Formula 3 - Le Grande Casa. 1973 Italy

Now here's an album that I had no use for when I first bought it. Like many Italian originals, I found it locally here in Dallas in the 1980s. Brand new copy. I had already owned Sognando... so I was thrilled to get this one too. Got it home, slapped it on the turntable and... What the heck is this? Sold it immediately, proud that I was a true progressive rock fan. Cough. Years later I secured another copy, and this time I put on my big boy pants. The album sounds exactly like the cover looks. It's pastoral, a bit poppy, and often times very beautiful. No manner of rationalization will likely raise this to masterpiece status, but that doesn't mean it's not a pleasant album. It's very much in league with what was going on in Italy at the time, and you can hear elements of this same sound on the debut by Il Volo, which Formula 3 rolled up into. I would only recommend this album to hardcore fans of the genre, and not as a starting point or early recommendation. Go in calm, and you will leave calm. And with a smile on your face.

Ownership: LP: 1973 Numero Uno. Gatefold. Acquired at VVV Records in Dallas (1988).

CD: 2003 BMG (Japan). Papersleeve edition.

1//88; 12/11/16 (new entry)

Formula 3 - Sognando e Risognando. 1972 Italy

Formula 3 were a band from Milan, and who were actually the most popular rock band in Italy prior to PFM landing on the scene. Primarily they served as a vehicle for famous pop singer Lucio Battisti, and as such, their music was embraced by various generations of Italians at the time. Sognando e Risognando is their 3rd effort, and is a radical departure from what came before it. Mostly the music on this album is a mix of progressive hard rock (with some wonderful guitar breaks) and space rock, with some of that feel-of-Italy singer-songwriter sprinkled throughout. It's a unique blend, more about the atmosphere than pyrotechnics. As such the album tends to be dismissed by scan-through-listeners wowed by the razzle-dazzle of classic Italian prog. Given that it's an early effort, prior to the Italian progressive rock machine really taking off, deep divers will recognize the sounds of early Il Rovescio della Medaglia, Panna Fredda, Planetarium, and even Garybaldi. History hasn't been kind to Formula 3 however.  Whereas fellow popular artists of their era such as Premiata Forneria Marconi and Banco del Mutuo Succorso continue to be lauded as eternal classics, Formula 3 has largely been cast aside and forgotten. While it's true they were no match for the other two listed, they certainly are in league with more obscure artists that today are held in high esteem. Don't ignore this one - and give it a fair listen, without expecting the next Semiramis or Museo Rosenbach.

Ownership: LP: 1972 Numero Uno. Gatefold with top opening. Purchased at Recycled in Denton all the way in 1988.

1988; 1989; 11/10/16 (new entry)