Ultima Spiaggia ‎– Ultima Spiaggia (Disco Dell'Angoscia) (1975, LP, Italy)

LATO A
A1. L'incidente
A2. Voglio vivere
A3. Motivo angoscia 1
A4. Canto delle streghe e del demonio
A5. Motivo angoscia 2
A6. Samba della tortura e della guerra
A7. Che cosa è...

LATO B

B1. Motivo angoscia 3
B2. Rock della ricostruzione
B3. Davanti al nastro che corre
B4. Motivo angoscia 4
B5. Zucchero mio
B6. Piacere e potere
B7. Motivo angoscia 5
B8. L'incidente

Musicisti:
Ricky Gianco / guitar, vocals
Gianfranco Manfredi, Ninni Carucci, Nanni Ricordi, Ivan Cattaneo / vocals
Sergio Farina / guitar
Claudio Bonechi / keyboards
Hugo Heredia / sax
Gigi Cappellotto / bass
Tullio De Piscopo, Ellade Bandini / drums














The album begins theatrically with our character’s heartbeat, revving engine, and near-fatal auto crash which puts him into a deep state of unconsciousness, from which point the rest of the album deals with his journey in this uneasy, claustrophobic state. The short tracks come at you like a Pollack painting with many sound samples, all kinds of odd noises and environmental things…birds, children humming, street sound. The music is just as chaotic with spoken word, choirs, Elvis rock, folk music, classical segments, and the sound of a man spiraling down the drain. My favorite part is the bit of church organ which always sets great mood, and the thoroughly Italian presentation of emotions here running the gamut from playful to downright scary. Some of the guitar and piano work are also very lovely. The large ensemble of talented people bring much to the table and there are some interesting musical parts, however the very intent of the album to be a chaotic ride of flash sequences does prevent much development in the standard sense. But if you enjoy oddities like Persimfans, Battiato, and Nascita Della Sfera, the Ultima Spiaggia might be right up your alley.

'Voglio Vivere’ is one of those beautiful RPI moments with a passionate vocal, lovely piano, mellotron/strings, all building to a dramatic crescendo. A rocking electric lead drifts into the five-part 'Motivo Angoscia 1’, a recurring bunch of eccentric interludes. The first part is a mix of Opus Avantra-like strangeness, weird chants and narrations crossing free piano runs. 'Canto delle’ is one of the longer, more conventional rock tracks, with a strong brassy funk feel, trippy vocals and wild keys for a while, then another weird theatrical ending. Part 2 of 'Motivo’ is a boy singing with no inhibition, to himself, then joined by a choir of boys and a marching drum. 'Motivo 3’ is the short Jacula-like organ piece I so adore, slow and sad, distant. We’re treated to a mock Elvis send-up, a lullaby, bathroom opera, and electronic twiddling before this is over. Far from a musical masterpiece and often sounding a bit contrived, the album is still a wonderful and interesting example of the mid-late seventies RPI scene, a time when these 'out there’ experiments got a bit more prevalent and grand symphonic intent was not always present.

The stunning gatefold cover artwork was done by Paolo Baratella. Without question this is an album badly in need of a quality CD reissue which displays the artwork in mini-lp form. (Progarchives)