Artist

NEW TROLLS
NEW TROLLS ATOMIC SYSTEM

1968-70
Vittorio De Scalzi (guitar, vocals)
Nico Di Palo (guitar, vocals)
Mauro Chiarugi (keyboards)
Giorgio D'Adamo (bass, vocals)
Gianni Belleno (drums, vocals)

1970
Chiarugi quits

1971
enters:
Maurizio Salvi (keyboards)

1972
D'Adamo replaced by:
Frank Laugelli (bass)

1973-74 (N.T.Atomic System)
Vittorio De Scalzi (guitar, keyboards, flute, vocals)
Giorgio Baiocco (sax, flute)
Renato Rosset (keyboards)
Giorgio D'Adamo (bass)
Tullio De Piscopo (drums)

1975-76
Vittorio De Scalzi (guitar, vocals)
Nico Di Palo (guitar, vocals)
Ricky Belloni (guitar, vocals)
Frank Laugelli (bass)
Gianni Belleno (drums, vocals)

One of the hardest group's histories to compile, New Trolls' story is full of line-up changes, band name changes, struggles between band members... and great hits! In their long story New Trolls have been one of the most popular bands in Italy, and they crossed many different styles, passing through beat, slight psychedelia, progressive, hard rock and melodic pop.

The story begins in Genova around mid 60's, when the five musicians, among the best in town, decided to form a band, the name coming from the old band of Vittorio De Scalzi, I Trolls. After some dates as support band for the Rolling Stones, they released their debut single Sensazioni in 1967, the first of a very long series of singles. The band was one of the best live acts in Italy at the time, and Hendrix-inspired guitarist Nico Di Palo was one of the first Italian guitar heroes.

First album, Senza orario senza bandiera, came in 1968, with lyrics written for them by singer-songwriter Fabrizio De André, a good album, very successful at the time, but still tied to the beat sound of the early days. A second album, simply called New Trolls, followed two years later, in 1970, being a compilation of tracks from their singles. These were still the days in Italy where people preferred the singles to the less popular LP's, and these often were simple compilations of already known songs. 
At the end of 1970 the first line-up change, with original member Mauro Chiarugi leaving the band, that continued as a quartet. In the same year the band was also involved along with The Trip in the film Terzo canale - Avventura a Montecarlo, and a single from the soundtrack, the beautiful (and sadly unreleased on LP) Autostrada, was their only release on RCA.

In 1971 their greatest album, Concerto Grosso per i New Trolls, with music written by composer Luis Enriquez Bacalov with orchestral arrangements, an ambitious work that's still recognised as one of the most important Italian rock releases ever made. This album started the collaboration of keyboardist Maurizio Salvi with the group.

In 1972 a new bass player, the italo-canadian Frank Laugelli entered the band replacing Giorgio D'Adamo. With the new line-up the band released Searching for a land, another ambitious work. A double album, with a live side and mostly sung in English, this was a disjointed album and not a great success, as most of the English-sung albums by Italian prog artists. 

Later that year another album, Ut, with a heavier sound, closer to hard rock. A nice album to many, this caused the band to break in two parts, with the two leaders Di Palo and De Scalzi going in two different ways. A legal struggle followed, for the use of the famous name, and while Di Palo with the other three chose the Ibis way, in a hard rock direction, Vittorio De Scalzi formed a new band, called N.T.Atomic System to avoid contractual problems, and with a more polished sound. To help their fans to recognize this band as the real New Trolls, early copies of the album had a sticker on the sleeve covering the N.T. name with the full New Trolls brand.

N.T.Atomic System released their first album in 1973, a nice album with a large use of horn instruments, De Scalzi himself playing flute and keyboards along with guitar. A jazz influence can be heard, and it became stronger in their second album, Tempi dispari, a totally instrumental album recorded live in a jazz-rock vein, very far from the New Trolls sound.
Incidentally, the group's name on this album is again New Trolls and no musicians are mentioned, but this is in fact the same De Scalzi-led line-up as the previous album. Tempi dispari was rather disappointing and unsuccessful, its two side-long tracks being more in an English jazz-rock style than in the usual mix of hard and melodic prog that New Trolls fans were expecting.
A good single was also released by the same line-up, with the band rendition of Mussorgsky's A night on bare mountain (Una notte sul Monte Calvo), and it was also included on their first album reissue with the same name.

N.T.Atomic System disbanded after the second album, with Rosset moving to England with Nova and De Piscopo starting a long career as talented session drummer and solo artist. Incredibly, De Scalzi rejoined old friend/enemy Di Palo and drummer Belleno for a new chapter in New Trolls story. Bassist Laugelli also returned from Ibis, and a fifth member was found in former Nuova Idea singer and guitarist Ricky Belloni, giving even more strength to the always incredible multivocal parts of the group. This band released Concerto grosso n°2, an ideal prosecution to their best work, but it was a pale attempt to reproduce that masterpiece. Some parts are good, but the shorter tracks are in a melodic pop vein, and the album is far from their best efforts.

Magma label (founded by Vittorio De Scalzi) also released a live album, as the band has always been well known as one of the best live groups in Italy. New Trolls live, also in 1976, is a good album, even containing some excerpt from Concerto grosso n°2.

In 1978 another new recruit, also from Nuova Idea, was keyboardist Giorgio Usai, but the band slowly abandoned the rock track to a mainstream pop that gave them many more hits (Quella carezza della sera and Aldebaran among them). The band kept playing and releasing mediocre pop albums until early 90's, then came to a new split.

In late 90's Vittorio De Scalzi made a successful tour with ex-Latte e Miele drummer Alfio Vitanza and two younger members, playing old New Trolls songs, including a complete remake of the band's 1968 first album.
In early 1998 Nico Di Palo had a car accident which caused him heavy injuries and a permanent disability. In 1999, along with Belleno and Belloni he tried to reform New Trolls but had legal problems again with De Scalzi on the use of the band's name. History repeats itself... 

Two interesting new CD's have been released in 2001 credited to Vittorio De Scalzi - La storia dei New Trolls; both recorded live, the first one, La storia dei New Trolls (Saar CD 22228), includes reworkings of old tracks, the other, Concerto grosso live (La Stampa CDV 2001), is a very good rendition of Concerto grosso n.1 and 2 with an orchestra. 
This band still has an intense live activity in 2002 with a very good line-up of De Scalzi and Vitanza with Andrea Maddalone and Mauro Sposito (guitars) and bassist/singer Roberto Tiranti. They were usually playing a mix of 60's through 90's songs, but in some larger theatres they concentrated on the full orchestral version of the two Concerto Grosso's and a more prog oriented tracklisting.

Other past members, led by Nico Di Palo and also including Usai and Belloni, used in the same period the name Il Mito dei New Trolls, but they didn't release anything. Drummer Gianni Belleno played with a different group called Il Cuore dei New Trolls.

In 2007 De Scalzi's group, featuring Alfio Vitanza (drums, vocals), Andrea Maddalone and Mauro Sposito (guitars, vocals), Francesco Bellia (bass, vocals), reunited with  Nico Di Palo for some concerts.
The long waited reunion of the two group's leaders gave birth to a new chapter of their Concerto Grosso, subtitled The seven seasons. The album started where the previous one had ended, with strong classical music influences (even with help from a lyric female singer on one track) mixed with a typical rock sound. Some doubts come from the English-sung vocals, maybe intended to present the group to a wider audience of prog fans throughout the world, but the album is on a good level anyway.

In the same year, to increase the confusion between the various groups using the name New Trolls, no less than two box sets were issued, both based on the Concerto Grosso in live version.
The first one is TR3, released under the name "Il Mito New Trolls", a CD with six new studio tracks from a line-up including Ricky Belloni, Giorgio Belleno and Giorgio Usai, and the live recording of Concerto Grosso 1 & 2 from a concert in La Spezia in 2004, featuring Nico Di Palo, that is also included in DVD format.
The second album is Concerto Grosso Trilogy Live, and the line-up is the one with De Scalzi and Di Palo, from a concert in Trieste in 2007. This box set contains 2 CD's and a DVD with the three parts of Concerto Grosso.

In 2010, to add a new chapter to the renaissance of the New Trolls name in the 21st century, came the announcement of the reunion, after almost 30 years, of the classic line-up with Vittorio De Scalzi, Nico Di Palo, Giorgio D'Adamo and Gianni Belleno. The reunited line-up had a short life and the band broke up again in 2011.
Drummer Gianni Belleno along with Maurizio Salvi formed a new group called Ut - Uno Tempore and this band made its live debut at Rome's Prog Exhibition in 2011 and released in 2012 a live CD called Live in Milano and a studio album, Do ut des, in 2013..

The four members of the historical line-up reunited again to release in 2013 another Concerto grosso, the number 3, again with help from Luis Bacalov, but apart from the album name there's little in common this time with the golden days of the group.

All the New Trolls albums have been released in large quantities and have had many reissues in later years, so they are easy to find, with a few notable exceptions.
Senza orario senza bandiera came out with a laminated gatefold cover with record inserted from the inside, later issues had a standard gatefold cover with side opening, and subsequent pressing lost the laminated cover. The very first pressing of this album has the BIEM logo on the label, replaced by the SIAE logo in 1969.

Oddly enough for a singles compilation, the second album New Trolls is probably the hardest and most expensive to find. 
Original pressing had a single laminated flipback cover, later pressings came with non-laminated cover, that in some cases had a different design.

Concerto grosso per i New Trolls, one of their best sellers, had a gatefold laminated cover with record inserted from the top, later pressings had a standard side opening and in some cases non-laminated covers. The record also exists in the mid-70's reissue with orange label.

Searching for a land came with a large laminated foldout cover, the gatefold having a small flap creating a sort of poster. Records were inserted from the top, under the flap.

Ut had initially a laminated thick gatefold cover, that was subsequently replaced by a standard non-laminated thinner cover.

The N.T.Atomic System album, one of the first on Magma label, came in a nice triple gatefold cover and contained a lyric insert. In the very first copies it had the title covered by a sticker with the full name New Trolls Atomic System, that couldn't legally be used due to the struggle with former members.
Una notte sul Monte Calvo was in fact the same album with a bonus track from the single with the same name, and was housed in a different single cover.

Concerto grosso n.2, has a glossy gatefold cover, but there are copies, which can be dated from the SIAE stamp around 1979-80 that have a standard smooth cover, the cardboard used being thinner than the originals.

The 2007 album, Concerto grosso - The seven seasons has also been released in a limited 2-LP vinyl edition with the same tracks as the CD. An early pressing of 300 copies was sold through the New Trolls Fan Club and the records are numbered and signed by the musicians.
Even Concerto grosso n°3 from 2013 had a limited vinyl pressing of 999 copies.

Japanese issues appeared for Concerto grosso (King GXF2043), Ut (Seven Seas/King GXF2050), Searching for a land (Seven Seas/King K19P429/30), N.T.Atomic System (King K22P241, including an extra track), Tempi dispari (King K22P279), Concerto grosso n°2 (King K22P181), New Trolls live (King K22P327, with different cover) and FS (King K28P214).

N.T.Atomic System, Tempi dispari and New Trolls live have had a 2003 CD reissue by the Japanese label Arcangelo (nos. ARC-7023, ARC-7024 and ARC-7025) with a mini-LP cover. These are also part of an 8-CD box set dedicated to Grog (that includes in fact only three Grog releases along with five albums originally on Magma).

Si-Wan in  Korea has released N.T.Atomic System (SRML 2003 - exists with both triple-fold and single cover), Tempi dispari (SRML 2006), and New Trolls live (SRML 2008 - with different cover and title, it's called L.I.V.E.N.T.). 
N.T.Atomic System also had a previous Korean pressing on Magma label (cat.no.60) with a monochrome blue back cover typical of that country. The same treatment was given to Concerto grosso with a grey back cover and cat.no.137. Concerto grosso also came with a different design single sleeve on Fonit/SR label no.SZPR 107. 
Also in Korea a double CD exists on the Sherman/Sungnam label, with mini-LP cover, containing Concerto grosso parts 1 and 2.

Concerto grosso, Concerto grosso n°2 and N.T.Atomic System have been released in Venezuela all with single covers. 
Concerto grosso was also released in France on Les Disques Pierre Cardin label (cat.no.122) in a single cover with rounded corners, and a single from the album on the same label, with Adagio and Allegro had a black and white picture cover and catalogue number 25001.

Spanish label Zafiro issued in that country many New Trolls albums, like Searching for a land and Concerto grosso n.1 in 1972 and Concerto Grosso n.2 in 1977, and singles, among which an unusual couple of extracts from the Concerto grosso LP featuring Allegro/Adagio (Zafiro 00X 245 - 1972) and Adagio/Shadows (Zafiro 00X 343 - 1977).
Moreover some later Spanish-sung singles exist on Hispavox, like Aquella caricia de otoño (Quella carezza della sera - 1979) and Que idea (Che idea - 1980).

Una notte sul Monte Calvo also appeared in Germany on the Pan label with the translated title Night on bare mountain.

Two odd singles were released in Lebanon on the Empire label, the first one had Muddy Madelein and In St.Peter's day, another one contained Adagio (Shadows) coupled with Shadows (for Jimi Hendrix) and had catalogue number EM 103.
The single Cristalli fragili/Ehi tu ritorna was released in Brazil in 1968 on Fermata (FB 33.310).

A track from a 1972 single, Black hand, unreleased on LP, appears on a Japanese 9-track promo compilation on Nexus, called Nexus International Italian Rock Special (cat.no.SSY-17) that also includes singles' tracks by Krel (pre-PFM), Hunka Munka, Ricordi d'Infanzia and Patrizio Alluminio (Alluminogeni).

No counterfeits exist of any New Trolls albums. 

Senza orario senza bandiera - gatefold cover
Senza orario senza bandiera - first and later issues' labels
New Trolls - LP
New Trolls - 3000 series reissue LP	New Trolls - Pellicano series reissue LP
Concerto grosso per i New Trolls - LP
Ut - LP	Ut - 3000 series reissue LP
Ut - inner gatefold
Searching for a land - foldout cover
N.T.Atomic System - LP + sticker
N.T.Atomic System - triple gatefold cover
Una notte sul Monte Calvo - LP	Night on bare mountain (Una notte sul Monte Calvo) - German issue LP
Tempi dispari - LP
Concerto grosso n°2 - LP
New Trolls Live - LP, original Italian issue (left) and Korean reissue
Sensazioni - 7" single	Visoni - 7" single
Cristalli fragili - 7" single	Io che ho te - 7" single
Davanti agli occhi miei - 7" single	Un'ora - 7" single
Signore, io sono Irish - 7" single	Una miniera - 7" single
Annalisa - 7" single	Una nuvola bianca - 7" single
La più bella sei tu - 7" single	Autostrada - 7" single
Una storia - 7" single	Venti o cent'anni - 7" single
Concerto grosso/Adagio - 7" single	La prima goccia bagna il viso - 7" single
Black hand - 7" single	Una notte sul monte calvo - 7" single
Bella come mai - 7" single	Solamente tu - 7" single
Concerto grosso/The seven seasons - CD	Concerto grosso/Trilogy live - CD
Concerto grosso n°3 - CD/LP
Ut Uno Tempore/Live in Milano - CD

Click on pictures to enlarge

Vittorio De Scalzi /La storia dei New Trolls 20-Aug-2002 Isola del Gran Sasso (AQ)

Vittorio De Scalzi at 70's Flowers Festival, Fano (PU) 29-Set-2005

Vittorio De Scalzi /La storia dei New Trolls 28-Aug-2006 Santa Maria degli Angeli (PG)

Vittorio De Scalzi  and Nico Di Palo - New Trolls 13-Feb-2007 Terni - Teatro Verdi

Alfio Vitanza, Andrea Maddalone, Vittorio De Scalzi - New Trolls 13-Feb-2007 Terni - Teatro Verdi

New Trolls 13-Feb-2007 Terni - Teatro Verdi

New Trolls - Concerto Grosso Trilogy 12-Sep-2008 Foligno (PG) Auditorium San Domenico

New Trolls - Concerto Grosso Trilogy 12-Sep-2008 Foligno (PG) Auditorium San Domenico

Ut (Uno Tempore) Prog Exhibition 2011 - Roma 21-Oct-2011

Ut (Uno Tempore) Le Radici del Rock - Viterbo 21-Jul-2012

It was 1971, while Deep Purple opened their new album with an explosive performance of their drummer Ian Paice, New Trolls chose to open with a crescendo of strings their Concerto Grosso, composed and orchestrated by the incomparable baroque Luis Bacalov, the five musicians deal with an incredibly hard struggle: what was initially meant to be the soundtrack to a film, La vittima designata, becomes one of the most important works of the Italian progressive rock.
The album title comes from a musical entertainment form, very popular around the end of the 18th century. A Concerto Grosso was made by three movements and a song: here we have Allegro, Adagio, Andante con Moto, and Shadows, a tribute to Hendrix (dominated by the guitar of Nico Di Palo). To fill up the whole second side there's an "empty room improvisation", haughty and rich of musical contents, including a drum solo by Belleno. There's an incredible balance, in the band, between baroque, hard rock, a jazzy feel and melodies. Among the classical references, the one to Shakespeare deserves to be mentioned.
  Leonardo Gabrielli

The official website of New Trolls is www.newtrolls.it

New Trolls Fan Club's website is www.newtrollsfanclub.com and www.newtrollsfanclub.it

An interesting source of information in Italian and English, including discography and TV clips, is on the New Trolls Net Club, at http://www.newtrollsnetclub.it 

Ut-Uno Tempore, the group formed by Gianni Belleno and Maurizio Salvi, have this website: www.utunotempore.com

Thanks to Valerio D'Angelo, Rocco Trezza, Federico Bordo, Fabio Paolotti, Simone Corsi, for some of the information in this page.
The promotional singles discography was updated with the information published on the New Trolls Fan Club site.