THE TRIP - "Time of Change" - PROG w/ psych - vinyl LP 1ST PRESS - 1973 Italian

$

75

THE TRIP

“TIME OF CHANGE”

(Italy) Trident       RI. 1002

1973

EX- / EX -

FIRST PRESSING

BEST  PRICED COPY ON EBAY AS OF 3-2-2017. There is  one copy unsealed sitting right now at $204, incl. post.  Check it out.  

Fine pressing of this extremely hard to find prog LP with psychedelic flourishes from France.  Italian prog is usually harder to find than the UK or German counterparts

Review from the solid Amazon web site: “The Trip was actually a British band that formed in 1967 as a beat band, but quickly moved to Italy and acquired Italian musicians. What is really interesting, was when they were still in England, the group once had in their ranks a certain guitarist by the name of Ritchie Blackmore! We all know what happened with him: he jumped ship to Deep Purple and earned a ton of success being with that band (and after 1975, with Rainbow as well). From 1970 to 1973, they managed four albums, their self-entitled 1970 debut, Caronte (1971), Atlantide (1972), and this one, Time of Change (1973), which was their final album.

It wasn't until their last two albums that they moved aggressively into prog rock. For 'Time of Change', the band was recording for Trident Records (a short-lived label that pressed releases by Biglietto per L'Inferno, Dedalus, and Semiramis), so that means this original LP isn't exactly easy to come by. This album featured keyboardist Joe Vescovi, bassist Wegg Andersen, and drummer Furio Chirico. All credited to vocal duties. Some aficionados already know Furio Chirico joined Arti & Mestieri after this album.   This LP features his super-fast drumming. Joe Vescovi had no shortage of keyboards, he used Hammond organ, synthesizers, piano, Eminent, etc.

The album starts off with the side-length "Rhapsodia" (20minutes in length). There are some really amazing keyboard passages, some jazzy passages, and a few cheesy passages, as well. There's some ragtime-type piano, no doubt one of Keith Emerson’s influences on he band.  "Formula Nova" is an instrumental piece, and the band really soars with some amazing and intense passages.. "De Sensibus" is a bizarre experimental piece, while "Corale" is a rather classically-influenced piece. The final piece is an instrumental "Ad Libitum", which is largely piano-dominated, ranging from classical to jazz. Definitely worth getting if you're a prog fan.”

And also from Amazon:  “According to the band, The Trip, now reduced to a trio, had a lifetime experience in May 72' at the Villa Pamphili concert in Rome, performing in front of 80,000 people.  The band changed label the following year, now recording for Trident, and released the fourth album in as many years, under the title ''Time of Change''.  The album is undoubtedly highlighted by the sidelong 20-min. epic ''Rhapsodia'', a well-crafted composition with major YES, LE ORME and E.L.P. influences, highlighted by the complicated, almost jazzy drumming of Furio Chirico, the furious bass lines of Arvid Andersen and the incredible work of Joe Vescovi on keyboards.This track alternates rapidly between loose jazzy jams and tight Progressive Rock with huge Classical influences, offering plenty of organ, synths and piano textures, supported by excellent vocal work. The rest of the album is also good yet a bit uneven. ''Formula Nova'' is keyboard-driven Prog/Fusion, all instrumental and highly challenging, while ''De sensibus'' is pure Avant-Garde/Experimental music, featuring percussion, cymbals, synths and wordless screams.  ''Corale'' is a beautiful laid-back symphonic ballad with church organ and bass on the forefront along with the romantic vocal lines of Andersen and the closing ''Ad libitum'' is a piano solo by Vescovi with evident Classical and Jazz inspirations.

The Trip is energetic keyboard-led Progressive Rock with an obvious leaning towards Fusion realms and comes as another nice contribution of one of the earlier Italian Prog bands. Strongly recommended.”

Stored vertically in a smoke free environment going on 45 years.