I’ve only ever held one original copy of this in my hands, but it was a pretty-damned-clean one that I believe sold for $1500. It came from a collection that belonged to a famous music journalist, and if I recall it might have still had a 29-cent or 17-cent price sticker in the corner. Talk about a good return on your investment…
Alphataurus hailed from the Milan, Italy area. They recorded just one record — a self-titled effort — that was met with generally positive reviews upon its release. The group (Michele Bavaro on vocals, Alfonso Oliva on bass, Pietro Pellegrini on keys, Giorgio Santadrea on drums and Guido Wassermann on guitars/vocals) started work on a second album but it was abandoned and left unfinished. The band split up in 1973 (the same year the debut album was released) citing “a string of personal events” as the reason for their parting ways. About five years ago Wassermann and Pellegrini reformed the band and recorded another album under the Alphataurus name. That album included two of the abandoned songs that were intended for the group’s 2nd album, and several new compositions. Honestly, I haven’t listened to it, I don’t know if it’s any good.
How does it compare to other Italian prog albums? Well, it’s not just a desirable collectible on account of its scarcity. If you dug the posts I’ve made about groups like New Trolls, Semiramis, Jumbo, J.E.T., and others, Alphataurus will fit right in. There’s also a bit of King Crimson to their sound that will please the rest of your progressive aficionados. Because what prog geek doesn’t love Crimson, right!?
Highlights include “Croma” (a baroque instrumental that wouldn’t sound out of place on many Italian soundtracks from the early ’70s) and La mente vola (symphonic, epic, and yet it sounds like it could have been recorded within the past five or ten years).
Alphataurus
Alphataurus
(Magma, 1973)
MediaFire DL Link
01. La chamadere (Peccato d’orgoglio)
02. Dopo L’uragano
03. Croma [MP3]
04. La mente vola
05. Ombra Muta
