Album review: PREMIATA FORNERIA MARCONI – Emotional Tattoos

Inside Out [Out Now]

Andy Tillison is a man whose opinion I value and truly respect. Many times in the past has the leader of the The Tangent sung the praises of the Italian Rock combo Premiata Forneria Marconi (aka PFM) and it has been his insistence in doing so during a recent conversation of ours which convinced me to undertake the task of reviewing the septet’s latest musical offering “Emotional Tattoos”.

Italians are known for their innate propensity towards melody and so I was not at all surprised to discover that the eleven compositions that put together this expertly crafted album are amongst the catchiest you will find released under the banner of Inside Out Records.

Had it not been for Patrick Djivas’ intricate bass themes in songs like “The Lesson” and Roberto Gualdi’s discrete but fairly intelligent drum parts throughout the album, one would be excuse in believing that “Emotional Tattoos” is the work of a Pop band, albeit one clearly influenced by the works of latter day Genesis.

From the moody keyboard intro of “We’re Not And Island” to the closing tunes of the groove-laden “It’s My Road”, the listener will be rewarded with high quality keyboard/Hammond melodies courtesy of Alessandro Scaglione while fans of Collins-era Genesis will find various references of the Englishman’s work in Franz Di Cioccio’s vocal performances.

Even though I found quite a few of the compositions on offer to be to my liking it would be criminal of me not to mention “Morning Freedom” as my personal highlight with “Freedom Square”, a delightful & masterly executed instrumental piece, coming second on the ‘photo finish’.

For a band that has been active in the music business for a good forty seven (!) years, Premiata Forneria Marconi manage to sound quite fresh and relevant, a truly admirable achievement indeed.

Fans of melody-focused Rock that also enjoy a few cleverly-calculated ‘twists and turns’ in their music will most certainly fall for “Emotional Tattoos” while the band’s decision of including an additional CD with the same eleven tracks performed in their native language should really please their Italian followers.

Rating: ****

Review by Ioannis (John) Stefanis

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions,

Check out radio stream repeat on Tuesday 8th (16:00 GMT) and Thursday 10th April (21:00 GMT)
Next Session: Sunday 4 May

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 2 March 2025.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast on 4 March 2025

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen live or listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 7 April 2025

SEVEN BLOOD To The Unknown (indie)
FROM FALL TO SPRING Incomplete (Arising Empire)
POP EVIL Side Effects (MNRK Heavy)
ERJA LYYTINEN Abyss (Tuohi Records)
SKY VALLEY MISTRESS Too Many Ghosts (New Heavy Sounds)

Featured Albums w/c 7 April 2025

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Singer Songwriter)

Our occasional Newsletter signposts latest additions to the website(s). We also include a selection of recent top albums, based on GRTR! reviewer ratings. The newsletter is sent out a few times a year.

If you’d like to register to receive this occasional mailing please complete the form:

If using a smartphone/tablet please tap here or re-orientate your device

(Note that this registration is separate from site registration which allows you to leave comments and receive daily emails about new content. If you wish to register for this – in addition or separately – please click or tap here – for more information – the form is at the foot of each page. Please read our privacy policy when opting-in to receive emails.