Il Rovescio Della Medaglia

Italian prog-rock band, "Il Rovescio della Medaglia" were formed in Rome around the end of 1970 from the ashes of the beat band "I Lombrichi". Enzo Vita (guitar), Stefano Urso (bass guitar) e Gino Campoli (drums), with Gianni Mereu (not the guitarist of "Logan Dwight") as lead singer first, then Sandro Falbo (from "Le Rivelazioni") and soon later Pino Ballarini, who had moved to Rome from Pescara where he played with "Poema".

First LP La Bibbia, released in 1971, was basically a very good hard-rock album with slight prog influences, recorded live in. The second one, Io come io (1972), was in the same style, with ambitious philosophical lyrics inspired from Hegel works.

In 1973 a fifth member was added, keyboard player Franco Di Sabatino, briefly with "Il Paese dei Balocchi". With their sound enriched by the keyboards, Il Rovescio released the third album, Contaminazione, with the help of argentine composer Luis Bacalov, who had already worked with "New Trolls". The album was obviously more in a symphonic direction, and was also released in an English-sung version and issued in many foreign countries, to try to launch the group abroad.

By this time the band was being renowned for their powerful performances, always played at the loudest possible volume and helped by a unique sound system. But... in December 1973 the stealing of their big and expensive PA brought the band close to the end, with Pino Ballarini leaving for Switzerland (briefly replaced by Michele Zarrillo from Semiramis) and the others continuing as an instrumental-only band. The live album Giudizio avrai, privately released by the band in the late 80's, contains a recording from this period, with the band's sound dominated by the keyboards.

Last release is a single from 1975 (there's a mention on its cover of a new album, but this was never released), then the band had various line-up changes up to 1977.