Corte dei Miracoli - "Corte dei Miracoli" (1976)

A fine album from GROG records. Band setup: dual keyboards, drums, bass and singer. Only the first track features guitar. "...E Verra L'uomo" introduces us to the sound of Corte dei Miracoli. And indeed it's an interesting and varitaing sound. What sets them apart from other bands is the use of many keyboardssounds and occasionally some very wild percussionparts in the tracks.
Anyway, the first song starts with an energetic and fast part, the keyboards immideatly make their presence. Very good indeed. And of course this track (7:00) has enough of wild breaks and instrumentation to keep us all happy. The singer... well I guess some of you might be disturbed by his voice, it's high and sometimes a bit unfocused perhaps. Well he sings MUCH better than me anyway. At times, only sometimes, I can hear echoes of Locanda delle Fate in their sound, but they are not quite as complex as LDF. I like this song very much, and the ending minute has a grandiose part that strikes me as beautiful.
"Verso il Sole" again shows th bands talent, good breaks, great themes, I don't know what more to say really... It's vintage italian prog. A good piano solo in there somewhere.

"Una Storia Fiabesca" is one of the best songs here. The keyboardsound has a syntheseized analog sound at times sounds perfect, and together with the piano it is the best! Listen to the fast and furious pianolines in the breaks. The track has a kind of spacey and open sound that I find enjoyable. Also the percussion gets the treatment here. Odd and exciting. The meoldy is indeed very 'catchy' (hate that word) and you will love it. The drummer here (and on all the songs for that matter) is very convincing. This drummer is my kind if favouritedrummers. Precise, estetical style, but still many jazzy outbursts. Listen to the last minutes to know what I mean, he is dead-on the spot.
"Il Rituale Notturno" and the longer (13:40) last track "I due Amanti" also displays an interesting and at times experimental soundpicture.

It is always very nice to see a band with their own sound and Corte dei Miracoli for sure had a very special and distinctive sound. They come high in rank of polls where keyboards are important. And you are in for a real treat if you like a rich keyboardsound and many duels and solos.

...E Verra l'Uomo
Verso Il Sole
Una Storia Fiabesca
Il Rituale Notturno
I Due Amanti