Alluminogeni - 1972 - Scolopendra

Alluminogeni
1972 
Scolopendra

01. La Natura e l'Universo (7:58)
02. Scolopendra (3:43)
03. Che fumo c'è (2:47)
04. La Stella di Atades (4:39)
05. Thrilling (7:07)
06. Cosmo (3:34)
07. Pianeta (6:54)


- Patrizio Alluminio / keyboards, vocals
- Enrico Cagliero / guitar, bass
- Daniele Ostorero / drums

Gli Alluminogeni's roots can be traced back to 1966, and to five young friends who met each year while on holiday on the Italian Riviera. Originally formed as a beat group, the band went through several changes of name in those early days and at different points they were known as Green Grapes, Vips, and Bats. In 1968 lead singer Patrizio Alluminio moved from Casale Monferrato to Turin, where most of the band were based, and this enabled them to be more active. Around this time they condensed to a trio consisting of Alluminio (keyboards, vocals), Daniele Ostorero (drums), and Guido Maccario (guitar). Maccario would prove to be the first in a long succession of temporary guitarists. Further changes of group name ensued, firstly to Terza Sensazione and ultimately to Gli Alluminogeni (after Alluminio who was the most accomplished musician of the three, having graduated in piano from the Conservatorio Viotti of Vercelli). On the back of their demo tracks they successfully landed a recording contract with the Fonit Cetra label.

After recording their first single in 1970 they performed in front of 15,000 at the Cantagiro summer festival having had little previous live experience. Over the course of the next two years they released a further 3 singles, and Piero Tonello replaced Maccario as guitarist during this period. In 1971 they appeared at an Avant-garde festival in Viarregio and then supported Gentle Giant on their Italian tour. Also in 1971, Caio 2001 magazine named them the third best band in Italy, behind Formula 3 and New Trolls, and ahead of Le Orme. Another change of guitarist saw Tonello leave and Enrico Cagliero join the band. This new line-up (Alluminio, Ostorero, Cagliero) recorded the soundtrack for an Italian movie in which the band appeared, performing as Troglomen. In 1972 they released the apocalyptic concept album SCOLOPENDRA, a visionary tale with cosmic ecology as its central theme. This album was based around Alluminio's Hammond organ and plaintive vocals, but the band members were unhappy with the final production as they felt it sounded too commercial. Their dissatisfaction with the record label, combined with some internal conflict, resulted in the break-up of the band. Consequently, the album wasn't promoted and the split also obscured their participation in the annual Festivalbar song contest in Italy. Patrizio Alluminio subsequently brought out a solo single in 1975, but apart from that one release the different members of Gli Alluminogeni went on to pursue careers outwith the music industry.

Following the re-issue of SCOLOPENDRA in 1991 the band reformed but Cagliero then left, to be replaced by yet another new guitarist Massimo Cabrini. After a meeting with Beppe Crovella, of Arti e Mestieri fame, they decided to record a new album in the original style of the band. The resultant album, GENI MUTANTI (1993), also carries a strong ecological message about the future of the planet. They followed this up with GREEN GRAPES (1994), which contains new and old unreleased material. A further album, METAFISICO, had been due for release in 2008 but other than 4 songs that are available via music download sites, this album has never materialised.  A trio from Turin, formed in 1970 by keyboard player Alluminio (hence the name of the band) and drummer Ostorero with various guitarists (Guido Maccario, Aldo, Andrea Sacchi, Piero Tonello, then Enrico Cagliero), they only lasted for a couple of years and their only album, Scolopendra, was issued when they had already split.

The group had obtained their record deal by a lucky chance, a demo tape was sent around and they were contacted by Fonit for a single and to play the Cantagiro with no previous live experience, in front of 15000 people audiences.

After four singles released between 1970 and 1971, in which the band limits are evident, the album is very well made, mainly based on Hammond organ and other keyboards, with good instrumental parts even if the voice is a bit thin and the sound seems dated now.
First side has more vocal parts and is lightweight in comparison, the second side is more instrumental and much better.
Despite a long time spent in rehearsing the album tracks, the group was totally unsatisfied by the production work made by Fonit to transform it into a more commercial product, and this was one of the main reasons for them to split.

The band reformed in 1993 and released two CD's for Vinyl Magic, with good results. The last of these, Green grapes (this has been the name of the group before changing it to Alluminogeni) is a compilation of old and new unreleased recordings, and also includes an english version of their first single L'alba di Bremit.

Keyboardist/singer Patrizio Alluminio also released a solo single, Tu anima mia on Fonit in 1975.

LP
Scolopendra  Fonit (LPQ 09065)  1972  gatefold laminated cover with inner opening
Fonit/Vinyl Magic (LPP 436)  1991 same cover but not laminated and with side opening
  
CD
Scolopendra Fonit (CDM 2029) 1991 reissue of 1974 album - now deleted
Geni mutanti Vinyl Magic (VMNP 07) 1993 new recordings
Green grapes Vinyl Magic (VM 046) 1994 compilation of unreleased old and new tracks
 
SINGLES (all with picture covers)

L'alba di Bremit
Orizzonti lontani Fonit (SPF 31262)  1970   
Dimensione prima
La vita e l'amore Fonit (SPF 31273)  1970   
Solo un attimo
Psicosi Fonit (SPF 31280)  1971   
Troglomen
Costruendo astronavi Fonit (SPF 31291)  1971   
 
PROMO-ONLY AND JUKEBOX SINGLES (with blank covers except where noted)

L'alba di Bremit Fonit (JB 136)  1970 juke box 4-tracks EP - no cover
backed with Filarmonica di Vienna/Allegretto, Al Bano/Quel poco che ho, Romina Power/Armonia
L'alba di Bremit
Orizzonti lontani Fonit (JBF 598)  1970  promo issue of corresponding single, with picture cover
Solo un attimo  Fonit (JB 376)  1971  juke box single - no cover
backed with New Trolls/Venti o cent'anni
La stella di Atades  Fonit (JBF 617)  1972 juke box single - no cover
backed with Creedence Clearwater Revival/Someday never comes

VARIOUS ARTISTS COMPILATIONS

A taste of New Prog 90
(with Mass media) Vinyl Magic (PRM 01) 1993 picture cover promo 7" single with excerpts of album tracks, also includes Calliope, Syndone, Castello di Atlante, Romantic Warriors, Unix - distributed with Melodie e Dissonanze magazine
The return of italian pop
(with Opera) Vinyl Magic (VM 201) 1996 CD sampler included in The return of italian pop book - also includes Romantic Warriors, Calliope, Syndone, Secret Cinema, Castello di Atlante, Tower, Mosaic, Circle of Fairies, Next, Empire 


Scolopendra  has been reissued on vinyl in Italy, and the reissue keeps the same design as the original, but with no laminated cover and side opening, where the first issue has a heavily laminated cover with the record inserted from the inner side of gatefold.
Despite being released by a major label, Fonit, it seems that the record has been released in very limited quantity, and it's very rare nowadays.

Both tracks from the only single by Patrizio Alluminio, Tu anima mia and L'isola, issued in 1975, appear on a japanese 9-track promo compilation on Nexus, called Nexus International Italian Rock Special (cat.no.SSY-17) that also includes singles' tracks by Hunka Munka, New Trolls, Krel (pre-PFM) and Ricordi d'Infanzia.

No counterfeits should exist, nor foreign issues.