Search - Pfm :: L'Isola Di Niente (Mlps)

Third and last of PFM's classic studio albums

kireviewer | Sunnyvale, Ca United States | 08/22/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As you probably already know, PFM is an Italian progressive rock band. This is their third album. It is their last studio album to feature their classic progressive sound. Their next studio album, Chocolate Kings, veered slightly from this sound, adding a new lead singer and going after a slightly more jazzy, popish sound. After that, they went true Italian pop, except for their live shows and CD's.This album is not quite as good as the first two, only in that it is not as consistently brilliant throughout. At only 36 minutes long, there shouldn't be any low spots. If the album were longer, then you could tolerate the slow spots without feeling there is something missing.The CD starts out with an Italian choir. This would be a nice addition, if it were only an addition. But, it cuts into the overall length of the album, so that you end up with only 31 minutes of quality rock music.The second song (Is My Face On Straight) is PFM's first song with English lyrics. It was co-written by Pete Sinfield (who wrote the lyrics for early King Crimson albums). It sounds more like a Pete Sinfield song than a PFM song, especially in the beginning. It reminds me of Sinfield's Under the Sky. While it is a good song, it is not up the great standards of PFM. So, once you subtract the intro to this CD and Is My Face on Straight, you end up with only 25 minutes of great PFM music. That is why I only give this 4 stars.The rest of the material is extremely good, switching between lush progressive art rock and hard metal.There is a different version of this album, called The World Became the World. It is the same music, but with English lyrics, and additional song, and a blue cover instead of green. The additional song is the title track. It is an English version of Impressioni di Settembre from PFM's first album, Storia de la Minuto. I prefer the original Italian versions of these albums, compared to the rewritten English versions. Sinfeild's lyrics are not translations of the Italian, but completely different themes. And like Yes's lyrics, they are written for how they sound and not to be meaningful. Also, PFM did not know how to speak English at the time, so the vocals have wierd sound to them. So, I would rather hear the original, melodic Italian that I don't understand, than the new stinted English that doesn't have any meaning.PFM was a completely different sounding band in the studio and live. In concert they were a hard rocking band with incredible solos. Great live albums include 10 Anni Live boxset, Live in the USA (also called Cook) and the recent Live In Japan.PFM has been in existence for over 30 years. After playing progressive music, they became a back up band for an Italian pop singer. The group went pop throughtout the eighties and most of the nineties. They made a return to their roots with a number two live albums (pfmpfm.com and LIve in Japan). They also put out a studio album (Serendipity) that some claim goes back to their classic roots. I haven't heard the whole thing, but the songs I have heard were not that good."

Good but not great effort

kireviewer | 12/23/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album has it's high and low points. The overly lengthy intro with the choral arrangement can get tedious. The vocals, in English, on Is My Face On Straight are weak. PFM always did better when they sang in Italian as they never quite mastered English and it made for some awkward vocals that detracted from the overall performances. The rest of this disc is terrific. There is a strong Italian classical influence while drawing from jazz and rock to create a sophisticated and complex recording. One of the best bands in 70's Italian prog-rock. Recommended...Simon"

What happened???

bruceski | FLA United States | 05/11/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This was the 4th Italian prog cd I ever purchased. After buying the 1st two PFM cds and being blown away, I was disapointed with Le Orme's Contrappunti and this, and gave up on the Italian scene for a couple of years (I know, I gave up too soon). Looking back I would have to rate this as far inferior to PFM's first two, but not as bad as I originally thought. I think the biggest thing is that not understanding Italian it is harder to differentiate between the songs than on english language albums, and when every song on the album doesn't work, it is harder to appreciate what does. The best italian albums flow together as one linked work. This PFM release doesn't do that. As other have mentioned, the opening chorus, and the english sung Is My Face on Straight are throwaways, but the last two songs, the beautiful ballad Dolcissima Maria and the fusion influenced Via Lumiere are very good. So, this does have its moments, but is nowhere near as complete as Storia and Per un Amico"