods and nice musical ideas, especially the guitar pieces. Two members play acoustic and electric guitar and Guiseppe Terribile plays besides the bass also twelve-string acoustic guitar and keyboards. They all give Il Viaggio Di Colombo an extra dimension. *** Erik Neuteboom (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
