Underground Set

Two groups to be mentioned together, as behind their names hid, for contractual reasons, the musicians from Nuova Idea. But surely the mastermind behind them was composer Gian Piero Reverberi, who was also the producer of Le Orme and wrote most of the tracks on these albums under the nickname Ninety.

Like Planetarium, Blue Phantom or Fourth Sensation these were Italian groups whose members were never listed on the covers.
The Underground Set were often thought to be an English group, their first album having been issued in many European countries. It's interesting to notice that the group has been mentioned as English in Vernon Joynson's Tapestry of Delight book.
But in an interview with Paolo Siani on the Italian Musikbox magazine, the drummer was one of the first to reveal that the musicians playing on this band's two albums were in fact Nuova Idea, as Radio Records (the label on which the first album and the singles appeared) was distributed by their label Ariston at the time.

Mainly instrumental, with just some choral vocal parts, the albums are typical of a late 60's organ-led psychy pop sound and some tracks were used as TV film themes.
The Psycheground LP from 1971 is similar, featuring five instrumental tracks that show the inspiration of the british 60's rhythm & blues.

LP
The Underground Set	Radio (RRS 134)	1970	single cover - black/white label
War in the night before	Tickle (TLPS 5002)	1971	front laminated single cover
	Cinedelic (CNPL 804)	2016	thick single cover - black or orange vinyl
CD
War in the night before	Cinedelic (CNPLCD 804)	2016
VARIOUS ARTISTS COMPILATIONS
Canta e balla le tue corse d'estate (with Emisfero and Underground in blue)	Radio (RRS/PR 164)	1976	Pirelli Motovelo promo-only LP - also featuring Buddy Merrill, Franco Chiari, Lou Grind Ensemble
SINGLES (all with picture covers)
Arcipelago La filibusta	Radio (RR 1030)	1970	A-side taken from The Underground Set - green/white label - B-side credited on the label to the Gian Piero Reverberi Orchestra - also issued as promo with blank cover
Motor road underground Slaughter on the motor road	Radio (RR 1043)	1970	both unreleased tracks black/silver label
Tanto per cambiare Emisfero	Radio (RR 1048)	1970	unreleased track B-side taken from The Underground Set
Una lettera Libitum	Tickle (TSP 1301)	1971	both tracks from War in the night before
CH 4	Studio G (C.T. 7011/7012)	1971	credited to Hot Underground Group - B-side of the single Messaggio per te by Gian Piero Reverberi e la Sua Orchestra
La casa aperta agli ospiti	Tickle (TSP 1304)	1972	unreleased track - taken from the soundtrack of the film La casa aperta agli ospiti - backed with Messaggio per te by Gian Piero Reverberi

Both albums by the Underground Set are very rare in their original issue. No counterfeits exist.

The first album was also issued at the time with a slightly different cover in the UK (on Pantonic PAN 6302), Germany and France (both on Vogue LDVS 17189).
A CD reissue of it by the Japanese Shagadelic label (no.SDCD4) was released in 2002 with a nice mini-gatefold cover. The same album has been first reissued on vinyl by the Spanish label Wah Wah (no. LPS 057) in 2008, with two bonus tracks.

Two tracks from the first Underground Set album, Arcipelago and Emisfero, also appeared on a single credited to Giorgio David with the Gianfranco Reverberi orchestra (Las Vegas LV-1054), and on another one under the name Unito e gli Optiamo (Radio RR 1060);
Arcipelago was also released on single by Giancarlo Branca (Radio RR-1049). All these singles came out in 1970.
The band also appeared under the name Hot Underground Group with CH4 in 1971 on the B-side of the single Messaggio per te by Gian Piero Reverberi e la Sua Orchestra.

Second album, War in the night before, was reissued for the first time on vinyl and CD by Cinedelic in 2016. The LP version exists on both black or orange vinyl and has the same front laminated cover as the original, but made of thick cardboard. The album contains a download card for the entire album plus six bonus tracks from the band singles, including the rare CH4 released under the name Hot Underground Group.

The soundtrack to the Italian version of the movie L'uomo dal pennello d'oro was credited to The Underground Set, with tracks from their albums. The soundtrack also contained a song by J.Plep, another group connected with Nuova Idea.
The film came out in Italy in 1972, but it had originally been released in Germany in 1969 with the title Der Mann mit dem goldenen Pinsel with a different soundtrack.

The Psycheground LP is very rare and expensive. It's been reissued for the first time on vinyl in 2008 by Cinedelic in a limited pressing of 500 vinyl copies, and later on CD by AMS.
Two tracks from this album, Ray and Psycheground were included in a compilation of instrumental tracks called Double Dacron (Leo LRS21), issued in the early 70's and also featuring compositions by Giuliano Sorgini, Rino De Filippi and Juan Falenito.


The Underground Set - LP and label

The Underground Set - LP, English and German issues

War in the night before - LP, cover and label

Arcipelago - 7" single	Motor road underground - 7" single

Una lettera - 7" single

Unito e gli Optiamo / Arcipelago - 7" single


The Psycheground Group/Psycheground - LP, cover and label

Thanks to Giorgio Meloni of Metrodora, Danilo Ragonesi, Mauro Costa, Giuliano Semprucci, Boris Jerschensky, Amos, Domenico Vinci, Fabrizio Giacobbi for some pictures and information.

THE PSYCHEGROUND GROUP LP
Psycheground (Psychedelic and underground music)	Lupus (LUS 207)	1971	single cover
	Cinedelic (CNPL 802)	2008	reissue of the above - 500 copies limited pressing
	Cinedelic (CNPL 802C)	2016	as above - 300 copies numbered issue with blue/red splattered vinyl
	BTF/Vinyl Magic (VMLP 239)	2021	300 copies red vinyl issue for Record Store Day 2021 - later reissued in the same year with yellow vinyl
CD
Psycheground (Psychedelic and underground music)	AMS/BTF (AMS 156CD)	2009	ristampa dell'album del 1971 con coperina mini-LP - edizione limitata 500 copie