I own the LP reissue, which replicates the original packaging and even Mercury label.

OK, so this isn't particularly progressive. It's psychedelic. But still needs to be included, given Le Orme's future as a prog rock band. Of course I won't even bother trying to find the original LP on the Car Juke Box label as it's virtually impossible to find, so no surprise I settled for the CD reissue.

Le Orme knew that pop and psychedelia was already reaching a dead end, so prog rock it is starting here with Collage. I personally find this underrated, but it does have a less polished, less refined approach compared to their following albums. Also thanks to them now recording for Philips, these LPs end up being much easier to find than their earliest material on Car Juke Box.

Most progheads feel Le Orme only became good with this album. They certainly took a more refined approach here, but the ghost of Collage can still occasionally be felt. There's one song with an untypical Canterbury-type organ solo.

They really perfected their style here, it's without a doubt their crowning glory. This is a great place to start as any if you want to get acquainted with Italian prog!

Comes to show that they can pull it off live, although "Trucks of Fire" can be seen by some as self-indulgent by some. It's a bit strange, aside from the available nowhere else "Trucks of Fire" that most of this 1974 live performance focuses on Collage, with only one Felona e Sorona cut and none from Uomo di Pezza. That really baffles me, but still great material. Perhaps there was still more material, but couldn't fit on a single disc. Contrappunti appeared later in the year so that album had yet to exist when this live album was recorded early in 1974 so no surprise that no Contrappunti material appears here.

When I first heard it, I found it a disjointed mess. It's more experimental and eclectic, and I needed to listen to it more than a few times to get used to it.

This is truly one of the greatest Italian prog albums I have ever heard. I know some can disagree on that, some might not like the production or hard-edge approach. Being such a fan of this album, I have three versions, the 1997 CD reissue on BMG/Ricordi, the 2008 LP reissue on Sony, and the ungodly expensive (and rare) Italian original LP on Ricordi. That shows you how much I'm a fan of this album. I have to tell you right off that the Sony LP was rather disappointing, it was rather muddy sounding. The original LP has so much better sound quality.

Pokora disc rarity rating: *** (out of six)

I own the original LP with the triple gatefold and hook. It seems that in 1971 the Italian prog scene was more in the "proto prog" stage, as you can plainly see here. Elements of hard rock, blues, psychedelia in a bit more simplistic approach than their following albums, but I still find this a very enjoyable album.

Pokora disc rarity rating: ** (out of six)

This was released in the States on Peters International as Milano Cailbro 9. Warning: this album is actually variations of themes used on the movie, not the actual soundtrack, despite claims to the contrary (those who have never seen the film), plus a bunch of stuff never used on the film. I have seen the film, and instead I hear different versions of some of the themes, stuff not on this album on any form, and one cut from New Trolls' Concerto Grosso Per 1. Unfortunately the American LP on Peters International is of inferior quality, as it has no gatefold, but it does have one advantage: the print (band name and album title) is white, which is so much easier to read than the black print on the Italian original. The Italian original LP (which I also have) also has a gatefold, but I really wished the print was in white on this version, black against a psychedelic background like that is hard to read.

Pokora disc rarity rating: ** (out of six)

It's strange how Peters International never released it in the States. Too Italian, maybe? Because not a word of English was sung on it? No collection of individual cuts so it might scare off US buyers (which didn't stop the American public from buying Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick and Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells)? Regardless, the album that got me started in Italian prog, back in 1993 and what a great way to get started.

Pokora disc rarity rating: ** (out of six)

I have both the American LP on Peters International and the Italian original LP on Fonit. It's strange how some of the songs were switched around on the American release. Plus the American release did not have the gatefold or textured cover. Looks like Peters just didn't want to pony up the extra money to make the gatefold and textured cover.

Pokora disc rarity rating: ** (out of six)

Mainly this is less of an Osanna album and more members of Osanna and Il Balletto di Bronzo, amongst others, teaming up with David Jackson, doing newly recorded versions of classic Osanna chestnuts.

I don't think I can add on much more about PFM what hasn't been said plenty of times, as their first several albums are totally essential to your collection.

My LP copy is the second Numero Uno pressing without the gimmick die-cut cover.

English language version of L'Isola di Niente (although the title track is an English language remake of "Impressioni di Settembre" from Storia di un Minuto).

My big gripe with this album, as it is with many others (I'm certainly not alone in this) is, because they don't come from an English-speaking country, the English language on this album comes off as a bit clumsy and I felt was a bit inferior from the Italian original (Per Un Amico). It also includes "Celebration", an English language remake of "E Festa" from Storia di un Minuto and a brand new instrumental "Old Rain". Even though the English lyrics come across a bit clumsy, it did succeed in giving them international exposure.

Luckily the international release had a change in title, because the original Italian release, Live in USA is not entirely accurate, as this live album also included some Canadian shows.

I have the US version on Asylum and the Italian original on Numero Uno (complete with poster). Both have different covers (and I can understand why the international version features a different cover, as the original was rather tasteless). Bernardo Lanzetti, ex-Acqua Fragile, joins, and his voice is certainly love it or hate it, but he apparently was more familiar with the English language than the other members given he had lived for a few years in Texas in his youth. Chocolate Kings shows a more fusion leaning towards the band, but the symphonic elements are still there.

They brought in an American violinist in the name of Gregory Bloch who already replaced Jerry Goodman in The Flock and David LaFlamme in It's a Beautiful Day. They go into fusion territory here, but I don't feel they pulled it off as successfully as they did with Chocolate Kings.

I was able to get these Sensations' Fix LPs for rather reasonable prices, way before the prices of them suddenly shot up (in the 1990s and even until recently you could often find them for $20-$30, now I frequently seem them going $200). I wonder if a new generation of kids have discovered them? Probably, after DJ Shadow started sampling their music. I hadn't met any of these "kids" though ("kids" meaning around 20-40 years of age, too young to have known this band first time around, and in fact weren't alive when they were pumping out albums).

Vocals were never Sensations' Fix's high point, so at least this one is all instrumental.

What's up with later Sensations' Fix? They were starting to rerecord earlier material. Here they redone "Strange About the Hand" and "Leave My Chemistry Alone", by adding on vocals, and renaming them "Strange About Your Hands" and "Finest Finger". The rest is all original, more guitar-oriented than before, which is ironic, given they brought in additional keyboardist Steve Head.