PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI – THE MANTICORE STUDIO ALBUMS (1973-1977) (2025) (4 X CD) (Esoteric) (release date: 18th April)

This is a major release from Esoteric/ Cherry Red. I reviewed these albums (along with a compilation called “River of Life”) back in 2010, but now they are all gathered together in one clamshell box in replica sleeve wallets with a poster. They were, in my opinion, the crème de la crème of the European progressive rock groups, a status recognised by Emerson, Lake and Palmer when P.F.M. were signed to their Manticore label.

“Photos of Ghosts” distils the best prog influences of the time with the classical Italian tradition in a way that defined the unique emergent progressive fusion that P.F.M. became famous for, ensuring a longevity and popularity that few other groups would achieve. With stunning musicianship and inventive arrangements P.F.M. set the bar high on tracks like the magical ‘Il Banchetto’, a masterclass in subtlety sung in Italian, with breathtaking keyboard solos and harp, J.S. Bach-like in exposition along with piano work that would have pleased Keith Emerson. The album also produced some commercial flag wavers like ‘Celebration’, with integrity intact. Its’ opener ‘River of Life’ suggests early King Crimson with a dramatic orchestral feel through Flavio Premoli’s mellotron and keyboards and Mauro Pagani’s flute, and features some wonderful lead and harmony vocals. The title track has some folk leanings refracted through the Italians’ great passion and skill in pushing melody and structure in a new progressive direction.

The potential suggested by their sophomore album (after 1972’s “Storia Di Un Minuto”) reached full maturity on 1974’s “The World Became the World” (the English language version of “L’Isola di Niente”) with a ‘river’ of music from the stunning mellotron drenched epic with notable pulsating bass by Patrick Dijvas on ‘The Mountain’ through the evergreen social conscience ballad ‘Just Look Away’ (which addresses destitution and homelessness) and features some virtuosic violin to the classic title track with its’ stunning Moog/ mellotron line (a line that wouldn’t have seemed out of place on “In the Court of the Crimson King”). And then there’s the exceptional melody running through ‘Four Holes on the Ground’ and the sardonic witticism of ‘Is My Face on Straight’. Pete Sinfield’s lyrics are writ large on an album that shows a group at the height of its powers.

Gorged on the marvels that preceded it, “Chocolate Kings” was an album I took longer to get into, but it grew on me. Perhaps it was the change of vocalist to Bernardo Lanzetti, who sang in more of Roger Chapman of Family kind of raspy, throaty way. However, I grew to love his voice and there is no doubting the classic prog influences that are at work on tracks like ‘Harlequin’ and ‘Out of the Roundabout’ (I think you can guess!), all done in a refreshingly original way, just five tracks in total and a consistently accomplished album. Sadly “Jet Lag” turned out to be the end of the Manticore line, but I have a real soft spot for it; the music has a harder edge that accommodates Lanzetti’s voice to perfection. The beautiful acoustic guitar of ‘Peninsula’ sets the scene and tracks like ‘Left Handed Theory’ and ‘Traveller’ signify the new direction the group was heading in before the Manticore story ended.