​Reviews - prog ITA


RECORD COLLECTOR - march 2020 (UK) - Ian SHIRLEY
​" Comprehensive guide to Italian prog  …  A veritable treasure trove for prog collectors. I only wish it came with a sampler!"


COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO ITALIAN PROG
"Verda's excellent first book examined English progressive rock and this second volume examines a genre closer to home for him: Italian progressive rock. The guide is easy to navigate - the first part is given over to an illustrated overview of the most significant record labels to release italian prog at the time, from AMS to Warners.
The main part of the book examines the output of 250 Italian artists, giving values and detail for 453 records in Euros. Thus, the rare Analogy LP with a racy sleeve from 1972, pressed in Milan and limited to 1.000 copies, will set you back € 4.000. The same year gave us Exploit's "Crisi", worth € 3.000. Saying that, Gramigna's "Gran Disordine Sotto Il Cielo" from 1977 might only be worth € 50 but has a cracking front sleeve. Also, I never realised thet there was an Italian band called Bauhaus from 1974!
The strenght of this book comes with the details - it lovingly lists the vital statistics of each record from labelò abd sleeve text to help collectors track down or confirm that they have an original or a re-pressing.
A veritable treasure trove for prog collectors. I only wish it came with a sampler!"
Ian SHIRLEY - RECORD COLLECTOR - march 2020 (UK)

HI-FI WORLD - january 2020 (UK) - Paul RIGBY
​" … this is a brilliant, even dazzling book for Italian prog fans. One that every prog fan should own. One that every vinyl collector should own. I look forward to seeing where Verda journeys for his next project … "


WHOLE OF ITALY. Italian 1970s Prog Rock catalogued. Paul Rigby is impressed.
"Verda’s first tome was of British artists’ LPs featuring a combination of progressive, psychedelic, folk, blues and jazz issued in the UK during the sixties and seventies. It is still available and perfect for devoted fans of the same – and with superb design aimed at collectors.
This new book is based around the same general design but it focuses on Italian releases during the seventies. I was looking forward to getting my hands on this one because the bulk of the content looks at progressive music in all its varied forms.
During the seventies, Italy produced some of the best prog in the world.Wholly under-rated, terribly under-played and cruelly ignored, there are enlightened prog fans resident outside of Italy who have been exposed to the delights of Italian prog but, if you’re into prog and you’ve yet to taste its fine dining elements, then grab this book – firstly as a grounding or overview and then use its contents to inform and educate.
The design of the book is aimed at music fans on the go. People who want to use the book as a tool. It’s a book that's designed to be used regularly. Hence, the thick, tough outer boards and the multi-ringed (23-hole) binder. It fits the bill and does it well.
Inside is a brief glossary of terms and then a ”How to use your Notebook” section. This section shows you that you can fill in notes about your collection in the book itself.There’s space to indicate if the item is in your collection, who supplied it and at what price. You the get a valuable guided tour of the various label stamps and indicators denoting copyright information and the various styles of the same and notes directed at bootlegs.
The first main section is an overview of the 110 Italian labels in their 186 variants. These are listed in alphabetical order with the main represented bands included under each label heading. A sample image of each label is then presented with a set description place underneath.
All of the above is easy to locate and digest – with image quality high – is easy. Paper quality is also excellent, while the paper itself is matt in finish – better than gloss when you’re looking at a reference, especially if you use this book on the move, in varied lighting conditions. You don’t want to be referring to pages in a dealer’s location with strong lighting bouncing off a glossy page and you can’t read for the glare.
Then there’s the mammoth Artists section of 250 artists accompanied by 435 LPs (with index).Those artists include the likes of Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Area, Electric Frankenstein, Goblin, Jacula, Janus, Le Orme, PFM and many more.
Each album is a mine of information. Let’s take Acqua Fragile’s self-titled album from 1973. Apart from the date, label and catalogue number, you’ll find alternative versions (there’s two price points here for two variants), the price for ‘mint’ (surely that’s ‘near mint’?) condition, sleeve info full text rundown, physical oddities (there’s a deep groove on the label on one variant of this LP), label printing and matrix information.
In short, everything a collector and prospective buyer needs to know and wants to look for. Ideal too for those wary of buying a bootleg when it’s being sold as an original, for example. An accompanying image of the cover and label is added.
In short, this is a brilliant, even dazzling book for Italian prog fans. One that every prog fan should own. One that every vinyl collector should own. I look forward to seeing where Verda journeys for his next project."
Paul RIGBY - HI-FI WORLD - january 2020 (UK)

BUSCADERO - dicembre 2019 (Ita) - Guido GIAZZI
" ... indispensabile se amate e collezionate il Progressivo Italiano ..."


"Dopo il successo del primo volume dedicato al Progressive Inglese, Paolo Verda prepara una seconda edizione tutta improntata sul Progressivo Italiano.
Una passione che nasce da molto lontano, da quando Paolo acquistò il primo album dei Delirium di Ivano Fossati (Dolce Acqua) e quello delle Orme (Collage). Questi due album sono stati fondamentali per fare amare a Paolo e a molti altri ragazzi un genere musicale che oggi è ancora molto ricercato, studiato e collezionato.
In questo "All Around A Hole numero due" sono elencati con ordine e precisione
- le Etichette e le Copertine discografiche
- gli Artisti
- gli LPs
- il valore in €
AL termine Verda ha stilato un utile glossario, fondamentale per comprendere il gergo dei collezionisti di vinile. A differenza del primo volume, questa edizione è stata molto più difficile da preparare in quanto le fonti e le produzioni discografiche erano molto più incerte, mancando in Italia un archivio dati sicuro e documenti certi. Grazie però al passaparola tra i collezionisti, Verda ha potuto completare un'impresa titanica, raggiungendo il fine che si era proposto. Il volume è scritto in italiano e inglese: la scelta della lingua straniera soddisfa le esigenze di molti collezionisti internazionali, in particolare Giappone e Corea, oltre chiaramente ai "record collectors" presenti nei mercati principali quali America, Inghilterra e Germania.
Questo secondo volume ha tenuto conto dei suggerimenti al primo volume forniti dai lettori italiani e stranieri, presenta quindi una più facile leggibilità ed inoltre le dimensioni delle foto delle copertine (tutte a colori) sono più grandi per rendere ancora più appetibile la consultazione. Infine è molto utile la valutazione che viene fornita per ogni edizione discografica perché aiuta il collezionista a muoversi in questo particolare mondo.
Indispensabile se amate e collezionate il Progressive Italiano."
Guido GIAZZI - BUSCADERO dicembre 2019 (Ita)