Artist
UNO
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Danilo Rustici (guitar, keyboards, vocals)
Elio D'Anna (sax, flute)
Enzo Vallicelli (drums)
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Formed from the ashes of Osanna when the band split in 1974 by Elio D'Anna and Danilo Rustici along with drummer Enzo Vallicelli (from Hellza Poppin, who had played with Osage Tribe and Claudio Rocchi), Uno was a much-hyped band that went to England to record their first and only album with help from lyricist N.J.Sedwick and singer Liza Strike (of The dark side of the moon fame).
The album is not far from late Osanna
style (Landscape
of life-era), with four english-sung tracks and three in italian, with songs
like I cani e la volpe in evidence, but didn't reach the success the band
hoped.
An english sung version of the album was released abroad, with a nice surreal cover
designed by Hipgnosis (again a link with Pink Floyd), but didn't attract much
interest.
The three-piece band worked well in studio but couldn't get satisfying
results when playing live, so the help from Danilo Rustici's brother Corrado
(from Cervello) on guitar and bass was requested
for live appearances. From this expanded line-up came the inspiration for a new
band, called Nova.
Enzo Vallicelli has kept playing (and still does it now, under his surname of Vince Vallicelli) as an appreciated blues drummer.
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(the trolley icon
lets you order the CD from BTF website)
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Uno was released with a gatefold laminated cover, the reissue having a standard non-laminated cover, and has increased its price in recent years due to collectors' demand, despite not being a great rarity.
The album has also been released in various european countries with the seven
tracks all sung in
english (in France by Motors, MT 44027, and Germany by Pan, no. 88 397 IT, both with
a nice different cover, designed by Hipgnosis) and has never been counterfeited.
A japanese CD exists, on Strange Days (1001), with mini-LP cover.
The original italian CD reissues, deleted since long, have finally been replaced
by a nice one in the BTF "Italian progressive rock" with gatefold
cover, obi and illustrated booklet.
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Uno - gatefold cover |
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Uno - inner gatefold |
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Uno (english version) - french issue LP |
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Uno (english version) - french and german LP labels |
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Uno - 1980 reissue |
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Drummer Enzo Vallicelli has his own website at http://www.vincevallicelli.it