Caronte by The Trip

Caronte (Charon) is the second album released by the Italian progressive rock band The Trip, in 1971. It is a concept album based on the Charon character from Dante's Divine Comedy, recast as a metaphor of conformism; Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin are mentioned, respectively in songs Ultima ora e ode a Jimi Hendrix ("The last hour and ode to Jimi Hendrix") and Little Janie, as victims of a conformist society. Caronte was the most successful release of the band. With respect to their previous, debut album, which was mostly blues-oriented, Caronte was a major drift towards British-style progressive rock, with obvious influences from King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and, to some extent, Pink Floyd. Joe Vescovi, keyboardist and leader of the band, was at the time a self-proclaimed imitator of Keith Emerson. The cover art from the album included drawings by Gustave Doré.