Acqua Fragile -

Acqua Fragile was an Italian symphonic/hard-rock band that released the 1973/74 albums Acqua Fragile and Mass-Media Stars. Singer Bernardo Lanzetti joined Premiata Forneria Marconi for a three-album stint.

Members: Bernardo Lanzetti (vocals, guitar), Gino Campanini (guitar, vocals), Maurizio Mori (keyboards, vocals), Franz Dondi (bass), Piero Canavera (drums, acoustic guitar, vocals), Joe Vescovi (keyboards, 1975)

Background

Acqua Fragile was founded in 1971 in Parma by the trio of singer Bernardo Lanzetti, guitarist Gino Campanini, and drummer Piero Canavera, who previously played together in the band Gli Immortali. Lanzetti returned recently to Italy after a period living in the US. The group rounded out with keyboardist Maurizio Mori and bassist Franz Dondi, a veteran of the band I Moschettieri, which supported The Rolling Stones on their 1967 Italian tour.

Shortly after their inception, they caught the attention of Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM), who introduced them to their manager, Franco Mamone. Due to Lanzetti’s preference for English vocals, two years passed before Acqua Fragile secured their first album release through Numero Uno, a subsidiary of RCA Italiana.

Acqua Fragile

Acqua Fragile released their self-titled first album in June 1973 on Numero Uno.

Acqua Fragile opens with “Morning Comes,” where acoustic guitar and serene vocals give way to a fuller ensemble marked by prominent bass, sharp drum accents, and shifting dynamics over its extended form. “Comic Strips” turns toward denser, more angular interplay, its vocal harmonies running over intricate instrumental turns.

“Science Fiction Suite” centers on acoustic guitar and layered voices in a folk-leaning frame, while “Song from a Picture” moves with a softer, ballad-like pace shaped by flute and gentle guitar. “Education Story” alternates between darker electric passages and brighter, jazz-tinged sections, with rapid changes in tone and pace. “Going Out” pares back to a brief, subdued arrangement, before “Three Hands Man” closes the set with its most elaborate structure, balancing brisk, tightly arranged sections with more expansive, symphonic stretches.

Bernardo Lanzetti sings in a gruff, theatrical tone comparable to Family frontman Roger Chapman.

A1. “Morning Comes” (7:25)
A2. “Comic Strips” (3:59)
A3. “Science Fiction Suite” (5:57)

B1. “Song From a Picture” (4:11)
B2. “Education Story” (4:16)
B3. “Going Out” (2:59)
B4. “Three Hands Man” (8:06)

Sessions occurred at Fonorama Studios, where RCA/Numero soundman Claudio Fabi co-produced the album with PFM between that band’s 1972–74 albums Per un Amico and L’isola di Niente.

Acqua Fragile appeared in a four-fold poster cover with depictions of chairs on hanging hooks and photographic imagery within bulbs.

Mass-Media Stars

Acqua Fragile released their second album, Mass-Media Stars, in December 1974 on Ricordi. The album contains six Piero Canavera compositions with lyrics by Bernardo Lanzetti.

Lanzetti plays electric/acoustic 6- and 8-string guitars, doubled by Gino Campanini on 6-string and mandolin and percussionist Canavera on secondary acoustic.

Mass-Media Stars opens with “Cosmic Mind Affair,” where brisk, bright-toned drumming drives alternating surges of full-band force and airy, suspended passages. Keyboards weave radiant figures over a taut bass, and a midsection pivots into jazzy piano and mandolin interplay before the momentum returns. “Bar Gazing” shifts between chiming acoustic guitar, symphonic organ swells, and a rough-edged electric solo that lends grit to its otherwise pastoral flow.

The title track pushes at a quickened pace with twisting guitar runs, elastic bass lines, and sharp turns in harmony, briefly punctuated by ornamental Eastern-tinged phrases. “Opening Act” begins with a burst of complex vocal interplay before settling into buoyant strumming and agile piano, though refrains resurface throughout. “Professor” locks into a propulsive rhythm, contrasting tight instrumental bursts with sudden shifts in direction, its bass and drums striking with precision. “Coffee Song” closes in a softer light, starting with delicate acoustic work and gradually swelling through mellotron, piano, and organ into a layered, stately finale.

A1. “Cosmic Mind Affair” (7:19)
A2. “Bar Gazing” (5:06)
A3. “Mass-Media Stars” (6:53)

B1. “Opening Act” (5:40)
B2. “Professor” (6:49)
B3. “Coffee Song” (5:56)

Sessions occurred at Ricordi Studios with Claudio Fabi and PFM, who soon recruited Lanzetti for their 1975–77 albums Chocolate Kings and Jet Lag. Meanwhile, Maurizio Mori cleared for ex-Trip keyboardist Joe Vescovi.

Live in Emilia – Spring 75

In 1994, Live in Emilia – Spring 75 appeared as an archival document of the late-period Acqua Fragile setlist.

1. “Take 9” (4:56)
2. “Cosmic Mind Affair” (8:26)
3. “Bar Gazing” (7:10)
4. “Professor” (7:23)
5. “Going Out” (2:59)
6. “Science Fiction Suite” (5:27)
7. “Mean Woman Blues” (5:07)
8. “Morning Come” (8:11)
9. “Prelude in C Major” (1:25)
10. “The End” (3:57)

Discography: