HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Le Orme (Italian: "The Footprints") is an Italian
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. I ...
band formed in
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo ...
in
Marghera Marghera is a ''municipalità'' (borough) of the ''comune'' of Venice, Italy. It includes the industrial area known as Porto Marghera (English: Marghera Port) or Venezia Porto Marghera. Etymology The name Marghera is said in popular myth to come ...
, a ''
frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a '' comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate terri ...
'' of
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
. The band was one of the major groups of the Italian progressive rock scene in the
1970s File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War ...
. They are one of few Italian rock bands to have success outside their own country, having played concerts across North America and Europe, and releasing an album in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
at the height of their success.


History


Beginnings (1966–1970)

Le Orme was founded in 1966 in Venice by Aldo Tagliapietra (vocals, guitar), Marino Rebeschini (drums), Nino Smeraldi (lead guitar) and Claudio Galieti (bass guitar). Originally intending to name themselves Le Ombre, a literal translation of
The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...
, they ultimately decided on the similar-sounding Le Orme. The band's early work evoked a feel somewhere between beat and
psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording te ...
, similar to what was coming out of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
at the time. One of their first major performances was on 2 June 1966, when they and other local bands accompanied a British beat group,
The Rokes The Rokes were a pop rock band formed in 1963 in Italy by English expatriates. Their most successful songs included "Piangi con Me", the original version of " Let's Live for Today", a US hit when re-recorded by The Grass Roots; and "Che Colpa ...
, at the Teatre Corso in
Mestre Mestre () is a borough of the '' comune'' (municipality) of Venice, on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of Veneto, Italy. Administratively, Mestre forms (together with the nearby Carpenedo) the ''Municipalit� ...
. In 1967, the day after recording their first single, "Fiori e Colori", for
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
's CAR Juke Box label (having been rejected by EMI), Rebeschini left for the military. He was quickly replaced by Michi Dei Rossi of the dissolved Hopopi. The following year, their second single, "Senti l'estate che torna", was chosen to participate in
Un disco per l'estate Un disco per l'estate (translation "A Record for the Summer") was an Italian Summer festival held from 1964 to 2003. It was organized and sponsored by the Italian record industry association, AFI, and by RAI, except for the editions between 1995 ...
, a televised music competition organised by the Italian Phonographic Association and
RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
. It was at this time that Tony Pagliuca (formerly of Hopopi and ) joined the group on keyboards. Later in the same year, the band began recording its first album, '' Ad gloriam'', to be released in 1969. The title track, was sampled by Irish DJ David Holmes for his 2000 album Bow Down to the Exit Sign, under the name "69 Police". It was then re-used in the Oceans Eleven soundtrack, where it features prominently in the final scene. Soon Galieti left for the military as well, leaving Tagliapietra to cover on bass guitar. Not long later Smeraldi left as well, leaving the trio that would be at the core of the band for its most successful era. An evolution in their sound towards more richness and complexity can already be heard in a non-album single the band would publish in 1970, "Il Profumo delle Viole / I Ricordi Più Belli".


Mainstream success (1970–1977)

In the spring of 1971 Le Orme recorded their second studio album, ''
Collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an Assemblage (art), assemblage of different forms, thus creat ...
''. Thanks to its promotion through the
RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...
radio program Per voi giovani, the album was quickly successful, earning a top 10 placing in the Italian charts. This was followed up with '' Uomo di pezza'' in 1972, which topped the Italian charts. ''Uomo di pezza'' also generated a hit single, "Gioco di bimba", and the band toured Italy in December 1972 with
Peter Hammill Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English musician and recording artist. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Best known as a singer/songwriter, he also plays guitar and piano and ...
of Van der Graaf Generator (VdGG being on hiatus at the time). It was with their next album however, '' Felona e Sorona'', considered to be one of the "finest examples of Italian progressive rock", that Le Orme truly gained prominence beyond their home country. At the request of Tony Stratton-Smith, Le Orme recorded an English version of ''Felona e Sorona'' for
Charisma Records Charisma Records (also known as The Famous Charisma Label) was a British record label founded in 1969 by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith. He had previously acted as manager for rock bands such as The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van d ...
, with translation provided by Peter Hammill. The band toured the United Kingdom in support of the album, including dates at the
Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed ...
and the
Commonwealth Institute The Commonwealth Education Trust is a registered charity established in 2007 as the successor trust to the Commonwealth Institute. The trust focuses on primary and secondary education and the training of teachers and invests on educational pro ...
. In January 1974, Le Orme recorded their first live album, '' In concerto'' at the Teatro Brancaccio in Rome. Later in the year a further studio album, '' Contrappunti'', followed. It also was successful, charting in the top ten, but failed to reach the lofty heights achieved by ''Felona e Sorona''. In 1975 Neil Kempfer-Stocker's Cosmos imprint issued ''Beyond Leng'', a largely instrumental compilation to introduce the band to a wider American audience. The band then headed to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
to record their next album. At the same time, they hired a guitarist, Tolo Marton, bringing the group to four members. The resulting '' Smogmagica'', boasting a cover by
Paul Whitehead Paul Whitehead is a British painter and graphic artist known for his surrealistic album covers for artists on the Charisma Records label in the 1970s, such as Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator. __TOC__ Life and work England: Liberty Records ...
, was significantly more commercially oriented than their previous work, and was largely viewed as a disappointment by fans. Marton left soon after the album was completed, and Germano Serafin was recruited in his stead. The following album, however, '' Verita nascoste'', was a return to form and would prove to be a high point as the band would soon suffer from the downturn in progressive rock's popularity.


Changes in direction (1977–1982)

Following the release of their eight studio album, '' Storia o leggenda'', Le Orme retired from touring to focus on exploring new directions for their music. The result was 1979's '' Florian'' in which the band members traded in their electric instruments for classical ones, emerging with a sound more akin to
chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...
than rock. The album was critically acclaimed, winning an Italian Music Critics' Award. They followed up with '' Piccola rapsodia dell'ape'', which, although stylistically similar was not nearly as successful. Reverting to their classic trio formation, the band attempted to return to the mainstream with a straight-
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...
effort, '' Venerdi''. This album was also unsuccessful, and the band split amiably following its release.


Reformation (1986–1992)

Le Orme would reform in 1986, intending to play concerts only. They were soon persuaded to enter a single, " Dimmi che cos'e", at the 37th annual
Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annua ...
, where it finished seventeenth. Though concentrating their efforts on concerts, the band released another studio album, titled simply '' Orme'' in 1990. Another pop effort, the disc went largely unnoticed. In 1992, Pagliuca ended more than two decades with the band to be replaced by
Michele Bon Michele Bon (born 22 November 1972) is an Italian football manager who last time was manager of Moldovan club FC Zimbru Chișinău in Moldovan Super League. In late November 2021, Bon was appointed as manager of Moldovan club FC Zimbru Chiși ...
. Later the same year the band added Francesco Sartori on piano.


Return to form (1992–2009)

Encouraged by the success of their concerts and strong sales of their 1970-1980 anthology, the band returned to the recording studio. The resulting product, 1995's '' Il fiume'', a "triumphant return" to the sound that made them famous more than twenty years before. A string of concerts, culminating in appearances at progressive rock
festivals A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
,
Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is t ...
and
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, followed. Two further albums were released, '' Elementi'' in 2001 and '' L'infinito'' in 2004, completing with ''Il fiume'' a trilogy around the concept of the "becoming" of the human being. Le Orme headlined NEARFest 2005, and later returned to a trio formation, playing concerts both inside and outside of Italy.


Post Tagliapietra (2009–)

At the end of 2009, Aldo Tagliapietra left the band. He was replaced as lead singer by Jimmy Spitaleri of fellow Italian progressive rock band
Metamorfosi Metamorfosi ( el, Μεταμόρφωση, Metamórfosi, transfiguration; before 1957: Koukouvaounes ( el, link=no, Κουκουβάουνες, Koukouváounes) is a suburb in the northern part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece, and a municipali ...
. In 2011 the group released '' La via della seta'' a concept album inspired by the
Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and rel ...
, with lyrics written by Maurizio Monti, former collaborator of
Patty Pravo Patty Pravo (born Nicoletta Strambelli on 9 April 1948) is an Italian singer. She debuted in 1966 and remained most successful commercially for the rest of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Having suffered a decline in popularity in the followin ...
, Mina and
Riccardo Cocciante Riccardo Cocciante (; born 20 February 1946), also known in French-speaking countries and the U.S. as Richard Cocciante (), is an Italian singer, composer, theatre man and musician. He acquired French citizenship. Personal life Cocciante was ...
. With the new organic, Le Orme started a tournée, sharing the stage with
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (English: ''Bank of Mutual Relief'') is an Italian rock band. A popular progressive rock band in the 1970s, they continued making music in the 1980s and 1990s. Recently, they were still active, playing live in 2001 and ...
to promote the new album.


Member history

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy ImageSize = width:750 height:250 PlotArea = width:700 height:200 bottom:20 left:20 Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) id:grid1 value:rgb(0.86,0.86,0.86) id:grid2 value:gray(0.8) id:bars value:rgb(0.96,0.96,0.6) id:bg value:white id:2color value:rgb(1,1,0.6) BackgroundColors = canvas:bg Period = from:1966 till:2008 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:3 start:1966 gridcolor:grid1 BarData= barset:Bandmembers PlotData= # set defaults width:20 fontsize:m textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) color:bars barset:Bandmembers from:1966 till:2008 text:"Aldo Tagliapietra (vocals, bass guitar)" color:2color from:1966 till:1970 text:"Nino Smeraldi (guitar)" from:1966 till:1969 text:"Claudio Galieti (bass guitar)" color:2color from:1966 till:1967 text:"Marino Rebeschini (drums)" from:1967 till:2008 text:"Michi Dei Rossi (drums)" color:2color from:1968 till:1992 text:"Tony Pagliuca (keyboards)" from:1975 till:1976 text:"Tolo Marton (guitar)" color:2color from:1976 till:1980 text:"Germano Serafin (guitar)" color:2color from:1992 till:1998 text:"Francesco Sartori (piano)" from:1992 till:2008 text:"Michele Bon (keyboards)" color:2color from:1998 till:2007 text:"Andrea Bassato (piano, violin)"


Discography

;Studio and live *'' Ad gloriam'' (1969) *''
Collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an Assemblage (art), assemblage of different forms, thus creat ...
'' (1971) *'' Uomo di pezza'' (1972) *'' Felona e Sorona'' (1973)
Later re-recorded in English and released in the UK as ''Felona and Sorona''. *' (1974) *' (1974, live) *' (1975) *' (1976) *' (1977) *' (1979) *' (1980) *' (1982) *' (1990) *' (1996) *'' Amico di ieri'' (1997) *' (2001) *' (2004) *' (2011) ;Compilations *''Beyond Leng'' (1976)


See also

Other Italian progressive rock bands: * Il Balletto di Bronzo *
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (English: ''Bank of Mutual Relief'') is an Italian rock band. A popular progressive rock band in the 1970s, they continued making music in the 1980s and 1990s. Recently, they were still active, playing live in 2001 and ...
* I Cervello * La Locanda delle Fate * Osanna *
Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...
*
Premiata Forneria Marconi Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) (translation: ''Award-winning Marconi Bakery'') is an Italian progressive rock band founded in 1970 which continues to the present day. They were the first Italian group to have success internationally. The group ...
* Il Rovescio della Medaglia


References


External links


Le Orme on Prog ArchivesLe Orme on ProgboardTony Pagliuca official website2010 interview with Aldo Tagliapietra on Prog Sphere
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orme, Le Italian progressive rock groups Italian rock music groups Musical groups established in 1966 Symphonic rock groups 1966 establishments in Italy Philips Records artists Musical groups from Veneto