Italy's leading progressive rock outfit of the early '70s, PFM would have remained a purely Italian phenomenon had they not been signed to Emerson, Lake & Palmer's Manticore label. Their sound was more distinctly rooted in the pre-classical era than that of their Germanic counterparts. In addition to electric keyboards (synthesizers, etc.), they also relied on violin and flute (recorder, actually) as major components of their music. Their name, by the way, was short for Premiata Forneria Marconi, the name of the bakery that originally sponsored them. ~ Bruce Eder