The pioneers of Italian's progressive groups, Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM for short, named after an Italian bakery) was one of the leaders in the 70’s progressive movement. Their first two albums,
Story di un Minuto and
Per un Amico, were both critically acclaimed by the local public and media. The band developed a style that is uniquely Italian, while still faithful enough to the ground rules of the genre. Italian prog rock has its own distinctive soundscape, its own texture, so much so that many authorities assign it its own sub-genre, the so-called ‘Rock Progressivo Italiano’. Some parts of the music are purely acoustic, whilst others are heavily influenced by the symphonic flair some progressive bands chose to apply. PFM could be described as lyrical, romantic and delicate music, full of fineness. A great melodic and instrumental richness, with sumptuous compositions and arrangements. The music varies from the simple to the grandiose .
These men were masterful at creating dynamic, melodious, emotional music with classical influences (baroque, etc.). PFM’s particular sound is based on a typically Mediterranean melodic sensitivity exquisitely, playing a grasp of folk music stylings on par with Jethro Tull, (the band covered
My God) sometimes flirting with a kind of soundtrack-style pastoral lushness one associates with Yes or Genesis. Their music is also seasoned with influences from early King Crimson, but in the end, sounds nothing like all these groups. They have the ability to shift dynamics from soft to loud, and have progressed as an ensemble, improving the cleverness of the arrangements to shape their musical ideas.
Ex-King Crimson lyricist Peter Sinfield was so taken with PFM that he decided to come on board writing English lyrics and producing them. The result of that collaboration was
Photos of Ghosts. This and
The World Became The World are English adaptations of original Italian albums
Per un Amico et
L'Isola di Niente. PFM started their career in Italian, and they eventually had the advantage of being caught up in the general prog scene and being spotted by Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield. The former drove them to get exposure on an international level, and so
Photos of Ghosts represented the make-or-break moments for the band on a worldwide stage. The latter, Sinfield, actually took care of promoting them, producing the album and translating, or even re-interpreting their lyrics in English. The collaborations of Sinfield really helped bring PFM to a broader audience: all the tracks were remixed by himself and are not absolutely identical to the original Italian albums. Neither are the English lyrics translations of the original Italian lyrics: The lyricist imposed his own poetic writing.
Photos of Ghosts sounds both fresh and immediately welcoming. Opener
River of Life and the impressionistic closer, image-driven style of
Promenade the Puzzle are delightful highlights. They can be a little pompous at times, but we
are talking progressive here, after all. PFM’s immense talent reveals itself in the instrumental armada used to weave a flamboyant acoustic and electric guitar network (where the spirit of Robert Fripp rises to the top), majestic and innovative keyboard canvases brushed by vivid piano strokes and fluid synth runs, attacked by earth-shaking violin streaks and a rhythmic crew bent on creating their own genius. Yet, the main trademark that keeps the listener in a state of hypnotic glee appears within the imperially sumptuous melodies that grace each track in general, starting with the mesmerizing upward spiral of emotion expressed on
River of Life, continuing nonstop until the last note of the album.
PFM is no carbon-copy of any other band. They drew their inspiration from a lot of sources , and were one of the few bands in the genre to freely mix rock, classical, folk and jazz – including avant-garde improvisation in one giant pot. Whatever your opinions are on the English vocals, there’s no denying the sheer quality of the music, which is an attractive blend of electric and acoustic instrumentation; flute, violin, acoustic guitar, piano and drums alongside the electric instruments of guitar, bass and classic 70’s keyboards like the Hammond organ, Moog and Mellotron. This all produces a dynamic sound, with mellow restraint posed against more powerful sections. The music is never less than captivating.
