Artist
FLASHMEN
Silver Scivoli (keyboards, vocals)
Luciano Spotti (guitar)
Gigi Puzzo (bass)
Roberto Caroli (drums)
Around 1971-72
Puzzo replaced by:
Giuliano Quarantotto (bass, vocals)
This melodic pop band was formed in Cremona around 1967, and had a rather anonymous career with the early production, their only interesting album being the nice Pensando from 1972.
Their first album Cercando la vita contains the typical Italian melodic pop of that era, with the voice in evidence and the organ as the main instrument, a short (around 30 minutes long) LP that includes eight tracks all around three minutes with the sole exception of the long title track; the album was re-released a year later as Hydra with just an extra track.
Pensando is a surprisingly good album, mainly organ-driven and with some fuzz guitar. Vocal parts are good despite some melodic influences and not great lyrics typical of the Italian post-beat groups. There are very nice tracks on it like Un pugno di mosche, also on single, Maria and Amo mia madre, but the 10 tracks, all in the 3-4 minute range could have better instrumental developments.
Since the following album, simply entitled Flashmen, the group went back to a more melodic style. This album contains 3 english tracks covers, Eve and Don't be a hero (in Italian Fai come credi) by Jim Capaldi and Roxy Music's Virginia plain.
The band disbanded around 1975 and their last production was again in a commercial direction, their last single Piccolo amore was presented at that year's Disco per l'Estate contest.
| LP | |||
| Cercando la vita | Kansas (SLP 8) | 1970 | single cover |
| Hydra | Kansas (LDM 17001) | 1971 | single cover |
| Pensando | Kansas (LDM 17003) | 1972 | gatefold cover |
| Cinedelic (CNPL 808) | 2022 | reissue of the 1972 LP with gatefold cover - 400 copies on black vinyl and 100 in various colours | |
| Flashmen | Kansas (LDM 17005) | 1973 | single cover |
| Sempre e solo lei | Kansas (LDM 17012) | 1974 | single cover |
| I Flashmen | Kansas (5300 501) | 1974 | single cover |
CD |
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| Cercando la vita | Vinyl Magic (VM 025) | 1991 | reissue of 1970 album |
| Pensando | Mellow (MMP 222) | 1994 | reissue of 1972 album |
| Flashmen | Mellow (MMP 301) | 2007 | reissue of 1973 album |
SINGLES (with picture cover) |
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| Il mondo aspetta te La donna che ho |
Decca (C 17005) | 1969 | |
| Una parola L'incertezza |
Kansas (DM 1133) | 1970 | both tracks from Hydra and Cercando la vita |
| È tardi ormai ???? |
Kansas (DM 1142) | 1971 | existence unconfirmed - side A taken from Hydra and Cercando la vita |
| Puoi dirmi t'amo Un anno nero |
Kansas (DM 1149) | 1971 | both tracks from Hydra |
| Non sei solo Ma cosa fai |
Lunapark (PARK 28008) | 1971 | both unreleased tracks - probably a promo |
| Sogni e delusioni Fortuna e ragione |
Lunapark (PARK 28020) | 1972 | both tracks from Pensando - probably a promo |
| Un pugno di mosche Ciao felicità |
Kansas (DM 1153) | 1972 | side A taken from Pensando |
| Guarda Mes amis |
Kansas (DM 1157) | 1972 | |
| È la vita Una ragazza semplice |
Kansas (DM 1163) | 1973 | both tracks from Flashmen (1973) |
| Sempre e solo lei I giorni del sole |
Kansas (DM 1167) | 1974 | side A taken from Sempre e solo lei |
| Vestita di ciliege E restare con te |
Kansas (5100 405) | 1974 | both tracks from I Flashmen (1974) |
| Amare lei Dolce amica mia |
Magic (MRNP 1000) | 1975 | |
| Piccolo amore La stagione dei fiori |
Joker (M 7190) | 1975 | issued with two different covers |
PROMOTIONAL AND JUKEBOX SINGLES (with blank cover) |
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| Il mondo aspetta te La donna che ho |
Decca (C 17005) | 1969 | jukebox single |
| Una parola | Kansas (DM1133/1138) | 1970 | jukebox single - backed with I Rogers/Io ti penso |
| Guarda Mes amis |
Lunapark (PARK 28024) | 1972 | promotional issue of the 1972 single |
| Complesso Flashmen | Ed.Musicali Stop (ES 001) | 1973 | promotional 45rpm EP with "Omaggio alle orchestre" and "Vietata la vendita" text on the labels - contains six tracks from Flashmen (1973) |
| Complesso Flashmen | Ed.Musicali Stop (ES 002) | 1974 | promotional 33rpm EP with "Omaggio alle orchestre" and "Vietata la vendita" text on the labels - contains eight tracks from Sempre e solo lei |
All the Flashmen albums are very rare, with Pensando,
reputedly their best and Hydra, with the nicest cover, being the most expensive. Some of them have been reissued on CD, but only Pensando had a vinyl reissue at the beginning of 2022 by Cinedelic.
Hydra and Pensando have also been reissued on CD in Japan (Edison
ERC-29238 and ERC-29239 respectively).
Their last single, 1975's Piccolo amore, was issued with two different covers.
No counterfeits exist, nor foreign vinyl reissues.
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Cercando la vita - LP |
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Hydra - LP |
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Pensando - LP |
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Flashmen (1973) - LP |
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Sempre e solo lei - LP |
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I Flashmen (1974) - LP |
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Il mondo aspetta te - 7" single |
Una parola - 7" single |
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Puoi dirmi t'amo - 7" single |
Un pugno di mosche - 7" single |
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Guarda - 7" single |
È la vita - 7" single |
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Sempre e solo lei - 7" single |
Amare lei - 7" single |
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Piccolo amore - 7" single (two different covers) |
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Thanks to Giuliano Semprucci and John Elvis Gualtieri for pictures and information contained in this page
