Premiata Forneria Marconi (or P.F.M.) were arguably the finest Italian Progressive rock band of the 1970 s and certainly one of the most well known. A successful act in their home land, they came to international attention when they signed to Manticore label in 1973, recording a series of albums with English lyrics, some penned by Elp and King Crimson lyricist Pete Sinfield. Over the next four years they released four studio albums and a live recording for the label, and it is from these albums that this 2CD anthology is drawn. In addition, four previously unreleased live recordings from the Manticore vaults also grace this collection, along with the CD debut of a rare B-side to a UK single.

PFM is a very eclectic and exuberant musical group with a distinctive style that impressively combines rock, progressive, and classical music into one mesmerizing sonic entity. Formed in 1970, the band quickly gained a prominent place on the international scene by making it to the Billboard charts (for 1973’s "Photos Of Ghosts"), and winning a gold record in Japan while constantly ruling the charts in their home country until today. PFM was honoured with position #50 in the "UK Classic Rock Hall of Fame" of the 100 most important artists in the world as well as being awarded two gold records in their home country in 1971 and 1997. "Emotional Tattoos" marks the return of the band's trademark sound after two rather experimental releases. 2017 studio album takes a melodic rock route while offering surprising musical twists and turns including moody synths, orchestral arrangements, straight-forward guitar-driven passages and wonderful ballads….

As PFM's work showed the increasing influence of electric jazz, the releases showed more impressive chops and yet also became less compelling to listen to. Jet Lag is the first release of theirs to cross this line, as it's noticeably less enjoyable than the previous year's Chocolate Kings. Still, it has its moments-the interlaced electric piano and violin of the lengthy title track and the instrumental "Left Handed Theory" salvage an otherwise forgettable effort.

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of the 1975 live album from the Italian Prog band. Features the original live album on Disc One plus an additional two CD live set recorded in Central Park in 1974. A successful act in their home land, they came to international attention when they signed to ELP's label Manticore in 1973. In 1974, the band toured the United States and Canada to great acclaim, recording material at concerts in Toronto and New York City. The following year edited highlights were released as the live album Cook.
Recorded when the band was in the peak of their international fame, PFM Cook is one of those great live albums of the 70s.

PFM were already Italy's premiere progressive rock band when Emerson, Lake & Palmer signed them to the British trio's own Manticore label in 1972 and turned to King Crimson alumnus Peter Sinfield to write English-language words (sung phonetically) for this, the Italian group's debut international release. A phantasmagorical creation, Photos of Ghosts is filled with lush melodies and rich musical textures, all wrapped around Sinfield's frequently surreal lyrics, which seem an extension of some of his better work from King Crimson's Lizard and Islands albums. In contrast to ELP's music of the same period, PFM's music still retains some loud echoes of psychedelia, and the music has a refreshingly airy, open sound, free from the thick, heavy-handed Germanic textures generated by most of the rival U.K. classical rock bands of the period - this album can stand next to competing works by Genesis, Yes, et al. from the same period…

PFM were never a group prone to stand still, or repeat themselves from one project to another. Their second international album release, The World Became the World, was a case in point - rather than continuing in the same precise direction as its predecessor, Photos of Ghosts (1973), it presented a serious challenge to their existing fans even as it pushed the envelope of their sound. There are still places where the band's lyrical side, strongly in evidence throughout Photos of Ghosts, comes through, especially on the softer tunes such as "Just Look Away." But the real emphasis of the group's work, as demonstrated on the opener, "The Mountain," the main body of the title track, and the basic content of the crowd-pleaser "Four Holes in the Ground," lies in a much harder, more aggressive brand of progressive rock and a bolder approach to playing…

Premiata Forneria Marconi's third Italian album (their fourth if one counts the 1973 release Photos of Ghosts, the English version of Per un Amico) came out shortly before ELP's Manticore imprint released its English version under the title The World Became the World. Unless lyrics sung in a language other than English is aggravating to you, by all means prefer the original version. Like for Banco del Mutuo Soccorso and Le Orme, the music of PFM is impregnated with the lyricism of the Italian language. The most confusing of the group's first three LPs, L'Isola di Niente (The Island of Nothing) sees the group pushing its music to a new level of complexity, while giving a first hint at their later jazz-rock orientation. ..

The debut recording from Italy's favorite sons of progressive rock. The band had been appearing as special guests in support of bands such as Procol Harum, Deep Purple, and Yes, in addition to playing several festivals. Their hard work paid off, and the result is this excellent recording. Recorded live in the studio, PFM proved they were every bit as creative and talented as the U.K. bands of the time. Their symphonic prog rock commingles elements of folk, classical, and jazz in a genuine manner. This is achieved by their transcendent and pliant level of musicianship. "Impressioni di Settembre" and the two-part "Dove…Quando" demonstrate the band's ability to create rich harmonies with pop-like melodies. The band can also lay it down pretty heavy, as can be heard on the rocking "È Festa," which turned out to be one of their most requested songs…

This is PFM's brilliant follow-up to Storia di un Minuto, and both albums are considered progressive rock classics, for good reason. The diversity, complexity, and integrity of the music here is as fine as anything produced during the early '70s from other prog rock giants such as Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson. The lyrics are in Italian and, while used sparingly, make a valuable contribution to the session's integrity. The music is constantly shifting in style, tempo, and tone, but held together by recurring themes. Mauro Pagani's airy flute is the perfect antidote to Francone Mussida's aggressive guitar, while Flavio Premoli's keyboard work rivals that of contemporaries such as Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. The music ranges from avant-garde to hard rock and everything in between. Always intelligent, but without pretension, this is progressive rock in its most literal definition.

This album marked a continued maturing of both PFM's style and their presence in the Anglophone market. It benefits from Premoli's high-speed Hammond organ and synth runs on such all-out prog assaults as the conclusion of "From Under," as well as Mussida's gentle acoustic guitar lines on slower numbers like "Harlequin." The reissue of Chocolate Kings contains a bonus disc with several songs from previous releases, next to the material of Chocolate Kings. The recordings from a gig at the University of Nothingham, May 1st 1976 contains live versions of Four Holes In The Ground, Mr. Nine Till Five and Alta Loma Five’Till Nine/William Tell Overture.

Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) is an Italian progressive rock band founded in 1970 which continues to the present day. They were the first Italian group to have success internationally. The group recorded five albums with English lyrics between 1973 and 1977. During this period they entered both the British and American charts. They also had several successful European and American tours, playing at the popular Reading Festival in England and on a very popular national television program in the United States. PFM introduced new sounds, such as the synthesizer, to the Italian musical world. They were also among the first to combine symphonic classical and traditional Italian musical influences in a rock music context. Such innovations and their longevity have earned PFM a place among the most important bands in the Progressive rock genre.

The mighty PFM’s 2021 studio release is a Sci-Fi-themed conceptual opus. Powered primarily by Franz Di Cioccio (lead vocals, drums) and Patrick Djivas (bass, keyboards) - who started the recording process in their home studios. As a real treat PMF invited a couple of musicians they have been friends with for a long time: Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) on flute and Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis) on electric guitar. "I Dreamed of Electric Sheep" is simultaneously released in both English and Italian versions, hence the Italian subtitle, "Ho Sognato Pecore Elettriche".

In 1978 and 1979 pfm went on tour with fabrizio de andre' and this collaboration resulted in an extraordinary album. The special cocktail of prog music, intense lyrics and the interpretation of fabrizio de andre' charmed the audience. 30 years after this event, pfm releases an album which is a tribute to fabrizio de andre' and his songs…