Raminghi – ...Il Lungo Cammino Dei Raminghi (Bentler – BE LP 1016) made in Italy gatefold LP | It's hard to determinate the correct issue. --> gatefold reissue LP, probably 1998 of 1972 album. | vinyl: NM (mint-) | cover: NM (mint-) Gatefold | "This has apparently been taken by original masters and came in a 450 copies batch privately sold by one of the band members, and is now very hard to find. Raminghi were a proto-prog band from Bergamo Italy near Milano. The group was led by bassist and vocalist Franco Mussita. Mussita apparently began his pop career in the early 60s as the CD booklet has great photos of his early band I Nomadi. According to the bio he is "a blend between visionary and stubborn genius combined with a little bit of madness." It is said he arrived on the music scene when the stars of the Italian progressive movement were little more than children. After many years of playing live and paying dues, Nomadi became Raminghi and found a record deal with the Bentler label. Mussita was smitten with the likes of Deep Purple, Vanilla Fudge, Blue Cheer and Uriah Heep and wanted to record music in this vein. They did a couple singles for Bentler before recording Il Lungo Cammino dei Raminghi which translates to "The Long Way of the Rovers." They ended up rather unhappy with Bentler, because the label delayed for too long, insisted they soften their energetic sound a bit, and of course did little to provide promotion. The bands sound varies from quite unique in places to typical in other places. Certainly some sections sound incredibly dated and very 60s, imagine listening to the Italian version of Quicksilver Messenger Service. Some of their music sounds like the theme song to a 60s spy tv show while others sound like bands from the early Haight scene in San Francisco. Swirly organs in the background, thin acid-drenched electric leads, lots of psych moodiness, and some bluesy hard rock influence too. Mussita wails a bit like the singer in the Spanish band Ibio with a big dramatic bellow at times. The drummer is quite good with an understated style. The guitar playing is raw in rhythm mode with a real scrunch to it. I think one of the things that make Raminghi worth hearing for prog historians is that you can really hear a confluence of different factors at work in the songs. You can hear traditional Italian influences and 60s beat music altered by later 60s psychedelia, and you can then hear this forming the basis for the early part of the Italian progressive scene. Raminghi are not any more "prog" than The Doors are but it is interesting to hear the changes happening right in front of you from the Italian perspective instead of through the California lens of Doors, Airplane, Grateful Dead. [Jim Russell/finnforest] A1 Donna Hai Ragione Tu 9:33 A2 La Nostra Verità 2:55 A3 Cose Superate 3:38 A4 Partire 2:52 B1 Every Day Jesus 3:34 B2 Non Moriremo Mai 3:52 B3 Buio Mondo Nero E Giallo 5:08 B4 Guarda Tuo Padre 4:13