Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso – Garofano Rosso (Colonna Sonora Originale Del Film)

This album is simply amazing....... in my my best 10 of all times.

"Garofano Rosso", soundtrack to a movie by Luigi Faccini. First, but not unique, Banco's all-instrumental work (followed two years later by "... di terra"), it also sounds perfect as a stand-alone work: pop, rock, folk, jazz and classical music come together in a complex and unstructured style, dynamic, unpredictable and yet affordable at the same time.

The film went virtually unnoticed, and consequently its soundtrack didn't get due recognition at the time of its release. "Garofano Rosso" is now reissued on VM label on colored vinyl in a faithful reproduction of the original LP: a unique opportunity to discover a hidden gem of Italian progressive rock!

This is probably Banco's most underrated album! People tend to write this album off just because sco di Giacomo and his vocals are not present, going instead for instrumental soundtrack music. This is a soundtrack to a movie which translates in English as "The Red Carnation". So without di Giacomo present, it's not doubt the Nocenzi brothers, Gianni and Nocenzi's time to shine, with their pianos, synths, and organs. What I really love is many of these cuts have some really irresistible themes, many that recur later on the album (makes sense, given it is a movie soundtrack). You can still recognize it as Banco because of the instrumental style. I was certain when I first heard this album it would be below par with their best stuff from 1972-1976, but instead very pleasantly surprised. If this was some other band than Banco, this album would have certainly received higher praise. To me, it's just as good as the stuff they did from 1972-1976 with sco di Giacomo!