Mandillo - Mandillo CD (mini-lp sleeve / remastered)
SKU
27-AMS 178
This Italian minor gem from 1976 - the 1st release on the Grog label - is quite scarse, rather unknown and has never been reissued before! The group was formed by ex-Garybaldi drummer Maurizio Cassinelli and the group was Franco Sandi (guitar, vocals), Marco Dondero (flute), Lucian Ottonello (guitar, vocals) Rino Loreto (bass) Maurizio Cassinelli (drums), but there are very high profile guests such as guitarist Bambi Fossati (Garybaldi), keyboardist Aldo De Scalzi (Picchio dal Pozzo), guitarist Vittorio De Scalzi (New Trolls), etc.
The group's sound is song-oriented, with excellent vocals and harmonies and interesting, short instrumental breaks; I've heard some folks argue it isn't a 'prog album', but if you consider Abbey Road to be progressive, then you would consider this to be progressive.
"This ensemble created an album that sounds really different from Garybaldi's previous ones: it's a song-based LP, strongly influenced by The Beatles' style and the American west-coast sound. You can easily recognize melodies, harmonies, guitar arpeggios and typical multi-vocals choirs; each new listen reveals new details, due to the accurate arrangements and the mix of the various instruments played. This album is reissued for the first time on CD with the addition of never seen before photos of the band, both in studio and on stage."