E.A. Poe ~ Italy

Generazioni (1975)

E.A. Poe were a band from a small town near Milan, who managed to squeeze out this one album before disappearing. That situation remains true today. Like with Capitolo 6 that we spoke about recently, E.A. Poe are one of the true rarities of the Italian progressive rock scene, and it wasn't until the age of the CD reissue that most of us had a chance to hear it for the first time.

That day came in 1991 from the ever reliable Vinyl Magic (now known as BTF / AMS), and I dutifully bought my copy the first minute I could. 28 years later that collection status is exactly the same. The odds of me scoring a multi-thousand dollar copy of the original is not very likely.

So what of the music? Bulls-eye Italian progressive rock. If you love the style already, you'll love this. And the opposite would hold true as well. Starting out with some sneering narration in Italian, followed by a wicked off-meter bass riff and synthesizers, my first thoughts were Pholas Dactylus meets Duello Madre. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, probably for the better, as you are on page 50 of a book that needs to be read from the beginning. From here on out, one will hear a mix of complex prog rock, with a small hint of the singer-songwriter balladry that was a hallmark of the genre. On the more progressive tracks, one can pick up a distinct Le Orme influence ("wait - I've heard of them!") and even The Trip comes to mind here. It's all slam-dunk Italian Prog 101. Definitely one to add to your collection, though there are more dynamic albums from the genre than this. So don't start here, but don't miss it either.

Originals on Kansas are truly a small fortune. Despite the label stating 1974, August Croce makes the solid case that the vinyl matrix (he being one of the few who has seen one!) is dated January 1975, so it certainly wouldn't have been released in 1974. 

Ownership: 1991 Vinyl Magic (CD). Acquired in 1991.

1991; 1996; 3/16/19 (review / new entry)