Artist

LOCANDA DELLE FATE

Leonardo Sasso (vocals)
Ezio Vevey (guitar, flute, vocals)
Alberto Gaviglio (guitar)
Michele Conta (keyboards)
Oscar Mazzoglio (keyboards)
Luciano Boero (bass)
Giorgio Gardino (drums)

WIth a rich twin guitar and twin keyboards line-up and an excellent musicianship, Locanda delle Fate from Asti went totally unnoticed at the time their only LP came out on Polydor, arriving too late for the declining italian prog movement.

It's a pity, because their rich, symphonic blend of progressive rock is well inspired and original, despite the obvious influences by the romantic side of english prog bands. Forse le lucciole non si amano più has lately become an example of the italian classical-oriented prog, with the nice interplay between the multiple keyboards, dreamy atmospheres and good vocal parts, like in the long title-track, Profumo di colla bianca or the closing Vendesi saggezza.

The Live CD, recorded in 1977 and released in 1993, can interest the group fans, though it only contains an unreleased track, La giostra, the other six cuts coming from the LP. 
It has a good bootleg-like recording quality.

Disappointed by the lack of interest, the band released two more commercial singles in 1978, with the line-up reduced to a five-piece, and in 1980 under the name La Locanda, before disbanding.

The group reunited in 1996 with five of the seven original members (less singer Sasso and keyboard player Conta), and they released a new album in 1999, Homo homini lupus, an 11-track work, good but more song-oriented and very far from the dreamy sound of their great album.

Guitarist Ezio Vevey took part in 2002 in the rock-opera La rete di Ulisse with the group Genoma, that also included Nik Comoglio (keyboards), Cyrus Scognamiglio (bass) and Steve Abrate (drums).

In 2006 the group reunited again to work on a new album, closer to the style of their 1977 LP, but nothing came out of those sessions and they disbanded soon.
Keyboardist Michele Conta is working on a new album called Dalla Locanda delle Fate in poi...

Forse le lucciole non si amano più is a very rare album though one of the latest italian prog releases. Despite good press reviews at the time it probably sold very little, becoming an expensive collector's item since quite a few years. Original copies had a gatefold cover and a lyric inner sleeve.
A very rare three-track 12" single was taken from the album for promotional diffusion.

The album has also been released in Japan (on Polydor, with two different catalogue numbers, 18MM0584 and 23MM0148) and Korea (Si-Wan SRML 0010) with the same gatefold cover as the original, but with no inner.
Also from Japan, a mini-LP compilation called Italian rock single compilation (Polydor/Edison DMI 23134) released in 1987, included both sides of the 1978 single New York along with Balletto di Bronzo and Latte e Miele singles tracks unreleased on LP.

No counterfeits or other foreign issues exist.

Forse le lucciole non si amano più - LP
Non chiudere a chiave le stelle - 7" single cover	New York - 7" single cover
La Locanda / Annalisa - 45 giri
Live CD cover	Homo homini lupus CD cover

Michele Conta has his own website at www.micheleconta.com/

Thanks to Jari Haavisto for information on the rare 12" promo EP, and to Giuliano Semprucci for the cover scan of the La Locanda single