Premiata Forneria Marconi

Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) is an Italian progressive rock band founded in 1970 which continues to the present day. They were the first Italian group to have success internationally. The group recorded five albums with English lyrics between 1973 and 1977. During this period they entered both the British and American charts. They also had several successful European and American tours, playing at the popular Reading Festival in England and on a very popular national television program in the United States. PFM introduced new sounds, such as the synthesizer, to the Italian musical world. They were also among the first to combine symphonic classical and traditional Italian musical influences in a rock music context. Such innovations and their longevity have earned PFM a place among the most important bands in the Progressive rock genre.

4 CD box set featuring four previously unreleased live shows with unreleased tracks & a great book. CD1 1971-1972 The Beginning Italian Tour, CD2 1973-1074 The American Experience From the World Became the World Tour, CD3 1975-1976 Around the World Chocolate Kings Tour & CD4 1977-1978 Contaminazioni (Jetlag and Passpartu' Tours) plus 1980-1981 Verso Un Nuovo Rock (Performance Tour)…

As the years go by, miracles become a rare commodity even to dream about , let alone witness, whether in politics (no messiahs anywhere!), in romance (a seemingly prehistoric concept) or in the arts (boring!!!!!). But , somehow in Progland (where fairytales often coalesce with legends), there is still the spark. Who would of ever imagined that this once-seminal band of the timeless Italian School of Progressive Music, after decades of poppish dirge (by opposition to their earlier monuments), would one day , 30 years later, deliver such a riveting recording!..

It's kinda hard to be into Progressive Rock and not be aware of Premiata Forneria Marconi. This classic Italian band was formed more than 40 years ago and it is still running the long run!…

PFM were already Italy's premiere progressive rock band when Emerson, Lake & Palmer signed them to the British trio's own Manticore label in 1972 and turned to King Crimson alumnus Peter Sinfield to write English-language words (sung phonetically) for this, the Italian group's debut international release…

PFM were never a group prone to stand still, or repeat themselves from one project to another. Their second international album release, The World Became the World, was a case in point – rather than continuing in the same precise direction as its predecessor, Photos of Ghosts (1973), it presented a serious challenge to their existing fans even as it pushed the envelope of their sound. There are still places where the band's lyrical side, strongly in evidence throughout Photos of Ghosts, comes through, especially on the softer tunes such as "Just Look Away."…

As PFM's work showed the increasing influence of electric jazz, the releases showed more impressive chops and yet also became less compelling to listen to. Jet Lag is the first release of theirs to cross this line, as it's noticeably less enjoyable than the previous year's Chocolate Kings…

Premiata Forneria Marconi is considered to be the best Italian progressive rock band ever. PFM recorded excellent progressive rock in the seventies as we can hear on albums as Photos Of Ghosts (1973), The World Became The World (1974) and Chocolate Kings (1975). During the golden era of prog rock they also assisted a good friend who made music with hardly any relation with their own musical style…