Truth be told, this was the very first Italian prog rock album I ever heard. Long before I truly "discovered" the scene, I found a used (and warped - much to my dismay later) copy of "Cook" for $1. It was 1984, and I had no perspective whatsoever to what I was listening to. Because the record was in bad shape, I didn't really form an opinion, and it would be another 3+ years before I started deep diving. Once I did that, PFM surfaced quickly, and like just about everyone else, fell hard for their first 3 Italian language albums.
They were popular in Italy too, and started to gain a nascent worldwide following. ELP's Manticore picked up both PFM and Banco, and made a go at this potential fertile scene. One eentsy weentsy change: Gotsta sing in English fellas. And that was the Achilles' Heel, the music just doesn't blend the same. But at the height of their fame, Premiata Forneria Marconi managed to tour here in North America. The full concert has since been released (and to this day, I haven't heard it), and this record represents an extract of two distinct concerts - one in New York City and the other in Toronto. The first side doesn't offer too much, a typical run through of studio versions, though it's quite spirited, and 'Dove... Quando...' remains beautiful (wisely left in the native language). The allure here is the second side, where PFM shows their tremendous improvisational instrumental chops. Definitely a unique enough album to want to keep.
Ownership: LP: 1974 Numero Uno. Single sleeve with a lavish booklet. A lavish booklet that is half empty - someone didn't pass their Scrapbook class! This copy is an online acquisition from 2020, and represents like my 6th version to own in one format or another. I detailed the first one above. I've sold or will sell every other version, and I'll make this the final keeper copy for the collection. One day I'll need to hear the 3 CD set.
For certain, the original release has its quirks from a packaging/marketing perspective. For one, I'm rather sure Toronto was never part of the USA. Live in North America would have been the better title. In America the album was retitled as Cook, with a completely different package, understandable on a number of fronts. The back cover is hilarious, looking all the world like your typical smog filled 1974 New York City day. I encourage everyone to see a vintage episode of Kojak (starting with the second season), which was filmed on location in the same era, and compare. The crowd appears to be like a modern progressive rock gathering, ya know - about 40% full. And the audience looks like they all came up from Little Italy or down from the Bronx - word of mouth from the locals apparently. And it's sponsored by none other than Schaefer Beer. The ultimate example of what was later termed a "city beer", it eventually was gobbled up by other cheapy beer companies and now exists in name only with a different formula. In other words not exactly a Budweiser sponsored event, and one wonders if they even managed to get an ad spot in the New York Post, much less the Times. While pouring over the credits, I noticed Tony Harrington gets a Grazie Speciale. He would later form the All Ears label, America's first private label dedicated to progressive rock.
1984; 1995; 1/19/22 (new entry)
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