The band's musical influences included King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Chicago, Ekseption, and The Flock. They combined symphonic classical and traditional Italian elements with rock music, creating a unique and innovative sound. They soon gained popularity in Italy with their first albums Storia di un minuto (1972) and Per un amico (1972), which showcased their virtuosic skills and complex compositions. They also attracted the attention of the British label Manticore Records, owned by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, who offered them a contract to record albums in English for the international market.
International success
The band's first English album was Photos of Ghosts (1973), which was a reworking of Per un amico with new lyrics by Pete Sinfield, who had previously worked with King Crimson and Roxy Music. The album was well received by critics and fans alike, and featured the hit single "Celebration", which reached number 59 on the UK Singles Chart. The band also toured extensively in Europe and North America, playing at prestigious venues and festivals such as the Reading Festival in England and the Central Park Concert in New York. They also appeared on several popular TV shows in the US, such as The Midnight Special and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.
The band's second English album was The World Became the World (1974), which was a reworking of L'isola di niente (1974) with new lyrics by Sinfield. The album was less successful than its predecessor, but still contained some memorable tracks such as "The Mountain" and "Four Holes in the Ground". The band continued to tour internationally, gaining more fans and recognition. In 1975, they released Chocolate Kings, which was their first album composed entirely in English. The album featured a new vocalist, Bernardo Lanzetti, who had a more powerful and aggressive voice than Mussida. The album was a commercial success, reaching number 19 on the UK Albums Chart and number 89 on the US Billboard 200. It also contained the band's most famous song, "Impressioni di settembre", which was re-recorded as "Impressioni di settembre" with English lyrics by Sinfield.
Changes and experiments
In 1976, the band underwent some personnel changes. Pagani left the band to pursue a solo career, while Piazza was replaced by Patrick Djivas from Area on bass. The band also changed their musical direction, adopting a more jazz-rock oriented style. They released Jet Lag (1977), which was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Dieter Dierks. The album featured guest musicians such as violinist Gregory Bloch from It's a Beautiful Day and saxophonist David Jackson from Van der Graaf Generator. The album was well received by critics but less so by fans, who preferred their previous symphonic style. The band also faced some difficulties with their label Manticore, which was facing financial problems and eventually folded.
The band decided to return to their Italian roots and language, releasing Passpartù (1978), which was a more pop-oriented album with shorter and simpler songs. The album was a commercial success in Italy, but failed to make an impact abroad. The band also experimented with different genres and formats, such as the soundtrack for the movie Lucio Flavio (1977), the live album Fabrizio De André e PFM in concerto (1979), which featured their collaboration with the famous Italian singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André, and the ballet music for La pietra del ritorno (1980).
Later years
In the 1980s, the band continued to release albums and tour, but with less frequency and success. They also faced more lineup changes, as Premoli and Lanzetti left the band in 1980 and 1981 respectively. They were replaced by Lucio Fabbri on keyboards and violin and Walter Calloni on drums. The band released albums such as Suonare suonare (1980), Come ti va in riva alla città (1981), Performance (1981), PFM? PFM! (1984), and Miss Baker (1987), which explored different styles such as new wave, funk, and hard rock. The band also collaborated with other artists such as Gianni Morandi, Alice, and Angelo Branduardi.
In the 1990s, the band reunited with some of their original members, such as Premoli, Pagani, and Piazza, and returned to their progressive rock roots. They released albums such as Ulisse (1997), which was based on Homer's Odyssey, Serendipity (2000), which featured new compositions and reworkings of old classics, Dracula (2005), which was a rock opera based on Bram Stoker's novel, and Stati di immaginazione (2006), which was an instrumental album with orchestral arrangements. The band also celebrated their 30th anniversary with a live album and DVD called www.pfmpfm.it (2000), which featured guest appearances by Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull and Peter Hammill from Van der Graaf Generator.
Discography
The following is a list of the 39 CDs that comprise the discography of Premiata Forneria Marconi:
Title
Year
Language
Storia di un minuto
1972
Italian
Per un amico
1972
Italian
Photos of Ghosts
1973
English
L'isola di niente
1974
Italian
The World Became the World
1974
English
Chocolate Kings
1975
English
Jet Lag
1977
English
A.D. 2010 - La buona novella
2010
Italian
Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) - Discography, 39 CD (Lossless)
2023
Multilingual
Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) is a band that has made history in the progressive rock scene, both in Italy and abroad. They have released 39 CDs in their discography, some of which are in lossless format, meaning that they have no compression or quality loss. They have also collaborated with many other artists and musicians, creating a rich and diverse musical legacy. They are still active today, performing live and releasing new albums. They are widely regarded as one of the best and most influential progressive rock bands of all time.
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