AREA

— First review of this album —

Review Nº 745

"Area" is a compilation album of Area that was released in 2013. "Area" has 3 CD's, 2 studio CD's with 18 tracks and 1 live CD with 7 tracks. The 18 studio tracks were taken from their first four studio albums. So, it has five tracks from their debut "Arbeit Macht Frei" released in 1973, three tracks from their second "Caution Radiation Area" released in 1974, five tracks from their third "Crac!" released in 1975 and six tracks from their fourth "Maledetti" released in 1976. The 7 live tracks were taken mainly from their live albums, "Are(A)zione" released in 1975 and "Event '76" released in 1979.

"Area" has twenty-five tracks. About the studio tracks, from "Arbeit Macht Frei" we have "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)", "Arbeit Macht Frei", "Consapevolezza", "Le Labbra Del Tempo" and "L'Abbattimento Dello Zeppelin". "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)" is difficult to describe. It's built around ethnic and traditional music, probably from Greece with an Arabic feminine voice reciting a poem. It's one their finest moments. "Arbeit Macht Frei" is close to avant-garde jazz, very innovative, typifying the band to a new and unconventional musical approach. It's a great moment of Area. "Consapevolezza" is a fantastic jazz/rock piece with exotic atmospheres. It has a hypnotic rhythm and the suggestive vocals invite us to the freedom. "Le Labbra Del Tempo" is a complex track influenced by jazz with great rock sections. It changes very often in its structure with great musical passages. "L'Abbattimento Dello Zeppelin" is very avant-garde with many experimental noises by different musical instruments, including the voice of Demetrio Stratos. It's a weird and bizarre track. From "Caution Radiation Area" we have "Cometa Rossa", "Bruijo" and "Mirage". "Cometa Rossa" is built around ethnic and traditional music with influences of Arabic music. It's close to "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)". "Bruijo" is a wild track that opens in a chaotic way with a total improvisation. It's a free jazz/fusion track with great electric piano, bass, percussions and guitar works. "Mirage" has a mix of a contemporary classical music and free and avant- garde jazz/fusion music. It's one of the scariest musical moments ever created by Area. From "Crac!" we have "L'Elefante Bianco", "La Mela Di Odessa", "Megalopoli", "Nervi Scoperti" and "Gioia E Rivoluzione". "L'Elefante Bianco" is an instrumental full of energy with Eastern ethnic influences and nuances of the southern Mediterranean music. "La Mela Di Odessa" is a complex track that begins with experimental sounds and a drum solo. It's a typical jazz rock fusion track with symphonic tendencies. "Megalopoli" is a great instrumental track, intricate and full of energy influenced by the jazz rock fusion style. "Nervi Scoperti" is an instrumental with nice guitar and keyboard solos. It's a vibrant and tense piece where the drumming is the star. "Gioia E Rivoluzione" is an acoustic peaceful song. It features acoustic guitars and powerful melodic lines. It shows a tendency to be a more conventional and a less intricate track. From "Maledetti" we have "Evaporazione", "Diforisma Urbano", "Gerontocrazia", "Giro, Giro, Tondo" and "Caos (Parte Seconda)". "Evaporazione" is a short track with someone running, whistling and talking with no music. "Diforisma Urbano" is an instrumental, a perfect, fantastic and surprisingly upbeat funk jazz/fusion track. It's one of their finest tracks. "Gerontocrazia" is a great track that shows the interest of Area in the ethnic music. Besides several influences, the influence of Gentle Giant is present too. "Giro, Giro, Tondo" is a typical avant-garde jazz/fusion track with emotional vocals highlighted by a piano performance. It's another track with Gentle Giant's influence. "Caos (Parte Seconda)" is an avant-garde track. It's strange and chaotic with electronic sounds, noises, voices and it's full of experimentations.

About the live CD, "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)" and "La Mela Di Odessa" are also present with its live versions. "Are(A)zione" was never released on one of their studio albums. It's a great track with free improvisation of a harmonic invention, a new theme. "L'Internazionale" is a vanguard free associative experimentation of the communist hymn, "The International". It was released for the first time as a band's single in 1974. "Caos II Parte I", which is one of the two parts of "Caos", and "Event '76" were released on "Event '76". "Caos" is a wild avant-garde sound clutter, a kind of a bizarre but fascinating free-jazz rock decorated with the crazy vocal acrobatics of Stratos. "Event '76" shows Area in a random improvisation with each musician improvising. The result is an "ordered chaos". "Danza Ad Anello" was released on "Tic & Tac", an album after Stratos' death. It's a good instrumental track clearly influenced by the jazz/rock style music.

Conclusion: "Area" is a good compilation album from the band that covers almost all the career of Area in the time with Demetrio Stratos. It brings to us most of the tracks released on their four and most accomplished studio albums. Still, I really think that it's a pity that "Area" doesn't has any track from their fifth and last studio work with Stratos, "1978 - Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!" that was released in 1978. It's a pity because that album remains to me as one of the greatest works of Area. Anyway, that doesn't haunt the good quality and a relatively well representativeness of the band's music. So, if we want to be fair we must say that "Area" is a good compilation of this amazing prog band.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

85/100

I think this would be my second favorite Area album, close on par with Crac! but more consistent. While many reviewers will cite the fluttering vocals as a highlight of this band, it's a feature that I largely have to look past to enjoy the music. The political nature of this album is great from a leftist standpoint, and when the vocals are being serious they pack a punch. The rest of the band adds a fantastic and complex array of sounds that cover all the bases, and only the last two tracks feel like they didn't accomplish what they aimed to.

While I look back on this album with a great deal of respect, and it is the second most consistent album from their original lineup, future albums would have higher highs and lower lows. None of the songs on this album have a lasting wow factor like the following 4, with the exception of their fourth album which I so far cannot seem to enjoy listening to.

As such there are two different faces of Area throughout their pentalogy - highly experimental, almost noise fusion, and old fashioned italian progressive rock that stands tall among the other groups from that time and place - PFM, Banco, Le Orme, and Maxophone. While I won't venture to say that Area is the greatest of these RPI groups, as I still hold PFM and Banco as tied in that regard, it isn't because Area didn't make music as good as they did, but because they were less consistent. Their follow-up, and fourth album, in particular, leaned more heavily into the experimental side and suffered in listenability as a result, while this and their fifth album (My favorite, in spite of being rated the lowest among their classic line-up), represent their classic RPI side, with Crac! being a 50/50 blend of both.

While the rest of these mentioned 4 albums have a vibe that is either too silly, too experimental, or in my opinion the perfect balance that came on the 1978 album - Arbeit Macht Frei is Area at its most serious, and isn't casual listening. Just the perfect kind of debut for prog rock fans, and I'm one of them. Highly recommended.

Review Nº 518

Area was an Italian progressive rock band formed in the end of 1972. They are known for be one of the most important prog bands in the genre. They have been compared to Gentle Giant for the extreme complexity of their music combined with an elegant use of varied polyrhythms. They also had a very strong attitude in managing the Middle East musical structures and other elements, from odd rhythms to the use of tone fourths. All of these elements are always joined together by a free-jazz style. To each they add many electronic elements. Area became with Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Premiata Forneria Marconi and Le Orme as the four best and most important Italian progressive rock bands of all times.

"Area '70" is a compilation of Area which was released in 1980. It features tracks from four of the five studio albums of Area, plus a non-album's track, when Demetrio Stratos was still on board. It has one track from "Arbeit Macht Frei" of 1973, one track from "Caution Radiation Area" of 1974, three tracks from "Crac!" of 1975, two tracks from "Maledetti" of 1976, plus a non-albums track. However, it hasn't any tracks from "1978 ? Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!".

"Area '70" has eight tracks. The first track "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)" was originally released on their debut studio album "Arbeit Macht Frei". It's a track with its lyrics about the Black September of 1972 when the Palestinians committed terrorist attacks. The track begins with an Arab feminine voice reciting a poem. Musically, it's a very difficult song to be described. We really must hear it to can understand it. It seems to be built around the ethnic and traditional music, probably from Greece. This track represents one their finest moments. The second track "Cometa Rossa" was originally released on their second studio album "Caution Radiation Area". It's a typical track of Area, which seems to be built around the ethnic and traditional music too. In this case, we are in presence of some influences of the Arabic music. It's very close to some of the tracks presented on "Arbeit Macht Frei". It represents a perfect introduction to the band that shows their unmistakable and original type of music and the unique vocal style of Demetrio Stratos. The third track "Gioia E Rivoluzione" was originally released on their third studio album "Crac!". It's a track where the powerful voice of Demetrio Stratos stands out. It's an acoustic and very peaceful track. It has a very unusual introduction that features some acoustic guitars and powerful melodic lines. This is a track of the band that shows a tendency towards a more conventional tunes and a less intricate and complicated sound, in contrast with the more experimental forms of many of their tracks. It became as one of the best Area's tracks. The fourth track "L'Elefante Bianco" was originally released on their third studio album "Crac!" too. It's a track with some ethnic sounds and is essentially an instrumental track with many variations all over the same theme. This is a track full of energy with some Eastern influences and some nuances of the southern Mediterranean music. The fifth track "L'Internazionale" is a track that was never released on any of the 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 almost all their live shows and was usually included on their compilation albums too. It's a vanguard associative of a free experimental version of the communist hymn, "The International". The sixth track "La Mela Di Odessa" was originally released on their third studio album "Crac!". It starts with an instrumental part and follows with great musicianship by the entire band, with Demetrio Stratos' vocals following the music and giving to it a very nice feeling. This is a complex track that begins with some experimental sounds and a drum solo. It's a typical jazz rock fusion track with symphonic tendencies. The seventh track "Gerontocrazia" was originally released on their fourth studio album "Maledetti". It starts with a cradle song in ancient Greek. During the song we can hear play txalaparta, a Basque percussion instrument, that I never heard before on the previous albums of Area. That demonstrates again the interest of the band in the ethnical music. The eighth track "Scum" is from "Maledetti". It's a track where the music takes a free jazz/fusion direction and when the piano of Fariselli takes the front and sounds in a strange tonal style. It has some electronic effects and Demetrio does some speech about the women rights. This is a very oriented jazz piece.

Conclusion: "Area '70" is another good compilation album of Area. It has tracks from four of their five essential studio albums, only missing tracks from "1978 Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano". Thus, we have here what are in general considered the four best studio albums of Area. Still, and unfortunately, it's a pity that none of the tracks of "1978 - Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!" weren't chosen, because this is another amazing album too. As I mentioned above, these are all albums with the participation of their charismatic front man and lieder Demetrio Stratos, who unfortunately passed away in 1979. The compilation covers the different sides of Area, their most popular and melodic side and their most avant-garde and experimental side, when the band was at their most creative peak. So, "Area '70" is well representative of the band and a great showcase of Area. I think it must be rated with 3 stars, indeed.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 514

Area was an Italian progressive rock band. They began their musical adventure at the end of 1972, gathering musicians from different backgrounds, pop, free jazz, electronic experimentation and contemporary, with the common will of the overcoming of individual artistic experiences to arrive at a "total music". Picking matrices of different music, from jazz to progressive through the vanguard, Area have proved among the most courageous and original band of the Italian progressive scene. But to make their mark was also and, above all, the incredible voice of their singer Demetrio Stratos.

"International Popular Group" is a compilation of Area released in 2004. It features tracks from all five studio albums of Area, plus a non-albums track, when Stratos was in the band. So, it has one track from "Arbeit Macht Frei" from 1973, one track from "Caution Radiation Area" from 1974, two tracks from "Crac!" from 1975, four tracks from "Maledetti" from 1976, three tracks from "1978 ? Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!" from 1978, plus a non-album's track.

"International Popular Group" has twelve tracks. The first track "Return From Workuta" is from "1978 ? Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!". It opens with a strange and amazing vocal work from Stratos. The piece is timeless and we only perceive a synth carpet with a heavy and suffered contrabass accompanying the melancholic vocalization of Stratos. The second track "Nervi Scoperti" is from "Crac!". It's an instrumental with nice guitar and keyboard solos. It's a vibrant and tense piece where the drumming is the star. It begins with Fariselli assuming the leading role with his piano, preparing the ground to Tofani flourish and complemented by Capiozzo work. The third track "Diforisma Urbano" is from "Maledetti". It's a terrific instrumental piece. It's a perfect, fantastic and surprisingly upbeat funk jazz/fusion track. Here we have Demetrio putting his voice as an instrument adding to the song a beautiful, strange, unique, intense and special touch of colour. The fourth track "Implosion" is from "Crac!". It's a free instrumental experimental track where each member plays improvising in their one way. It begins very calm and soon develops with some sudden musical changes of mood and rhythm. The fifth track "MIRage? Mirage!" is from "Caution Radiation Area". It's a surprising track. It's a track with a mix of contemporary classical music and free avant-garde jazz/fusion music. It has a dark and a dissonant atmosphere with improvised moments. It's only recommended to the hard fans of the band. The sixth 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 seventh track "Hommage A Violette Nozieres" is from "1978 ? Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!". It's a ballad with a typical Mediterranean atmosphere, almost pop. But, we can find here harmonious choices and rhythmic solutions of great refinement and complexity. Vocals are in a stratospheric level. It's one of the tracks in which Stratos reaches the apex of the vibrato. The eighth track "Gerontocrazia" is from "Maledetti". It starts with a cradle song in ancient Greek. During the song we can hear play txalaparta, a Basque percussion instrument, that I never heard before on the previous albums of Area. That demonstrates again the interest of the band in the ethnical music. The ninth track "Caos (Parte II)" is from "Maledetti". It's an avant-garde piece. It's a strange chaotic track with electronic sounds, noises, and voices. Each musician does what they want. It's one of the strangest and difficult pieces I heard. It's interesting but is too much experimental. 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 there is something important to say on that album. The eleventh track "'FFF' (Festa, Farina e Forca)" is from "1978 ? Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!". It's an instrumental piece, starting from a single drum that later flow into an almost ambient relaxing part to culminate in another jazz style in which Fariselli shows off all his piano skills. The twelfth track "L'Internationale" 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 included on their compilation albums. It's a vanguard associative free experimental version of the communist hymn, "The International".

Conclusion: "International Popular Group" is another good compilation of Area. It covers almost all the studio material recorded by the band before the premature death of Demetrio Stratos. So, it has tracks from the four studio albums released by the band when he was in Area. It means that all these tracks belong to Area when they were at their most creative peak. And those who are used to Area's music know that all the tracks chosen to be part of this compilation are all great and amazing, in its own way. They cover the different sides of Area, their most popular and melodic side and their most avant-garde and experimental side. Thus, we can say that "International Popular Group" is a compilation well representative of the band and an excellent showcase of Area. I really think that it must be rated with 3 stars, indeed.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 510

"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*)

Review Nº 504

'Area Gold Edition' is a compilation album of Area, which was released in 2007. This a very special compilation that features all tracks released on the first four studio albums of Area, the albums from 1973 to 1976. So, it includes the six tracks of 'Arbeit Macht Frei' from 1973, the five tracks of 'Caution Radiation Area' from 1974, the seven tracks of 'Crac!' from 1975, the seven tracks of 'Maledetti' from 1976, plus four live tracks, three tracks from 'Are(A)zione' of 1975 and one track from 'Event '76' from 1979. But, strangely, the tracks weren't put in their usual chronological order.

So, 'Area Gold Edition' has twenty nine tracks. 'Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)' is from 'Arbeit Macht Frei'. It's built around the ethnic and traditional music, probably from Greece. 'L'elefante Bianco' is from 'Crac!'. It's almost an instrumental with ethnic sounds and variations all over the theme. 'Cometa Rossa' is from 'Caution Radiation Area'. It's built around the ethnic music that shows their type of music and the unique vocals of Stratos. 'Le Labbra Del Tempo' is from 'Arbeit Macht Frei'. It's a complex track influenced by jazz with an interesting rock section that often changes its structure. '240 Chilometri Da Smirne' is from 'Arbeit Macht Frei'. It's an avant-garde instrumental free jazz piece with a nice sax work. 'Labbattimento Dello Zeppelin' is from 'Arbeit Macht Frei'. It's an avant-garde, weird and bizarre piece with experimental noises of several instruments, including the voice of Stratos. 'Gerontocrazia' is from 'Maledetti'. It has several influences that demonstrate the great interest of Area in the ethnical music. 'Scum' is from 'Maledetti'. It's a free jazz/fusion track with electronic effects where Fariselli takes the front with his piano. 'Giro, Giro Tondo' is from 'Maledetti'. It's an avant-garde jazz/fusion track with some emotional vocals dominated by piano. 'Nervi Scoperti' is from 'Crac!'. It's an instrumental, a vibrant and tense piece with some nice guitar and keyboard solos where drums are the star. 'Gioia E Rivoluzione' is from 'Crac!'. It's an acoustic and peaceful track with melodic lines that features acoustic guitars and powerful vocals of Stratos. 'La Mela Di Odessa' is from 'Crac!'. It's a complex jazz rock fusion track with symphonic tendencies and experimental sounds. 'Consapevolezza' is from 'Arbeit Macht Frei'. It's a jazz/rock track with exotic atmospheres, hypnotic rhythm and suggestive vocals. 'Zyg (Crescita Zero)' is from 'Caution Radiation Area'. It's an experimental track with distorted industrial noises and electronic experimentation showing the psychedelic rock side of Area. 'Brujo' is from 'Caution Radiation Area'. It's a wild free jazz/fusion track with nice electric piano, bass, percussions, guitar works and some vocal experimentation of Stratos. 'Mirage? Mirage!' is from 'Caution Radiation Area'. It's a track with a mix of contemporary music and free avant-garde jazz/fusion music. 'Megalopoli' is from 'Crac!'. It's an instrumental intricate track full of energy and influenced by jazz rock fusion style. 'Caos (Parte Seconda)' is from 'Maledetti'. It's an avant-garde track, with some chaotic electronic sounds, noises and voices. 'Il Massacro Di Brandeburgo Numero Tre In Sol Maggiore' is from 'Maledetti'. It's a short fragment of a deconstructed version of the classical piece from Bach's 'Brandenburg Concert number 3 in G major'. 'Arbeit Macht Frei' is from 'Arbeit Macht Frei'. It's an avant-garde jazz track, innovative, which typifies the band to an unconventional musical approach. 'Evaporazione' is from 'Maledetti'. It's an introduction to that album where Stratos tells us there is something important to communicate. 'Diforisma Urbano' is from 'Maledetti'. It's an instrumental track, a perfect, fantastic and surprisingly upbeat funk jazz/fusion track. 'Lobotomia' is from 'Caution Radiation Area'. It's an amalgam of distorted electronic sounds and noises that reminds me the contemporary music. 'Implosion' is from 'Crac!'. It's a free instrumental and experimental track where each member plays an instrument improvising in their one way. 'Area 5' is from 'Crac!'. It's a weird, experimental and bizarre track full of improvisation, with solos and noises. 'Event '76' is from 'Event '76'. Here, the band tries a concept of random improvisation. The result is an 'ordered chaos'. Freedom is the focus of the music. 'Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero) (live version)' is from 'Are(A)zione'. 'Are(A)zione' is from 'Are(A)zione'. It's a track with free improvisations of a harmonic invention made by the band. 'L'Internazionale' is from 'Are(A)zione'. It's a vanguard associative of a free experimental version of the communist hymn, 'The International'.

Conclusion: This is an interesting compilation of Area, not only because it has a great set of tracks, but also because the tracks weren't put in a chronological order, despite the first four albums are present here in total. So, we have here what are in general considered the four best studio albums of Area, although I continue to consider that '1978 - Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!' is another amazing album, not much lower than the other four. Besides that, here we have also three great live tracks from Area's best live album, 'Are(A)zione' and an original live version of their most experimental album, 'Event '76'. So, 'Area Gold Edition' is an excellent compilation and a great showcase of the Area.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 500

"The Essential Box Set Collection" is a very special compilation album from Area which was released in 2010. This is an interesting package that includes their debut studio album "Arbeit Macht Frei", from 1973, their second studio album "Caution Radiation Area" from 1974, their third studio album "Crac!" from 1975, their fourth studio album "Maledetti" from 1976, their debut live album "Are(A)zione" from 1975 and their second live album "Event '76" from 1979.

As I've already reviewed these six albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read all those reviews. However, in here, I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of all those albums.

"Arbeit Macht Frei": "Arbeit Macht Frei" is a pure jazz rock/fusion album with great intensity. This will probably appeal more to fusion lovers and avant-prog fans than to the average RPI fans. It's more adventurous and challenging. It's emotional and unforgettable. It's an adventurous and intricate album that will repel some and compel others. This is one of the most important Italian prog albums of the 70's, one of the best releases of that sub-genre. "Arbeit Macht Frei" put Area at the level of their compatriots, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Premiata Forneria Marconi and Le Orme.

"Caution Radiation Area": "Caution Radiation Area" is very different from "Arbeit Macht Frei". "Arbeit Macht Frei" represents Area's early sound, eith folk melodies, Canterbury Scene sound, acid psychedelic stile and avant-garde experimental jazz, all together filtered and mixed through a special Italian sensibility and taste. "Caution Radiation Area" is more experimental with electronic effects. It's the album where the experimental music was more introduced. It's darker and intends to provoke and disturb the usual listener. It's more "radioactive" and needs a caution approach.

"Crac!": "Crac!" has a great mix between jazz and RPI. It has a perfect fusion between the instrumental parts and Demetrio vocals in RPI. It has some of the best and most popular songs of the band, "L'Elefante Bianco", "La Mela Di Odessa" and "Gioia I Rivoluzione", keeping the long instrumental parts, one of the greatest features of Area. "Crac!" is one of the most influential albums in the Italian prog scene. It's a classic album in its genre and is highly recommended for those who love to check something different and fresh. This album should be part of every serious prog collection.

"Are(A)zione": "Are(a)zione" is an excellent live album. It's probably their best live album. The live versions are closer to the original versions. It's a short album with only five tracks. Still, it has two lengthy amazing tracks "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)" from "Arbeit Macht Frei" and also the title track "Are(A)zione", which is an original track. So, "Are(A)zione" is perhaps the perfect choice for anyone to start with Area, and in some way it tells their story better than the band's studio albums, or even better than their compilations. This is an excellent addition to any prog collection.

"Maledetti": "Maledetti" is much more experimental than their previous third studio album "Crac!". Its music is chaotic with several influences like traditional Greek music, Arabian music, avant-garde music, free jazz, jazz rock/fusion, funk, Mediterranean music and classical music. Despite "Maledetti" isn't as good as "Arbeit Macht Frei" or "Crac!", is better than "Caution Radiation Area". It's more balanced and it's less dark, more modern, and especially, it has two of their greatest masterpieces "Diforisma Urbano" and "Gerontocrazia". This is one of the finest and creative works from Area.

"Event '76": The radical concept of music of Area isolated the band from the developments in the music scene. It's hard to found any imitators or followers of them. It remains the courageous and difficult attempt of a radical reinterpretation of music, art and interaction. Area was far ahead of their time on the prog music, which never went down on such a thin ice. If there is one of their works that shows so clearly that radical concept, is "Event '76". It's anything but a reference for the usual proghead. But, who deal with the free forms of jazz and the contemporary music maybe is able to like it.

Conclusion: "The Essential Box Set Collection" is an excellent compilation album of Area. It includes almost all the studio albums from the band with the presence of Demetrio Stratos. The only exception is the absence of their fifth studio album "1978 ? Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!" released in 1978. And that it was really pity, indeed. If "1978 ? Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!" was included, we would have here the complete essential studio works from Area. But, it includes also two live albums. "Are(A)zione", is probably Area's best live album and "Event '76" is, surely, Area's most avant-garde album. So, here we have a great showcase of Area's music, which shows the different facets of Area, their most experimental and their most RPI too. So, this is an excellent package for those who don't have yet all these works. It's always a great introduction to the very own world of Area. It's highly recommended.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 496

"Revolution" is a very special compilation of Area and was released in 2003. It was released by Akarma Records and in its front cover we can see a picture of the group, besides a picture of Che Guevara. This is a package that includes their debut studio album "Arbeit Macht Frei", released in 1973, their second studio album "Caution Radiation Area" released in 1974, their third studio album "Crac!" released in 1975 and their debut live album "Are(A)zione" released also in 1975.

This is a very interesting compilation because it includes, in my humble opinion, the two best studio albums from the group "Arbeit Macht Frei" and "Crac!" and also "Caution Radiation Area" one of their best studio albums too. However, all their five studio works with their vocalist Demetrio Stratos in the group are all great and absolutely indispensable musical works. Furthermore, the compilation includes also "Are(A)zione" which is probably the best live album of them.

As I've already reviewed these four albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read all those reviews. However, in here, I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of all those albums.

"Arbeit Macht Frei": "Arbeit Macht Frei" is a true pure jazz rock/fusion album with great intensity. This will probably appeal more to fusion lovers and avant-prog fans than to the average RPI fans, because it's more adventurous and challenging. In many ways, it's a perfect album. It's emotional and unforgettable. It's an adventurous and intricate album that will repel some and compel others. This is a landmark, one of the most important Italian albums of the 70's. It's, in my opinion, one of the best releases of that sub-genre. "Arbeit Macht Frei" is a masterpiece of the band, putting Area at the same quality level of their compatriots, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Premiata Forneria Marconi and Le Orme.

"Caution Radiation Area": "Caution Radiation Area" is a completely different kind of work than "Arbeit Macht Frei" is. "Arbeit Macht Frei" represents the highlighted Area's early musical sound, which featured folk melodies, Canterbury Scene sound, acid psychedelic stile and avant-garde experimental jazz music, all together filtered and mixed through a very special and very particular Italian sensibility and taste. "Caution Radiation Area" is much more experimental with plenty of electronic effects. So, this is the album where the experimental music is completely introduced. As its name indicates, it's darker than their previous debut. It obviously intended to provoke and disturb the listener. "Caution Radiation Area" is more "radioactive" and needs an extreme caution approach, especially by the newbies with Area.

"Crac!": "Crac!" is one of the best prog albums released by Area. The energy on this album is incredible. It has an excellent mix between jazz and RPI. It has a perfect fusion between the instrumental parts and Demetrio vocals in RPI style. It has some of the best and most popular songs from the band, like "L'Elefante Bianco", "La Mela Di Odessa" and "Gioia I Rivoluzione", which quickly became some of the most played live by the band, keeping the long instrumental parts that have become one of the greatest features of the band. "Crac!" is one of the most influential albums of the early 70's in the Italian prog rock scene. This is a classic album in its genre and it's highly recommended for those who love to check something different fresh and new. Sincerely, this album should be part of every serious prog collection.

"Are(A)zione": "Are(a)zione" is a great live album from a great live band. It's probably the best live album released by the group. On "Are(a)zione" the live songs are closer to the studio versions. It has also a very good production. This is a very short album with only five tracks. However, it has two lengthy amazing tracks "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)" from "Arbeit Macht Frei" and the title track "Are(A)zione", which is simply an original track. So, this is a very good live album and it's perhaps the perfect choice for anyone to start with Area, and in some way it tells their story better than band's studio albums, or even better than the compilations of them. This is an excellent addition to any prog collection.

Conclusion: It's always a bit difficult for me to rate this kind of compilations, box sets, with the complete original albums from a band. Why? Because, If you have already the four original albums from the group, you don't need to buy this compilation because it hasn't practically anything new to offer, unless you have only the vinyl versions. In this case, this package is a good complement for you, probably with a cheap price than the four CD's, individually. However, if you don't have these four albums yet, you need urgently to leave your home to buy them. Concluding, this is a great box set with four of the best albums from the group. If you own this compilation or the four albums individually, you only need to buy their fourth studio album "Maledetti" of 1976 and their fifth studio album "1978 Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano" of 1978 to have the essential discography of Area. So, this is a high recommended compilation.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 473

Picking matrices from different styles of music, from jazz to progressive rock music through the vanguard, Area have proved to be the most courageous and original band of Italian prog rock scene. Area began their musical adventure at the end of 1972, gathering musicians from different backgrounds, like pop, free jazz, electronic experimentation and the contemporary music, with the common will of the overcoming of the individual artistic experiences to arrive at a kind of a 'total music'. But to make their mark, it was also and above all the incredible voice of their singer, Demetrio Stratos.

In the begining, the band consisted of Victor Edouard Busnello, Giulio Capiozzo, Yan Patrick Erard Djivas, Patrizio Fariselli, Leandro Gaetano, Paolo Tofani and the Greek Demetrio Stratos who was born in Alexandria, Egypt. Subsequently, Busnello leaved the group and Djivas would become part of Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM). Djivas would be replaced by Ares Tavolazzi. The sixth member of the group-shadow was Gianni Sassi (Frankenstein), the founder of the Cramps Records and creator of some of the most interesting cultural projects in that period. Sassi also handles with the text and image of the band. The music of Area is 'music fusion type internationalist', as was defined by Stratos, the singer and soul of the band. Area tried to make a music style 'total'. Stratos came with his experiences from Greece, other had experience of electronic music in London, two were from jazz and another from contemporary music. All tried to merge, having a combination between rock, jazz, contemporary, Mediterranean and Balkan music.

All this together represents a shift from experimentation, which was very close to the music of John Cage, to jazz- rock, folk from the Middle East and to the Mediterranean folk. One of the goals of the group, in fact, was to tie a purely experimental sound to the Italian and Mediterranean sounds, to rescue them from the world of subculture in which criticism has relegated the Italian music. While Area was coming, like many other Italian groups of the time like Banco Del Muttuo Soccorso, Premiata Forneria Marconi and Le Orme, Area was also characterized by the radical nature of the content and the musical language adopted by them, which identify utopias and desires of that generation of the 70's.

Area had their heyday between 1973 and 1979, before the death of the singer Demetrio Stratos in 1979, where the charismatic and characteristic voice of the band fell silent. During those years Area plays a partly enriched style by experimental sounds and jazz rock, which sometimes takes up also oriental elements. The textual messages announce radical leftist positions. In those years, the band released five studio albums 'Arbeit Macht Frei' in 1973, 'Caution Radiation Area' in 1974, 'Crac!' in 1975, 'Maledetti' in 1976 and '1978 - Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!' in 1978 and two live albums 'Are(A)zione' and 'Event '76' in 1979. The last one will be the subject of this my review.

'Event '76', is a live album of Area which was recorded in 1976 in the great auditorium of the University of Milan. It was recorded at the time when the group was working on their fourth studio album 'Maledetti'. Unlike the 'Concerto Teatro Uomo', which was recorded during the same period, there are no area classics to be heard here, but only excessive collective improvisations. In addition, not all band's members are going on, as bassist Tavolazzi and drummer Capiozzo stayed at home. The saxophonist Steve Lacy and the percussionist Paul Litton took part in the event, which can also be heard as a guest musician on 'Maledetti'. The sound of the recording session is quite good, much better than that the sound of the 'Concerto Teatro Uomo'. However, it's quite far from the quality of a professional live recording, really.

'Event '76' has only three tracks, 'Caos' part one and two and the title track 'Evet '76'. As I already indicated, there are only free improvisations on 'Event '76' in the sense of the song title 'Caos'. This is a wild avant-garde sound clutter, a kind of a bizarre but fascinating free-jazz rock decorated with the crazy vocal acrobatics of Stratos. To describe the music that Stratos and colleagues perform is quite difficult, really. In 'Event '76' the band tries a concept of random improvisation. Each musician tries to improvise. The result is an 'ordered chaos'. The musician is no longer bound by the play of other musicians. His improvisation is now indeed free. And this freedom is the focus of the music.

Conclusion: The radical concept of music of Area, somehow isolated the band from the developments in the music scene, a certainly wanted development. In this respect, it's hardly surprising that Area found hardly any collaborators or imitators. What remains is the courageous, but very difficult, attempt at a radical reinterpretation of music, art and interaction. Seen in this way, Area was far ahead of their time and also of the prog music, who never went down on such a thin ice. And if there is one of their works that shows so clearly the radical concept of their art, I think it's 'Event '76', really. Area's 'Event '76' is anything but a hot recommendation for the usual proghead. However, those who have learned to deal with the free forms of jazz and the contemporary music will be able to discover a fascinating and truly innovative band in Area. But, this isn't a good starting point. As memowakeman said: 'Caution: Improvisation Area!'.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

The direction Area took with their sophomore album demonstrates the sort of creative process that I often find myself most fond of. As a followup to Arbeit Macht Frei, Caution Radiation Area is not an album I find universally better or worse, but just rather different, focusing on some aspects far more while deemphasising others. This approach is quite appealing due to the way it really can demonstrate a band not being content with just sitting still and sticking to one sound, presenting a willingness to experiment and come up with something new and exciting. In the case of this album, it was clear that the band wouldn't be happy until they further explored the avant prog sound they brought to the table, taking the atonality and aggressive complexity to a whole other level. In the process there is certainly less of a focus on both groove and melody here, to the point where even any vocal inclusions sound incredibly frantic and strange. This ultimately leads to an album that seems deadset on challenging the listener, and sounding even more off the traditional beaten path of Italian prog than their already remarkably distinctive debut.

Despite probably being the most accessible track here, Cometa Rossa sets the album up perfectly, both with those jazzier elements being in the mix, and with the frantic, complex instrumentation rearing its head. While this track definitely has some form of melody to it, it all feels obscured by the band's desire to get weird with it. None of the instrumental sections or sense of rhythm stands still long enough to allow the listener to fully settle into anything, as they are instead thrown around a lot by the ensuing onslaught of ideas all condensed within a short timeframe. Tracks 3 and 5, Brujo and Lobotomia respectively, embody this approach the most prominently and cleanly. Brujo is a nonstop bombardment of jazzy proggy greatness that often times feels closer to a jumbled mess of notes as opposed to much that feels carefully composed or structured at all. It clearly has no intentions of attempting to do anything relating to finding a melody or really anything to grasp onto at all, as it flails wildly and refuses to be following the same train of thought for more than a few seconds at a time. This song also showcases a lot of the reason why the vocals manage to sound so particularly strange besides Demetrio Stratos' breathy, crazed delivery. The way the music practically cuts out, or at least tones it down majorly gives these vocals a rather eerie vibe thanks to how isolated they often sound, making for yet another layer of strangeness on top of everything else.

The album's atmosphere really reaches its peak with its final two songs. Mirage! is a long, explorative track that keeps switching between some sections of echoey, progressively intensifying vocals and somewhat more structured instrumental parts to end up with the most interesting, dynamic song on the album, with the almost space rockish atmosphere that gets established here. Lobotomia closes everything off rather nicely, being the most experimental, challenging piece here, with a somewhat sparse start quickly devolving into a wall of high pitched beeps and buzzes, bringing forth a strangely mechanical sound and ending things on an extremely memorable note. Overall I am quite a big fan of what Area did here, taking their established sound and then just going in a different direction while retaining a lot of their core sound palette and identity. The jazziness certainly still comes through, especially in the drumming, and yet, this is just considerably more insane across the board. This might have led to a compromise in terms of how memorable and "fun" the album was, but this direction is just so cool and interesting that it's a small price to pay, even if it ends up not having a songs as tremendously great as their debut's title track. If you liked the more full on elements of Arbeit Macht Frei, give this album a listen, there really is a lot to love here.