Product Format: CD
** Regular Stock Item **Price: £14.99 (exc)
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Essential for fans of Mellotron driven Instrumental GENESIS, any Nick Magnus or P.F.M. symphonic epics, and powerful Steve Hackett Band instrumentals!
Since its arrival here late in 2012, as expected, this Symphonic Prog gem turned out to be a massive hit at CDS Towers and became our number one Prog album or the first quarter of 2013 and continued to sell regularly throughout the rest of the year and into 2014.
The CD comes in an attractive Digi-Pak that also contains a lavish 28-Page Booklet and it’s a thoroughly classy work with input from some of the leading lights in the genre, and it really does hit the nail right on the head if you are into the style of guitar / keyboards (loads of Mellotron) driven, grandiose, classy instrumental Prog from the same league as GENESIS and/or PFM.
The ‘Rome Pro(G)ject’ is an instrumental Symphonic Prog concept album featuring 10 wonderful tracks written and/or performed by artists such as: (in alphabetical order) David Cross (KING CRIMSON), Francesco Di Giacomo (BANCO), John Hackett / Steve Hackett (GENESIS, GTR), David Jackson (VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR), Nick Magnus (ex-Steve Hackett Band) Richard Sinclair (CARAVAN / HATFIELD & THE NORTH / CAMEL) …and many more.
Conceived, produced by arranger/keyboardist Vincenzo Ricca, it’s a musical walk through the history and the places, the greatness and the beauty of the Eternal City. Some of the most important names of the Progressive Rock scene comment and celebrate in music the greatness and the beauty of Rome in the special event of the 2765th Anniversary of its foundation.
If you like any or all of the following things – just order the ‘Rome Pro(G)ject’ now… It’s essential!!!
Instrumental GENESIS - think ‘Firth Of Fifth’, ‘Los Endos’, ‘Entangled’, ‘Hairless Heart’, ‘The Lamia’ etc.!
Any of Nick Magnus’ symphonic keyboard epics!
Symphonic PFM at their best!
Steve Hackett’s solo album instrumental epics like: ‘Voyage Of The Acolyte’ or ‘Spectral Mornings’!
… Need I say more? … I think not… you must know where I’m coming from by now!!
If you need further evidence of the quality of this album, then up in the to top right corner of this page there is video icon that will open a window into the YouTube promotional video for the release, and you can hear generous samples of all the music there too, but for now, here is our track-by-track review of the album … If after reading this you are resisting the temptation to order yourself a copy, our advice is DON’T – This CD is worth every penny you’ll pay for it!
The album opens with: ‘Prologue’ - a brief Italian introduction to the concept behind ‘The Rome Pro(G)ject’, so if you can’t speak Italian it’s not too much use to you, but fear not, the lavish 28-Page Booklet that is inside the Digi-Pak offers English versions of all the text.
‘April 21st 753 BC’ opens the music with an intro not too dissimilar the GENESIS ‘Watcher Of The Skies’ classic, then enters into a beautifully dream-like electric guitar led passage filled with heavenly keyboard textures that fly higher and higher as Tony Banks-like synth solos join the barrage of melodic sounds. After another short bit of extra dialogue the Hammond organ leads the way to another classy high register guitar solo, then a synth solo that’s like the middle section of the GENESIS favourite: ‘Cinema Show’ - GENESIS fans are going to love this CD for sure!
The Mellotron is all over the show with choral textures and strings giving the usual ethereal edge to the music.
The track closes on a monumental high with guitar and keyboards all going for it in a big way! ‘Over 2.000 Fountains’ features a flute-like synth / guitar sound over a 12-string acoustic guitar backdrop, but it’s not long before the Mellotrons are back in force and in all forms, with the beautiful tones of David Cross’s violin riding the waves over the top in truly beautiful fashion. Synth melodies then take over and sing sweetly over ethereal backdrops of various “tron” sounds. With a couple of minutes to go, the pace steps up a few gears as percussion is introduced and even more Mellotron layers are added to create a mighty, driving climax for the track in classic GENESIS style!
‘In & Around The Colosseum’ is very Hackett-like with piano joining the electric guitar and all the other keyboards. Again there are loads of great synth solos running over an over-the-top background of keyboards melodies and textural sounds. At six minutes in, there is a beautiful classical acoustic guitar / electric guitar passage that leads on to another climactic ‘Firth Of Fifth’ style crescendo and all that comes with it!
Nick Magnus and John Hackett join for the beautiful: ‘Monuments And Statues Everywhere’ and fans of Nick’s brand of melodious, grandiose music are certain to get off on this fantastic piece of symphonic rock, which also features some “virtual” electric guitar, which as always with everything Magnus does, is exceptionally classy!
The beautiful sounds of John Hackett’s flute gives an airy, ethereal feel to the music, which, when coupled with the magic Magnus production, results in an utterly brilliant, fantastic piece of instrumental Symphonic Prog.
‘Down To The Domus Aurea’ is a completely different version of the track on the EP, sounding very much like maybe Hackett’s own: ‘Tower Struck Down’ with a driving powerful percussive drum beat and massive choral Mellotron background. This track really could have come from one of Steve’s solo albums… it’s real a “hairs standing up on the back of your neck” job with all the drama and excitement that these early solo Hackett albums brought!
The guitar and keyboard work is amazing – a bit like instrumental passage in ‘Cinema Show’ meets ‘Firth Of Fifth’, with the keyboards being especially over the top and just as we like it in the best of Prog—Rock circles!
‘Caracalla’s Dream’ is immediately is recognisable as featuring Richard Sinclair with the sound of fretless bass leading the way for a swathe of orchestral keyboards for a real symphonic treat. The Sinclair flute also gets an airing and combined with the different synth sounds and heavy choral Mellotron sounds the whole track is four-minutes of pure listening joy!
‘Mankind Heritage’ has a real VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR feel (as you might expect with the organ and saxophone leading the way to the point where all the other keyboards make their entrance and the piece is stepped up a few gears for a while. After a short break made up of dreamy synth, “tron” and flute sounds the sax leads us forward into another up-beat passage where Mellotron brass and choirs move into a great blow-out passage, with a huge layer of organ and sax closing the track in true VDGG style.
‘…Towards The Future’ brings John Hackett’s flute to the fore, fronting a waves of synthesizers and Mellotron sounds. As with the rest of this album, this track feeds of a huge influence of GENESIS material and fans of that band’s mid-70’s period, plus those into the most symphonic works of PFM are going to get so much from this track it’s not true!
Steve Hackett returns for ‘Mouth Of Truth’, the * Bonus Track * on the album, and it comes in on a deep organ chord overlaid with a garland of his effects fuelled guitar sounds that tear a hole in the final minutes of ‘The Rome Pro(G)ject’ with a blazing, sparkling guitar solo that flies – and I mean FLIES – over a barrage of choral Mellotrons and percussion to end the album in truly a dramatic crescendo, the likes of which you only get on a great Prog album!!!
So, there you have it – ‘The Rome Pro(G)ject’ is INSTRUMENTAL PROG HEAVEN - There’s no question about it - every GENESIS / Hackett fan needs to own a copy of this amazing album!!
Also available by ROME PRO(G)JECT…
ROME PRO(G)JECT II-OF FATE & GLORY (2016 Digi-Pak / 10 Tracks) CD – Stock # 1858799
ROME PRO(G)JECT III-RAISED MOMENTUM (2017 Digi-Pak / 13 Tracks) CD – Stock # 2016375
ROME PRO(G)JECT IV-BEATEN PATHS DIFFERENT WAYS (2020 Digi-Pak / 13 Tracks) CD – Stock # 2204881
ROME PRO(G)JECT V-COMPENDIUM OF A LIFETIME (2022 Digi-Pak / 9 Tracks) CD – Stock # 2205826
ROME PRO(G)JECT I CD Track List:
01. Prologue [with Francesco Di Giacomo] (1:48)
02. …April 21st 753 BC. [with Francesco Di Giacomo] (6:13)
03. Over 2.000 Fountains [with David Cross] (7:17)
04. In & Around The Colosseum [with Narrow Pass & featuring Il Tempio delle Clessidre] (9:30)
05. Monuments & Statues Everywhere [Nick Magnus & John Hackett] (6:15)
06. Down To The Domus Aurea [with Steve Hackett] (6:22)
07. Caracalla’s Dream [with Richard Sinclair] (4:29)
08. Mankind Heritage … [with David Jackson] (4:37)
09. …Towards The Future [with John Hackett] (5:39)
10. Mouth Of Truth [with Steve Hackett] (3:10) * Bonus Track *
TPT – 55.22