The Footsteps: Like Marco Polo on ‘The Silk Road’

Released September 27th The Silk Road (label Hi_QU Music, distribution Warner Music), concept album by The Footsteps, metaphor about man in search of cultural and religious relaxation.

This 2011 work by one of the most representative and influential groups in the history of progressive rock, not only in Italy, will be available in vinyl versions (previously released in a limited edition, only 1000 copies) and CD.

The re-release of the album is part of a Warner Music Italy project aimed at promoting historic artists through their most recent albums, helping to give them new life.

The Silk Road it’s the first work of the “new course” of The Footstepswithout Aldo Tagliapietra. The band, led by Michi Dei Rossi (drummer and founder of the Venetian band), gave birth in 2011 to this concept album about East and West and the meeting of peoples who since ancient times, even before Marco Polo, have found the right dimension on the Silk Road.

This new work has enriched the path of The Footstepswhich has continued, unstoppable, even today, the path along the roads of symphonic, romantic and progressive rock. A path that in five decades of activity, and after songs like Collage, Ragman, Felona and Sorona, Counterpoints, Florian, proves that the band is still vital and current.

This is the tracklist of The Silk Road:

The Dawn of Eurasia;
The Romance of Alexander;
Towards the South;
Worlds that seek each other;
Towards the South (resumption);
A Woman;
29457, the Marco Polo Asteroid;
Serinde;
Meeting of the Peoples;
The First Melody;
Xi’an – Venice – Rome;
The Silk Road.

The Silk Roadhas lyrics by Maurizio Monti, arrangements by Michi Dei Rossi and Michele Bon, artistic direction by Guido Bellachioma and executive production by Enrico Vesco.

Beyond Michi Dei Rossihistorical drum kit of the band and of Italian prog, and Jimmy Spitaleri on vocals, they played on the album Michael Good (Hammond organ, synth, keyboards and backing vocals); Fabio Trentini (bass, acoustic guitar and backing vocals), William Doctor (electric and acoustic guitar) and Federico Gave (piano, synth and keyboards).

The album was presented with three consecutive concerts at the Casa del Jazz in Rome, followed by a long theatre tour (including a concert in Tokyo together with Pooh) and then with a tour together with Banco del Mutuo Soccorso.

After “Le Orme & Friends”, released in July, and “La via della seta”, Warner Music Italy will republish “Felona and Sorona 2016” by the end of the year; to follow “Classicorme” And “Live in Pennsylvania”.

The Footsteps, protagonists of the great rock era Made in Italy and authors of the first Italian progressive album, represent the meeting point between the magniloquence of our prog and the more pop aspirations of Italian songwriting. Their adventure has found expression and space in the production of both. The Venetian group, before becoming an icon of prog, was one of the first examples of psychedelic pop. Le Orme are also the demonstration that prog rock can marry poetry and classical sounds.