Jumbo ~ Italy

Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni? (1973)

From my vantage point, Jumbo's third effort Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni? is the single greatest Italian prog album ever made. And that's quite a bold statement when considering the competition, but one that has held true for me going on 20+ years now. But it wasn't my initial reaction. In the late 80s, with scant few other examples, I had no reference point for Jumbo. It was beyond my grasp. Oh make no mistake, I knew I had something special, and treasured the LP even back then - but it would continue to grow leaps and bounds in my mind. I've written quite a bit about albums such as Semiramis, Alphataurus, and Il Balletto di Bronzo's Ys in the past - even Jumbo's DNA - and they all have that unidentifiable something that makes the Italian early 70s scene so special. There's a randomness to it, yet it's cohesive, dynamic, and heavy. 

Right from the get, 'Specchio' is designed to make you feel uncomfortable. No one could sing like Alvaro Fella. He's an old folk busker who breaks out into yelling fits when he feels like it. His voice has the classic gravel tone many Italian vocalists possessed back then. 'Come Vorrei Essere Uguale A Te' is the jaw dropper here. It's as heavy as any rock piece from the early 70s, while it goes into 100 different directions. A real head twirler if there ever was one - like Sabbath playing the music of Semiramis. And it has the single best use of trombone in recorded rock history. The word gravitas comes to mind. 'Il Ritorno Del Signor K.' is a fun short sendup of the DNA album. This leads to 'Via Larga' which is classic Jumbo. Starts off in pastoral folk mode, something like Formula 3's La Grande Casa, only for Fella to break off into the punk rock field by throwing a tantrum. 'Gil' opens side 2, and we're off into druggy lala land, with Battiato's VCS3 buzzing about. And Asian tabla's and other foreign percussion to add an exotic vibe. 'Vangelo!' goes deep into the Twilight Zone and combines all of the above. As does the final two tracks. The ideas are endless here, and multiple close listens will reveal a different album each time. It's a mindblowing album to the nth degree, but it does require deep study.

As noted in my top 25 Most Important LPs (see page listing above), this album is very special to me. Once again, it's a time and place discovery. As noted in Il Balletto di Bronzo's Ys entry, Italian prog was still a new dimension for me. One month after that event, I had made the decision to visit every single record store in Dallas. Whether it was in a southern hardcore ghetto, or in a far reaching suburb, I was going no matter what. One of those stores was called VVV, which was right smack dab in the heart of the gay part of Dallas. But I was determined, and off I went for the first visit. What I found when I walked in is exactly what was expected - disco 12" singles, lots of 80s music, and records for the local populace. Then I wandered into the back room. And there, in a lonely bin, was a full selection of brand new sealed imports. Apparently a store in Wichita Falls (NW of Dallas) had gone bankrupt many years ago, and they ended up buying out some of their inventory. It was a goldmine, but I didn't really know what the hell I was doing yet. And I could afford only so much each visit (and I was unemployed - great combo!). Fortunately no one, and I mean no one, went to this store. Prog collectors I mean of course. So I was able to go back many times and continue to research and buy items. There was no internet, so I had to call some folks on the phone. Of all the great finds from that store, Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni? is the crown jewel. 

Ownership: 

1973 Philips (LP). Comes in a thick textured gatefold with a lyric inner sleeve. Acquired in 1988.

2001 Philips Japan (CD). Papersleeve edition that replicates the LP to the finest detail. Acquired in 2003.

3/88; 2003; 8/22/21 (review)

DNA (1972)

DNA is the second album from Milan's Jumbo, and shows an incredible trajectory from the raw blues rock of the debut. Though as I mentioned on my review there, the songwriting is similar in naked form - but now it's all dressed up and ready to go out for the evening.

For my lira, there may be no better one-two punch in the vast annals of Italian prog than Jumbo, that which starts with DNA and subsequently followed by arguably the greatest of them all in Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni?.

Jumbo are not an immediately likable band. They have none of the panache of a PFM, nor the stateliness of a Banco. As I mentioned recently in discussing Capitolo 6, Italy had far more bands duking it out in the mean streets, than those attending recitals at concert halls. And who was the meanest, gruffest, toughest of them all? Jumbo. And who is Jumbo? Well literally it's singer Alvaro Fella, and it's his nickname. He is, in fact, what makes Jumbo... Jumbo. Both in name and in spirit. Take him out of the mix and you have a highly performing instrumental Italian progressive rock unit. Put him in, and the band skyrockets to the top of the game. He is the band's secret sauce as it were. Buy into his passion and style, and Jumbo are a 5 star band. But if just scanning albums as quickly as possible to get your ratings total up so you can make some fanciful list made by strangers you will never meet, and be rewarded with... what? Who knows. Well, son, you're missing out on the whole point.  Buy an album like DNA and sit with it for awhile. Get to know it. And watch an epiphany unfold.

One of the common criticisms DNA receives is that the opening 20 minute track is great and then it falters from there. I agree with this in principle, though on close inspection, the problem has more to do with album placement than quality of material. The opening track of the album should have been 'Miss Rand', a playful beginning with a romping guitar / organ run, and what then introduces our main protagonist as he strums the acoustic guitar and growls out the lyrics while Dario Guidotti hoots on the harmonica. Guidotti incidentally is one of the key ingredients to Jumbo's sound. His haunting harmonica is only bettered by his fantastic staccato flute work - always a hallmark of a good Italian prog band. The other hero is guitarist Daniele Bianchini, whose raw electric guitars match Fella's vocal expression perfectly.

The second track should have been 'Hai Visto...', a fine jazzy number with excellent Hammond and piano from Sergio Conte. And Guidotti's flute of course. Closing off Side 1 should be 'È Brutto Sentirsi Vecchi', a more introspective piece that lulls one into a false sense of security. It's the perfect preparation for 'Suite per il Signor K'. Now the listener is ready for what is to come. Honestly as an opening piece it's too much, too fast. Basically you've already had your hard liquor, and asked to drink beer for the rest of the evening. So the album is backwards from what it should be. Program your CD as above, and see what happens. Suffice to say 'Suite per il Signor K' is one of the all-time greats, and a bold statement for any genre, any time. Not much more to write here other than.

Masterpiece.

I also highly recommend you all seek out a YouTube video of Jumbo from this era. Titled 'Miss Rand', it's a combo of said track plus some parts of Signor K. Interesting to note that the video is in color - and it comes from RTV in Slovenia (former Yugoslavia) (?!). The music is straight from the album, and the video shows the band on sailboats and later in a summer field. The lip syncing and playing is way off (and there are no plugs for their guitars.). It's all pretty silly, and it demonstrates that Jumbo were still young men having fun rather than an intensely serious bunch. Really captures the essence of the era. I love it.

Ownership: 

1972 Philips (LP). Textured gatefold with lyric insert. Acquired in 1999.

2001 Philips Japan (CD). Papersleeve gatefold. Acquired in 2005.

First copy: 1992 Philips / Mellow (CD). Acquired in 1992. 

1992; 6//05; 3/8/10; 3/7/19 (review)

Jumbo (1972)

Hard to imagine two albums more different than Jumbo's debut and Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni?, all only in the span of two years. This is blues rock - harmonica (mainly the first track) and all the trappings. Though there is plenty of great guitar (heavy at times) and organ leads as well. And hand drums and flute go a long way to making this a pleasurable experience. Listening closely, what’s on display here is the basis for any Jumbo track. Consider that the varied instrumentation and wild experimentation going on by the time of Vietato Ai Minori Di 18 Anni? are so much more elaborate, it’s hard to imagine that after a complete strip search, they are in reality simple blues numbers in disguise. And then there’s Alvaro Fella himself, maybe the greatest of all Italian singers in terms of raw expression. Oh sure, Leone wins the drama queen award and Giacomo gives Pavarotti a run… but Fella resonates with what’s on the street... man. He’s the ghetto brother of Milan! I can only recommend to those that worship at the Jumbo altar, otherwise you’re gonna get strange looks. Me? I like it.

Ownership: 2004 Philips Japan (CD). Papersleeve. Acquired in 2005.

6//05 (review)

8/10/17 (new entry)

Jumbo - Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni? (Mike review)

In 1973 the Italian blues band turned progressive rock juggernaut released their third and final studio album, leaving behind nothing until Mellow decided to add a black eye to their rep with one of the worst demos of all time (from a far later period) and a balanced but perhaps slightly uninspired 1990 live show from when they opened for Magma and IQ, perhaps one of the first examples of a concert where two different audiences shared a venue. But with Vietato ai Minori di 18 Anni? the band left behind what is probably one of the finest testaments of the Italian progressive rock movement from the 70s. With an almost Dylanesque, poetic soul the band took their almost folksy song-oriented sound, already developed into progressive rock by the time of DNA, and made one of the most startlingly consistent yet experimental albums to come out of the scene. Where PFM were blazing pastoral Moodys and Crimsonesque soundscapes and Banco were almost turning classical music into rock opera, Jumbo were almost the perfect example of how you could throw almost everything else into the stew. Over and over again, fragile ranconteur-like songs, sung by a raucous, earthy bard explode into different directions, sometimes expelling the most incredible rock riffs, at others meandering dreamily into dissonant and swelling soundscapes, and sometimes even being bent Dali-style in the studio, as if the whole session was being operated by guest Franco Battiato. All of this is delivered in the rawest of emotions, an expressiveness that arises from gravel, rock, anger, rage, repression, viciousness and yet a basic humanity, a wistfulness like a wise old man retelling a life story. There's absolutely no note wasted on this, even on the experimental, tortured "Gil" one is rapt as the anguish is wrapped in layers of mellotron, spiralling VCS3s from Battiato and eventually an Aktuala-like tabla beat from Lino "Capra" Vaccina. It all reminds you that progressive rock will just never be the same again, as if modern music was just too self-aware or post-modern for there to ever be this combination of sheer naivete and musical brilliance again, as if a similar cornucopia of moods and styles would prematurely decay due to the looming fist of musical culture and reference and knowing mockery so prevalent today. What was once letting it flow is now chutzpah but here you have a jigsaw of original brilliance that actually centers on a rough blues singer strumming on an acoustic guitar, at its heart there's such a depth of soul that in the end it leaves you ragged and most importantly like you've traversed gigantic differences in only 40 minutes. And not only is the music cohesive despite it bringing so many strands together, but woven through are some of the most catchy and immediate riffs and themes ever produced by the style, the equal to the greats of the era without the mistake of overburdening the music with concept, musical egos and excessive sentimentality. At the end one can't help but think of the bard packing up his strings and walking to the bar for a mug already looking ahead to the next stop.