Little known lost Italian band Luna, with ex-Osanna, from 1978 to 1981

Very sweet music, similar to ssw materials presented here in the past from Ullu, Ping Pong (but less progressive), Gino D'Eliso, etc. I was very happy to find this album I'd never heard before, since I have such a weakness for that soft diatonic seventies sound (think legendary bands America, Bread).  

Starting with precursor Osanna which everyone here knows, you can see how complicated the story got after their 4th album Landscape of Life (1974):

Unfortunately things didn't go well between the group's members and the band came to a split during the Landscape of Life recording sessions, producing a sparse album...  

Danilo Rustici and Elio D'Anna, with drummer Enzo Vallicelli, went to England to form Uno, while remaining members Lino Vairetti and Massimo Guarino gave a new life to their old band Città Frontale, this time with new musicians and recorded an album in 1975 called El Tor.

Things were not so good for both the newly formed bands and Osanna reunited in 1977 with new members Enzo Petrone (that had played with Lino Vairetti in I Volti di Pietra and later with Moby Dick) and Fabrizio D'Angelo, but their album Suddance is very far from their best days. After the last split Danilo Rustici formed Luna.

I must admit I never listened to that Suddance one out of fear of disappointment.  So after that I gave up on the whole lot of them, which I shouldn't have.  Danilo Rustici was their guitarist, who died during covid sadly, and he founded Luna with 3 other guys not related to the others mentioned earlier.  The genre described is space rock, prog rock, but there is little of either, just a smidgen of progressiveness and mostly sweet late seventies uptempo pop sounds with the lush harmony vocals, deep arrangements, naive lyrics, etc.  Consider this one which is so hummable I just wanted to swirl around my dining room to my wife's shocked amusement, called Lou Jean:

The same band which was called Tunnel earlier in 1978 released a single, while Luna made 2 in the roughly the same time period.  All of these I included in the package for the band down below, they're worth hearing too though there is quite of disco that crept in for these.

Tunnel Lights has a lovely chorus:

Siliah Era Diversa from 1977:

David Spinozza: ST 1978 and Here's That Rainy Day, 1983

 

Discogged here.

American guitarist and producer, born August 8, 1949 in Port Chester, New York.

Basically this is late 70s American fusion just as you'd expect it to be. Smooth, light, and a little bit progressive.  The Prelude to Ballerina is a wonderfully composed orchestral suite:

The standout from a fusion standpoint is vibraphonist Mike Mainieri's Edge of the Sword, which I hadn't heard before despite exhaustively (I thought) going through all his stuff once, with Bernhardt, and also with Steps and Steps Ahead, the furious riff sounds like it should've appeared on Return to Forever's Romantic Warrior masterpiece:

Next LP Here's That Rainy Day moves further into the smooth fusion direction, along with surprisingly cover versions, as if he ran out of compositions to showcase, from that one, 

Robby Steinhardt from Kansas' Not in Kansas Anymore, A Prog Opera, 2022 [FLAC limited time only]

 

OK so I'm guessing most of us grew up with Kansas: all we are is dust in the wind, etc.

I certainly didn't know this gentleman was their violinist, from the earliest days (1974 or before).  I was even more ignorant, this time intentionally so, of the fact he released this album recently in the same style as the original band and believe it or not it's quite good and worth checking out.  It turns out, it's his only solo work. As you'd expect it's a mixed bag, with progressive alternating with ordinary music and songwriting, and some electronic noodling and so on.  

Nonetheless, I will go so far as to say the track called Rise of the Phoenix is about as perfect a prog epic one could hope for in this day and age, and I thank him for that:

And that's not the only one like that, there's more for you to explore.

His bio is as follows from discogs:

Robby Steinhardt (born May 25, 1950 – died July 17, 2021) was an American rock violinist and singer best known for his work with the group Kansas (2). He was co-lead singer along with keyboardist Steve Walsh, from 1973 to 1982 and from 1997 to 2006.

Therefore he passed away some years back and no longer plays with them (except in spirit I guess).

For those curious about these things, he died of pancreatitis.  One thing I was not too pleased about was that he rehashed Dust in the Wind on this record. Note as well:

Posthumously released.

With guests: Ian Anderson, Pat Travers, Steve Morse,

Bobby Kimball, just to name a few.

I'll throw in an online review that is a little too enthusiastic to my taste, but at least describes it half decently:

The songs on Not in Kansas Anymore rock out, but they also showcase the proggy twists and turns (and flights of virtuosity) that characterize the genre. And Steinhardt’s arrangements put the focus upon memorable melodic lines, too, adding up to a well balanced album that ticks most all of this reviewer’s boxes.  Befitting a work by a strings player, the album is filled with rich orchestration, featuring the real things as opposed to modern keyboard equivalents. The Bösendorfer piano is real, too, and sounds like it. Listeners who approach the album expecting it to sound like Kansas will find some stylistic cues in common, but Steinhardt’s solo muse led him in some directions that might not have fit neatly into the aesthetic/format of his old band. That said, the emphasis is squarely on accessibility throughout the album’s 11 tracks. And in a nod to his former group, Steinhardt inserts bits of his signature melodic lines from “Dust in the Wind” into “Prelude.”

Oddly, though that tune doesn’t open the album; it’s the sixth track, preceding a new recording of – you guessed it – “Dust in the Wind.” The new version is lovely, though it doesn’t really add much to the original, and its inclusion here elicits a shrug. Far more interesting are the album’s other tracks, like the classically-tinged (and aptly/playfully titled) “Pizzacato.” (That’s not a typo.)  The tiny (5-point or so) type in the CD’s liners make sorting out who-plays-what an exercise in futility, and the same is true for the lyric sheet. The lyrics to “Downtown Royalty” won’t be to some listeners’ tastes – they’re a bit histrionic and overwrought – but the tune itself is nice enough. In any event, most listeners will likely gloss over the lyrics – perhaps focusing instead upon the sonic quality of the massed vocals throughout – and luxuriate in the arrangements and instrumental breaks.

Plans were afoot for a tour in support of the album, but Steinhardt’s passing last July put an end to those. His collaborator on the project, producer/arranger Michael Franklin, shepherded the album to completion and release. And Not in Kansas Anymore stands not only as a fitting way to remember Steinhardt, but as a worthwhile listening experience.

Jean-Philippe Rykiel [Waterfalls in Space with Tim Blake 1979, Shambala with Verdeaux, and ST 1982]

 

Discogs: 

French composer, arranger and keyboard player. He has been blind since his birth in 1961. Son of French designer Sonia Rykiel.

Recall he was responsible for the lovely synth tracks from Malherbe's Fetish album, posted back here.

I thought those were beautifully composed.  So I went back to see if there was something I was missing in the rest of his output.

From 1979's Waterfalls in Space, with the famous Tim Blake (Gong, Hawkwind), the lovely swirling synth sound of Lighthouse 79:

The next album, Shambala from 1981, was even more basic drony electronic, which makes sense because it was a collaboration with Cyrille Verdeaux (Clearlight, etc.).

Then the ST from 1982, which is again basically cosmic electronic music, nicely written, similar to so much in this vein, played of course entirely by Jean-Philippe.  As an ex., Step by Step:

A really beautiful cover graphic again for the 1982 LP, typical of these French records.

More fusion by request from the great Ceccarelli: Structure (1970), Synthesis (1976), Working Progress (1975), Human Egg (1978)

 

Brilliant cover art, as is often the case with French LPs from back in the day.

Information for Monsieur Ceccarelli here, again.  He was involved in tons of albums in general, but these fusion works are particularly impressive, along with the Troc stuff.  Recall I posted other stuff back here long ago.

First up is the 1970 Structure record:

In 1970, the AFA label asked flautist Bernard Wystraëte to register a “pop” album after the worldwide impact of progressive bands like Aphrodite’s Child and Jethro Tull. Wystraete recruited some of his friends who were professional musicians and Structure was born. He wrote a collection of songs influenced by progressive rock, jazz and Brazilian music. The Pop Music album was recorded live in the studio to give a “live show” feel. It was released later that year/ The band even toured across France and several countries at the same time that Bernard and other Structure members started backing famous French singer Marie Laforêt live. After the good reception given to the album, another label asked Bernard to record a 2nd Structure 45, viz. Structure (8), Bernard Wystraëte Avec La Participation De Luc Donat - Dilatation / Escale. It was released in 1971 under a new line-up.

The bizarre Sexonomie:

The absolutely brilliant fusion album 1976 Synthesis, a one-off LP:

Members:  André Cazalet, André Ceccarelli, Annie Wystraete, Chantal Alexandre, Chantal Curtis, Christian Lété, Didier Lockwood, Francis Cournet, François Jeanneau, Frédérique Gegembach, Guy Khalifa, Hamid Belhocine, Ivan Jullien, Jacques Bolognesi, Kako Bessot, Marc Chantereau, Marc Steckar, Marianne Mille, Paul-Jean Borowsky, Paula Moore, Philippe Briche, Raymond Gimenes, Tony Bonfils

City Life really highlights Ceccarelli, electric violinist of course is the formidable Lockwood:

Jeanneau on saxes, flutes.  Unbelievably warm and lovingly energetic music.  I love it when fusion uses vocals too in such a rich environment.  Wonderful funky driving rhythms.  For me this one stands out as such a strong work, with every single track top notch and worth hearing: all killer, no filler.

Succinct description for Working Progress, another of my favourite fusions from France:

One of many 1970's French fusion bands featuring drummer André Ceccarelli.

Scratch my Stone:

Human Egg, from 1978, has no description.  Very similar to Troc in general, but with some late 1970s influences of course (discoish, funkish). 

First track, the only really progressive piece, called Egg:

Incidentally, some of these tracks appeared as bonus on the 1977 French Atlantide CD (with the famous Yes-copied guitar riff opener) presumably because it's the same band?  Yet I don't see Massiera credited on Human Egg.  Anyways, it's not as good as the previous work, or other stuff by him.

One last comment, this particular rip of Synthesis is just crystal clear and wonderful to hear, highly enjoyable, because of the clarity of all the sounds. Because I remember hearing this for the first time decades ago from an old LP rip.

The rip of Working Progress, on the other hand, is my own, from the LP I bought about 15 years ago, still circulating around online I note. So thanks to me for that beauty.