Mass Media Stars is the second album by the Italian progressive rock band Acqua Fragile. The album was released by Dischi in 1974.[1] The album is sung entirely in English, as was the band's first album Acqua Fragile, but it also received a release in the United States which was unusual for an album by an Italian progressive group.[2]
| Mass Media Stars | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Venue | Milan | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 37:43 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Ricordi | |||
| Producer | Claudio Fabi and PFM | |||
| Acqua Fragile chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
editDag Erik Asbjørnsen in Scented gardens of the mind compared Acqua Fragile's sound to Genesis, Yes and Crosby, Stills & Nash, combining Lanzetti's nasal voice with "majestic guitar licks" and three-part vocal harmonies.[1]
Augusto Croce in Italian prog commented that the album was similar to their first, but with slightly better production.[2] Jerry Lucky in The progressive rock files said: "Sounds like early Genesis. Two LPs [Acqua Fragile and Mass Media Stars] produced by PFM and it shows in their sound."[3]
Personnel
editMusicians
edit- Bernardo Lanzetti: vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, 8-string guitar
- Gino Campanini: electric guitar, mandolin, vocals
- Piero Canavera: drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, vocals
- Franz Dondi: bass
- Maurizio Mori: keyboards
Others
edit- Gaetano Ria: engineer
- Claudio Fabi and PFM: producers
- Guido Harari: design, photography
- Bernardo Lanzetti: lyrics
- Piero Canavera: music
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by B. Lanzetti (lyrics) and P. Canavera (music)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cosmic Mind Affair" | 7:19 |
| 2. | "Bar Gazing" | 5:06 |
| 3. | "Mass-Media Stars" | 6:53 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Opening Act" | 5:40 |
| 5. | "Professor" | 6:49 |
| 6. | "Coffee Song" | 5:56 |
Release history
editDiscogs[4] lists 23 versions of Mass Media Stars including two unofficial (bootleg) versions. Versions have been released on LP, CD, cassette and 8-track cartridge from 1974 to 2021, starting with the original LP (SMRL 6150) and cassette (RIK 76150) versions released by Dischi in 1974.
Plagiarism
editIn 2018 Bernardo Lanzetti and Acqua Fragile accused the rapper Busta Rhymes of plagiarism because in "Genesis", the song that gives the title to his 2001 album, he used a sampling of "Cosmic Mind Affair", taken from Mass Media Stars, without declaring it and indeed attributing it to himself.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b Asbjørnsen, Dag Erik (2000). Scented gardens of the mind: a guide to the golden era of progressive rock (1968-1980) in more than 20 European countries. Borderline Productions. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-89985-512-4.
- ^ a b Augusto, Croce (2008). Italian prog: the comprehensive guide to Italian progressive music 1967/1979. AMS/BTF. pp. 18–19.
- ^ Lucky, Jerry (2000). The progressive rock files. Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-89652-270-8.
- ^ "Acqua Fragile – Mass-Media Stars". Zink Media LLC. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
- ^ Moretti, Carlo (9 November 2018). "Busta Rhymes, "Genesis" e l'accusa di plagio dagli italiani Acqua Fragile" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
External links
edit- Mass Media Stars at AllMusic
- Mass Media Stars at Discogs (list of releases)
- Mass Media Stars at MusicBrainz
- Mass Media Stars at Prog Archives
- Mass Media Stars at YouTube
- Acqua Fragile at Italian Prog website