Area
1979 Il concerto

THE REVIEW

This double album containing as many as 17 songs is the recording of the tribute concert to the great singer of the Area, Demetrio Stratos, who died in 1979. Born from a collaboration among several singer-songwriters of the era, the album boasts the participation of musicians such as Antonello Venditti, Francesco Guccini, Eugenio Finardi, Roberto Vecchioni, and groups like Skiantos, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, and Area themselves, who perform two instrumental songs at the beginning and end of the concert. An excellent testament to Italian music of that time, it provides a broad spectrum of musical genres, starting from the early punk of Kaos Rock or the fusion of Venegoni & Co. to arrive at the absurd rock in the form of provocative poetry by the unforgettable Skiantos who, with the trio of "Ehi Sbarbo; Ehi Buba Loris; Come faccio a farmi fare", lift the spirits of the audience saddened by the bitter tones of Guccini's "Per un amico" and the obsequies of Branduardi's "Il funerale".

The "Concerto" can also be considered as the Italian Woodstock, not only because it represents a true and proper Italian musical manifesto but also because it highlights the skill and resilience of the singers and musicians on stage who (as can be verified from the recording) battle against microphones, amplifier feedback, climate changes, and a crowd made up of hundreds and hundreds of listeners who at the time completely occupied the Arena Civica in Milan and the surrounding areas.

Lucky are those who were among that multitude!