Cervello — Chaire & Live Au Pomeriggio D’Arco 1978 (Sony Music, 2025)
Cervello was legendary, one of the essential masters of the first wave of Italian progressive rock. For decades, their 1973 album Melos was a highly sought LP among collectors. Now, with their second studio album, Chaire, several original members reopen that world, as a carefully finished chapter that time left unresolved.
The title is elegant and intentional. Drawn from ancient Greek, it is used as both greeting and farewell; “chaire” can mean “be well” or “take care.” Chaires contains music assembled from the band’s 1974–1983 writing period, then patiently arranged and recorded across the past four years. Ultimately, Chaire plays like a suite restored to its intended architecture, with producer Corrado Rustici ensuring the seams stay invisible.
At its best, Chaire captures the essential Italian prog mastery: delightful pastoral calm versus symphonic magnificence and spectacular fusion barrages. The playing balances group cohesion with moments of dazzling, instrumental brilliance. The overall result is state-of-the-art symphonic rock with stellar instrumental work and emotive, superb vocal performances.
The most emotionally charged element appears through absence. Gianluigi Di Franco, Cervello’s lead vocalist who died in 2005, appears via restored archival recordings integrated from original reels and cassettes. The technology is impressive, these vocals feel fundamental, like ink returning to a manuscript where the author’s hand had gone missing.
The package deepens the story with a live recording from 1973, featuring Melos material and an unreleased instrumental. Together with the new album, it sketches Cervello’s arc from Naples in the early 1970s, when Italy’s iconic prog-rock scene surged alongside peers such as Osanna, Premiata Forneria Marconi, and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso.
Cervello’s original run was brief, but their exquisite mix of Mediterranean influences, symphonic structure, and experimental rock proved durable.
Ultimately, Cervello honor the past, complete the work, and leave you with a deeply satisfactory recording.
Musicians: Corrado Rustici on guitar, keyboards, vocals; Antonio Spagnolo on bass, acoustic guitar, recorder, vocals; Giulio D’Ambrosio on flute, saxophone, vocals; Gianluigi Di Franco on lead vocals; and Roberto Porta on drums.