I Marc 4

1970's Italian quartet legends I Marc 4 put this album out in 1969, possibly their first album, and it has been reissued on CD under the now defunct "Plastic" label that specialized in Italian movie soundtracks and other swank bachelor-pad sounds of the era. Surprisingly, very few from the mega I Marc 4 compilation  Beat Sound of the Marc 4  appear here, and when they do they are snippets of earlier versions that will blossom into other renditions later in their career. For that reason, and because only 5 of the songs stand the test of time, I would recommend the CD mostly for I Marc 4 completists. However, considering those 5 songs are really outstanding and I didn't have them elsewhere this is still a good pickup if you like this type of 70's italian jazz "beat" music. If you can afford it, the hard to find  Suoni Moderni: Best of  is still their best compilation. I also tremendously enjoyed  An Italian Story , a 2012 effort that brought the band out of retirement to help make (maybe?) one last album. They are legends of a genre and can still play tight!

Most of these songs were penned by guitarist Carlos Pes. This album feautures the incarnation that featured Armando Trovajoli, along with Maurizio Majorana and Roberto Podio. The last 4 songs are credited to a person listed only as "Nuan", who is not otherwise mentioned in the Italian liner notes but appears to be an alias for later band member Antonello Vannucchi