Dedalus

Less known to the Italian prog fans than many other far more acclaimed colleagues, the Piedmontese band Dedalus are among the most daring acts - and hence, progressive in the truest sense of the word - of the '70s, especially during the first half of the decade, the one that saw them releasing their first two LP's "Dedalus" and "Materiale per tre esecutori e nastro magnetico". While the first album was mainly based on jazz-rock coordinates, similar in style to Perigeo, the following work marked a strong break with the past; in a word: avant-garde. We're therefore not afraid to place those years' Dedalus on the same level of courage and experimentation of Demetrio Stratos' better known Area.

The two LP mentioned are just a part of this deluxe box-set that, in a graphic design that recalls the historical cover of "Materiali per...", contains Dedalus' entire studio production, under any line-up of theirs, from their origins to 2015. Thus, collectors will be delighted to know that the almost impossible to find "Pezzi '75 -76" and "Pia Visione", in addition to the unreleased "Pezzi '94", the 13-minute recent "Dedalus-Ricercare n.1" and "Due estratti dal Concerto al Palasport di Torino (1 maggio 1975)" are present here. The latter is actually a live recording, but gives the idea of what was like to attend a Dedalus' concert in their maximum peak era.

The audio portion, distributed over four CD's, is augmented by a visual and narrative side: the box-set in fact contains also a real book that tells the history of the group, from the point of view of the main protagonists themselves, all seasoned with a series of previously unseen photographs. "Le Ricordanze" is, in conclusion, the definitive document and celebration of one of the most creative bands that came out from the Italian music scene.