Le Orme

1966-67
Aldo Tagliapietra (vocals, guitar)
Nino Smeraldi (guitar)
Claudio Galieti (bass)
Marino Rebeschini (drums)

1968-70
Aldo Tagliapietra (vocals, guitar)
Nino Smeraldi (guitar)
Antonio "Toni" Pagliuca (keyboards)
Claudio Galieti (bass)
Michi Dei Rossi (drums)

1970-75
Aldo Tagliapietra (vocals, bass, guitar)
Toni Pagliuca (keyboards)
Michi Dei Rossi (drums)

1980-82 and again 1986-1990
Aldo Tagliapietra (vocals, bass, guitar)
Toni Pagliuca (keyboards)
Michi Dei Rossi (drums)

1996-2000
Aldo Tagliapietra (vocals, bass, guitar)
Michele Bon (keyboards)
Francesco Sartori (keyboards)
Michi Dei Rossi (drums)

One of the most important and loved italian prog bands, and one of the most famous among foreign listeners.
Le Orme were another of those bands coming from the beat era that had the most convincing musical evolution in the 70's. They were formed in Marghera (nearVenice) in1966 but their debut came in 1967 with Fiori e colori, recorded by the original four-piece line-up.

The band had a successful single with Senti l'estate che torna and recorded their first album Ad Gloriam at the end of 1968, releasing it the following year.
Housed in a psychy sleeve the album is still regarded as one of the best in the italian beat, with the music having a slight psychedelic touch in songs like Io non so restare solo, Fumo, Milano 1968.

In 1970 the band signed a contract with Philips, that released their subsequent 10 albums in ten years. The old label Car Juke Box released L'Aurora, a compilation of their singles tracks that's also very rare now.

First album with Philips, and their first as a trio was Collage, with Aldo Tagliapietra having switched from guitar to bass and the band having now a keyboards based sound like foreign groups such as ELP. They had also made a trip to London to follow the current music evolution. A very good album, Collage contains some of their best tracks ever like Sguardo verso il cielo and Cemento armato.

With a great live following the band released a new album in 1972, Uomo di pezza, with a distinctive fantasy gatefold cover. The album was very successful, as the single taken from it, Gioco di bimba, that many of their fans disliked being too melodic. In the same year the band left the open-air festival circuit and began individual tours, with important guests such as Peter Hammill.

1973 saw the release of an ambitious concept album, Felona e Sorona, based on the story of these two planets. A beautiful album, containing a long suite, it also gave the band high placements in the LP and singles charts (with the single Felona in this case). The sound was more original, with the keyboards of Pagliuca being the leading instrument and the delicate original voice of Tagliapietra giving a distinctive touch.
Le Orme made their first english tour that year, and Felona e Sorona was also translated in english and released by Charisma in the UK, but with little success.

Coming back to Italy, they were the most popular live group at the time, and decided to release a live album, In concerto in 1974. This was the first live album by an italian rock band and a very successful one, though the recording quality was far from today's standards. The album also included an unreleased track, the side-long 21 minute Truck of fire.

Contrappunti, released the same year, was a lower level effort in comparison with the previous works, with long instrumental parts (three of the seven tracks were instrumental) and producer Gian Piero Reverberi mentioned in the cover notes as a band member on piano.

Probably in search of a new sound the band enroled a fourth member, guitarist extraordinaire Tolo Marton (from Raptus), for their next album Smogmagica. And the album, recorded in Los Angeles, has in fact a different sound, with less predominance left to keyboards and the guitar in evidence, with spacey tracks like Laserium Floyd (with obvious Pink Floyd influences) or Laurel Canyon. The album was not entirely convincing, and newcomer Marton soon left the band, replaced by another guitarist, Germano Serafin.

With the new member they released next album Verità nascoste in 1976, a very good one and probably their last good album for many years. A hit single was also taken from it with Regina al Troubadour, and the album, despite some melodic songs has some very good moments like Insieme al concerto and Vedi Amsterdam.
Like Felona & Sorona this album was also recorded in an english-sung version for foreign markets, but Secret truths was never released, though it exists in bootleg form.

From 1977 the band entered its worst period, releasing albums like Storia o leggenda and Florian having a stronger classical influences and on a lower level than their previous works.
This lasted until 1982, when the group broke up for the first time. Aldo Tagliapietra released a rock-oriented solo album in 1984, then the band temporarily reunited in 1986 for a single, but only in 1990 they returned together, again with Philips for a pop album.

A new split came, with Toni Pagliuca beginning a solo career and the other two members (Tagliapietra and Dei Rossi) reforming the band, this time with two keyboardists, Michele Bon and Francesco Sartori. The revived group began touring again, and made its debut with Amico di ieri, a CD issued in 1997 containing remakes of tracks from their whole repertoire. Later in the same year they released a very good brand new album, Il fiume, closer to their early 70's sound. The album had a good success and the band was also invited to the Los Angeles Progfest in May 1997. Many other important foreign dates followed in these years.

In 2001 another great album, Elementi, housed in a nice cover by Paul Whitehead (of Genesis fame) featured last recruit, keyboardist/violinist Andrea Bassato, their sound consistently enriched by the unusual sampled guitar sounds by Michele Bon, played on a self-made keyboard, and it seemed that Le Orme had definitely found a second youth.
The third chapter in this trilogy of revamped prog works came in 2004, entitled L'infinito, on the same level as the previous ones, the group having now a slightly different sound than in the past, more based on piano and guitar, but the quality of their works is still very high, just like their live set.

2004 has also seen new live appearances by Toni Pagliuca, that has played with ethno-prog band Malaavia from Naples in many dates, adding to that band's live set some old classics by Le Orme. In the same year Pagliuca has released two interesting CD's, both only issued in limited pressing and now hard to find, Demos a Marghera, including studio recordings from 2003 and 2004, and the live Re-Collage (as its name suggests, based on the classic Collage album) with help from Van Der Graaf' Generator's sax player David Jackson and Massimo Donà Quintet.

At the beginning of 2008 Andrea Bassato left Le Orme, that remain in activity as a trio, with Tagliapietra, Dei Rossi and Bon. In the same year the group released, first in limited edition reserved to the Fan Club members and later in official form, a 2CD+1DVD box set taken from their live appearance at the Nearfest, in Pennsylvania, in 2005.

LP
Ad gloriam	Car Juke Box (CRJLP 00015)	1969	gatefold laminated cover with inner opening - red/silver label - some copies exist with inner sleeve
	Car Juke Box (CRJLP 00015)	1996	reissue of the above - gatefold non-laminated cover with side opening - red/white label - 500 copies limited pressing
	Akarma (AK 060)	2000	gatefold cover - bonus 7" single Senti l'estate che torna
L'aurora	Car Juke Box (CRJLP 00023)	1970	single cover - black label
	Car Juke Box (CRJLP 00023)	1997	reissue of the above - single cover and bonus sticker - black/white label - 520 copies limited pressing
	Akarma (AK 067)	2000	gatefold cover
Collage	Philips (6323 007)	1971	gatefold laminated cover
	Philips/Successo (9279 627)	late 70's	single cover reissue
Uomo di pezza	Philips (6323 013)	1972	gatefold textured cover
	Philips/Successo (6323 013)	late 70's	single cover reissue
Felona e Sorona	Philips (6323 023)	1973	gatefold laminated cover
	Philips/Successo (6323 023)	late 70's	single cover reissue
In concerto	Philips (6323 028)	1974	gatefold laminated cover
Contrappunti	Philips (6323 035)	1974	single cover with inner
	Philips/Successo (6323 035)	late 70's	reissue - no inner
Smogmagica	Philips (6323 041)	1975	gatefold cover with poster
	Philips/Successo (6323 041)	late 70's	single cover reissue
Verità nascoste	Philips (6323 045)	1976	gatefold laminated cover
	Philips/Successo (6323 045)	late 70's	single cover reissue
Storia o leggenda	Philips (6323 052)	1977	single cover with lyric inner
	Philips/Successo (6323 052)	late 70's	reissue - no inner
Florian	Philips (6323 086)	1979	gatefold cover with lyric inner
	Philips/Successo (6323 086)	late 70's	single cover reissue
Piccola rapsodia dell'ape	Philips (6323 102)	1980	gatefold laminated cover with lyric inner
Venerdì	DDD (ZPLDR 34145)	1982	single cover
Orme	Philips (846 410)	1990	single cover
Il fiume	Tring (TRI 024)	1997	gatefold cover - 1000 numbered copies
Elementi	Crisler/MP (MPRLP 039)	2001	single cover with inner
L'infinito	Crisler (CLP 1001)	2005	gatefold cover - released some months after the CD version
CD (partial discography)
Uomo di pezza	Philips/Universal (832067-2)	90's	reissue of 1972 album
Collage	Philips/Universal (842505-2)	90's	reissue of 1971 album
Contrappunti	Philips/Universal (842506-2)	90's	reissue of 1974 album
Felona e Sorona	Philips/Universal (842507-2)	90's	reissue of 1973 album
Florian	Philips/Universal (842508-2)	90's	reissue of 1979 album
Smogmagica	Philips/Universal (842509-2)	90's	reissue of 1975 album
Storia o leggenda	Philips/Universal (842510-2)	90's	reissue of 1977 album
Verità nascoste	Philips/Universal (842512-2)	90's	reissue of 1976 album
Piccola rapsodia dell'ape	Philips/Universal (842822-2)	90's	reissue of 1980 album
In concerto	Philips/Universal (846412-2)	90's	reissue of 1974 album
Anthology	Replay (RMCD 4181)	1997	budget-price compilation, includes unreleased english-sung versions of early tracks
Amico di ieri	Tring (TAP 014)	1997	remakes of old songs by the new line-up, recorded in 1997 - 11 tracks
Il fiume	Tring (TAP 016)	1997
	Crisler (CCD 3055)	2004	reissue of 1997 album
Ad gloriam	Akarma (AK060CD)	2000	reissue of 1969 album - gatefold mini LP cover
L'aurora	Akarma (AK067CD)	2000	reissue of 1970 album - gatefold mini LP cover
Elementi	Crisler (CCD 3005)	2001
Gioco di bimba	ItWhy (PCD 2180)	2001	reissue of the 1997 Amico di ieri CD, with different title and cover and 9 tracks
L'infinito	Crisler (CCD 3065)	2004
Live in Pennsylvania	AUA/Sonny Boy (SBM 001)	2008	2CD+DVD - first issued as numbered 1000 copies edition for Fan Club members
BOOTLEG CD (relevant issues)
Cera un volto	Highland () - Japan	2000's	live recordings from 1975, plus all the Rarità nascoste japanese EP and tracks from the Canzone d'amore single
VARIOUS ARTISTS COMPILATIONS
Canta e balla le tue corse d'estate (with Aliante, Collage and Alienation)	Philips (6830242)	1976	promotional LP issued for Pirelli, als includes tracks by Genesis, Steve Hackett, Nazareth, Far East Family Band
Progfest '97 (with Madre Mia / Prima Acqua / Il Vecchio / Il Fiume (Pt. 2) / Sospesi Nell' Incredibile / Felona / La solitudine di chi protegge il mondo)	Pangea/Outer Music (OM110CD) - USA	1997	2 CD issued in USA also including John Wetton Band, Arena, The Flower Kings, Spock's Beard, Big Elf, Sinkadus
SINGLES (with picture sleeves)
Fiori e colori Lacrime di sale	Car Juke Box (CRJNP 1024)	1967
Senti l'estate che torna Mita Mita	Car Juke Box (CRJNP 1030)	1968	both tracks from Ad gloriam
Milano 1968 I miei sogni	Car Juke Box (CRJNP 1044)	1968	both tracks from Ad gloriam
Irene Casa mia	Car Juke Box (CRJNP 1050)	1969	first copies included a mini poster - red/blue label
L'aurora Finita la scuola	Car Juke Box (CRJNP 1059)	1970	red/blue label
Il profumo delle viole I ricordi più belli	Philips (6025 022)	1970	both unreleased tracks
Sguardo verso il cielo Cemento armato	Philips (6025 048)	1971	both tracks from Collage
Gioco di bimba Figure di cartone	Philips (6025 073)	1972	both tracks from Uomo di pezza
Felona L'equilibrio	Philips (6025 101)	1973	both tracks from Felona e Sorona
Blue rondo a la turk Concerto n°3	Car Juke Box (CRJNP 1090)	1973	both unreleased tracks
Frutto acerbo Aliante	Philips (6025 124)	1974	both tracks from Contrappunti
Sera India	Philips (6025 134)	1975	B side from Contrappunti
Amico di ieri Ora o mai più	Philips (6025 148)	1976	both tracks from Smogmagica
Canzone d'amore È finita una stagione	Philips (6025 153)	1976	both unreleased tracks
Regina al Troubadour Verità nascoste	Philips (6025 063)	1976	both tracks from Verità nascoste
Se io lavoro Storia o leggenda	Philips (6025 185)	1977	both tracks from Storia o leggenda
Fine di un viaggio Il mago	Philips (6025 236)	1979	both tracks from Florian
Piccola rapsodia dell'ape Raccogli le nuvole	Philips (6025 252)	1980	both tracks from Piccola rapsodia dell'ape
Marinai La notte	DDD (ZBDR 7246)	1982	both tracks from Venerdì
Rosso di sera Sahara	DDD (DDDA 2820)	1982	both unreleased tracks
Dimmi che cos'è Dimmi che cos'è (instr.)	Baby (DR 50369)	1987	both unreleased tracks
L'universo Chi sono io	Philips (878 568-7)	1990	both tracks from Orme
Risveglio	Crisler (CCDS 3012)	2001	CD singolo da Elementi
PROMO-ONLY AND JUKEBOX SINGLES (with blank covers)
Fiori e colori Senti l'estate che torna	Car Juke Box (SJB 102)	1968	white label jukebox single
Fiori e colori	Car Juke Box (CRJC 8)	1968	4-track promo EP also including Paki - Il segno del tuo amore, I Monelli - Nel mio cuore è nato un fiore, Katia - C'era una volta
Milano 1968 I miei sogni	C.A.Rossi Editore (CR JB 17)	1968	4-track promo EP also including Paki - Le formiche, I Condor - Nel cuore della notte
Fiori e colori Lacrime di sale	C.A.Rossi Editore ()	1968	6-track promo EP released for the 1968 Sanremo Festival, with colour art cover - also includes other artists' songs
Senti l'estate che torna Mita Mita	C.A.Rossi Editore ()	1968	6-track promo EP released for the 1968 Un Disco per l'Estate, with colour art cover - also includes other artists' songs
Milano 1968 I miei sogni	C.A.Rossi Editore (N.15)	1968	9-track promotional EP with colour art cover - also includes other artists' songs
Ad gloriam Oggi verrà Fumo Fiori di giglio Non so restare solo Conclusione	C.A.Rossi Editore (N.16)	1968	7-track promotional EP with colour art cover - also includes another artist's song
L'aurora Finita la scuola	Car Juke Box (AS 083)	1970	white label jukebox single
Il profumo delle viole	Phonogram (ASC 1027)	1970	4-track promo EP also including Orietta Berti - L'ora giusta, Pippo Baudo - Gingì, The Who - See me, feel me
Sguardo verso il cielo	Phonogram (ASC 1045)	1972	4-track promo EP also including New Seekers - Like to teach, Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg - La decadense, Bee Gees - My world
Breve immagine	Phonogram (ASC 1052)	1972	4-track promo EP also including I Nuovi Angeli - Singapore, Italo Janne - No Luky no, Isaac Hayes - Theme from Shaft
Breve immagine	Philips (AS 180)	1972	jukebox single, backed with other artist's track
Felona	Philips (AS 214)	1973	jukebox single, backed with I Gens/Cara Amica mia
Sorona	Philips (AS 242)	1973	jukebox single, backed with Gary Glitter/I love you love me love
Blue rondo a la turk	Car Juke Box (JB 1090)	1973	jukebox single, backed with Abba/Waterloo
Frutto acerbo	Philips (AS ...)	1974	jukebox single, backed with Paper Lace/The night Chicago dies
Sera	Philips (AS ...)	1975	jukebox single, backed with Demis Roussos/From souvenirs to souvenirs
Amico di ieri	Philips (AS 5000 326)	1976	jukebox single, backed with Joe Tex/Under your powerful love
Regina al Troubadour	Philips (AS 5000 347)	1976	jukebox single, backed with Barry White/Don't make me wait
Canzone d'amore	Philips (AS ...)	1976	jukebox single, backed with Barry White/You see the trouble with me

The early Car Juke Box albums are by far the rarest and most collectible albums by Le Orme. Both Ad Gloriam and L'Aurora are very expensive and hard to find.
These two albums had an official private reissue (500 copies for Ad Gloriam, 520 for L'Aurora) by an italian dealer in 1996/97, easy to identify as the labels have a white/cream lettering on red background whereas the original classic Car Juke Box label was silver on red (black in the case of L'Aurora). The reissued Ad Gloriam had a non-laminated cover and standard side-opening (original had the LP inserted from the gatefold centre), while L'Aurora contained a round sticker reproducing the album cover.
These albums are now easy to find in the recent Akarma reissues.
Some copies of Ad Gloriam contain a white inner bag, printed on one side only, that repeats the notes printed on the inside gatefold, apart from the four-piece line-up featuring drummer Dave Baker. It's likely that this sleeve was printed when Galieti and Dei Rossi left the band for their military duties. Copies with the inner bag are particularly rare.

The first issue of Uomo di pezza has a gatefold textured cover with a square pattern design (see picture below). A subsequent issue has also a gatefold textured cover, but with an orange peel pattern.

The Philips albums have been reissued lots of times during the years, the reissues have standard covers (and sometimes single sleeves instead of gatefold) where the original were laminated or gatefold. Later issues can also be identified by the label. Original Philips labels are electric blue with silver lettering, reissues had a different blue background and cream or white lettering.
In the late 70's all the Philips album by Le Orme have been reissued in the Successo mid-price series with single covers and no inserts or inner sleeves. These have the same numbers as the originals but can be easily identified by the series logo on the cover.
Also some 80's reissues exist in single covers with the same catalogue numbers as the originals and white labels with blue logo and writings.

The album Il fiume, released in 1997 though the covers carry the 1996 year, has been released on CD and in a limited numbered vinyl edition of 1000 copies, with a gatefold cover.

The Felona e Sorona album was also released in an english-sung version in UK, on Charisma (CAS 1072), the lyrics being by Peter Hammill.
A single was also planned for release in UK coupling Child's play with Truck of fire but this was never released. The fact has been confirmed to us by drummer Michi dei Rossi and by some Charisma collectors from the UK.
A few oddities on the UK album version, that is instantly identifiable by the Felona & Sorona title on the non-laminated LP (instead of the original being entitled Felona e Sorona). The name of producer Reverberi has become Giun Piero on the label (instead of Gian Piero), and the album title on the label is written Felona and D(S)orona, though some copies carry the correct name.
The album was issued by Charisma when it was still owned by B&C and before that label was bought by Phonogram. Only around 5000 copies of this album were produced, some of this were withdrawn due to a defective pressing.

Most Philips albums have been issued in Japan (Uomo di pezza-Nippon Phonogram BT-8116, In concerto-Nippon Phonogram BT-8121 with single cover, Contrappunti-Nippon Phonogram BT-8112, Felona & Sorona (english version)-Charisma/Nippon Phonogram RJ-7222), where an otherwise unavailable Le Orme Live double album has been released in 1986 (Nexus K20P 611/12) and an EP, Rarità nascoste (Nexus 7SSY-14) were also made, including unreleased live and TV recordings. Both are very interesting items.
All the japanese records mentioned above have also been issued on CD.

In the bootleg field, a japanese CD, with the odd title Cera un volto (that's a totally meaningless title, in italian) deserves to be mentioned, including a live recording from a 1975 concert in Modena, the full Rarità nascoste japanese EP (itself a bootleg, by the way), and both tracks from the 1976 single Canzone d'amore.

An US-only compilation, entitled Beyond leng, was released by Peters in 1974. It contained eight tracks from Contrappunti, Uomo di pezza and Felona e Sorona. The titles are translated in english but the recordings are the same as the original italian-sung albums.
Contrappunti was also released in Canada on Philips (6323 035, red label).

An incredible foreign issue to mention, Ad gloriam was originally released in Brazil on Car Juke Box subsidiary Caravelle (CAR LP 1026) with the same gatefold cover and yellow label. Also Brazilian vinyl issues exist of Collage and Smogmagica, while Elementi was only issued on CD in that country.

In Argentina there were local issues of Storia o leggenda (Philips 6323 052, same number as the italian issue but spanish title Historia o leyenda on cover), and of the single Si yo trabajo/Historia o leyenda (Se io lavoro/Storia o leggenda - as usual the foreign titles were translated, but these were regular italian sung versions) on Philips 6025 185, released in 1978.
In Venezuela Collage was released with single cover (Philips 40.002).

A limited issue (only a few hundreds copies) of Collage was printed in Israel, on the Phonodor label.

Also, old korean bootleg reissues of Felona e Sorona, Storia o leggenda and Florian also exist, with single monochrome covers (unknown label reproduced original design).

Original keyboardist Toni Pagliuca's website can be found at www.tonypagliuca.eu.
Toni is currently collaborating, both in the studio and in their concerts, with ethno-prog group Malaavia, whose website is at www.malaavia.net

Tolo Marton, guitarist with Le Orme in 1975, has his own website, www.tolomarton.com

Thanks to drummer Michi dei Rossi for help and information.
Also thanks to Humberto Luna Tirado, Donato Santangelo, Tino of Sezione Musica, Massimo Pozzi, Giacomo Beatrici, Luiz Claudio Cals Brügger, Marzio Barbieri, for various pictures and information.


Ad gloriam - gatefold cover

Ad gloriam - LP, inner bag

Ad gloriam labels: original LP - late 90's reissue LP - brazilian LP (Caravelle label)

L'aurora - LP	L'aurora - late 90's reissue LP label

Collage - LP

Uomo di pezza - gatefold cover

Uomo di pezza - first issue, squared pattern textured cover detail

Uomo di pezza - second issue, orange-peel pattern textured cover detail

Felona e Sorona - LP

Felona & Sorona (UK version) - LP and label

In concerto - LP

Contrappunti - LP

Smogmagica - LP

Smogmagica - poster

Verità nascoste - gatefold cover

Storia o leggenda - LP

Piccola rapsodia dell'ape - LP

Il fiume - LP

Elementi - LP

L'infinito - LP

Live Orme - Japan LP

Beyond leng - US LP front cover and label

Fiori e colori - 7" single	Senti l'estate che torna - 7" single

Milano 1968 - 7" single	Irene - 7" single

L'aurora - 7" single	Il profumo delle viole - 7" single

Sguardo verso il cielo - 7" single	Gioco di bimba - 7" single

Felona - 7" single	Blue rondò a la Turk - 7" single

Frutto acerbo - 7" single	Sera - 7" single

Amico di ieri - 7" single	È finita una stagione - 7" single

Regina al Troubadour - 7" single

Rarità nascoste - Japan EP


Toni Pagliuca live with Malaavia Pescosansonesco (PE) 14-aug-2004




Le Orme live in Macerata - Zaffiro Cafe 14-mar-2003




Le Orme live in Monticchio (AQ) 22-aug-2004


Le Orme live in Gubbio (PG) 16-aug-2005