Nocenzi, Gianni - Double Exposure


Year of Release: 1998
Label: Virgin
Catalog Number: 7243 8 46405 2 1
Format: CD
Total Time: 74:53:00

If you don't know who Gianni Nocenzi is, I'll tell you: he was the piano player in the Italian progressive rock band, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso. Gianni was considered the "enfant prodige" of the Italian prog scene, as he still was a teenager when he started to play in the group in the early Seventies.

After ten years he decided to leave the group, since it took a pop direction. So he planned to begin a solo career. An unlucky solo career, indeed. This is so evident, that when I bought this CD, the seller told me these words: "Now I've sold Gianni Nocenzi, I can also close the store!"

This Double Exposure is a collection of his previous releases: Empusa and Soft Songs, published by Virgin as a special bonus release.

Although he played piano on Banco's albums, he was attracted by the synths, so on this work he uses a huge number of keyboards, without forgetting his first love, the piano.

The first disc is very ambitious and a little bit difficult to listen to; in fact there are a few very long pieces that combine a lot of genres, like experimental, jazz, progressive and even Japanese music. On Empusa Nocenzi plays all the instruments and is responsible for the programming.

In Soft Songs, the second disc, the music is less difficult; almost all the tracks are sung (Sarah Jane Morris, Andrea Parodi and Sonny Southon) and they are more catchy, so the final score is more involving and it seems to me very good.

To conclude I prefered Soft Songs, but if experimental music doesn't scare you, this double release is great.


Tracklisting:
Disc One: L'occhio, La Luna E Il Lupo, Nell'imbuto Cosmico (15:10) / Dance Of A Bottle (2:46) / Voodoo Bolero (7:28) / Como Dos Trenes Que Se Cruzan En La Noche (10:50)

Disc Two: Al Principio Dell'arcobaleno- Part One (5:23) / 47th Dawning (5:49) / Song Of Myself (6:19) / All Of You Is Shining (7:13) / Mintoi (5:56) / Al Principio Dell'arcobaleno-Part Two (8:44)

Musicians:
Gianni Nocenti - keyboards and programming
Guest appearences:

Ryuichi Sakamoto - keyboards, percussion, programming
Norihito Sumimoto -soprano sax, EWI
Andrea Parodi ? vocals
Sarah Jane Morris ? vocals
Sonny Southon - vocals

Discography:
Empusa (1988)
Soft Songs (1993)
Double Exposure (1998)

Genre: Various Genres

Origin IT

Added: March 24th 2003
Reviewer: Davide Guidone

Artist website: www.banco delmutuosoccorso.it
Hits: 2836
Language: english

  

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