The World Became the World is Italian progressive rock band Premiata Forneria Marconi's second international release, an English-language version of their third studio album L'isola di niente. It was released in June 1974 on Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Manticore Records label in the US. Like the group's previous English-language album Photos of Ghosts (1973), the band recorded new English lyrics from King Crimson and ELP lyricist Peter Sinfield, not translations of the original Italian lyrics. It was recorded in the same session as L'isola de niente. It features the same tracks (in different order), plus "The World Became the World", an English-language version of the band's first single "Impressioni di Settembre", from the album Storia di un minuto (1972). These were the first recording sessions were the first to feature new bassist Patrick Djivas, who replaced founding member Giorgio Piazza, and remains with the band to this day (as of 2021).
| The World Became the World | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1974 | |||
| Recorded | November 1973 – February 1974 | |||
| Studio | Advision Studios, London Fonoroma Studios, Milan | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 40:02 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Manticore Records | |||
| Producer | PFM and Claudio Fabi | |||
| Premiata Forneria Marconi chronology | ||||
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The World Became the World is a progressive rock album which has been described as being more complex than their previous records, additionally incorporating elements of jazz rock. In a retrospective Allmusic review, the album was given a positive review, being deemed PFM's last masterpiece, yet was rated slightly lower than their previous records.
Composition and critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
The World Became the World is a progressive rock album at its core, yet shows greater influences from jazz fusion music. Described as more complex and confusing than their previous records, it ranges from symphonic rock-oriented progressive songs ("Four Holes in the Ground") to jazz rock-influenced pieces ("Have Your Cake and Beat It"). All lyrics are sung in English instead of Italian; "Is My Face on Straight" being the only track sung in the same language on both Italian and international versions. The album contains the presence of long tracks, especially "The Mountain" which is their longest-ever studio track, and makes use of a synthesized choir.
In an Allmusic review, Brude Eder wrote positively on the album, giving it a three-and-a-half out of five star rating,[2] praising the evolution from one album to the next, "PFM were never a group prone to stand still, or repeat themselves from one project to another,"[3] even though the album "presented a serious challenge to their existing fans even as it pushed the envelope of their sound."[4] Eder further commented on their shift, "they're much more of a hard rock band on this album, which didn't hurt them in finding an audience in the United States on the tour that followed.".[5] He also praised the presence of new bass player, "Djivas not only brings more of a jazz approach to his instrument, but a louder, harder sound that, in turn, toughens up the contribution of drummer Franz di Cioccio."[6]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Franco Mussida, Flavio Premoli, Mauro Pagani, and Peter Sinfield, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Italian version | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Mountain" | "L'isola di niente" | 10:46 | |
| 2. | "Just Look Away" | "Dolcissima Maria" | 4:03 | |
| 3. | "The World Became the World" | Mussida, Pagani, Sinfield* | "Impressioni di Settembre" | 4:48 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Italian version | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Four Holes in the Ground" | "La Luna Nuova" | 6:23 | |
| 5. | "Is My Face on Straight" | Mussida, Premoli, Peter Sinfield | 6:40 | |
| 6. | "Have Your Cake and Beat It" | Mussida, Premoli | "Via Lumière" | 7:26 |
(*) Note: some releases incorrectly include Mogol in the songwriting credits; he wrote the lyrics for the Italian-language version, "Impressioni de settembre."
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Italian version | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "La Carrozza di Hans" (live 1973) (b-side of "The World Became the World" UK single) | Mussida, Pagani | 6:00 | |
| 8. | "Four Holes in the Ground" (unreleased single edit) | 3:22 | ||
| 9. | "Celebration" (unreleased 1975 single version) | Mussida, Premoli, Sinfield | "È Festa" | 2:37 |
Personnel
edit- Franco Mussida – guitars, lead vocals
- Flavio Premoli – keyboards, lead vocals
- Mauro Pagani – violin, flute, vocals
- Patrick Djivas – bass, vocals
- Franz Di Cioccio – drums, percussion, vocals
References
edit- ^ Eder, Bruce. The World Became the World at AllMusic
- ^ Bruce Eder. "The World Became the World - PFM, Premiata Forneria Marconi". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ Bruce Eder. "The World Became the World - PFM, Premiata Forneria Marconi". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ Bruce Eder. "The World Became the World - PFM, Premiata Forneria Marconi". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ Bruce Eder. "The World Became the World - PFM, Premiata Forneria Marconi". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ Bruce Eder. "The World Became the World - PFM, Premiata Forneria Marconi". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 December 2021.