De Agostini strikes again... "Prog Rock Italiano" partwork on vinyl.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by vince666, Sep 25, 2017.

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  1. vince666

    vince666 New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Italy
    Hi, i guess it's sold only here in Italy, but De Agostini just started yet another vinyl LPs partwork!

    This time, it will be a selection of 60 issues, one each 14 days.
    First one is first album by Premiata Forneria Marconi , Storia di un minuto , from 1972 and the "special" selling price for this first issue is only €7,99.

    I've just bought it and gave a listen... unlike the Beatles vinyl collection, it seems it's not pressed by MPO (no sign of MPO on the run-off) but the record seems to be well done and with no defects... anyway, i don't have any older press of this album to compare it against.

    some more infos here: Prog Rock Italiano – De Agostini

    and, at the moment, they told the titles of only the first 20 releases (but they say they will be 60 in total):

    first 20 releases (with the releasing dates) are:

    1) PFM - Storia di un Minuto - 23/09/2017
    2) Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - 07/10/2017
    3) Franco Battiato - Pollution - 21/10/2017
    4) New Trolls - Concerto Grosso - 04/11/2017
    5) Alan Sorrenti - Aria - 18/11/2017
    6) Area - Arbeit Meich Frei - 02/12/2017
    7) Le Orme - Felona e Sorona - 16/12/2017
    8) Il Rovescio della Medaglia - Contaminazione - 30/12/2017
    9) Napoli Centrale - Napoli Centrale - 13/01/2018
    10) Osanna - L'Uomo - 27/01/2018
    11) Perigeo - Azimuth - 10/02/2018
    12) Autori Vari - Concerto per Demetrio (2lp) - 24/02/2018
    13) Formula 3 - Dies Irae - 10/03/2018
    14) PFM - Live in USA - 24/03/2018
    15) The Trip - Caronte - 07/04/2018
    16) Claudio Rocchi - Volo Magico n.1 - 21/04/2018
    17) Arti & Mestieri - Tilt - 05/05/2018
    18) Tony Esposito - Rosso Napoletano - 19/05/2018
    19) Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Darwin - 02/06/2018
    20) Metamorfosi - Paradiso - 16/06/2018


    Cheers,

    Vince.
     
    zphage, hi_watt, Imagine70 and 4 others like this.
  2. Calling All Stations

    Calling All Stations Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
  3. mumps

    mumps New Member

    Location:
    italy
    got the first issue yesterday and already gave it some listenings.
    i also got an older press from the seventies and in my opinion the new one sounds a bit more "confused" anyway the differences are subtle and they did a great job, the record is flat and the cover is really well made and is exactly like the old one.
    the label is also exactly like the first issue.
    maybe the best 8 euro i ever spent : D
    looking forward to get some other issues, even though they will be 17 euro.
    cant wait for "napoli centrale" in december!
     
    grandegi likes this.
  4. phillyal1

    phillyal1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    philadelphia, pa.
    Wow -- I have a CD of the Alan Sorrenti -- cool music.
     
  5. izgoblin

    izgoblin Forum Resident

    If they could get the sound quality right, this would be amazing. Unfortunately they won't be so cheap here in the States.

    They've easily got a big challenge in competing with the original Italian RCA pressing of RDM's Contaminazione. That is audiophile material right there - an incredible sounding record.

    Maybe I will try one or two.... we'll see.
     
    Jeff57 likes this.
  6. Jeff57

    Jeff57 Senior Member

    I agree izgoblin. "Contaminazione" is an amazing album. I have the original RCA Italian pressing as well. One of my 5 desert island discs for sure, and the greatest merging of classical & rock I have ever heard.
     
    izgoblin likes this.
  7. jimjim

    jimjim Forum Resident

    Now, if they could do a West German one......I'd be very, very happy....
     
  8. grandegi

    grandegi Blind test maniac

    Location:
    Rome, Italy
    I purchased the first issue Storia di un Minuto by PFM.
    Matrices are
    • 20400 2A LPP-STORIA
    • 20400 2B LPP-STORIA
    The record is flat and dead quiet (I'm very impressed). The gatefold cover is an exact reproduction of the old one, no "De Agostini" or barcodes anywhere.
    My first impression is that it sounds a bit bright and sibilant on my system. I don't have an older pressing for a comparison though, so the brightness might be inherent in the recording. I'll have to compare it to the CD version.

    Think I'll also get the next one.
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2017
    mumps likes this.
  9. vince666

    vince666 New Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Italy
    WOW... for us italians it's obvious to know and love our old 70's prog rock... but it's just nice to see many from abroad who also love such old italian bands! :)

    Thanks to mumps for having compared it with his old 70's press... to know that the differences are only subtle is just nice!
    I happen to have a couple PFM's albums on early 90's CDs... i think especially about PFM's second album "per un amico" which i have on one of those golden CDs with digipack and "24bit mastering" written on the inside and which is a clear victim of loudness war (aargh!!!)... and a lot of old italian prog albums were re-released and remastered in a bad way over the last couple of decades... so, this time i was worried to get an LP with compressed dynamic range but, luckily, it seems that this new LP doesn't show dynamic compression as the very quiet bits are just very quiet as i'd expect from a not compressed recording. :)

    Anyway... i don't know if i will make this whole partwork... i just have a few of these on LP and i am still completing that other Beatles partwork by De Agostini.
    Next issue will be the first album by Banco del Mutuo Soccorso... i just have 2 different LP copies of it... a mid-late 70's re-release on white/green Ricordi-Orizzonte label and a late 70's Japan press on Seven Seas label... both in like-new shape... and i also have an older CD press of it... but who knows? when seeing it at the news-stand here below i may risk to buy yet another version of that LP too! :p We'll see... Time to complete the Beatles partwork before starting another one and, after all, i don't find it wise from De Agostini to overlap the two partworks like they did, because i like both of them! :)

    Pity that they did mention only the first 20 releases... it seems that they didn't put a few of my favourite italian prog rock albums ever on that list of the first 20 titles... like Jumbo's "Vietato ai minori di 18 anni?" (i have a re-press from a few years ago which sounds like crap and any kind of improvement over that one would be a godsend! Even the "remastered" CDs of that album do sound like crap, but in a different and perhaps even worse way) , like Museo Rosenbach's "Zarathustra" (but i have 4 different vinyl versions of it, with the 2009 limited edition one being a complete waste of money) , like Biglietto per L'inferno (2 different LP versions here), Balletto di Bronzo's "Ys" (i have it only on a too loudly mastered CD, so a good LP press would be very welcome) , Metamorfosi's "Inferno" or Alphataurus (both of the LP re-releases from a few years ago i have here sound quite good, though).
    So, i am curious to see what they will add after the first 20 releases! :D

    Cheers,

    Vince.
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2017
    phillyal1 likes this.
  10. grandegi

    grandegi Blind test maniac

    Location:
    Rome, Italy
    The second issue I acquired (Banco del Mutuo Soccorso) is slightly warped, but not enough to go through the hassle of returning it, I'm afraid. The vinyl is quiet and the mastering sounds really good on my system. On the back sleeve there's the "Sony Music" logo and "(C) 2017 Licenced by Sony Music Entertainment Italy S.p.A. to De Agostini Publishing Italia S.p.A."
     
  11. vaprogger

    vaprogger Forum Resident

    Location:
    Richmond, VA, USA
    Ciao Vince,
    Thanks for your informative posts about some of the most significant music (at least to some) for seeking. I need to re-join the tapehead community. I need several of the "one-offs" of the twenty items. I do not know how that translates in Italian-artists that only produced one release. Has anyone been having these delivered to the US? Is the postage reasonable?
    BigM-tapehead name
     
  12. grandegi

    grandegi Blind test maniac

    Location:
    Rome, Italy
    I got the third issue (Pollution) and once again the vinyl is very quiet and the mastering sounds really good on my system and to my ears. As in the second issue, the back sleeve has the "Sony Music" logo and "(C) 2017 Licenced by Sony Music Entertainment Italy S.p.A. to De Agostini Publishing Italia S.p.A.", that was not printed in the first issue.
     
  13. acemachine26

    acemachine26 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bangalore, IN
    Hi guys, Im interested in getting a few of these pressings too given the good reviews I've been reading. What's the source of these pressings?
     
  14. dachada

    dachada Senior Member

    Location:
    FL
    Number 20 will be
    Zarathustra - Museo Rosenbach . it will be sold fast I think
     
  15. dachada

    dachada Senior Member

    Location:
    FL
    1 PFM - Storia di un Minuto 23/09/2017
    2 Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Banco del Mutuo Soccorso 7/10/2017
    3 Franco Battiato - Pollution 21/10/2017
    4 New Trolls - Concerto Grosso 4/11/2017
    5 Alan Sorrenti - Aria 18/11/2017
    6 Area - Arbeit Meich Frei 2/12/2017
    7 Le Orme - Felona e Sorona 16/12/2017
    8 Il Rovescio della Medaglia - Contaminazione 30/12/2017
    9 Napoli Centrale - Napoli Centrale 13/01/2018
    10 Osanna - L'Uomo 27/01/2018
    11 Perigeo - Azimuth 10/2/2018
    12 Autori Vari - Concerto per Demetrio (2lp) 24/02/2018
    13 Formula 3 - Dies Irae 10/3/2018
    14 PFM - Live in USA 24/03/2018
    15 The Trip - Caronte 7/4/2018
    16 Claudio Rocchi - Volo Magico n.1 21/04/2018
    17 Arti & Mestieri - Tilt 5/5/2018
    18 Tony Esposito - Rosso Napoletano 19/05/2018
    19 Banco del Mutuo Soccorso - Darwin 2/6/2018
    20 Zarathustra - Museo Rosenbach 16/06/2018
    21 PFM - Chocolate Kings 30/06/2018
    22 Delirium - Dolce Acqua 14/07/2018
    23 Area - Caution Radiation Area 28/07/2018
    24 Il Volo - Il Volo 11/8/2018
    25 Franco Battiato - Sulle corde di Arles 25/08/2018
    26 Acqua Fragile - Mass Media Stars 8/9/2018
    27 Demetrio Stratos - Metrodora 22/09/2018
    28 The Trip - Atlantide 6/10/2018
    29 Osanna - Suddance 20/10/2018
    30 Balletto di Bronzo - YS 3/11/2018
     
    phillyal1 likes this.
  16. Bjorn Kjetil Johansen

    Bjorn Kjetil Johansen Vortex Surfer

    Location:
    Oslo, Norway
    Any more opinions on these reissues? I'm considering getting Darwin by Banco.
     
  17. Babysquid

    Babysquid Forum Resident

    Location:
    England
    I’ve been enjoying them greatly
     
  18. Meatface

    Meatface Forum Resident

    I have#38 - Arti & Mestieri - Giro di Valzer Per Domani. It sounds terrific! No telling what source was used, but it is dynamic and layered (for a mid 1970's multitrack fusion record). The pressing from MPO is dead quiet. The 8 page booklet was missing from my copy. Oh well.
    It will be a good way to get some overlooked gems that have become expensive.
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2019
  19. vinilonic

    vinilonic Member

    Location:
    Warszawa, Poland
    Vince, which LP version of Zarathustra you can recommend?

    Thanks,
    Piotr
     
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