This double-CD set presents a real conundrum, on a lot of levels. For starters, on its face, 55 songs may well seem like overkill to the casual fan who only knows or remembers (or thinks they only remember) five or six big hits by Paul Revere & the Raiders. And there are more modest single-CD collections to be found on this band that seem less daunting. But as it turns out - for those who give this set a try - Paul Revere & the Raiders did have just enough hits, when coupled with a sufficient number of respected album tracks and B-sides, to sustain a double-CD set. And that goes double for anyone who likes plain old rock & roll - even when this band got ambitious and a little bit progressive and serious, they never lost sight of the value of a great beat and carefully placed vocal and instrumental hooks, and they were always fun…
After their impressive debut in 2010 'Neo Gothic Progressive Toccatas' comes another slice of pipe organ heaven from this Italian band. Its strictly a trio format (although two different drummers are used) and all 'instrumental' over its 7 tracks and running time of 50 odd minutes. I'm not a classical music lover so this is as close to actually listening to that genre I will ever get. For those familiar with the debut this is not quite as 'raw'. I think they have tried to make the sound a bit softer and introduced synths into the mix which if I recollect correctly were not present on the debut. At times it reminds me of the Japanese trio Ars Nova especially on the more energetic sections.
The tarantella is an Italian folk dance, characterised by a fast and lively 6/8 rhythm, often accompanied by tambourines. This album presents thethree remaining forms of this ancient musical form: Pizzica-Taranta, Pizzica de core and Pizzica-scherma. Instruments: organetto (small accordion), chitarra battente (guitar), tambourine, violin, vocals. As the package notes ably explain, the tarantella has a long, centuries-old history that includes mass ecstatic trance dancing, originally to dispel the poison of a spider's bite. Eventually, these fast 6/8 meter dances of hysteria from Taranto spread and developed into set folk dances of which three forms remain. One of the ensembles dedicated to keep the tradition is the eight-member Arakne Mediterranea. Instrumentation are a small accordion, organetto, an Italian guitar citarra battente, a violin, and a tambourine.