Gleemen: Oltre…Lontano, Lontano

Gleemen is an Italian band formed in the city of Genoa in 1965. They released their self-titled debut in 1970. Their music was psychedelic blues based rock, similar to much of what was coming out at the time. That same year the band changed their name to Garybaldi and released a five studio albums between 1972 and 2000.

Fast forward forty three years since their debut and we have their sophomore effort Otre…Lontano, Lontano. Three original members are back including Maurizio Cassinelli (drums, vocals), "Bambi" Fossati (guitar, vocals) and Angelo Traverso (bass). A variety of guest musicians also help out to augment the sound.

Much of the music here is psychedelic bluesy rock complete with fiery guitar chords and some real nice solos. A prime example being the first track "Anima di Gomma" with its ripping bluesy/hard rock guitar solo and flute embellishments. While this album rocks hard, in a late 60s retro kind of way, the band also show a penchant for mellower leanings like the exquisite ballad "Canzone dei Cuori Semplici" where Moog, spacey sound effects and keyboard strings provide dreamy textures and a more progressive sound. "Il Venditore di Palloni" is another mellower tune with deeply rich contrabass textures and lovely violin. The band probably saves their best for last with the title track featuring excellent guitar and keyboard solos.

Although this is a blues hard rock album at its core, this is not a one dimensional band by any means. Some of the quieter interludes do exhibit a progressive touch and the entire album is well performed, just what you would expect from a group of seasoned veterans. The guitar parts in particular are excellent throughout. I quite liked it.

Track Listing:
1. Anima di Gomma
2. La Grande Carovana
3. Canzone dei Cuori Semplici
4. Skizoid Blues
5. Il Venditore di Palloni
6. In una Stanza
7. Stelle di Vetro
8. Nel mio Cortile
9. Solo Amore
10. Oltre…Lontano, Lontano

Added: April 29th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Label's Official Site
Hits: 1830
Language: english

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