Area
Area(A)zione

"Festa del Proletariato Giovanile" at Parco Lambro, "Festa dell'Unità" in Naples, and the Teatro Comunale di Reggio Emilia. These were the places where Area aimed to record a live album and showcase their tireless performance ability. They and Banco vied for the title of "war machine" live, performing for hours and hours... not forgetting the theatricality of Osanna and the high wattage of Il Rovescio Della Medaglia. This work boasts excellent audio quality, unlike other live recordings by Area, featuring three tracks selected from their debut, from "Crac," and from "Caution Radiation Area." The finale includes an unreleased track that gives the album its title, and "L'Internationale," which, when Ceausescu heard it, he said, "It's a disgrace!"

Fortunately, not everyone shares the sensitivity of the Russian governor because there are also those who hail "Areazione" as one of the best Italian prog albums. Here, there's more than just prog. Stratos & Co. are anything but a label or a constraint. The only Italian group to venture into free jazz (other examples are not within their reach, despite the presence of Il Volo, Napoli Centrale, and Perigeo) and enrich their sound with oriental influences (unlike Aktuala). It's probably unnecessary to dwell on the range of Stratos: a true instrument, driven by heart and soul and which, the following year, in '76, would find its full expression in "Maudits" (recommended are "Gerontocrazia," "Evaporazione," "Caos," and "Scum").

They inaugurate the work with the famous "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)," the epitome of "Arbeit Macht Frei," then transition into "La Mela Di Odessa." Even better than "Crac" thanks to an intro by Capiozzo who dialogues with snare and toms like few others can. "Cometa Rossa" also seems more engaging than the studio version, but it's well known that the magic of some live performances far surpasses the "mathematics" of the recording studio. The unreleased track that gives the album its title is the most interesting element, where the ears can revel in the virtuosity of Fariselli and Tofani (here very close to Zappa from "Burnt Weeny Sandwich"), vocals that surpass the "shouts" of the typical jazz trumpet, and Tavolazzi's sensational mantra-like solo. It's a dark atmosphere, yet theatrical, festive, surreal, leading us to the end, where we find the Soviet anthem in a jazz rock version.

It's the most beloved band and the one closest to the student struggle, always consistent and never making commercial choices, unlike PFM with "Jet Lag," and only the death of Stratos managed to interrupt this prolific compositional process of the quintet. Another recommended live album is "Event 76," recorded at the University of Milan with Steve Lacy on sax, and with Capiozzo absent, replaced by Paul Lytton, and Tavolazzi, who had already left the band. Here, they transform "Caos" and "Scum" from "Maudits," being inspired by three tickets with three words written on them: sex, violence, and irony. After three minutes, they could change the word and improvise on another... unique.