New Trolls "Rhino Collection" 1967-1979(rec) 2011(comp)***

Having read a lot over the New Trolls, I decided during my recent Roman Holiday to buy one of their albums (of all the souvenirs I take from my trips, CD's by local bands are my favorites). For better or worse I opted for this cheap compilation, covering the band's first decade. After listening to the first 3 tracks I was ready to give up on them. 1969 single "Una miniera" is a pleasant pop ballad with a big sound between late Beatles (if one feels like being generous) and early pop-psych Bee Gees. Unfortunately "Quella carezza della sera" (from 1978's "Aldebaran") and "Che idea" (from "New Trolls '79") sound more like disco-era Bee Gees. "Un'ora" is 60's pop, while "Una storia" (1971) is the first track I really liked, with its Hendrix-ian guitars and Procol Harum-like organ. 1967's "Sensazioni" is a nice garage/psych rocker, but it pales compared to what comes next: the two opening tracks from the band's 1971 magnum opus "Concerto Grosso". "I Tempo - Allegro" is basically a Jimi Hendrix-meets-Jethro Tull hard rock instrumental, augmented by magnificent baroque strings courtesy of composer Luis Bacalov. If his name sounds familiar, it's probably because of his music for spaghetti western Django, utilized also in the recent hit remake by Tarantino. Bacalov has also won an Oscar for his score for the heartwarming, if less commercial, movie Il Postino. "II Tempo - Adagio (Shadows)" is a beautiful cinematic ballad from Concerto Grosso and "La prima goccia bagna il viso" a prog/hard rock single, also from 1971. "Quella musica" and "Il sole nascerà" (both 1969) are quality psychedelia, the former reminiscent of Procol Harum and the Beatles and the latter of early Deep Purple. "Visioni" and "Signore, io sono Irish" are a couple of 1968 psychedelic rock tunes with blues/soul overtones while "Aldebaran" is a pop/disco ditty from 1978's same-named album. In 10 years' time, the New Trolls had tackled at least 3 different styles (psychedelia, symphonic prog and pop/soul) with equal success, which explains their longevity and productivity (I counted 25 releases on their wikipedia page). This compilation gathers some of their hits and manages to give as good an overview of their career as possible within the confines of a single CD. But I think one would be better served by either key individual albums like Concerto Grosso and New Trolls 70 or by another compilation with more stylistic consistency.

***** for Concerto Grosso n.1: I Tempo - Allegro, Concerto Grosso n.1: II Tempo - Adagio (Shadows)

**** for Sensazioni, La prima goccia bagna il viso, Il sole nascerà, Signore io sono Irish

*** for Quella carezza della sera, Una miniera, Una storia, Un’ora, Quella musica, Visioni  

*** for Che idea, Aldebaran