Search - Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso :: Come in Un,Ultima Cena

Another fine Banco album

BENJAMIN MILER | Veneta, Oregon | 03/14/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Come In Un'Ultima Cena, originally released in 1976 on Manticore, was the first Banco album I have ever heard. I was told they were one of the greatest the Italian scene had to offer, but when I first heard this album, I was wondering what all the hype was about. Certainly the album isn't bad and has some great material. I thought many other Italian prog albums were better than this: Museo Rosenbach's Zarathustra, PFM's Per Un Amico, Goblin's Roller, Cervello's Melos, and Le Orme's Felona e Sorona, for example. Of course I had to try one of their first three albums they released in '72-'73. Once I got a hold of Io Sono Nato Libero, I was so completely amazed and I truly have that as one of my favorites from the Italian prog scene. With Come In Un'Ultima Cena they pretty much tread the same ground as earlier albums but with a more streamlined approach. This might be the more recommended album if you found experiments like "La Città Sottile" and "Canto Nomade Per Un Priogioniero Politico" (both from Io Sono Nato Libero) a little difficult to take in (which I happened to like a lot, by the way). The energy found on previous albums is quite a bit less, but don't let that scare you off if you're a Banco fan. In fact, "Il Ragno" is a classic Banco song very much I like Italian prog to be. "Slogan" attempts to harken back to their earlier days especially with the more experimental passages, but not entirely successful. "È Così Buono Giovanni, Ma..." is a piano-oriented piece with Francesco di Giacomo's usual overdramatic voice. For some reason, I never cared for this song since I thought it was a little weak. "Si Dice Che I Delfini Parlino" is simply amazing, a wonderful mid-tempo piece that demonstrates the best qualities I expect from the Italian prog scene. "La Notte È Piena" is a really trippy piece with flute, violin and a truly wonderful atmosphere. And the album closes with "Fino Alla Mia Porta", which is a truly excellent way to close the album. The problem I have with this album was I found it a bit uneven, that's why I was wondering what the hype was about when this was the only Banco album I had. I found Francesco di Giacomo's voice a little hard to take in on this album as opposed to earlier releases. His voice tended to be more operatic here. By the way, I own the original LP which comes with a gatefold and a lyric booklet. There's an English language version of this album called As In A Last Supper, also released on Manticore. I can't comment how that version is like, whether it's like PFM's Photos of Ghosts, being a pale version, or that version is equally good. Anyway, while Come In Un'Ultima Cena has many of the classic Banco trademark, it isn't what I feel is their best album in the catalog, previous releases are definately better so start with Io Sono Nato Libero, then any of their other previous efforts, before coming here."

Brilliant!

BENJAMIN MILER | 02/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This mid-seventies gem is every bit as good, if not better, than the bands much heralded Io Sono Nato Libero. The sound and songwriting continued to mature with a greater emphasis on melody and less distracting "bizarre" interludes as evidenced on earlier recordings. This outfit is every bit as good as PFM. Strong classical influences coupled with innovative and sophisticated musicianship. Highly recommended...Simon"