Garybaldi -

Garybaldi was an Italian symphonic/hard-rock band that first recorded as Gleemen. After the 1970 release Gleeman, Garybaldi made the 1972/73 albums Nuda and Astrolabio. Two members continued as Bambibanda e Melodie.

Members: Pier Nicolò “Bambi” Fossati (guitar, vocals), Lio Marchi (keyboards, 1972-73), Angelo Traverso (bass, 1972-73), Maurizio Cassinelli (drums), Sandro Serra (bass, 1973-74)

Background

Garybaldi evolved from Gleemen, a beat-era group formed in 1965 in Genova by guitarist Pier Nicolò “Bambi” Fossati, who earned early recognition for his virtuosic playing and affinity for Jimi Hendrix. The original lineup also featured drummer Maurizio Cassinelli, bassist Angelo Traverso, and rhythm guitarist Marco Zoccheddu (later of Nuova Idea). This quartet performed a mix of English and Italian material in the local club circuit during the mid-1960s.

In 1967, Gleemen released their debut single on CBS: “Vieni a Cavareno” (b/w “Da Paolino”), an Italian-language beat number backed with a whimsical tune referencing local themes. In May 1968, they followed with a cover of The Beatles retro-rocker “Lady Madonna” (b/w “Tutto Risplende di Te”), showcasing their dual leanings toward contemporary UK rock and original psychedelic-pop.

A. “Vieni a Cavareno” [Come to Cavareno]
B. “Da Paolino” [At Paolino’s]

A. “Lady Madonna”
B. “Tutto Risplende di Te” [All Shines From You]

Zoccheddu departed before Gleemen embraced the heavier sounds of their album.

Gleemen

Gleemen released their self-titled album in 1970 on CGD.

It captures their stylistic transition from 1960s beat roots into a harder, blues-psych sound that anticipates their evolution into Garybaldi. The material displays proto-symphonic tendencies and Hendrix-inspired arrangements.

“Bambi” Fossati’s virtuosic guitar leads vie for dominance with the Hammond textures and piano parts of Lio Marchi, anchored by bassist Angelo Traverso and drummer Maurizio Cassinelli, who punctuates the more psychedelic passages. They group-arranged the material, all composed by their producer, Ivo Callegari.

Gleemen opens with compact, organ-driven rockers and gradually expands into longer, more exploratory pieces. Fossati’s guitar work invokes Hendrix’s fuzz phrasing and wah-saturated runs, while Marchi alternates between sustained psych backdrops and blues-inflected keyboard duets. Cassinelli adds syncopated fills and controlled energy, particularly on the more percussive and improvisational tracks. The closing pair contrasts a multi-part psych workout with a textural ambient piece, showcasing the band’s range across rock, blues, and avant-garde modes.

A1. “Farfalle senza pois” [Butterflies Without Polka Dots] (3:10) — opens with Hammond organ and group vocals; segues into funk-tinged guitar riffing
A2. “Shilaila dea dell’amore” [Shilaila, Goddess of Love] (5:15) — features echo guitar effects, romantic vocal tone, and sustained bass figures
A3. “Spirit” (6:20) — showcases extended guitar phrases over steady organ; rapid vocal phrasing appears in verses
A4. “Chi sei tu, uomo” [Who Are You, Man] (6:45) — blues-rock epic with energetic riffing, vocal crescendos, and a featured drum solo

B1. “Un’amica” [A Female Friend] (3:35) — upbeat number with organ-guitar interplay over a danceable rhythmic base
B2. “Bha-tha-hella” (3:05) — compact heavy-psych piece with tonal shifts
B3. “Clackson” (3:55) — brisk rocker with bluesy drive and layered rhythm work
B4. “Dei o confusione” [Gods or Confusion] (3:30) — includes vocal effects and fuzz textures over a tight arrangement
B5. “Induzione parte I e parte II” [Induction Part I & II] (3:55) — juxtaposes classical-style keys with distorted riff-based passages
B6. “Divertimento” [Diversion] (2:40) — closes the album with freeform, avant-garde improvisation

Sessions occurred at CGD Studios with Callegari and engineer Ezio De Rosa.

The Gleemen album cover, credited to Peppa, features a surreal illustration of a biomechanical sea creature being attacked and dissected by naked humanoid figures. Rendered in bright, high-contrast colors against a black background, the image blends psychedelic absurdity with violent fantasy.

Name Change

Between albums, the band issued one final single as Gleemen: “Marta Helmuth” (b/w “Corri, corri, corri”), released in 1971.

A. “Marta Helmuth”
B. “Corri, corri, corri” [Run, run, run]

The back cover included a note announcing their new identity: “from now on we’re not Gleemen, we’re Garybaldi.” Their new name derived from Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807–1882), an Italian general and revolutionary whose campaigns in Europe and South America made him a key figure in Italy’s unification and earned him the title “Hero of the Two Worlds.

Nuda

Garybaldi released their first album, Nuda, in September 1972 on CGD.

The album expands on their Gleemen-era sound with longer compositions and greater emphasis on instrumental interplay, especially across the sidelong suite on Side B. While the group retained their Hendrix-inspired attack, Nuda marks a shift toward structured arrangements and textural contrasts that foreshadow their later progression. The new name and concept coincided with an art direction shift that embraced comic-influenced visual storytelling.

Nuda features multi-instrumentation by Pier Nicolò “Bambi” Fossati (electric/acoustic guitar, viola) and Lio Marchi (organ, piano, Mellotron, oscillator), backed by bassist Angelo Traverso and drummer Maurizio Cassinelli, who adds timpani and percussive sundries. Fossati’s guitar dominates the first side with expressive blues-psych phrasing, while Marchi’s keyboards shape the transitions and drive the momentum of the second side’s suite. Fossati co-wrote the songs with Cassinelli.

Side A merges heavy blues-rock themes with stylized orchestration, alternating between distorted riffs, harmonic breakdowns, and ambient interludes. “Maya desnuda” and “Decomposizione” carry overt references to Electric Ladyland-era Hendrix, but the elaborate pacing and keyboard layering in “26 Febbraio 1700” and “L’ultima graziosa” signal a more distinct Italian sensibility. The 20-minute suite on side B showcases compositional maturity, balancing soaring guitar lines, shifting keyboard motifs, and romantic vocal sections. The three-part structure moves from dramatic passages to airy interludes and resolves in a soft, piano-laced coda.

A1. “Maya desnuda” [Naked Maya] (6:11) — opens with distorted guitar and bold vocals; references James Brown and Superman in lyrics; driven by Hammond organ
A2. “Decomposizione, preludio e pace” [Decomposition, Prelude and Peace] (1:57) — brief instrumental with layered guitar textures; bridges directly into next track
A3. “26 Febbraio 1700” [26 February 1700] (7:22) — features restrained guitar phrasing, soft vocals, and melodic interplay between piano and organ
A4. “L’ultima graziosa” [The Last Graceful Woman] (5:21) — alternates heavy sections and acoustic interludes; includes harmonica and dual keyboard segment

B. “Moretto da Brescia” [Little Moor from Brescia] (20:50)
— a. “Goffredo” (6:17) — gentle guitar introduction; light drums, vocals, and organ passages develop gradually
— b. “Il giardino del re” [The King’s Garden] (9:18) — extended mid-tempo sections with guitar–organ trades, dynamic shifts, and spacey interludes
— c. “Dolce come sei tu” [Sweet As You Are] (5:19) — returns to a soft vocal setting with restrained guitar and subdued rhythm

Sessions occurred at Milano Recording in July 1972 with producer Ivo Callegari and engineer Franco Santamaria.

Guido Crepax illustrated the gatefold, which depicts a reclining nude woman whose body forms part of a landscape populated by jungle animals, hunters, and explorers. Crepax—best known for his comic character Valentina—uses ink and watercolor textures to merge erotic imagery with narrative detail, integrating the visual style of underground European comics.

Astrolabio

Garybaldi released their second album, Astrolabio, in October 1973 on Fonit.

The album presents two side-long tracks that expand on the suite-based direction of Nuda, combining structured psychedelic passages with extended improvisation. Side A is a multi-track studio recording; Side B captures a live-in-the-room jam performed in front of a small invited audience.

Bambi Fossati plays guitar through a Leslie cabinet with mystery cosmic effects, anchored by drummer Maurizio Cassinelli and new bassist Sandro Serra, both on backing vocals. Co-founder Lio Marchi, listed here as a guest, plays Mellotron and organ across the A-side suite. Fossati dominates the sonic landscape with feedback-layered leads and spacious tonal shifts, while co-writer Cassinelli maintains rhythmic contour with cymbal-driven pulses and alternating half-time accents.

The studio piece, “Madre di cose perdute,” unfolds as a 20-minute suite shaped around drifting textures, layered feedback lines, and evolving motifs. The band employs alternating dynamics to highlight lyrical segments, instrumental vamps, and reflective codas. Marchi’s Mellotron passages float beneath Fossati’s double-tracked phrasing and tremolo effects. The live piece, “Sette?,” shifts to a more Hendrix-rooted structure, with Fossati leading a jam that cycles through call-and-response organ sections, wah solos, and spoken-word vocals over blues-inflected patterns.

A. “Madre di cose perdute” [Mother of Lost Things] (20:30) — opens with ambient tones and birdsong effects; transitions through Mellotron-enhanced verses and distorted guitar themes; culminates in reprised motifs and rhythmic dissolves
B. “Sette?” [Seven?] (21:18) — recorded live with invited audience; opens with a bass-driven riff; develops into a jam with organ-guitar exchanges, free-form vocal episodes, and extended soloing

Garybaldi recorded Astrolabio with producer Maurizio Salvadori and engineers Giancarlo Jametti and Plinio Chiesa, aided by technical assistant Barone “Birillo” Francesco.

The Astrolabio cover presents a heavily processed, abstract blue and purple image with a single dark orb hovering near the top edge.

Later Singles & Postlude

In 1974, Bambi Fossati formed a new lineup with Maurizio Cassinelli, bassist Roberto Ricci, and Indian percussionist Ramasandiran Somusundaram under the name Bambibanda e Melodie. Their sole album retained the guitar-centric style of earlier Garybaldi but incorporated Latin-tinged rhythms and layered percussion, drawing comparisons to Santana’s early 1970s output.

Fossati continued using the Bambibanda name in live settings throughout the late 1970s before reviving Garybaldi in the late 1980s with a new lineup featuring guitarist Marco Mazza and bassist Carlo Milan alongside Cassinelli. This version issued Bambi Fossati & Garybaldi in 1990, followed by the archival set Blokko 45 (1996), and the studio album La ragione e il torto (2000).

Later compilations and archival releases include Note Perdute (2010), containing unreleased 1970s recordings, and Storie di un’altra città (2016), issued under the Garybaldi name.

Discography: