Like many bands from Italy during the early 1970s, Sardinia's Gruppo 2001 were a romantic singer songwriter group. Essentially they were a pop collective, who suddenly found themselves out of date with the explosion of prog rock everywhere in the country. So why not take a stab at this new trend? L'Alba di Domani is the result, Gruppo 2001's only full length album. Starting off like New Trolls Atomic System with blazing electric keyboards and flute, it would seem Osanna and De De Lind were in store for the listening session. After a minute or two of that, the band says "naaa", let's get some sing-a-long choruses going on here! And that's pretty much what you can expect from Gruppo 2001. They tease with prog, but their bread and butter is pop. Similar to I Dik Dik, Delirium's debut, Capricorn College, I Santoni, and many others from Italy. The only chance to appreciate this album is to have a fondness for the 60s Italian pop sound. It's a style that I embraced later in life, and so when I first heard this album some 25 years ago, I couldn't get it out of the changer fast enough. A few years ago, realizing my tastes had changed, I took a chance on this LP, and was rewarded with a quality listen. I just kept my expectations in check. At its best, it recalls Era di Acquario and even early Premiata Forneria Marconi. L'Alba di Domani is strictly for deep divers of the Italian prog rock movement, otherwise disappointment is likely to ensue. As for Gruppo 2001, the group veered back into their comfort zone, and released a dozen more singles before calling it a day.
Ownership: LP: 1983 Nexus (Japan). Comes in a thick heavy gatefold. If you want this album, there's a really good chance it will come from Japan. Originals are super rare, which tells us it wasn't a big seller in the first place. There is one domestic CD, but everything else comes from the land of the rising sun.
Should we spin it in April? 🎶
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