...Il Castello Tira Sassi... is a posthumous album by the influential Italian progressive rock guitarist and singer Pier Niccolò "Bambi" Fossati. Released in 2025 by Black Widow Records over a decade after Fossati's death in 2014. The project serves as a tribute to his legacy. It features a collection of previously unreleased tracks, live recordings, and archival findings that showcase his unique blend of hard rock, blues, progressive rock and psychedelia. But first let me tell you a bit about the musician himself; He was an Italian singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known as the leader of the Italian progressive rock band Garybaldi, active in Liguria, especially in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Fossati was nicknamed Bambi by his grandmother when he was little, due to his habit of wandering off alone to play in the woods where he went on vacation, like the deer in the Walt Disney animated film of the same name. At thirteen, he learned to play the guitar. In 1965, he founded the group Gleemen, the first nucleus of the future Garybaldi. With Gleemen, Fossati began performing live in the squares and clubs of the Ligurian Riviera and Piedmont, with a repertoire that included songs by the Rolling Stones and The Beatles. In 1970, Gleemen recorded their first and only album. The album contains clear elements of rhythm and blues, hard rock, and psychedelic music. Fossati's guitar, the dominant instrument in the group's orchestrations, is clearly inspired by Jimi Hendrix. Under the new name Garybaldi, Fossati would record two more albums, Nuda (1972) and Astrolabio (1973). After the group's dissolution, Fossati took part in numerous other projects, including Bambibanda E Melodie and Acustico Mediterraneo. After a decade-long absence, he returned to play in the nineties by issuing some albums. Throughout his career, Fossati shared the stage with internationally renowned artists such as Carlos Santana, Van Der Graaf Generator, Uriah Heep, The Bee Gees, and others. Having been ill for some time, he passed away in 2014 at the age of 65. The music on the album reflects the typical characteristics of Italian progressive rock, such as expansive compositions, experimental sounds, and an expressive use of the guitar. The title ...Il Castello Tira Sassi... (The Castle Throws Stones) derived from an expression often spoken by Fossati, refers to the urgency and energy he put into his music. Roughly meaning "Come on guys, let's get a move on." The album underscores his lasting influence and the appreciation for his unique contribution to the Italian rock scene. As mentioned in the intro this album offers previously unreleased tracks and live performances recorded from 1990 onward. They were luckily recovered from old cassettes. The audio quality of the recordings is rather surprisingly good and spanning four decades of repertoire and ranging from hard rock to blues, even touching on psychedelia, funk, and prog. The best part is of course that 3 songs are completely unreleased. The first one is Qualcosa Non Va. A typical blues tune that also touches on psych and rock. Also Reprimenda Mores and Trattoria Celeste are unreleased tracks and exemplary examples of rustic, fiery, and overwhelming hard rock. While there's only one Gleemen track. Namely the psychedelic In Una Stanza. Which is a bold drug-themed track. There are two excerpts from the 1970s repertoire of the more famous later group: The live version of 26 Febbraio 1700, with visceral blues rock most clearly inspired by Hendrix from Nuda and Madre Di Cose Perdute, which, from the original 20-minute track on Astrolabio, is revisited here in a slightly over six-minute version by the 2009 incarnation of Garybaldi, enhanced by the magnetic voice of Vania Altrinetti. There are examples of subsequent incarnations, all credited to the name Bambi Fossati & Garybaldi: Mille Città and Schizzo Metropolitano, the former a lively synth rock and the only song out of step with Fossati's blistering guitar playing, the latter a bold funky sound, were originally included on the 1990 album of the same name, while Palazzo Pazzo and Toledo are the only tracks taken from Blokko 45 and La Ragione E Il Torto, from 1996 and 2000, respectively. Finally, still under the same band's name, the only non-unreleased track is Mona, although it is difficult to find. As for the accompanying booklet, you can't be entirely dissatisfied either. It contains all the lyrics and many photos of this exceptional musician. From a young boy to an adult man. Pictured with friends and during studio and live performances. All beautiful to see. The only thing really missing is a biography, but you can read that here at the beginning of the review. ...Il Castello Tira Sassi... is a great tribute to Pier Niccolò Bambi Fossati, recognized as one of the greatest Italian rock guitarists more than ten years after his passing. He was often compared to Jimi Hendrix for his visionary guitar style which you can hear all along the way on this album. Therefore, fans of this legendary guitarist will love this album. This album is without any doubt a totally unexpected gift for his fans, and reviving interest in his contribution to the Italian Progressive Rock scene. The album is most of all a retrospective and a collection of new discoveries. *** Henri Strik (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
