1977 Oscar Rocchi E Il Suo Modern Sound “Erbe Selvatiche” on Fonovideo

Well, this badboy is SERIOUSLY hip and grooving Library boogie action, and if you’re hip to that neighborhood of things, you’ve probably given Signore Rocchi a spin in the past, although I’d say that among his excellent oeuvre, this might be the best title. Why? Well, it’s full of KILLER bass runs, funky drummers, heavy Rhodes, Third Steam compositional elements, Phillip Catherine-style guitar whanging, lysergic flute, and the usual Italian horror-harpsichord. Plus breaks galore, wah wah snapback, slick horns, and jazzy jazz funk. As per usual, nothing is said about the various musicians, everything laid at the feet of the maestro himself, which is just as well, dude deserves the love. Fonovideo, of course, is the home of Barigozzi Group and all its iterations, so you know the suits in corporate had excellent taste. Now, it should be noted that Erbe Selvatiche is, in fact, Italian for “Wild Herbs”, and I’m going to go out on a limb and guess the Modern Sound is not deriving from cilantro. Either way, Library Groove scores again, and this record rules hard.