Ad Gloriam＜Crystal Vinyl/限定盤＞

The cover of Le Orme's Ad Gloriam is about as psychedelic as it is possible to be or imagine; it is a swirl of color and a collage of pop-art images, featuring drawings (and photos) of the band members and various op-art images of well-endowed women scattered amid butterflies and geometric shapes. The music is also, indeed, psychedelic, and runs the gamut from pleasant, Beatles-influenced ballads to more spaced-out interludes emphasizing Tagliapietra's flute and Smeraldi's lead guitar. "Mita Mita" sounds vaguely like the Who's "I Can't Reach You," while "Fiori di Giglio" is vaguely reminiscent of "Penny Lane," and "Non So Restare Solo" is a very distant relative to "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite." Everything is sung in Italian, but the ballads (and the harmonies) are pleasant enough regardless of any language barrier on this side of the transaction. Interestingly, but not unexpectedly, the two bonus tracks, off of contemporary singles by the band, are the most cheerful and accessible songs. ~ Bruce Eder