Area
Tic & Tac

"Tic & Tac" is undoubtedly the least known album by Area. It was released during a not-so-happy period for the band: their legendary singer, Demetrio Stratos, had just died of leukemia, and the excellent guitarist Paolo Tofani had already left some time ago. In fact, there were unconfirmed rumors that the group had decided to disband before recording the album. How things turned out is not entirely clear, but "Tic & Tac" was released in 1980.

Despite being an 80s album, it features very little electronic music: Fariselli does experiment with synthesizers, but he does so discreetly, never intrusively, always leaving ample space for the others. Ares Tavolazzi especially contributes to this album: indeed, the good Ares (whom many still remember as one of the authors of the "Ufo Robot" theme song) not only masterfully handles his basses and double basses, but also records some rhythm guitar parts, sings (alas, I must admit he could have spared us this), and signs two superb compositions. What about the precise drumming and the masterful groove of the late Giulio Capiozzo? Giulio was probably one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) Italian drummers, and despite what some 80s magazines claimed, his style remains very current and undoubtedly a great source of inspiration for young drummers today. One of the innovations is the addition of a saxophonist, the very talented Larry Nocella, who, rest assured, will have a starring role in this album.

But let's get back to the album. I mentioned earlier that Tavolazzi sings, and it's absolutely true, but he only sings in scat, mostly improvising on his solos. Indeed, the album is almost entirely instrumental (except for the concluding "Antes De Hablar Abra La Boca", where the lyrics are limited to some repetition of the title). "La Torre Dell'Alchimista" is a beautiful instrumental, unjustly not included among the group's masterpieces. The introduction relies on some synth effects, Capiozzo's vigorous entrance, a brilliant keyboard theme, and superb solos are the elements of this track. The next track, "Danza Ad Anello", dominated by Tavolazzi's excellent double bass and Nocella's energetic trumpet, is also excellent. "Letric Rag" is a synthesizer spree by the good Fariselli, accompanied only by Capiozzo. Despite everything, it's a very interesting piece, especially since the synths are not used as they were in the rest of the 80s, but instead, they try to recreate the sound of the double bass and piano, I would say successfully: a big bravo to maestro Fariselli!

The title track, on the other hand, is a more jazz/fusion-oriented piece, with a splendid melody and yet another excellent solo performance by the group! Pure jazz returns with the splendid "Sibarotega", a track that, judging by the theme, could have easily fit into an album by Miles Davis or Coltrane. What else to say about this piece? Great Tavolazzi on double bass, and once again great Nocella!
Even "Quartet" is a jazz piece, and although it offers some satisfaction, it is by no means comparable to the ride of "Sibarotega". While Fariselli had his starring moment in "Letric Rag", Tavolazzi makes his mark in "Chantée D'Amour", a very smooth and relaxed track with a great rhythmic base by Capiozzo.

The positive tracks of the album are these, all very good, worthy of the Area of the good old days (although unfortunately, Stratos' absence is felt). So why the 4-star rating instead of 5? Well, the tracks I didn't mention are certainly not to be remembered as the best: "Antes De Hablar Abra La Boca" indeed has an interesting main theme, but the vocals in the piece are horrible, and furthermore, Area seems quite worn out in the execution of the piece compared to the rest of the album. "A.S.A." (but what the heck does the title mean?) is a generic ballad neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy, where, nonetheless, you can still enjoy a good performance by Larry Nocella once again. While both "A.S.A." and "Antes De Hablar Abra La Boca" are (in my opinion) passable, I simply cannot stand the flatness of a track like "La Luna Nel Pozzo". Yes, Tavolazzi and Fariselli are great, we all know that, but I think their best performances are not in tracks like this.

In summary, with 7 positive tracks, 2 passable, and one rather poor, I would say it's much more than a good balance. If you own this album, I'm sure most of you will find it at least good, if you don't have it, I recommend you get it immediately, because, despite the unusual atmospheres (more jazz than experimentalism) "Tic & Tac" is and remains a great album!