Area
had been one of he most important bands of the Italian prog scene of
the seventies. Their debut album, “Arbeit Macht Frei”, was
released in 1973 on Cramps with a line-up featuring Demetrio Stratos
(vocals, organ), Patrizio Fariselli (piano, keyboards) Giulio
Capiozzo (drums), Patrick Djivas (bass), Paolo Tofani (guitar,
synthesizers) and Victor Eduard Busnello (sax and reeds). The
musicians came from different experiences and the overall sound of
the band was an incredible and “revolutionary” cocktail of
influences ranging from Mediterranean folk to free jazz and rock,
always characterized by a strong political commitment. Their producer
and advisor Gianni Sassi, co-founder of the independent label Cramps,
took care of the lyrics and of the art cover and could be considered
a kind of guru for the band, almost an additional member. Thanks to
him the band could meet and collaborate with some exponents of the
artistic avant-garde as John Cage. Area’s music is challenging and
never banal, the lyrics are strong and in some way shocking but never
vulgar...
The
“explosive” opener “Luglio, agosto, settembre (nero)” (July,
August, black September) deals with the Palestinian issue and
terrorism and was inspired by the Munich massacre during the 1972
Summer Olympics. It’s a seminal, controversial track, but it’s
not exactly a song against terrorism. It begins with female narrative
vocals in Arab (1).
“Forget your rage / Forget your pain / Drop your weapons / Come
with me my darling / Come with me, let’s live / Our cover will be
the peace...” (2).
Then, on a progression of organ chords the particular voice of
Demetrio Stratos soars describing the horror of powerful politicians
playing dangerous games and the consequences of their acts... “To
play with the world / Smashing it into pieces / Children that the sun
/ Has already turned into old men...”. Then follows a section
inspired by a Balkan melody where the vocals state the refusal of
resignation and of an unbearable peace that is the equivalent of
submission... “It’s not my fault if your reality / Compels me to
move war to this guilty silence / Perhaps one day we will know / What
it means / To drown in the blood the whole humankind... Read in
history all my pain / Look at my people / Who do not want to die...
It’s not my fault if your reality / Compels me to move war against
humankind...”. A chaotic section follows before a more melodic part
and an instrumental reprise of the previous “Balkan” melody. In
the early seventies Area supported the extreme left wing Italian
movements that were characterized by strong anti-Americanism and
anti-Zionism. In the lyrics what prevails is a feeling of empathy
with terrorists. Times have changed and today former members of Area
point out that they are now against every form of violence but also
that the problems generating the hate leading to terrorist attacks
are not solved. To complement comprehension of this track I could
suggest seeing Seven Spielberg’s film “Munich”...
“Arbeit
macht frei” (Work makes you free) is a track against capitalism. In
the booklet you can see a picture which portrays an elegant
businessman with the head of a bird of prey and the words “Arbeit
macht frei”. This slogan was placed at the entrances of a number of
Nazi concentration camps but here it could refer to modern factories
where workers are employed on assembly lines and treated as slaves.
The piece opens with a drum solo and experimental sounds, then a
repetitive bass pattern comes in. Try to imagine Charlie Chaplin in
“Modern Times” while listening to the frantic rhythm section and
to the sax evolutions... “In your miseries you will recognize / The
meaning of an Arbeit macht frei / Bleak economy, daily humility /
Always push you towards an Arbeit macht frei / Awareness will make
you see / One more time / What is Arbeit macht frei...”.
“Consapevolezza”
(Awareness) is a dramatic call to revolution. Jazz rock and exotic
atmospheres lead to a hypnotic rhythm pattern from where suggestive
vocals soar inviting you to take a lift and go up in the sky, open
your eyes and see what’s happening on earth... “You will see all
the bleak reality... All the love reduced to nothing... Smash
merciless against the wall / Your morality that wants to keep you
imprisoned among mediocrities... Start up and take power!”.
“Le
labbra del tempo” (The lips of time) is another great, complex
track featuring jazz and Mediterranean suggestions where the voice of
Demetrio Stratos is perfectly at ease. It’s an obscure reflection
about life, time and the need to fight for your rights overcoming
fears and superstitions... “Inside me / I feel that a deaf rage is
rising...”.
“240
chilometri da Smirne” (240 kilometres from Izmir) is an
instrumental jazz rock track where all the musicians are allowed to
showcase their great musicianship.
The
last track, “L’abbattimento dello Zeppelin” (The shooting down
of the Zeppelin), is conceived as a criticism against the music
business and depicts conceited, haughty bands flying through the sky
swollen by the wind, drunk with power. Here the vocals are ironic and
theatrical... “Everyone says that it’s my fault / Everyone plays
with the body deflated by the wind / That has no memory / Everyone
says that it’s my fault / The wind says that I will die...”.
(1) In the booklet they say that the voice was “stolen from a Museum
in Cairo” although some other sources say that the voice was that
of an Arab girl, a strip-tease dancer who used to work in Milan near
the studios where the album was recorded. See
D. CODUTO, Il libro degli Area,
Auditorium, Milano, 2005, p. 70
You can listen to the complete album HERE
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