PFM - Live In Japan 2002
	Released: 2002 Label: Sony Music  Cat. No.: S4 505106 2 Total Time: 72:38 / 71:13
	Reviewed by: Davide Guidone, January 2003 To celebrate their 30th year, PFM published a new live album with two new tracks and again surpasses itself. Almost five years ago I got the pleasure of seeing a gig on the support tour for Ulisse, afterwards immortalized on the disc called www.pfmpfm.it and I thought it was a very good concert; today I have to say this Live In Japan is even better. Beginning from the formation: the return of Lucio Fabbri, an excellent violin player and also poly-instrumentalist, gives that "quid pluris" that the band hadn't had before; however, all the members are at their top. So what takes shape are some perfect pieces from the point of view of technique and, as usual, the group gives its best in the jam sessions. Magnificent is, for example, the "Tokyo Electric Guitar Jam;" which includes a new version of "Altaloma 5 Till 9," a completely improvised piece they created for the first time on the American tour, with Franco Mussida in evidence. Being in a foreign country, the tracklisting features a lot of English-language songs (PFM in the Seventies released some albums for the Anglo-Saxon market) like "River Of Life," "Promenade The Puzzle," and "Photos Of Ghosts," from the Photos Of Ghosts album. The introduction of these songs excluded many others, but the set did include "Maestro Della Voce," with its famous bass riff , "Si Può Fare" and "Suonare Suonare." This fact testifies to the love that the band feels for the disc called Suonare Suonare. From the last album, Serendipity, is performed only "La Rivoluzione," which shows the road taken in this last period: that of a more modern rock style which brings away the technique of the soloists. Instead, the two new studio tracks deny what we have just said: the first one ("Sea Of Memory") sees Peter Hammill as special guest -- he of Van Der Graaf Generator, the great English group of the '70s -- and is an old-style prog-rock song with a lot of variations and a wonderful guitar final solo by Mussida. The second one is a nice version of Franco Battiato's "Bandiera Bianca" with a good piano riff by Flavio Premoli. It's no use saying that on this live disc there are all the classics like "Impressioni Di Settembre," "Celebration" and "La Luna Nuova," while Rossini's "William Tell Overture" reappears in the band's usual arrangement. More about Live In Japan 2002: Track Listing: Disc One: Sea Of Memories (6:43) / Bandiera Bianca (4:02) / La Carrozza Di Hans (6:52) / Rain Birth (Intro To The River) (1:25) / River Of Life (7:23) / Photos Of Ghosts (7:41) / Peninsula (5:11) / Out Of The Roundabout (7:29) / La Rivoluzione (4:07) / Suonare Suonare (5:50) / Promenade The Puzzle (7:20) / Tokyo Piano Solo (2:13) / Dove ... Quando (Part 2) (1:47) / Dove ... Quando (4:20) Disc Two: Il Banchetto (3:05) / Dolcissima Maria (4:16) / Maestro Della Voce (8:18) / Si Può Fare (12:08) / Mr. 9 Till 5 (5:11) / Scary Light (3:00) / Tokyo Electric Guitar Jam including Altaloma 5 till 9 (5:23) / Tokyo Violin Jam (Part 1) (5:01) / Rossini's William Tell Overture (0:57) / Tokyo Violin Jam (Part 2) (2:44) / Impressioni Di Settembre (5:30) / E' Festa (Celebration) (5:46) / La Luna Nuova/Four Holes In The Ground (9:49) Musicians: Franz Di Cioccio – vocals,drums and percussions Patrick Djivas – bass Franco Mussida – guitars, vocals Flavio Premoli – keyboards and vocals Special guests: Lucio Fabbri – violin, keyboard, guitar, backing vocals Piero Monterisi: drums Very special guest: Peter Hammill - Lead Vocal in "Sea Of Memory" Contact: Website: www.pfmpfm.it Note: will open new browser window Email: pfm@pfmpfm.it Discography Quelli (1969) (as Quelli) Storia Di Un Minuto (1972) Per Un Amico (1972) Photos Of Ghosts (1973) L'Isola Di Niente (1974) The World Became The World (1974) Live In The USA (1974) The Award-Winning Premiata Bakery (1976) Chocolate Kings (1976) Jet Lag (1977) Passpartù (1978) Fabrizio De Andre / PFM - In Concerto Vol 1 (1979) Fabrizio De Andre / PFM - In Concerto Vol 2 (1979) Suonare Suonare (1980) Come Ti Va In Riva Alla Città (1981) Performance (1982) PFM? PFM! (1984) Miss Baker (1987) 10 Anni Live - 1971-1981 (1996) Absolute Live - 1971-1978 (1996) Ulisse (1997) www.pfmpfm.it (Il Best) (1998) Serendipity (2002) Live In Japan (2002)
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