A PUPPET'S TALE

Papillon is the second studio album by Latte e Miele and was released in 1973 on the Polydor label with a consolidated line up featuring Marcello Giancarlo Dellacasa (guitars, violin, bass, lead vocals), Oliviero Lacagnina (keyboards, vocals) and Alfio Vitanza (drums). It’s another attempt to blend classical influences with rock, pop and jazz but, in my opinion, this time the result is not completely convincing and I think that this work in some way marks half step back for the band. According to an interview with the band, the project began as a fairy tale aimed at children, then some moral issues were incorporated into the story including that of the discrimination of the different. Well, despite the great musicianship and some excellent instrumental parts, I don’t like very much the childish vocal sections even if these parts have a specific purpose...

 

 

The title-track is a long suite divided into eight parts (an overture and seven other sections called quadri) that tells the story of a puppet of wood called Papillon (who has nothing to share with the protagonist of the famous Henri Charrière's novel). The plot draws on Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio and Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka and the excellent instrumental overture sets the atmosphere... Then music and lyrics begin to tell the story. The first quadro, entitled “La fuga” (The escape), depicts the puppet running away from the booths of a travelling show where he entertains the public to explore the world of men. After the escape, Papillon arrives in the market place of a village (second quadro - "Il mercato") where he meets a little girl who "stirs" his feelings (third quadro - "L'incontro"). The people of the village think that he wants to harm the girl and put him under arrest (fourth quadro - "L'arresto"). Then they put him on trial and Papillon is sentenced to death (fifth quadro - "Il verdetto"). Just before the execution he begins to cry and turns into a little boy (sixth quadro - "La trasformazione"). Finally, he runs away (seventh quadro - "Corri nel mondo"). The vocal parts every now and again sound like a kind of nursery rhyme intertwined with good instrumental breaks, but I find some melodic lines rather weak... Then the short instrumental “Divertimento” closes the first side of the LP with a good mix of classical influences and jazz.

 

The complex "Patetica" is another long suite and opens the B side. It’s a kind of fantasia trying to mix classical music with rock and jazz and it's divided into three parts. The first and second part (where you can easily recognize an excerpt from Vivaldi's Four Seasons melting into jazz rock) are excellent, while the third part in my opinion is not at the same level and to my ears seems just a weak effort to mix classical influences with melodic pop (and uninspired lyrics about romantic, sunny memories coming back in a rainy day). The sparkling instrumental "Strutture" (Structures) then closes the album with another good blending of jazz rock and classical music. 

 

On the whole, Papillon is not a bad album, but it's uneven and with many ups and downs.

You can listen to the complete album HERE

 

An English version of Latte e Miele’s album Papillon was recorded in 1973 but it was released for the first time only in 1992 and re-released in 2010 as part of the CD box set Progressive Italia – Gli Anni ‘70 Vol. 7 on the Universal label. The English lyrics translate and reflect the original versions but, in my opinion, the English accent of the singers is not impeccable and in some way ruins the final result. All in all, perhaps it is not by chance that this version was kept in the closet for so long... If you want a copy of this album, in my opinion you’ve better going for the original Italian version and leave this one to die-hard fans and collectors.

Latte e Miele: Papillon (1973). Other opinons: 

Jim Russell: It's interesting that we rate Latte Miele's first album much higher than Papillon on average, to this date I found no less than four different sources exclaiming that this one is superior to the first. Well, I'm with our PA reviewers in that I prefer the debut album with its youthful exuberance to this more laid back album. This isn't a bad album by any means but it lacks the bite of the first... (Read the complete review HERE)