Banco del Mutuo Soccorso

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso is an Italian symphonic/operatic-rock band that released 10 studio albums and a soundtrack on Ricordi, Manticore, and CBS between 1972 and 1985.

Members: Vittorio Nocenzi (keyboards), Gianni Nocenzi (keyboards, 1968-83, 2002-present), Fabrizio Falco (bass, 1968-71), Franco Coletta (guitar, 1968-70), Mario Achilli (drums, 1968-70), Claudio Falco (guitar, 1970-71), Franco Pontecorvi (drums, 1970-71), Francesco Di Giacomo (vocals, 1971-2014), Pierluigi Calderoni (drums, 1971-91), Renato D’Angelo (bass, 1971-79), Marcello Todaro (guitar, 1971-73), Rodolfo Maltese (guitar, trumpet, French horn, 1973-2015), Gianni Colaiacomo (bass, 1979-86), Karl Potter (percussion, 1981-82), Gabriel Amato (bass, keyboards, 1985), Tiziano Ricci (bass, 1988-present), Cinzia Nocenzi (keyboards, 1989), Pietro Letti (saxophone, 1989)

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (English: Bank of Mutual Relief) were formed in 1968 by two keyboard-playing brothers, Vittorio and Gianni Nocenzi. The original lineup featured guitarist Franco Coletta, bassist Fabrizio Falco, and drummer Mario Achilli. In 1970, they recorded three songs — “Vedo il Telefono,” “La mia Libertà,” and “Padre Francesco” — that were ultimately released on the 1989 archival EP Vedo Il Telefono on RCA Italiana.

Over the next year, the lineup underwent multiple changes. In 1971, the Nocenzi’s enlisted four new members: drummer Pierluigi Calderoni, bassist Renato D’Angelo, guitarist Marcello Todaro, and vocalist Francesco Di Giacomo.

Todaro hailed from psychsters Fiori di Campo, which issued the 1970 single “Fuori Città” (b/w “Due Bambini Nel Cortile”). The a-side was an adaptation of “The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack” by The Nice.

Calderoni, D’Angelo, and Di Giacomo comprised three-fourths of The Experiences, an unrecorded act that played the first Caracalla Pop Festival at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome in October 1970. (Their fourth member, guitarist Nicola Agrimi, formed Reale Accademia di Musica.)

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso released their debut album on May 3, 1972, on the Italian Ricordi label.

Darwin!

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso released their second album, Darwin!, in December 1972 on Ricordi.

Io sono nato Libero

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso released their third album, Io sono nato Libero, in December 1973 on Ricordi.

Banco

In 1975, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso released the album Banco on ELP’s Manticore label. It’s a compolation of material from their first and third albums re-recorded in English for the UK and North American markets. Banco contains one new track, “L’albero del pane (The Bread Tree).”

Garofano rosso

In 1976, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso released Garofano rosso, an instrumental soundtrack to the namesake Italian movie.

Come in un’ultima cena

Banco del Mutuo Soccorso released their sixth album, Come in un’ultima cena, in late 1976 on Manticore.

…di terra

Banco released their seventh album, …di terra, in 1978 on Ricordi.

Canto di primavera

Banco released their eighth album, Canto di primavera, in 1979 on Ricordi.

Urgentissimo

Banco released their ninth album, Urgentissimo, in 1980 on CBS.

Buone notizie

Banco released their tenth album, Buone notizie, in 1981 on CBS.

Banco

Banco released their eleventh album, Banco, in 1983 on CBS.

… E via

Banco released their twelfth album, … E via, in 1985 on CBS.

Discography:

• Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (1972)
• Darwin! (1972)
• Io sono nato Libero (1973)
• Garofano rosso (OST, 1976)
• Come in un’ultima cena (1976)
• …di terra (1978)
• Canto di primavera (1979)
• Urgentissimo (1980)
• Buone notizie (1981)
• Banco (1983)
• … E via (1985)

Sources:

• Discogs: Banco del Mutuo Soccorso
• Banco del Mutuo Soccorso (official site): Storia