MAMMA NON PIANGERE-N.2 (SEMPRE AVANTI A TESTA BASSA), LP, 1980, ITALY

Hmmm....well, I seem to have outdone myself with superlatives when reviewing Mamma Non Piangere's debut (posted a short while back), but this live album from the following year is a rather different kettle 'o fish, though I suspect those that were jazzed over their debut will want to at least lend an ear to their second LP. While their studio debut wasn't exactly rolling in tripped out effects (it's R.I.O.-esque oddity coming primarily from largely acoustic instruments and their quirky arrangements), the fusty dryness of tone on this follow-up live missive combined with the whimsicality of the musical themes creates a strangely paradoxical atmosphere; something like taking some of the gaiety of Samla Mammas Manna, constricting that jolliness into a hairshirt and then sucking all the moisture out of the resulting recording. That said, there's certainly worthy work to be found here and there's a part of me that finds a sorta stubborn perverse pleasure in their stiff little avant concoction, though depending on your predisposition, your milage may obviously vary.

Get it Here