GIOIA E RIVOLUZIONE

"Gioia E Rivoluzione" is a compilation album from Area, which was released in 1996. The name of this compilation album was taken from a track with the same name which was recorded on their third studio album "Crac!" which was released in 1975. The front art cover of this compilation, beyond an enigmatic hair feathered of the American Indians, has also the front cover of four of their studio albums "Arbeit Macht Frei", "Caution Radiation Area", "Crac!" and "Maledetti", the front cover of two of their live albums "Are(A)zione" and "Event'76" and the front cover of one of their compilation albums "Anto/Logicamente". However, it only features tracks that belong to their first four studio albums, "Arbeit Macht Frei" from 1973, "Caution Radiation Area" from 1974, "Crac!" from 1975 and "Maledetti" from 1976.

"Gioia E Rivoluzione" has twelve tracks. The first track "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)" is from "Arbeit Macht Frei". The track begins with an Arab feminine voice reciting a poem. Musically, it's a difficult song to describe and we must hear it to understand it. It seems to be built around ethnic and traditional music, probably from Greece. The second track "Arbeit Macht Frei" is from "Arbeit Macht Frei". It's a song with strong political lyrics. Ironically, its title was taken from the Nazi motif on the entrance of Auschwitz, in Poland. The music is close to avant-garde jazz, very innovative, and which begins to typify the band to a new and unconventional approach. The third track "L'Abbattimento Dello Zeppelin" is from "Arbeit Macht Frei". It's a true avant-garde music. It has many experimental noises of several different instruments, including the voice of Demetrio Stratos. This is a weird and bizarre track with vocal echoes, musical explosions, strange instrumental sounds, which abruptly ends without warning. The fourth track "Cometa Rossa" is from "Caution Radiation Area". It's built around the ethnic and traditional music, in this case, influences of the Arabic music. It's a perfect introduction to the band showing their unmistakable type of music and the unique vocal style of Demetrio. The fifth track "Lobotomia" is from "Caution Radiation Area". It's an experimental track, a real amalgam of distorted electronic sounds and noises. It intends to provoke the listener, something like lobotomize the listener itself. It reminds me the new classical contemporary music. The sixth track "L'Elefante Bianco" is from "Crac!". It's basically an instrumental track with ethnic sounds with variations all over the theme. It's full of energy with Oriental influences and nuances of the southern Mediterranean music. The seventh track "La Mela Di Odessa" is from "Crac!". It has great musicianship, with Demetrio's vocals following the music and giving to it a real nice feeling. It's a complex track with experimental sounds and a drum solo. It's a typical jazz rock fusion track with symphonic tendencies. The eighth track "Gioia E Rivoluzione" is from "Crac!". It has the powerful voice of Demetrio. It's an acoustic and peaceful song. It shows a tendency towards a more conventional tunes and a less intricate and complicated sounds, in contrast with the more experimental forms. The ninth track "L'Internazionale" is a track that was never released on any studio album of the band. It was originally released as the A side of their single "L'Internazionale" in 1974. The track was usually played in all their live shows and was included on their compilation albums. It's a vanguard associative of a free experimental version of the communist hymn, "The International". The tenth track "Evaporazione" is from "Maledetti". It's a short track where we can hear someone running, whistling and talking, without any music. It's an introduction to that album where Demetrio says that there is something very important to say on that album. The eleventh track "Il Massacro Di Brandeburgo Numero Tre In Sol Maggiore" is from "Maledetti". It's a short fragment of the classical piece for a string quartet of Bach's "Brandenburg Concert number 3 in G major". It's a deconstructed of the original piece to symbolize the demolition of the music corporatism. The twelfth track "Citazione Da George L. Jackson" is a track that was never released in any studio album of the band. It was originally released as the B side of their single "L'Internazionale". It's a short track with some improvisations played over a spoken text cited by Stratos. This is a very strange and weird track.

Conclusion: "Gioia E Rivoluzione" has tracks from four of their five essential studio albums, only missing tracks from "1978 Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano" released in 1978. These are all albums with the participation of their charismatic front man and lieder Demetrio Stratos, who unfortunately passed way many years ago. Area released five studio albums and two live albums before Demetrio's death in 1979. The track selection is excellent, representative and well balanced showing the diverse type of influences of the band. "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)", "Arbeit Macht Frei", "Cometa Rossa", "L'Elefante Bianco" and "Gioia E Rivoluzione" shows their popular and melodic side, the side more accessible to the listener. "La Mela Di Odessa" is a typical jazz song. "Il Massacro Di Brandeburgo" shows their classical side. "L'Abbattimento Delle Zeppelin", "Lobotomia", "Evaporazione" and "Citazione Da George L. Jackson" show their experimental and electronic side, a side more difficult to all who aren't familiar with the avant-garde music.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)