Artist
MIRAGEMAN
Pianist and composer Giovanni Fenati (from Romagna) had an intense recording career since the late 50's. Starting with an orchestral repertoire, his style began including contemporary elements aroud the end of the 60's, and he released some albums under the nickname Mirageman for the Ariston label. Under this name three albums came out, issued between 1970 and 1972, but his previous two works, Music cocktail from 1969 and Per voi giovani from 1970 credited to Fenati, are in the same style.
Most of this keyboard-led instrumental production has little
connection with progressive music, as demonstrated by the album titles, Per voi
giovani and Alto gradimento were popular radio programs, and the
albums were more in the easy listening/lounge music style.
Only the last one, Thunder and lightning, is definitely in a more
progressive vein, with prominent electric guitar and flute over an orchestral
background. Described as "Deep
Purple jamming on some Henry Mancini-style instrumentals" on an
Internet site, the ten track album is not far from the style of The
Underground Set or Planetarium albums, and was
released on the Ariston Gnomo progressive label.
Giovanni Fenati died in 1981 in a car accident.
| LP (1969-72) | |||
| Music cocktail | Ariston (AR/LP 10043) | 1969 | single cover - issued as "Giovanni Fenati e la sua orchestra" |
| Per voi giovani | Ariston (AR/LP 11005) | 1970 | single cover - issued as "Giovanni Fenati" |
| Thrilling | Ariston (AR/LP 11011) | 1970 | single cover |
| Irma La Douce (489229) | 1997 | 2-LP gatefold reissue with different cover - 4 bonus tracks | |
| Alto gradimento | Ariston (AR/LP 11030) | 1971 | single cover |
| Thunder and lightning | Ariston (AR/LP 12072) | 1972 | textured single cover |
| Irma La Douce (489228) | 1997 | 2-LP gatefold reissue with different cover - 4 bonus tracks | |
CD |
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| Thrilling | Irma La Douce (489229) | 1997 | reissue of 1970 album |
| Thunder and lightning | Irma La Douce (489228) | 1997 | reissue of 1972 album - digipack cover |
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SINGLES (with picture covers) |
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| Topaz theme Juanita love theme |
Ariston (AR-0339) | 1969 | issued as "Giovanni Fenati e la sua orchestra" - soundtrack to the film Topaz |
| Scotch beat Michigan |
Ariston (AR-0343) | 1969 | both tracks from Music cocktail - issued as "Giovanni Fenati e la sua orchestra" |
| Thrilling Gulp |
Ariston (AR-0229) | 1970 | both tracks from Thrilling |
| Hashish Hypnosis |
Ariston (AR-0511) | 1971 | both tracks from Thrilling |
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PROMOTIONAL AND JUKEBOX SINGLES (with blank covers) |
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| Mirageman (Gulp, Thrilling, Killer, Tapioca, Molly, Soho, Sacramento, Cincinnati) | Ariston (prom.editoriale 17) | 1970 | 33rpm promo single with 8 short tracks from the Mirageman albums |
| Gulp | Ariston (prom.editoriale 19) | 1970 | 33rpm promo single with 12 excerpts from various artists' songs |
| Mirageman (Go, Revival, Stomp, Lemon, Cotton, Pepper, Sugar, Racket, Chocolate) | Ariston "Omaggio alle orchestre" (prom.editoriale 38) | 1970 | 33rpm promo single with 10 short tracks from the Mirageman albums |
| Paroxysm Paralysis Thunder Atmosphere |
Ariston (AR/EP/1026) | 1972 | promo EP with art cover - all tracks from Thunder and lightning |
| Paralysis Paroxysm |
Ariston (AR-0551) | 1972 | both tracks also on Thunder and lightning, here in different version - only issued as promotional single |
| Thunder Atmosphere |
Ariston (AR-0552) | 1972 | both tracks from Thunder and lightning - only issued as promotional single |
| Thunder | Ariston (AR-0552) | 1972 | juke box white label single - backed with a track by other artist |
All the original albums by Mirageman had single covers and are hard to
find now though not particularly expensive.
The last album, Thunder and lightning, had on the back pictures of
previous LP's covers, but in revised form: Alto gradimento has a black cover different from the original, while Music cocktail and Per voi giovani, originally credited to Giovanni Fenati, had the Mirageman name here.
Thrilling and Thunder and lightning have been reissued in 1997 by the Irma label on LP and CD with bonus tracks. The latter's title in the CD issue is misspelled as Thunder and lithing on both the cover and label.
No counterfeits exist. The only foreign issue known is from Colombia, where Thrilling (subtitled Musica para la gente nueva), was released in 1970 on Real (LSR 93-123).
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Music cocktail - front cover |
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Per voi giovani - front cover |
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Thrilling - front cover |
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Thrilling - front cover |
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Thunder and lightning - front cover |
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Hypnosis - 7" single |
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Promotional 33rpm EP |
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Thrilling |
Thunder and lightning |
Thanks to Cristian Lazzari for one of the pictures
