Artist
I LEONI
Carlo Riccardi (keyboards, vocals)
Giorgio Borgarelli (bass, guitar, vocals)
Pierluigi Bertolini (drums)
A little known group, I Leoni, from Tortona (Piemonte, north-west
Italy), had a short career that has just left us two singles and an
album, all very rare, produced between 1970 and 1971.
They were a trio, led by
keyboardist/singer Carlo Riccardi, but all their compositions were by another
Riccardi, Enrico, that was not a member of the group and was later an important
producer (with popular Italian artists like Patty Pravo and Loredana Bertè).
Despite being mostly in the melodic prog field, the ten-track album includes some good instrumental breaks, like in the hypnotic Lo stregone (with organ, percussion and latin-sung vocals in a Jacula style) and interesting progressive arrangements like in Jena ridens or the closing Il tramonto.
After the release of the album and the second single, the group brought its line-up to a four-piece with guitarist Paolo Stella and a good concert activity, until they broke up at the beginning of 1973.
| LP | |||
| La foresta | Ricordi (SMRL 6081) | 1971 | gatefold laminated cover |
| RCA/Sony (88697 42821 1) | 2009 | numbered reissue of the 1971 album with gatefold cover | |
CD |
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| La foresta | BMG (82876-54406-2) | 2003 | reissue of 1971 album with mini gatefold cover |
VARIOUS ARTISTS COMPILATION ALBUMS |
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| Sanremo '71 (with La folle corsa) |
Ricordi (SMRL 6082) | 1971 | originally a track by Formula Tre, unreleased in this version |
SINGLES (with picture sleeve) |
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| Ogni notte Le bottiglie |
Ricordi (SRL 10612) | 1970 | both unreleased tracks |
| Baciare baciare Il rinoceronte |
Ricordi (SRL 10636) | 1971 | side B taken from La foresta |
An incredibly rare album, as the group's two singles, La
foresta was first reissued on CD in 2003 and on vinyl in 2009.
It originally came in a gatefold laminated cover. No counterfeit exists, nor foreign vinyl reissues.
A track from the album, Sesso, was also
included, in 1974 in the debut album by Loredana Bertè, Streaking with
the title changed to S.E.S.S.O.
I Leoni also appear on a compilation released by
Ricordi for the 1971 Festival di Sanremo with a track originally by
Formula Tre, La folle corsa.
Another compilation featuring the group was issued in Argentina in 1971,
entitled Parata di successi vol.II (Ricordi 2324018). I Leoni are
included here with Baciare baciare, sung in Italian but retitled Besar,
besar.
The group, along with Lorenza Visconti, had an english-sung song, How can you live your life? in the soundtrack of the film Un posto ideale per uccidere (Oasis of fear/Dirty pictures) by Umberto Lenzi (1971).
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La foresta - LP |
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La foresta - LP label |
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Ogni notte - 7" single |
Baciare baciare - 7" single |
Thanks to Valerio D'Angelo, Rocco Trezza and Alessandro Cumbo for some of the information on this page
