Le Orme Smogmagica

Often considered the 'black sheep' of Le Orme's discography,
"Smogmagica" is actually a great LP, that needs to be contextualized to be
fully appreciated: we are in 1976, the masterpieces that have made the
history of Italian progressive rock had already been written, and the same Le
Orme had been important protagonists of this little musical revolution.
In "Smogmagica", thanks to the presence of an additional blues-rock
guitarist, Tolo Martin, and the 'American context' in which the recordings
were made, rock often leave space to more modern and mainstream
sounds; Purists hated this change as soon as the album was released, but if
you listen with an open mind you'll soon reconsider this album as an
important part of a career in constant evolution.
"Smogmagica" stands out also for the wonderful cover painting by Paul
Whitehead (Genesis, Van Der Graaf Generator...), full of tiny details that just
beg to be discovered, in the perfect prog tradition!