In 1972, The Fine Machine, a group consisting of Oscar Lindok (aka Giacomo Dell’Orso), Proluton (aka Gianni Dell’Orso), and Donimak (aka Nico Fidenco), released Habitat on Italy’s CAM label. The one-off album of funk, progressive rock, and jazz tracks also features an uncredited Edda Dell’Orso. In 2016 the limited release LP was reissued in vinyl by Cinedelic Records.

Side A includes “Crazy Eel,” “Shut Paranoia,” “Hand Shake,” “Raging Beat,” “Flute Flight,” and “Wait For Me,” with “Obsessing Promenade,” “Skin-Deep,” “Snobbery,” “God Is Infinite,” “Cold Fever,” and “The Eastern Question” on Side B. The original compositions are credited to the Donimak, Oscar Lindok, and Proluton, better known as Nico Fidenco, Giacomo Dell’Orso, and Gianni Dell’Orso. Each composition was arranged by Lindok and produced by Peter Donimak.

Two versions of the original LP (CrT 002) were released, one featuring a typical CAM layout of this time period and a second promotional version using color. The 500-copy limited release by Cinedelic faithfully reproduces CAM’s promo version of the cover.

The Fine Machine’s “Shut Paranoia” by Donimak and Oscar Lindok, the second track on Habitat, is on YouTube:

The original LP (CrT 002) was the follow-up album to The Rhythm Of Life by Oscar Lindok’s Orchestra, also featuring Nico Fidenco, Giacomo Dell’Orso, and Gianni Dell’Orso, using their well-known aliases Donimak, Lindok, and Proluton, respectively. Both LPs were produced by Peter Donimak aka Nico Fidenco.

The rare CAM LP (CrT 001), was also released in 1972–and like Habitat, is one of the handful of CAM releases to include two different covers.

The Cinedelic Records 2016 reissue is available in black as well as 100 copies in turquoise and white marbled vinyl.

The Fine Machine’s “Skin-Deep” by Donimak and Oscar Lindok is on SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/cavalierpiscopo/the-fine-machine-skin-deep

Unlike the recent reissue by Cinedelic Records, The Rhythm Of Life by Oscar Lindok’s Orchestra has yet to be released again in any format since the original CAM pressings.

The result is all four of these albums are now collector’s items. None are easy to find, especially the special alternate color versions. Occasionally copies have been available at sites auction sites such as eBay. Alternatively, the music marketplace Discogs is probably the best bet.

When asked if he recalled any details from the project, Giacomo Dell’Orso commented frankly:

“Not a lot. I do remember the whole album was completed within a couple of days. We did not view it as being too important at the time.”

The Fine Machine’s “Snobbery,” by Oscar Lindok and Proluton, is online:

Both Habitat and The Rhythm Of Life feature an uncredited Edda Dell’Orso, the soprano singer featured on classic soundtracks by composers like Ennio Morricone, Bruno Nicolai, Piero Piccioni, Stefano Torossi, and many more.

Edda, is the wife of Giacomo and the sister-in-law of his younger brother Gianni, making The Fine Machine’s Habitat a true family affair.

When queried about how titles such as “God Is Infinite,” the tenth cut on Habitat, were selected, Giacomo Dell’Orso shared:

“In a situation like this, the music is often not paired with a specific film or project. The titles were given later, sometimes by the publisher. This offered a lot of latitude for the creative use of composition titles, such as ‘God Is Infinite.'”

“God Is Infinite,” a haunting experimental piece by Oscar Lindok featuring an uncredited Edda Dell’Orso, is on YouTube:

An additional five album cuts from The Fine Machine’s Habitat are located in the audio sampler at the bottom of the page including “Crazy Eel,” “Hand Shake,” “Raging Beat,” “Wait For Me,” and “Obsessing Promenade.”

This site has a closer looks at Stefano Torossi’s 1968 soundtrack L’età del malessere (The Age of Malaise), which includes music with Edda Dell’Orso and I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni HERE, Stefano Torossi’s 1971 Musica per commenti sonori LP featuring I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni and an orchestra directed by Alessandro Alessandroni HERE, as well as one of this correspondents favorite compilations from 2007, recently issued in digital format for the first time, The Crystal Voice: Best of Edda Dell’Orso HERE.

More from Oscar Lindok (aka Giacomo Dell’Orso), Proluton (aka Gianni Dell’Orso), and Donimak (aka Nico Fidenco)

Born in 1930 in the city of Ofena, in the central Italian province of L’Aquila, Pietro Giacomo Dell’Orso has been making music most of his life: composing, arranging, conducting, and producing, in addition to playing keyboards, Hammond organ, and leading his own group, Giacomo Dell’Orso and his orchestra. He has recorded over 150 soundtracks and as a writer, orchestrator, or conductor. Dell’Orso’s career straddles the genres of film soundtracks and library music, the latter often under the alias Lindok or Oscar Lindok.

A couple of Giacomo Dell’Orso’s albums and individual tracks composed under his Lindok/Oscar Lindok pseudonym have been reissued recently. This includes The Revelations, a one-off LP by the group of the same name featuring compositions by Lindok (aka Giacomo Dell’Orso) and Proluton (aka Gianni Dell’Orso).

The album was originally released in 1971 on Help!, the first label run by Gianni Dell’Orso. Soon after, Dell’Orso founded GDM Music, a record company and music publisher that specializes in movie and TV soundtracks. He also produced the album, under his Proluton alias.

The 2013 Schema CD and LP reissue showcases standout players Silvano Chimenti on guitar, Enzo Restuccia on drums, and Giovanni Tommaso on bass.

The Revelations’ “Drops,” composed by Proluton aka Gianni Dell’Orso, is on SoundCloud:

https://soundcloud.com/dj-el-topo-1/drops-the-revelations

In 1972, Oscar Lindok’s Orchestra’s The Rhythm Of Life was released on CAM, featuring compositions by Oscar Lindok (aka Giacomo Dell’Orso), Proluton (aka Gianni Dell’Orso), and Donimak (aka Nico Fidenco), arranged by Oscar Lindok.

The album, produced by Peter Donimak, also features uncredited vocals by Alessandro Alessandroni and Edda Dell’Orso.

Composers Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi are also mentioned as contributors to the album in several sources including Discogs.

Donimak (aka Nico Fidenco) and Lindok (aka Giacomo Dell’Orso)’s “Flying About,” featuring an uncredited Edda Dell’Orso, is online:

Note: If any legal rights holders object to the posting of this rare, out of print, and unavailable track ripped from this correspondent’s personal collection, please drop a line and it will be removed immediately.

Between 1972 and 1973, Giacomo Dell’Orso composed the music for The Fast Machine’s eponymous album on Picci Records (GLA 2006), a small label in Italy that also released My Favourite Tones in 1972, an album that includes 9 of 12 tracks by Orchestra di Giacomo Dell’Orso (GLA 2005), and Oscar Lindok And His Friends’ Come Upstair in 1973 (GLA 2007).

The collection of funk, jazz, and rock contains many exceptional tracks. This includes “Born To Love You,” “Don’t Blame The Wind,” “High Wind,” and “Highway South,” all of which are found on the Oscar Lindok sampler at the bottom of the page.

A feature on this hard-to-find, limited release LP is coming soon.

The Fast Machine’s “Men Must Be Ashamed,” composed by Oscar Lindok (aka Giacomo Dell’Orso) plus an uncredited Franco Bonfanti and Giorgio Sabelli, is on SoundCloud:

Note: If any legal rights holders object to the posting of this rare, out of print, and unavailable track ripped from this correspondent’s personal collection, please drop a line and it will be removed immediately.

Giacomo Dell’Orso’s A me stesso con simpatia Reissued in August 2016

In addition to Habitat, Cinedelic Records reissued a second limited edition vinyl featuring Giacomo Dell’Orso, A me stesso con simpatia.

The album initially released by Elecci in 1975 has compositions by Dell’Orso, Tannis (aka Giorgio Santini), and Franco Bonfanti.

Musicians on the easy listening jazz album include Ciro Cocozza on drums and percussion, Nino Rapicavoli on flute and saxophone, Jimmy Tamborrelli on guitar, and Giacomo Dell’Orso on organ, piano, and electric piano.

Giacomo Dell’Orso’s original compostion “Balla Hermose” is on YouTube:

A closer look at the musical career of Giacomo Dell’Orso (aka Oscar Lindok) is found HERE. This site also has a feature on The Rhythm Of Life by Oscar Lindok’s Orchestra HERE.

Edda Dell’Orso featured on Alex Puddu’s 2016 In the Eye of the Cat LP

In February 2016, Alex Puddu released In the Eye of the Cat, an album that has four tracks with Edda Dell’Orso. The two had previously collaborated on a trio of vocal tracks on Puddu’s 2013 album Registrazioni al buio.

“Il mare dietro la porta,” one of the three tracks with Edda Della’Orso on Registrazioni al buio, also features Giacomo Dell’Orso on piano.

A video for Alex Puddu’s “Una donna allo specchio,” featuring Edda Dell’Orso, is online. The video for the tenth of eleven tracks from the newly-released In the Eye of the Cat album was directed by Alexander De Large:

A closer look at the legendary career of Edda Dell’Orso that includes a generous selection of video and audio musical highlights is HERE.

Oscar Lindok aka Giacomo Dell’Orso Online Sampler

An audio sampler of the music of Oscar Lindok (aka Giacomo Dell’Orso) currently found on SoundCloud includes:

• Oscar Lindok’s Orchesta’s “Flying About” from The Rhythm Of Life (1972) CAM
• The Fine Machine’s “Crazy Eel,” “Shut Paranoia,” “Hand Shake,” “Raging Beat,” “Wait For Me,” “Obsessing Promenade,” and “Skin-Deep” from Habitat (1972) CAM
• The Fast Machine’s “Born To Love You,” “Don’t Blame This World,” “High Wind,” “Men Must Be Ashamed,” and “Highway South” from The Fast Machine (1972~1973) Picci Records
• Oscar Lindok and His Friends’ “My Way To Mexico,” “Let’s Go To Manhattan” and “Chopin In Paris” from Come Upstair (1973) Picci Records
• Lindok’s “Lipari,” “Vulcano,” “Ustica,” “Egadi,” and “Marettimo” from Eruzioni (1974) Fly Record
• Oscar Lindok’s “Nerves” from Moderno Beat Vol. 2 (Various Images) (1976) Cinevox