Artist
NOVA
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1975
Corrado Rustici (guitar, voice)
Danilo Rustici (guitar)
Elio D'Anna (sax, flute)
Luciano Milanese (bass)
Franco "Dede" Lo Previte (drums)
1976
Corrado Rustici (guitar, voice)
Elio D'Anna (sax, flute)
Renato Rosset (keyboards)
1977-78
enter new members:
Barry "SunJon" Johnson (bass)
Ric Parnell (drums)
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More active abroad than in Italy (where only one of their 4 albums was released), Nova are a unique case of an Italian progressive group that spent almost all of its career in foreign countries. After the split of Uno, former Osanna founders Elio D'Anna and Danilo Rustici stayed in London and formed another band called Nova with other well-known Italian musicians as Corrado Rustici from Cervello and Dede Lo Previte from Circus 2000.
The band, with a stronger jazz-rock influence than their previous groups, released their first album, Blink, in 1976, aided by such big names as Pete Townshend and with help from lyricist Nick J.Sedwick (who also wrote the lyrics for Uno). An usual Osanna feeling is still in the air, but the style is changing to a more commercial kind of music. Only two of the six tracks are instrumental, the singer role been taken by Corrado Rustici, and the album has some good moments.
Since the following LP their records never gained an
Italian release, the band having now stably moved to England and, since 1978, to
the USA.
Second album, Vimana, saw the band reduced to a trio, original members Elio D'Anna and
Corrado Rustici augmented by ex-New
Trolls Atomic System's keyboardist Renato Rosset and with help from international stars like Percy
Jones (bass), Narada Michael Walden (drums),
Phil Collins (percussion).
Though some of the typical Osanna/Cervello
sound elements can still be heard
(listen to Elio D'Anna's sax or Corrado Rustici's frantic guitar), the band's style is slowly
approaching a mainstream jazz-rock with a funky edge, and the last two albums will go to a lower
level.
The fourth and last one, Sun city was recorded in the USA in 1978 and showed a harder sound with the magic guitar of Corrado Rustici (one of the most talented guitarists from that era) in great evidence.
D'Anna then returned to Italy for a career as producer, leaving the musical scene to completely disappear, while
Corrado Rustici stayed in the USA, returning back to Italy where he's long
collaborated with such artists as Zucchero and Elisa, both as musician and
producer.
During their early days in England with Nova, both Elio D’Anna and Corrado
Rustici (credited on the cover as Carrado Rusticci!) appeared on the 1976 album
Sunset wading by Caravan’s bass player John G.Perry.
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| LP | |||
| Blink | Ariston (AR/LP 12300) | 1976 | single cover |
| Vimana | Arista (AB 4110) - USA | 1976 | single cover with inner - also in UK as Arista ARTY 138 |
| Wings of love | Arista (AB 4150) - USA | 1977 | single cover with inner - also in UK as Arista SPARTY 1021 with different cover |
| Sun city | Arista (AB 4203) - USA | 1978 | single cover with inner |
CD |
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| Blink | Vinyl Magic (VM 020) | 1994 | reissue of 1974 album |
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The only album by Nova that had an Italian pressing was
the first, Blink, issued by Ariston in 1976 with a rather anonymous
single cover and is not easy to find. It was also released in the UK (Arista
ARTY 118), in Holland (Arista AR1), France (Motors).
Later albums were issued by Arista in UK, USA, Canada, Germany, Chile,
Argentina, and by Motors in
France.
No counterfeits available.
An unreleased track by Nova, recorded live and entitled Conchis Funk can be bought and downloaded through Corrado Rustici's site (see below).
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Blink - LP |
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Vimana - UK album LP |
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Wings of love - UK album LP |
Wings of love - US album LP |
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Sun city - US album LP |
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Click on pictures to enlarge
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| Nova - Promo picture 1977 |
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Former Nova and Cervello
guitarist Corrado Rustici has his own site
www.corradorustici.com.
The site of keyboardist Renato Rosset is www.renatorosset.com