Acqua Fragile – Acqua Fragile

I had never listened to this record and I have no experience to compare it. Apart from the quality of the pieces which is remarkable, even if it seems to listen to most of Genesis and sometimes Yes, the record seems to me to sound very good. It is detailed, almost always open even if perhaps a little gloomy in sonority. However, once again, this engraving is proof of the incredible productive, artistic and stylistic capacity of the Italian music of the 70s: immense!

Unfortunately, my record has a serious defect on the B2 that makes it skip for at least 20/30 seconds. Too bad. Maybe I was unlucky.

I'm always worried when a colored vinyl version of any record becomes available. Like many, I've had extremely varying experiences with colored vinyl ranging from excellent to straight up terrible. This one I must say is closer to excellent than the lower end of the spectrum. The vinyl is quiet, flat and the actual physical pressing is beautifully done. No edge burrs, no off center labels, no muffled lower mid heavy sound. The dynamic range is as good as one could expect for master tapes that are 50 years old. There's no sibilance and no inner groove distortion which is such a welcome thing with colored vinyl.

Musically, Acqua Fragile was a band that (IMO) never really found their signature sound. There's shades of Genesis, Yes, Gentle Giant, and of course PFM, a band which singer Bernardo Lanzetti would later for three excellent records.

If you love prog, and particularly Italian prog (if you're reading this you no doubt already know that Italian prog bands are some of the best in the world). I discovered Acqua Fragile through the import department at Peaches Records and Tapes with their excellent sophomore record "Mass Media Stars" and of course that led to PFM and beyond. If you're on the fence, drop the $25 on this one. Bernardo Lanzetti's voice can be a bit of an acquired taste, but so was Peter Gabriel when I first hear it on "Foxtrot" all those years ago.

This prog masterpiece was produced by P.F.M and has Bernardo Lanzetti on lead vox. He would later PFM. One of my most prized records.

all the same, the native edition is what you need. italy rules. the first edition is expensive, but you will enjoy it. vinyl silent

El primer disco de ACQUA FRAGILE, titulado de forma homónima, fue publicado en 1973. Una de las características distintivas de esta banda es el tono de voz de Bernardo LANZETTI, muy similar al de Peter GABRIEL. Supongo que por esta razón es que la banda compuso música tan parecida a la de GENESIS, y además insistieron en cantar en inglés, algo totalmente atípico para una banda de progresivo italiano de la época.
Paolo BAROTTO, en su libro “THE RETURN OF ITALIAN POP” se refiere a ACQUA FRAGILE como “una de las muchas bandas desafortunadas que por una razón u otra, no lograron el éxito”. El grupo, integrado por Piero CANAVERA (batería), Gino CAMPANINI (guitarra), Bernardo LANZETTI (guitarra y voz principal), Franz DONDI (bajo), y Maurizio MORI (teclados), hacen una música más bien calmada, con algunas partes acústicas, un tanto limitada desde el punto de vista técnico. Un elemento sobresaliente es el empleo de armonías vocales (todos los músicos, excepto DONDI, cantan) que confieren riqueza y calidez a las canciones.
Las comparaciones con GENESIS no se limitan solamente al cantante. ‘Morning Comes’, la primera canción del álbum, podría fácilmente considerarse como un outtake del álbum “Tres”. Sin embargo, ‘Comic Strips’ me suena más parecida a algo de GENTLE GIANT. ‘Science Fiction Suite’ es atroz, pero la banda recupera el honor con ‘Song From A Picture’ y ‘Three Hands Man’. Ciertamente, al final del álbum uno debe itir que ACQUA FRAGILE no se trata de un simple clon de los grupos británicos, sino que tienen su estilo propio con una buena dosis de originalidad.

Apreciación personal del álbum : 7/10 (sólo para seguidores del artista y/o estilo)

- Martín HERNÁNDEZ. Opinión Personal

I am so sorry - I was sick for a week and totally forgot about this. If it is still for sale I can happily still purchase. I am very sorry - I NEVER do this!

Acqua Fragile was a relatively short lived Italian progressive rock band who had ties to PFM. PFM discovered them and produced this, the first Acqua Fragile album. Lead singer Bernardo Lanzetti would eventually leave to become PFM's lead singer on "Chocolate Kings", "Jet Lag", "partù". Those of you who know those three albums know that Lanzetti's vocals are something of an acquired taste.

The music on this album is classic progressive rock strongly influenced by the band's British, German and American counterparts. The lyrics are entirely in English. The musicians are skillful enough and the music is decent enough. The main problem with this album is that Acqua Fragile never find their own voice. On "Morning Comes" and "Song From A Picture" they sound like clones of early '70s Genesis. "Comic Strips" feels like it was lifted directly from a Gentle Giant album with Lanzetti consciously imitating Derek Shulman on the verses. At least he sounds like himself on the chorus. "Science Fiction Suite" is a Crosby-Stills-Nash imitation.

The closest Acqua Fragile comes to something resembling originality follows. "Education Story" shifts, sometimes suddenly, from Deep Purple to Gentle Giant to Genesis. On the largely acoustic "Going Out" they finally meld some of the styles into something that is almost their own. The closing piece, "Three Hands Man" leans heavily on Triumvirat, Yes and Genesis.

If you're a fanatic for '70 progressive rock there is probably enough here for you to make the album worthwhile. Considering some of Lanzetti's later work I just wish Acqua Fragile had reached out a bit further to find their own sound and their own niche in the progressive rock of the time.