ST. TROPEZ-ICARUS, CD, 1992 (RECORDED: 1977-1978), ITALY

Though it's largely gone unrecognized (and has the misfortune of being saddled with an unpromising name and the miserable cover art that graces this archival recording), St. Tropez deserve all the huzzahs that can be lavished on them, as this Ciro Perrino (ex-Celeste, Il Sistema) led project is a key piece of the Italian cosmic rock canon. While this sits tidily astride the near-supernatural likes of Franco Battiato, Pierrot Lunaire, Telaio Magnetico, Franco Leprino and Arturo Stalteri (coming shortly) and possesses that ineffable air of blasted otherness that's such a hallmark of this dimension of the Italian 70's scene, Perrino's specific space rock vision owes even more to the liquidly surging psychotropic zonkery of You-era Gong and early Steve Hillage, a trait that should endear this to a legion of psychonauts. Strong medicine.

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