If you are Don Quixote, windmills are monsters, and a good knight is compelled to take a tilt at them. The success of such a campaign is not guaranteed, of course, but if you fail, at least you will go down in history as a valiant loser.

In 1974, the Italian band, Arti e Mestieri, mounted their steeds, lowered their lances and charged into the progressive rock arena with their first album, Tilt (Immagini per un Orrecchio).

For almost the whole album, the horses and riders pound forward in the classic prog rock style of their compatriots, PFM and Le Orme. There are six short practice runs to build up the knights’ confidence and then a 13-minute assault on the fat flailing arms of the mill monsters. Rather unexpectedly, neither party is harmed in this skirmish. All the players chassé and pirouette elegantly, as if the dance has been choreographed to avoid injury. But then, on the eighth pass, señor Quixote is knocked off his horse by a passing sail and tumbles ignominiously to the ground.

Ah, well, the plucky Don has secured his place in historical literature. He may be at a tilted angle to the universe, but he has earned a place in our hearts for his chivalrous motives and his steadfast pursuit of what is right. It’s easy to forget the fall at the last.