One of the earliest series of Italian progressive rock CD reissues - or just progressive rock in general - came from Fonit Cetra in 1989. Up until that time, the CD seemed reserved for only mainstream artists, not for rare obscuros. The cost was deemed too expensive for manufacturers, labels, and consumers. But considering that original LPs had skyrocketed in price during the late 80s, $30 for a CD copy seemed like a reasonable investment. Today it seems almost absurd that prices were once so high for a garden variety CD, but such was the landscape of the times.
Of that first batch, Fonit-Cetra released some real gems, albums that were sought after but unattainable on LP. But Samadhi was at a different level. Something akin to "Who? What?". Only a handful of people in the world knew of this record. Even today, for every Samadhi that's been offered, 50 Museo Rosenbach Zarathustra's have already sold during that time frame. Popsike shows about 10 former global ebay auctions; Discogs has never sold one; And I don't recall ever seeing it in a rarities catalog that I poured over in my youth. Clearly a micro release.
But why so obscure? Samadhi was made up of veterans of the Italian prog scene (most notably Raccomandata Ricevuta Ritorno), and Fonit (original label) was well known and had great distribution throughout Italy. That's a tough question to answer, as there doesn't appear to be a specific historical reason such as a recall. The only logical conclusion is that the album didn't sell many copies to begin with. By 1974, Italy's interest in progressive rock was certainly beginning to wane. The more established bands had continued on with success, but newer groups were struggling to gain attention. And we do know that unsold copies in Italy were recycled in the early/mid 70s. I remember meeting some well heeled collectors in Rome and they told me that a large part of their Italian prog collections came from the United States! And as far as I know, Samadhi was never imported via Peters International like so many others of its ilk. Further complicating the matter is that - as mentioned a few times here before - Japanese businessmen cleaned out Italy in the 80s as demand back home was enormous. So your best bet to find an original is probably in Japan.
For as scarce as this album is, Samadhi is not typical of that situation. It's not a radical underground album at all. With a name like Samadhi, you might expect an exotic, Eastern mystical oriented work. Nope, it's very much the sound of Italy at the time - a tad more orchestrated, polished, and bright perhaps, but ultimately very satisfying with its implied complexity and romantic melodies. If looking for a comparison, I would offer up Delirium's 3rd album, which has a similar type of approach. For my tastes, the super tracks are A2, A4, and B3, but everything on here is at least excellent. A very professional album that time basically forgot. Since that first reissue, Samadhi has been easily accessible, but interest remains nominal. But if an original showed up, now that will draw attention...
Ownership: CD: 2011 Arcangelo (Japan). Papersleeve edition that replicates the awesome textured gatefold cover. This replaced the first jewel box edition mentioned above that was purchased real time. While an original would be nice, I doubt I'll ever be offered one, much less could afford it anyway.
11/21/11; 7/26/22 (new entry)
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