Ibis

1973
Nico Di Palo (guitar, vocals)
Maurizio Salvi (keyboards)
Frank Laugelli (bass, vocals)
Gianni Belleno (drums, vocals)

1975
Parnell and Salvi replaced by
Renzo Tortora (guitar, vocals)
Pasquale Venditto (drums, vocals)

New Trolls' leaders Nico Di Palo and Vittorio De Scalzi came to a legal struggle on the use of the band's name in 1973, with Di Palo taking with him the line up that had released Ut a year before. The four piece recorded an LP due for release with Fonit, but they couldn't yet call themselves New Trolls, so the album was issued with a giant question mark on the cover and no band name, and the group is usually referred to with the name of its members, Nico, Gianni, Frank, Maurizio. A very good album, Canti d'innocenza, canti d'esperienza is the ideal follow-up to Ut, with a convincing mix of classical and hard rock influences. L'amico della porta accanto can be included in an ideal compilation of all the New Trolls related releases.

Soon after the album release, drummer Belleno left the band to venture into a pop career with his side band Tritons, and the remaining trio, with the new name of Ibis (decided after a readers' poll organised by the Ciao 2001 magazine!) found an important replacement in English drummer Ric Parnell, from Atomic Rooster. With the new line-up and a new recording deal with Polydor, they recorded Sun supreme, released in 1974 and completely sung in English. A transition album, its hard rock style and English lyrics make it too similar to many foreign bands and little convincing.

Another change in the line-up came later that year, with Salvi and Parnell replaced by Renzo Tortora and Pasquale Venditto, both coming from Forum Livii.
Despite the new line-up the band released in 1975 what's usually defined their best and more mature work with Ibis. Just two tracks were now in English, the rest being sung in Italian and with a much more personal style than in their previous album. The soft Passa il tempo was also released as a single.

In 1975 the long awaited New Trolls' reunion finally took place and Ibis disbanded. Nico Di Palo, again with drummer Gianni Belleno returned back to his old band to record Concerto grosso n.2.

In 2007 keyboardist Maurizio Salvi formed a group called Ibis Prog Machine with the aim to revive the old name. The group also featured another keyboardist, Renato Rosset (ex New Trolls Atomic System and Nova), guitarists Corrado Rustici (ex-Cervello and Nova) and Claudio Cinquegrana, singer and bass player Roberto Tiranti and drummer Marco Canavese, but had a short life and broke up in 2008.

LP
Canti d'innocenza, canti d'esperienza	Fonit (LPX 22)	1973	gatefold textured cover with 4-page photo insert pasted in - as Nico, Gianni, Frank, Maurizio
	Fonit/Pellicano (PL 412)	1980	different single cover
	Fonit/Vinyl Magic (LPP 423)	1991	available as gatefold standard cover, same as original but with no insert, or single cover
	BTF/Vinyl Magic (VM 094 LP)	2009	gatefold cover with photo insert
Sun supreme	Polydor (2448 022 L)	1974	single textured cover with inner
	BTF/Vinyl Magic (VM LP 081)	2015	reissue of the above - gold/black vinyl
	Polydor/Universal (4531567)	2022	500 numbered copies - yellow vinyl - issued for Record Store Day 2022
Ibis	Polydor (2448 036 A)	1975	single laminated cover with inner
	BTF/Vinyl Magic (VM 169LP)	2014	reissue of the above - first 500 copies on yellow vinyl
	Polydor (3581980)	2021	volume 8 in the Universal "Prog Rock Italia" series - single cover with inner - exists with orange, yellow (99 copies each) or black vinyl (899 copies)
CD
Canti d'innocenza, canti d'esperienza	Fonit Cetra (CDLP 423)	1991	reissue of 1973 album
	BTF/Vinyl Magic (VMCD 094)	2004	as above with mini gatefold cover
Ibis	Polydor/Mellow (847 073-2)	1992	reissue of 1975 album - now deleted
	Polydor (523 695-2)	90's	as above
	Universal (0602527122045)	2009	new reissue with mini-LP single cover and 1 bonus track - part of the box set Progressive Italia - Gli anni '70 vol.2
Sun supreme	BTF/Vinyl Magic (VMCD 081)	2003	reissue of 1974 album with mini gatefold cover
	Universal (0602527319353)	2010	new reissue with mini-LP single cover - part of the box set Progressive Italia - Gli anni '70 vol.4
SINGLES (with picture cover)
Passa il tempo Noi	Polydor (2060 083)	1974	Side A from Ibis
Dedicated to Janis Joplin Movin' on	Polydor (2060 104)	1975	both tracks from Ibis
PROMOTIONAL AND JUKEBOX SINGLES (with blank cover)
Song of the valley deep Divinity part 3	Polydor (AS 272)	1974	white label promo single - both tracks from Sun supreme
Passa il tempo	Polydor (AS 292)	1974	jukebox single backed with Barry White/Can't get enough of your love, babe
Dedicated to Janis Joplin Strada	Polydor (AS 5000 300)	1975	white label promo single - both tracks from Ibis

The three albums by Ibis are all easy to find at reasonable prices in their original issues.
The rarest of the three is Canti d'innocenza, canti d'esperienza, that had a textured cover with a glued in 4-page insert with pictures of the band members.
It was reissued with a different single cover in a Fonit mid-price series and later in 1991 again with its original cover by Fonit and Vinyl Magic. The last issue was available in both single and gatefold versions (like the reissue of Garybaldi's Astrolabio in the same series).
The reissue from BTF, released in 2009, contains a reproduction of the original photographic insert. Also from BTF came in 2014 and 2015 the first reissues of the second and third album, both on coloured vinyl.
A Korean issue exists of Ibis (Si-Wan SRML 0004, the first issue contained a poster). Japanese issues exist for Sun supreme (Polydor/King 23MM0144) and Ibis (Polydor/King 23MM0145);Sun supreme was also issued on CD in Japan (various editions) and Russia.

The CD versions of Sun supreme and Canti d'innocenza, canti d'esperienza released by BTF/Vinyl Magic as part of the series "Italian Progressive Rock" have gatefold mini-LP covers and illustrated information booklets.
Sun supreme and Ibis (the latter with an extra track, Noi) have been reissued on CD by Universal in 2009-2010 in the series of box sets entitled Progressive Italia - Gli anni '70.


Canti d'innocenza, canti d'esperienza - original LP	Canti d'innocenza, canti d'esperienza - Pellicano reissue cover

Canti d'innocenza, canti d'esperienza - inner gatefold with glued photo insert

Sun supreme - LP

Ibis - LP

Passa il tempo - 7" single cover	Dedicated to Janis Joplin - 7" single cover

Thanks to Laura Albergante, Marzio Barbieri and Gian Pietro Corghi for information