TILLISON REINGOLD TIRANTI

Allium: Una Storia REINGOLD RECORDS

Fantastic evocation of 70s Italian prog.

Allium was a real band that made a major impression on a young Andy Tillison holidaying in Italy. Four decades after a brief accidental meeting, The Tangent linchpin set about creating the analogue, vinyl-length album he thinks the band could have made back in 1976. As Tillison says, this is “a homage, not a forgery.”

With Italian lyrics from Antonio De Sarno, Tillison and his musical collaborators Jonas Reingold and Roberto Tiranti have created something entrancing and genuinely moving in places. The arrangements use sounds and instruments available to bands of the time, and Tiranti’s vocal stylings and melodies are both period-accurate and utterly lovely – listen to the repeated hooks across the epic length of Mai Tornare.

Anyone familiar with the Rock Progressivo Italiano movement will recognise the level of authenticity in composition, performance and sounds. There’s a melodic flow, an underlying jazziness and a tangible quirkiness, which constantly hint of Le Orme, PFM and so many others. The whole of Allium: Una Storia oozes affection for the genre and should be on any self-respecting prog fan’s shopping list. Beautiful.