Search - Latte E Miele :: Passio Secundum Mattheum

Another good Italian Prog release

bruceski | FLA United States | 04/20/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As I explore Italian progressive rock of the 1970s, one thing becomes clear; there was a great deal of depth in this scene. Latte E Miele's debut release in another fine example of the music being generated in Italy at the time. On this one, the songs are generally in the 2:00 to 4:00 minute range and the ideas change fairly rapidly. For moments there is a small choir, then jazzy sounding piano breaks, next Emerson-like church organ (think The Three Fates), this might be followed by a brief spoken section and then some "chunky" guitar chords. While it sounds fragemented, it actually flows together fairly well. At the time this was recorded Latte E Meile was a trio, and they play more as a combo than as individuals. Supposedly the overall theme has to do with religion, but, since I don't speak italian, you couldn't prove it by me.



To Simon, I have read many of your reviews (in fact I wish they were all together somewhere as I generally find them randomly in exploring) and usually find them very insightful and useful, but, I really think you missed the boat on this one. The music is somewhat innocent and derivative of other sources (and therefore not as mature as some of the better known Italian prog bands), but it is put together nicely with a lot of variety. There aren't many vocals other than the choir, which I find pleasant.



Overall, another good listen from Italy."

Music with passion

Conrad Leviston | Melbourne, Australia | 10/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Attempting to break free of the traditional constraints of pop music (verse - chorus - bridge etc.) many progressive groups started experimenting with classical musical forms. Latte e Miele are, however, the only group that I am aware of who have tried to tell the Matthew Passion in the same way that Bach did.



The music doesn't overtly borrow from Bach, but this is clearly done in the same spirit, with passages slowly building up to strong, powerful crescendos. The songs are generally shortish in length, but run one into the other giving a strong feel of continuity.



It always amazes me how much power a three piece band can get, and Latte e Miele certainly deliver with all the flair perculiar to the Italian prog bands. While not quite in the league of the very best Italian albums, this certainly has its moments with a couple of strong riffs and good musicianship all around. A must have for those starting to delve deeper into the wonders of Italian prog."

Yet another album of excellent Italian Prog Rock

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 04/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am beginning to think that the Italian prog scene may actually be infinite. There is certainly no shortage of incredible albums, and this great 1972 release is no exception. Passio Secundum Mattheum is a concept album of a religious nature that revolves around 12 pieces that range in length from 0'43" to 7'04". The original album is roughly 35'00" in length, and the mediocre, poppy bonus track from 1974 (track 13 - Mese di Maggio) brings the CD up to just under 40 minutes. The CD was remastered in 1994 and the sound quality is excellent. With regard to the music, it is of the standard of excellence that I have come to associate with Italian prog - brilliant and haunting melodies/harmonies, superior musicianship by excellent drummer Alfio, guitarist Marcello (bass guitar, acoustic and electric 6 string guitar (sometimes heavily distorted), and classical guitar), and keyboardist Oliver (pipe organ, celeste, Hammond organ and acoustic piano, mellotron, mini-moog, and solina string synthesizer). This recording is largely instrumental but there is some spoken dialogue and very good vocal parts by the band members. In addition to the band vocalists, there are some brief operatic "choir" parts by a baritone, (two?) sopranos, and an alto (I think). With respect to outside influences, I Testimoni (parts 1 and 2) seems to be largely based upon the jam section of Traffic's lengthy piece Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971), while the introduction to Il Calvario consists of an unaccompanied pipe organ solo that sounds a great deal like Keith Emerson's pipe organ solo on Clotho from The Three Fates (ELP, 1970). Although this album is excellent, I have two very minor complaints including (1) the abrupt ending on track 4 (Getzemani) - not sure if it was intentional, or an error that occurred during the 1994 transcription; and (2) the odd track Guida, which ranges from death metal, to lounge jazz, then back into excellent prog. Fortunately, Guida is only 0'43 in length so it is not completely disruptive and does not affect the overall quality of the album. All in all, this really is a great recording and is certainly right up there with the great prog albums from Italy. Recommended."