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SIDE 1 MARIA MARI O MARENARIELLO MARECHIARE SANTA LUCIA O' PAZZARIELLO	SIDE 2 TARANTELLA FENESTA CHE LUCIVI VIENI SUL MAR CICERENELLA FANTASIA DI MOTIVI: VIERNO - O' SOLE MIO - FUNICULI' FUNICULA'
SIDE 1 1) MARIA MARI' (Di Capua) 2'05" 2) O' MARENARIELLO (O. Gambardella) 3'04" 3) MARECHIARE (Tosti) 3'12" 4) SANTA LUCIA (elab. Umiliani) 3'48" 5) 0' PAllARIELLO (P. Umiliani) 5'25"	SIDE 2 1) TARANTELLA (elab. Umiliani) 2'00" 2) FENESTA CHE LUCIVI (elab. Umiliani) 3'11" 3) VIENI SUL MAR (elab. Umiliani) 3'15" 4) CICERENELLA (elab. Umiliani) 2'23" 5) Fantasia di motivi: VIERNO -(Acampora) - O' SOLE MIO - (Di Capua) - FUNICULI' FUNICULA' (Denza) 6'06"
PIERO UMILIANI e i suoi OSCILLATORI Questo disco è realizzato interamente con suoni elettronici. Le linee melodiche e contrappuntistiche sono generate dal sintetizzatore Putney VCS 3, le percussioni e l'accompagnamento ritmico dal piccolo cervello elettronico Lowrey, il contrabbasso dal basso elettronico a tastiera Busillacchio.. Sono partito dalla ricerca di suoni analoghi a quelli prodotti da strumenti tradizionali (come l'organetto di «Maria Mari» o come nella sequenza di « Vieni sul mar » in cui si succedono il sax tenore, là tromba nel registro sopracuto, il sax baritono, il banjo, il flauto ecc.) per arrivare alla creazione di suoni di pura fantasia come il « ventochesifavoce » (1), la « caccavella elettronica » (2), lo « scacciapensieri basso » (3), lo « usignolo accordato » (4) . Per la prima volta nella storia della musica elettronica, questi suoni nati dal sintetizzatore abbandonano il loro colore fantascientifico per acquistare un sapore assolutamente italiano, in cui l'elemento folcloristico si sposa sovente con lo « sberleffo », la « macchietta », lo spirito scanzonato tipico napoletano. PIERO UMILIANI (1) « Vierno » - (2) accompagnamento del tema centrale del « Pazzariello » - (3) finale di « Cicerenella » - (4) strofa di « O' sole mio ». This record is entirely carried out with electronic sounds. The melodic and contrapuntal lines are produced by the Putney VCS 3 synthesizer; the percussions and the ryhtmical accompaniment by the Lowrey small electronic brain; the bass by the Busillacchio keyboard electronic bass. I started from a search of sounds similar to the sounds produced by traditional instruments (such as the barrel-organ of « Maria Mari » or like in the sequence of « Vieni sul mar », where the tenor sax, the trumpet in it's upper register, the baritone sax, the banjo, the flute etc. follow one another) to achieve the creation of plurely imaginative sounds such as (1) « vento-the-si-fa-voce » (wind-turning-to-voice), (2) the « electronic caccavella », (3) the « scacciapensieri basso » (jews' harp-bass), (4) the « usignolo accordato » (tuned nightingale). For the first time in the history of electronic music, these sounds produced by the synthesizer lose their science fiction appearance to acquire a fully Italian flavour, where the folkloristic component often joins the « grimace », the « character » and the unconventional wit typical of Neapolitans. PIERO UMILIANI (1) « Vierno » - (2) accompaniment of the main theme of the « Pazzariello » - (3) finale of « Cicerenella » - strofa of « O' sole mio ». Arrangement, programming and execution: Piero Umiliani Mixing: Claudio Budassi Mastering: Francesco Melloni Sound: Sound Work-shop - Via S. Tommaso d'Aquino 65 - Rome ITALY Cover: « Marina Grande a Capri » by Carmelina di Capri (per concessione della Galleria « La Feluca ») Graphic: Studio Massari-Rosa

The VCS3 (Nicknamed the Putney)

The VCS3 (nicknamed the Putney) is an analog monosynth housed in a distinctive angled wooden case, a truly classic synth. EMS (Electronic Music Studios) was created in England back in 1969. The VCS3 was one of their first synths and it is still a great, unique, funky little unit! Pictured above is the Mark I model. Pictured is another unit with the small wood-cased DK2 voltage-control keyboard required to play the VCS3.

It has three oscillators, and a unique matrix-based patch system. Instead of patch wires, the VCS3 uses a patchbay grid in which the synth components are laid out, and signal routing is accomplished by placing small pins into the appropriate slots. The VCS3 was, in actuality, a modular type synthesizer reduced down to an extremely portable size.

It generates familiar sci-fi sounds (Dr. Who) and other truly analog sounds. Unfortunately, the oscillators tend to drift out of tune. There's a Noise Generator, 2 Input Amplifiers, 1 Ring Modulator, 1 Voltage Controlled Low Pass Filter (VCF), 1 Trapezoid Envelope Generator, Joy-Stick Controller, Voltage Controlled Spring Reverb unit and 2 Stereo Output Amplifiers.

Additonally, the VCS3 was also sold in a plastic breif-case and called the Synthi A. The major Synthi 100 system was based on three VCS3's strung together. Some ultra-rare commercially unavailable synths EMS made include the VCS4 in 1969 which was basically 2 VCS3's plus a keyboard. And the Synthi Keyboard 1 of 1970 was just a VCS3 with a mini 29-note keyboard.

Many of these EMS synth's have been used by Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Stereolab, Yes, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Jean-Michel Jarre, Astral Projection, Klaus Schulze, Depeche Mode, Vince Clarke, Add N to (X), The Who, Todd Rundgren, Recoil, Freddy Fresh, and many more.