L'Isola Di Niente＜完全生産限定盤/Green Vinyl＞

＜イタリアン・プログレッシヴ・ロック名盤 / カラー・ヴァイナル再発シリーズ＞
1974年発売 Premiata Forneria Marconi(プレミアータ・フォルネリア・マルコーニ)『L'isola Di Niente』
世界進出を果たし最高潮に達したPFMの4作目のイタリア語ヴァージョン

凄腕のスタジオ・ミュージシャンが集まって結成されたプレミアータ・フォルネリア・マルコーニ(PFM)の、1973年の『幻の映像(Photos Of Ghosts)』に続く世界進出第2弾英語アルバム『甦る世界(The World Became The World)』のイタリア語ヴァージョン。本作の邦題は『甦る世界～オリジナル・イタリアン・ヴァージョン』となっている。新たにアレアのパトリック・ジヴァス(b)を引き抜いて、より技巧的な演奏が可能となり、過去最高のメンバー構成となっている。
巨大な島をほうふつとさせる大曲「幻の島(L'Isola Di Niente)」や変拍子の嵐が凄まじい「新月(La Luna Nuova)、印象的なバラード・ヒット「ドルチッシマ・マリア」(27位)など名曲ばかりを収録。イタリア・アルバム・チャートで4位となる大ヒットを記録した。イタリアン・ロック・ファンは必聴作。
1974年作品。180gのグリーン・ヴァイナルでの限定発売となる。

Premiata Forneria Marconi's third Italian album (their fourth if one counts the 1973 release Photos of Ghosts, the English version of Per un Amico) came out shortly before ELP's Manticore imprint released its English version under the title The World Became the World. Unless lyrics sung in a language other than English is aggravating to you, by all means prefer the original version. Like for Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Le Orme, the music of PFM is impregnated with the lyricism of the Italian language. The most confusing of the group's first three LPs, L'Isola di Niente (The Island of Nothing) sees the group pushing its music to a new level of complexity, while giving a first hint at their later jazz-rock orientation. The title track (which will became "The Mountain" on The World Became the World) is a very powerful, almost shocking 11-minute epic, with choir, rolling echo-drenched drums and some of the most theatrical vocal performance you are likely to hear on a PFM record. BMG's 24-bit gold remastered CD reissue has helped clarify the choir sections (murky at best on the cheap vinyl pressings from days of yore), but the impact of the piece is still lessened by the tons of effects the group used. "Is My Face on Straight" is the only track that appeared in English on both LPs. The lyrics of ex-King Crimson's Pete Sinfield match the cadavre exquis-like collage of seemingly unrelated musical sections. PFM exhibit some of their best musical chops on this crazy number. "La Luna Nuova" (retitled "Four Holes to the Ground" on The World) is the track sounding the most familiar in comparison to the group's first two albums. It is also one of their best symphonic progressive rockers, with that sweet Italian flavor the harsh "L'Isola di Niente" eschewed. The ballad "Dolcissima Maria" is little more than that, but still much better in this rendition than its English counterpart "Just Look Away." The closing instrumental "Via Lumiere" (needlessly retitled "Have Your Cake and Beat It" on The World) was this album's enigma. Beginning with a rather free-form bass solo from Jan Patrick Djivas, it evolves into a frantic jazz-rock vamp, before reverting to a Yes-like mid-tempo finale. L'Isola di Niente was to be the group's last masterpiece (the next LP, Chocolate Kings, will show serious signs of fatigue) and remains one of the first Italian progressive rock wave's finest records, but it is more of an acquired taste compared to Storia di un Minuto and Per un Amico. ~ Francois Couture