Oldish Psych and Prog

A band from Florence, Campo di Marte were another of those band that despite a good recording deal with a major company (that incidentally was the only effort by United Artists to produce an italian prog group), only released an album and disappeared. 
The group was formed in 1971 by guitarist Enrico Rosa and drummer/flutist Mauro Sarti, that had previously played with minor groups like Senso Unico and La Verde Stagione, along with american-born bass player Richard Ursillo (named Paul Richard in the LP cover notes as it "sounded less italian"). 
Keyboardist Alfredo "Carlo" Barducci was a trained french horn player, and the large number of instruments played gave the new group the chance to mix classical inspired rock music with various influences obtaining a rich and varied sound. 
A fifth member was added with drummer Carlo Felice Marcovecchio, that had previously played with another very popular group from Florence, I Califfi, and the presence of a second drummer left Sarti the freedom to play the flute in many tracks.

The band had a good live activity, playing under different names, and the final one, Campo di Marte (named after a quarter of Florence), was found during the LP recordings.

The album lyrics referred to the foolishness of wars, and in contrast the cover contained a drawing of ancient Turkish mercenaries injuring themselves to demonstrate their strength and courage. The same design was contained in the band's posters.

Campo di Marte is a very good album, not particularly original but very well composed, sung and played, with some orchestrated parts that sometime remind the later work of Maxophone (with large use of flute and french horn). Good guitar and keyboard playing throughout the LP make this an essential album in any italian prog collection. The seven tracks are sequentially named (starting with Primo tempo up to Settimo tempo) as movements of a symphonic composition.
By the way an extra track recorded during the LP sessions, entitled Si può riuscire and planned to be released as a single, has never seen the light of day.

Unfortunately a long time passed between the album composition and its recording and release, and the musicians had completely lost their interest in the band when it came out, aided by the total lack of promotion by the record company, that had also forced the band to change the songs lyrics.

Guitarist Enrico Rosa (that was also the whole first album composer) then recorded a second Campo di Marte album that was rather a solo album and totally different from the debut LP, and this was never released by United Artists, seeing this as an uncommercial choice. He moved to Denmark in 1974 and he's still a professional musicians there, having had a long activity both as session guitarist and as solo musicians in the jazz and classical music fields.
Bass player Paul Richard reappeared in Sensations' Fix with his real surname Ursillo, and has played with that band in all of their albums. Even drummer Marcovecchio has collaborated with Sensations' Fix from time to time.
Drummer Mauro Sarti later played with Bella Band, with an album on Cramps in 1978. 

2003 has come, and the group has been reformed by the original members Enrico Rosa and Mauro Sarti, along with Eva Rosa (recorder), Matin Alexandr Sass (keyboards) and Maurilio Rossi (bass), for some concerts in Tuscany and for the recording of the live CD Concerto zero. The double set includes a 1972 concert recording, originally used on a promo-only LP made by the band, and the whole 2003 reunion set. A GREAT return!!!