Premiata Forneria Marconi (shortened PFM) is an Italian progressive rock band. They were the first Italian group to have success abroad, entering 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. (Read more at Wikipedia )
Links to Peel[]
In the period between 1972 and 1974 Peel showed some interest for contemporary Italian rock music, playing tracks from albums by Italian bands such as Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Le Orme, Il Balletto di Bronzo and PFM. PFM was the only one of these bands to be able to record Peel sessions. The fact that the band did record English versions of some of their albums for the non-Italian market may have helped even though the second session presented three tracks sung in Italian, two of which were culled from their first LP ("Storia di Un Minuto"), which, at the time, was not available outside Italy. Until 1994, when Uzeda recorded two sessions, PFM were the only Italian band to have done so.
On the 11th of June 1974 issue of Sounds, Peel reviewed PFM's then-current single "The World Became The World" in the Singles Reviews section. Although he started the review by praising the band's appearances on his show, he wasn't impressed by the song. Most of his criticism was directed at Pete Sinfield's lyrics, which he emphatically mentioned not liking (something he had pointed out during the 14 June 1973 broadcast of the band's first session), but he also found the music pompous and without any sense of fun.[1]
Though they were signed to the Manticore label (founded by Peel bete noires Emerson, Lake & Palmer), they collaborated infrequently with Peter Hammill, whose work with and without Van Der Graaf Generator was much more admired and frequently played by Peel, even after punk.
Sessions[]
- Two sessions. No commercial release.
1. Recorded: 1973-06-11. First broadcast: 14 June 1973. Repeated: 19 July 1973.
- Photos of Ghosts / Mister Nine Till Five / Celebration / River of Life
2. Recorded: 1973-11-12. First broadcast: 22 November 1973.
- Il Banchetto / La Carrozza di Hans / Dove .... Quando ....
Other Shows Played[]
- 10 May 1973: Celebration (single) Manticore
- 1979
- 08 January 1979: La Città Aromatica (LP-Mauro Pagani) (Ascolto) (Mauro Pagani solo)