Search - Pfm :: World Became the World

Among the best progressive rock albums ever made

woburnmusicfan | Woburn, MA United States | 11/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The World Became the World" is not only PFM's finest record, but one of the handful of top progressive rock albums ever made. It captures this Italian band at the apex of its career. Bassist Patrick Djivas had just joined the band, and joined with drummer Franz Di Cioccio to give it a more propulsive sound than on "Photos of Ghosts". The band's music, arrangements, and production were at an all-time high, resulting in classics like "Four Holes in the Ground", with its complex yet hummable melody leading to a blazing unison passage the Dixie Dregs would envy, and the title song, a ballad with a memorable synthesizer instrumental as its chorus. (The title cut is an English version of "Impressioni di Settembre" from the earlier "Storia di un Minuto" album, and is not available on the Italian version of the album, "L'Isola di Niente".) A flute processed through a wah-wah pedal leads into the stunning final chorus of "Is My Face on Straight?", one of prog-rock's greatest moments. "The Mountain", the album's first track, overcomes an unfocused choral intro to take the listener on several twists and turns. While the album was released in America by ELP's Manticore label and ELP lyricist Pete Sinfield wrote the English lyrics, the sound is closer to early Genesis, and keyboardist Flavio Premoli shares the mix with guitarist Franco Mussida and Mauro Pagani on flute and violin. As with every progressive rock album ever released, the lyrics are not a strong point. (1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal)"