Though the LP cover notes only list two musicians’ names, singer Tony Tartarini (previously known as Toni Gionta and former singer with L’Uovo di Colombo) and drummer Carlo Bordini (that also played in a duo Rustichelli & Bordini), the group also included three members of Goblin, keyboard wizard Claudio Simonetti, guitarist Morante and bass player Pignatelli, with the first two of them being credited as composers for all the album tracks.
In fact the group, named Oliver, had been created by Simonetti and Morante, that also went to England in late 1973. With new singer Tartarini the group recorded what was to become their first and only album in 1974, after a name change to Goblin, but it was soon shelved when Carlo Bordini refused to sign a contract with Cinevox as it could damage his career as session musician. The others went on with a new drummer, leaving out Bordini and Tartarini and recorded “Profondo Rosso”.
The unreleased album was shelved for a couple of years, and only released in January 1976 with the name of Cherry Five (a name that really didn’t belong to any real group), and only Tartarini and Bordini were credited on the cover, maybe someone thought that it could damage the Goblin’s career! Even if it’s not particularly representative of the Italian prog sound, the LP is a genuine rarity due to the great world success Goblin achieved with some of their soundtrack works, and is in many collectors’ want lists. A keyboard based album, sung in English, Cherry Five has strong influences by the likes of Genesis and Yes, especially in the fluid keyboard parts and powerful bass sound. It contains six long tracks with the opening “Country grave-yard” and “The picture of Dorian Gray”. This last title, translated in Italian as Il Ritratto di Dorian Gray was in fact the name of Claudio Simonetti’s first band.
180gr. clear purple vinyl edition.