Genre: progressive
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: Mass-Media Stars
Company: Import
Catalog: IMP
1005
Year: 1974
Country/State: Parma, Italy
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: cut out hole lower left corner
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5445
Price: $25.00
Pretty much every review I've read over the years compares these guys to Peter Gabriel-era Genesis ... Depending on how you feel about Genesis that may be good, or not so good.
Bassist Franz Dondi and keyboardist Maurizio Mori had been members of the band I Moschettieri. Guitarist Gino Campanini, drummer Piero Emilio Canavera, and singer Bernardo Lanzetti had been with I Moschettieri. In 1971 the five musicians came together to form Acqua Fragile.
It took two years but the group eventually found a mentor in the form of the Italian progressive band Premiata Forneria Marconi (aka PFM), who introduced to manager Franco Mamone. With Mamone signing on as their manager the band became a regular mid-1970s opening act for a wide array of English bands touring Italy.
Co-produced by PFM and Claudio Fabi, their second release was 1974's "Mass-Media Stars". Released by RCA's small Italian Dischi Ricordi label (catalog number SMRL 6150), the English lyrics were probably a key in getting the set an American release via the Import Records label. Showcasing six Canavera - Lanzetti compositions, the album was clearly in the progressive mode with more than a nod to Genesis; though to my ears lead singer Lanzatti's labored English and gruff stylings recalled Roger Chapman (of Family fame) more than Peter Gabriel. The music was clearly influeced by English progressive bands, bouncing around between different time signatures and complex arrangements. The English lyrics were occasionally somewhat clunky, but the performances were all pretty impressive with the band showing a knack for retaining a commercial edge - notably the pretty ballad 'Bar Gazing' (which recalled the debut's more folk oriented sound), 'Opening Act', and the title track which with it's three part group harmonies actually sounded a little bit like 'Roundabout'-era Yes''. Maybe not exactly a classic progressive LP, but far better than I would have expected and one that I bring out and play every now and then (which is actually quite a compliment when you've got 35,000 LPs).
In Italy the LP was tapped for a single in the form of 'Bar Gazing' b/w 'Opening Act' (Dischi Ricordi catalog number SRL 10746).
"Mass-Media
Stars" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Cosmic Mind Affair (Pier Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti) -
2.) Bar Gazing (Pier Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti) -
3.) Mass-Media Stars (Pier Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti) -
(side
2)
1.) Opening Act (Pier
Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti)
-
2.) Professor (Pier Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti) -
3.) Coffee Song (Pier Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti) -
Shortly after the album was released original keyboardist Mori was replaced by ex-The Trip keybaordist Joe Vescovi. The band struggled on, but was basically killed by singer Lanzatti's decision to join PFM. Lanzetti was briefly replaced by former T Top 4 and Dik Dik singer Roby Facini, but by the end of 1975 the group had called it quits.
I've never heard it by there's a posthumous live set - released in 1994 by the Prehistoric Records label (catalog number PR 03) "Live In Emilia - Spring 1975". From what I've read, it isn't particularly good, suffering from lukewarm sound quality that was apparently taken from an audience tape. Musically the set wasn't all that special with six of the nine tracks coming from their first two studios.
"Live In Emilia - Spring 1975" track listing:
1.)
Take 9
(Pier Emilio Canavera - Bernardo
Lanzetti) -
2.) Cosmic Mind Affair (Pier
Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti)
-
3.) Bar Gazing (Pier
Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti)
-
4.) Professor (Pier
Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti)
-
5.) Going Out (Pier
Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti)
-
6.) Science Fiction Suite (Pier
Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti)
-
7.) Mean Woman Blues
8.) Morning Come (Pier
Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti)
-
9.) Prelude in C Major (instrumental) (J.S. Bach) -
10.) The End (Pier
Emilio Canavera - Bernardo Lanzetti)
-
There's at least one interesting Acqua Fragile website out there, unfortunately it's in Italian:
http://acquafragile.altervista.org/
Similarly, Lanzetti and Dondi both have a web presence, but there also in Italian (funny since Lanzetti spent some of his teen years living in Texas):
http://burgandr.altervista.org/bernardo_lanzetti/central.htm