Elio e Le Storie Tese - for non-Italians

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   Hello I think most members from non-anglophone countries will have a local band they regard as a "hidden jewel" for the outside world. Personally, I wish to introduce you... a weird, complex and... fun band.
(I remember it was once suggested as a PA entry, sadly it wasn't accepted. Personally I think it would fit nicely in Prog-related, but never mind).
However, this thread is not to discuss their inclusion, but to make them more known outside Italy. In order to facilitate your encounter with this band, I have included 5 significant tracks (among the most proggish ones).

Elio E Le Storie Tese
(the name is nonsensical - "Elio and the tense stories")

EELST
started in Milan
in the early Eighties, immediately encountering great success with their
original live acts. They published their first album (the oddly named Elio Samaga Hukapan Kariyana Turu)
in 1989. Since then, they’ve released other eight albums.
Their style is a unique and sometimes absurd mixture of various genres, ranging from pop, progressive rock, jazz, dance, blues, heavy rock, funk and classical. Sometimes an EELST song starts with a latin beat turning into funk in the middle of the track, incorporating dance elements and ending with a Hackett-ish solo. Song structures are remarkably complex for such a popular band, odd time signatures abound...all of this happens with surprising ease and testifies the varied background of the members.
Despite the technical prowess of each musician, the band is best known in their country because of their lyrics, which invariably involve an enormous dose of humour, often surreal, absurd, sometimes vulgar or bordering on dada. On a superficial level some lyrics might seem silly, but they actually involve a great deal of complexity (multiple level of meanings, obscure references, etc..) unfortunately, an excellent Italian knowledge is required here.
We have a paradox here:  probably the band would not be so successful without their ironic lyrics. Despite this, however, their humour has been a double edged sword as a part of the public simply considers them as a "silly" band, ignoring the actual musical substance, which is excellent.
Another characteristic of this band is their ability to mimic the style of other groups, without plagiarising them but simply imitating their style (and sometimes jokingly taking the mick out of them in the lyrics). So, for the progheads...  you will find tracks in which they successfully pay tributes to some of their biggest influences.... Frank Zappa, Genesis, Area, Gentle Giant, Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM).... 
I think this band deserves an important part in the history of Italian Rock Music: actually, because of their popularity (also due to many Tv appearances) these musicians have the merit of having divulged complex, proggish music to the mass public.  
Indeed, as you will see in the tracks I recommend, many of their best songs can be considered prog, and more generally their incredible versatility makes most of their catalogue interesting for the prog fan, despite the odd silly pop song here and there.

Five Recommended tracks for beginners :

1) First recommended listen: Plafone

Ooh, we're in full blown Rock Progressivo Italiano territory here!!
Probably my favourite Elio e Le Storie Tese track, this delightful piece could be seen as a tribute to 70's RPI bands, some of their biggest influences. The synth solo is marvellous (there is also a piano version) and makes me think of Orme, Locanda delle Fate, PFM, bands we all love.
Regarding the lyrics (sung by Antonella Ruggero in an amazingly high tone) the song tells the story of an angry resident of an apartment block, who complains about a neighbor that has too many showers causing water and humidity to penetrate into his ceiling 

2) Tapparella

One of the best known EELST tracks, always the closing number at their live gigs. Considered by some as "their own Bohemian Rhapsody" .
After some clean, melodic guitar lines at the beginning the song builds slowly to reach two great climaxes, a sweet, catchy, Hendrix-esque solo and the final crescendo, with an explosion of moog synths.
Lyrically, the song humorously describes a secondary school party, where the main character appears (despite being univited) only to be excluded and derided by the other children. However, it's all narrated without any hint of bitterness: at the end the character dreams of a better, endless party he has in mind (adult life? drugs? self discovery? who knows ) .

3) Cateto

Tempo changes, weird signatures...what's not to like?  Do I hear a small Area / middle eastern reference?
Apparently, one of the themes originates from a composition by Benedetto Marcello (18th century) for oboe... played backwards  I wonder how many "hidden" references these tracks contain.

Okay, as unlikely as it sounds, this is what the lyrics are about:  a beautiful girl from the town of Erba (literally: "grass") has an unfortunate problem. Her body perspires human faeces instead of sweat. Disappointed with her life, she takes a plane with the intention of flying to Chicago ("Chicago", if read in Italian, sounds like "I sh*t on something"). At the same time a man called Jonathan Grass (who had an issue with grass growing on his head) was taking a plane in the opposite direction (with the intention of going to the town of grass). The two planes crash into each other, and the two characters meet each other while falling on the ground, kissing before dying. The place where they find the bodies become "the flowerbed of love" as their frustrated feelings have been fertilized by the action of grass and faeces. Apparently, the moral of the story is that "sh*t is not as bad as it is made out to be"  

4) Pagano

Eh, what to say about this song, musically-wise?
I could just mention that the time changes are...eh...odd. Zappa and RIO are big infuences here, although this intense track goes through many variations in a short time and includes a hard rocking part. Some sounds remind me of old films about the Roman Empire.
Indeed, the lyrics are about the lives of some people who, dissatisfied both by the catholic religion and by atheism, try to address their spiritual needs through roman paganism. I think this criticism of a "living in the past" attitude is also a wider criticism of similar inclinations also in other fields. 

5) Il Congresso delle Parti Molli

I like this song a lot, its insistent rhythm, the subtle Genesis and Gentle Giant references mixed with italian pop "borrowings"...the splendid guitar solo at the end...
On a lirical level, the band wonders why the body should always be ruled by the brain. The song envisions a general election to decide what organ should be elected prime minister of the body...after a heated electoral campaign, the penis is declared winner. However, in the end all organs realise that it was a poor choice as under the penis' control the body is affected by Priapism, at the point of dying of exhaustion. 
One of the best metaphors of Italy under Berlusconi's governemnt  

Please note that some of the tracks I posted above are not some of their "best", I chose songs that I thought could correspond to some of the most frequent "tastes" here on this board.
If you like what I posted, there are zillion of tracks to enjoy, many probably better than those.

Sorry for the long post, I really wanted this band to be more accessible for non-Italian members, with a divulgative intent. That's the point of musical forums, innit? 
If you have questions, observations, criticisms or comments please feel free to contribute 

Edited by Luca Pacchiarini - January 29 2016 at 12:24

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Luca Pacchiarini Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: March 08 2009 Location: home Status: Offline Points: 530	Topic: Elio e Le Storie Tese - for non-Italians Posted: January 29 2016 at 12:20
	Hello I think most members from non-anglophone countries will have a local band they regard as a "hidden jewel" for the outside world. Personally, I wish to introduce you... a weird, complex and... fun band. (I remember it was once suggested as a PA entry, sadly it wasn't accepted. Personally I think it would fit nicely in Prog-related, but never mind). However, this thread is not to discuss their inclusion, but to make them more known outside Italy. In order to facilitate your encounter with this band, I have included 5 significant tracks (among the most proggish ones). Elio E Le Storie Tese (the name is nonsensical - "Elio and the tense stories") EELST started in Milan in the early Eighties, immediately encountering great success with their original live acts. They published their first album (the oddly named Elio Samaga Hukapan Kariyana Turu) in 1989. Since then, they’ve released other eight albums. Their style is a unique and sometimes absurd mixture of various genres, ranging from pop, progressive rock, jazz, dance, blues, heavy rock, funk and classical. Sometimes an EELST song starts with a latin beat turning into funk in the middle of the track, incorporating dance elements and ending with a Hackett-ish solo. Song structures are remarkably complex for such a popular band, odd time signatures abound...all of this happens with surprising ease and testifies the varied background of the members. Despite the technical prowess of each musician, the band is best known in their country because of their lyrics, which invariably involve an enormous dose of humour, often surreal, absurd, sometimes vulgar or bordering on dada. On a superficial level some lyrics might seem silly, but they actually involve a great deal of complexity (multiple level of meanings, obscure references, etc..) unfortunately, an excellent Italian knowledge is required here. We have a paradox here: probably the band would not be so successful without their ironic lyrics. Despite this, however, their humour has been a double edged sword as a part of the public simply considers them as a "silly" band, ignoring the actual musical substance, which is excellent. Another characteristic of this band is their ability to mimic the style of other groups, without plagiarising them but simply imitating their style (and sometimes jokingly taking the mick out of them in the lyrics). So, for the progheads... you will find tracks in which they successfully pay tributes to some of their biggest influences.... Frank Zappa, Genesis, Area, Gentle Giant, Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM).... I think this band deserves an important part in the history of Italian Rock Music: actually, because of their popularity (also due to many Tv appearances) these musicians have the merit of having divulged complex, proggish music to the mass public. Indeed, as you will see in the tracks I recommend, many of their best songs can be considered prog, and more generally their incredible versatility makes most of their catalogue interesting for the prog fan, despite the odd silly pop song here and there. Five Recommended tracks for beginners : 1) First recommended listen: Plafone Ooh, we're in full blown Rock Progressivo Italiano territory here!! Probably my favourite Elio e Le Storie Tese track, this delightful piece could be seen as a tribute to 70's RPI bands, some of their biggest influences. The synth solo is marvellous (there is also a piano version) and makes me think of Orme, Locanda delle Fate, PFM, bands we all love. Regarding the lyrics (sung by Antonella Ruggero in an amazingly high tone) the song tells the story of an angry resident of an apartment block, who complains about a neighbor that has too many showers causing water and humidity to penetrate into his ceiling 2) Tapparella One of the best known EELST tracks, always the closing number at their live gigs. Considered by some as "their own Bohemian Rhapsody" . After some clean, melodic guitar lines at the beginning the song builds slowly to reach two great climaxes, a sweet, catchy, Hendrix-esque solo and the final crescendo, with an explosion of moog synths. Lyrically, the song humorously describes a secondary school party, where the main character appears (despite being univited) only to be excluded and derided by the other children. However, it's all narrated without any hint of bitterness: at the end the character dreams of a better, endless party he has in mind (adult life? drugs? self discovery? who knows ) . 3) Cateto Tempo changes, weird signatures...what's not to like? Do I hear a small Area / middle eastern reference? Apparently, one of the themes originates from a composition by Benedetto Marcello (18th century) for oboe... played backwards I wonder how many "hidden" references these tracks contain. Okay, as unlikely as it sounds, this is what the lyrics are about: a beautiful girl from the town of Erba (literally: "grass") has an unfortunate problem. Her body perspires human faeces instead of sweat. Disappointed with her life, she takes a plane with the intention of flying to Chicago ("Chicago", if read in Italian, sounds like "I sht on something"). At the same time a man called Jonathan Grass (who had an issue with grass growing on his head) was taking a plane in the opposite direction (with the intention of going to the town of grass). The two planes crash into each other, and the two characters meet each other while falling on the ground, kissing before dying. The place where they find the bodies become "the flowerbed of love" as their frustrated feelings have been fertilized by the action of grass and faeces. Apparently, the moral of the story is that "sht is not as bad as it is made out to be" 4) Pagano Eh, what to say about this song, musically-wise? I could just mention that the time changes are...eh...odd. Zappa and RIO are big infuences here, although this intense track goes through many variations in a short time and includes a hard rocking part. Some sounds remind me of old films about the Roman Empire. Indeed, the lyrics are about the lives of some people who, dissatisfied both by the catholic religion and by atheism, try to address their spiritual needs through roman paganism. I think this criticism of a "living in the past" attitude is also a wider criticism of similar inclinations also in other fields. 5) Il Congresso delle Parti Molli I like this song a lot, its insistent rhythm, the subtle Genesis and Gentle Giant references mixed with italian pop "borrowings"...the splendid guitar solo at the end... On a lirical level, the band wonders why the body should always be ruled by the brain. The song envisions a general election to decide what organ should be elected prime minister of the body...after a heated electoral campaign, the penis is declared winner. However, in the end all organs realise that it was a poor choice as under the penis' control the body is affected by Priapism, at the point of dying of exhaustion. One of the best metaphors of Italy under Berlusconi's governemnt Please note that some of the tracks I posted above are not some of their "best", I chose songs that I thought could correspond to some of the most frequent "tastes" here on this board. If you like what I posted, there are zillion of tracks to enjoy, many probably better than those. Sorry for the long post, I really wanted this band to be more accessible for non-Italian members, with a divulgative intent. That's the point of musical forums, innit? If you have questions, observations, criticisms or comments please feel free to contribute Edited by Luca Pacchiarini - January 29 2016 at 12:24

Bérghem Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: May 25 2014 Location: Monza Status: Offline Points: 17	Posted: February 02 2016 at 10:13
	EELST on PA? Count me in!! I really believe they belong here.
	E per tutti il dolore degli altri è un dolore a metà