A Piedi Nudi ~ Italy

Creazione (1995)

When Ezra Winston kicked back open the Italian prog door in early 1988, they ushered in a new wave of Italian prog activity. Most of the groups were influenced by the neo prog of Marillion and the likes, and also went boldly forward with English. Not a wise choice. While certainly a few bands were operating in the older forms of the art, sung in proper Italian, namely Nuova Era, Sithonia, Deus Ex Machina (in Latin no less), and Malibran (later), none of them tried their hand at the darker recesses of the early 70s past. Until A Piedi Nudi showed up on the scene. An updated version of Il Balletto di Bronzo was much needed, and well received. I know some bristled at the metalish guitar, but it was a reasonable facsimile, especially for the era. When A Piedi Nudi came back a year later with their sophomore effort, I don't think anyone was quite prepared for what it unleashed. Yes, Italian prog in its most herky-jerky form was back. A brighter day indeed.

After polishing off Il Balletto di Bronzo, A Piedi Nudi tried their hand at Semiramis. Now they're really going for it! And Campo di Marte, French Horn anyone? Amazingly, even though they lost a key ingredient when vocalist Mirko Schiesaro left, drummer Carlo Bighetti proved to be just as adept. So take that Phil Collins. And sure, the keyboards are still digital and the guitar decidedly metal toned. I'm in the so-what? category here. The album is one big rollercoaster ride, just like the masters of the early 70s. Jumbo, Museo Rosenbach, Capitolo 6, De De Lind, and the rest of them. Many modern groups would follow, some converting back to analog gear. All positive developments that led to the great Italian prog renaissance that peaked in 2013. I submit this album had a huge hand in that overall development.

According to my journals, I show no activity for this title since 2004. And yes, it does seem like forever since I last heard it, at least 25 years. But I listened to Creazione a lot after first receiving it. It was so exhilarating to hear my favorite type of Italian prog done by a contemporary group of my age group. Despite the lengthy break, I recognized all of it immediately. One of the landmark progressive rock albums of the mid 90s.

Also love the bizarre artwork, that perfectly reflects the contents within. I plunked down for the LP when it was released for that reason. Today it is featured on my Wall of Albums.

With all these bands coming back after 20 and 30 year breaks, is it possible we will hear from A Piedi Nudi again? Maybe with a real organ and mellotron this time.

Ownership:

1995 Mellow (CD). Booklet with lyrics and band photo.

1996 Mellow (LP). Gatefold. Adds a 12" with one bonus track.

1995 (acquired); 12/1/25 (review)

Eclissi (1997)

A Piedi Nudi's 3rd album continues on in the same fashion as its predecessors. There's a prog metal component here, though the scales still point more toward traditional prog rock. In this way Eclissi is more like their debut. They seemed to be heading in a similar direction to fellow country mates Garden Wall, though always more Italian focused. A Piedi Nudi were one of my favorite bands of the 90s. Revisits are only confirming that for me.

Ownership: CD: 1997 Mellow (CD). Booklet with lyrics and original art. 

1997 (acquired); 5/2/20 (review)

A Piedi Nudi (1994)

A Piedi Nudi's debut album sounds very much what it strove so hard to be: An updated version of Il Balletto di Bronzo, especially from their fabled Ys album (it even opens with 'Introduzione' and closes with 'Epilogo' - not a coincidence). Not as brilliant or groundbreaking, of course, but a valiant effort all the same. We'll start with the vocals of Mirko Schiesaro. Without any doubt he studied Ys intently, as he sings very much in the same way as Gianni Leone did, especially as he truncates the verses and lifts his voice near the end of each stanza. Perhaps not as histrionic - or as effective honestly - but oh yes, the style is basically the same. Now onto the guitar of Nicola Gardinale, who also happens to be the only songwriter here, so it's clearly his show. Gardinale's tone is decidedly 90s metal, with plenty of riffing. It's quite jarring against the expected heavy psychedelic tone of the almighty Balletto, but very exciting all the same, and fits well within the style of music. He also composes sudden breaks similar to Ys. On the downside would have to be the keyboards of Cristian Chinaglia. He's a competent player for certain, but the sounds are exactly what one would expect from the era's plastic digital gear, very typical of the 80s and 90s. Even when the "organ tone" is on, this is no match for the real-deal mellotron and organ of the masters. Lost in all of this is the fantastic rhythm section of the Bighetti brothers, who are perhaps the closest of all to the original Balletto recording, and are up to the task in keeping with the constantly shifting meters. The music, over the course of the album, begins to blur together in a samey sound manner, though a close listen will reveal many differences within. A Piedi Nudi's debut is one of many classics of the 1990s Italian progressive rock scene - and as with the 70's bands - will likely be discovered some 20 to 30 years after the fact. The band would improve from here and include more references from the 70s Italian scene, but this debut is outstanding, and I've never tired of it some 20+ years later.

There is at least one review out there that only references UK groups, including 80s neo prog bands (and hair / grunge metal? OMG), and was disparaged because of it. That just completely misses the point, and the historical references that A Piedi Nudi were clearly aiming for - and were inspired by. Certainly the original 70s Italian progressive rock scene was heavily influenced by the UK masters to begin with, and so that point is never lost. But the sub-genre cannot simply be written off as copyist, considering the tremendous local culture imprint, all of which has been well documented as such for over 25 years now.

Ownership:1994 Mellow (CD). Booklet with lyrics and recording details.

1994 (acquired); 10/19/12; 2/9/16 (review)

2/9/16 (new entry)