PFM – The Manticore Studio Albums (Manticore UK/Cherry Red, 2025)
By any measure, Premiata Forneria Marconi, known internationally simply as PFM, is one of the finest, most ambitious and artistically versatile acts to emerge from the fertile and distinctive 1970s Italian progressive rock scene. With The Manticore Studio Albums, Manticore UK delivers a reverent, thoughtfully assembled 4-CD clamshell box set chronicling PFM’s seminal English-language period, originally issued between 1973 and 1977 on Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s boutique label, Manticore. The collection brings together Photos of Ghosts, The World Became the World, Chocolate Kings, and Jet Lag, each a masterwork that highlights the band’s adaptability, virtuosity, and global aspirations.
PFM’s journey from national fame in Italy to international cult stardom began in earnest when they caught the attention of ELP and their lyricist-collaborator Pete Sinfield. Aware of the band’s formidable skill and symphonic rock leanings, Sinfield shepherded their transition to an English-speaking audience. Rather than translate existing lyrics, he reimagined much of their work for an Anglophone context, crafting fresh, new lyrics while preserving the music’s Italian soul.
Photos of Ghosts, Per un amico Revisited
Photos of Ghosts (1973), their first English-language album and third studio effort overall, is as both a reintroduction and a bold leap forward. Built primarily from the band’s Per un amico (1972), this album was re-envisioned. Notably, Sinfield’s new lyrics transformed songs like “È Festa” into the hooky “Celebration,” which gained traction on North American FM radio and carved out a historic achievement: the first charting U.S. album by an Italian rock band. Meanwhile, the masterful arrangements shine with western classical nuance and Italian folk influences, thanks in no small part to the multi-instrumental finesse of Franco Mussida, Flavio Premoli, and Mauro Pagani.
The musicians on Photos of Ghosts included Franco Mussida on vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, theorbo, mandocello; Flavio Premoli on spinet, keyboards, Hammond organ, Minimoog, Mellotron, tubular bells, harpsichord, piano, vocals; Mauro Pagani on flute, piccolo, violin, vocals; Giorgio Piazza on bass, vocals; Franz Di Cioccio on drums, percussion, vocals. Peter Sinfield – English lyrics, producer.
The World Became the World, Complexity with Clarity
The momentum continued with The World Became the World (1974), which took the complexity up a notch. A counterpart to the Italian-language L’isola di niente, it introduced a harder edge, leaning into jazz-rock without sacrificing grandeur. Tracks like “Four Holes in the Ground” retained PFM’s symphonic backbone, while “Have Your Cake and Beat It” veered into almost Zappa-esque rhythmic playfulness. With the arrival of bassist Patrick Djivas, replacing founding member Giorgio Piazza, the group deepened its jazz leanings and rhythmic dexterity. The album’s centerpiece, “The Mountain,” stretches into ambitious, epic territory, complete with synthesized choir and sprawling structure, progressive in the truest sense of the word.
Chocolate Kings, English Lyrics, Italian Fire
By 1975, PFM fully committed to crafting songs with English lyrics from the outset, leading to Chocolate Kings. The album marked another shift, more rock-forward, with leaner arrangements and the powerful addition of lead vocalist Bernardo Lanzetti. His grittier tone signaled a break from the nuanced vocals of earlier albums, something more terrestrial. Tracks like the title cut and “From Under” (with lyrics by American expatriate Marva Jan Marrow) reflect a politically charged, almost cynical lens, an unusual but compelling departure for a band so steeped in fantasy and abstraction.
Jet Lag, Fusion Takes the Reins
Finally, Jet Lag (1977) lands in uncharted territory. With founding member Mauro Pagani gone and American violinist Gregory Bloch stepping in, PFM pivoted toward jazz-rock fusion, echoing the explorations of Return to Forever and Mahavishnu Orchestra. The fretless bass grooves of Djivas and Premoli’s dazzling synth improvisations and slos shape a sound that’s cerebral yet accessible. Though still anchored in progressive traditions, Jet Lag is marked by a sense of searching, nowhere more poignantly than in “Cerco la Lingua,” the sole Italian-language track, its title translating to “I Look for the Language.” It’s a fitting metaphor for a band constantly seeking new modes of expression.
The Manticore Studio Albums boxed set is a document of artistic evolution. Housed in replica sleeve wallets and accompanied by a poster, the set doesn’t clutter the listening experience with extras. Instead, it invites listeners to engage with the music on its own terms, just as audiences did half a century ago. From pastoral melodies to angular fusion, PFM navigated shifting musical landscapes with conviction and skill.