Bandabardò
Fuori Orario

THE REVIEW

Released last September 1st, "Fuori Orario" is the first best of by Bandabardò.

This album summarizes thirteen years of life of the Tuscan folk rock group in two CDs. "Fuori Orario" is divided into four parts: the first part consists of four unreleased tracks, the second consists of some tracks taken from their six studio albums, the third part consists of various songs in acoustic version rearranged with special guests, and the fourth consists of some live tracks taken from their formidable and energetic concerts.

"Fuori Orario" begins with four unreleased tracks. The album starts with "Un uomo in mare", a beautiful ballad with Irish sounds narrating the hypothetical adventure of a person who leaves the ship in search of new fortune and adventures. The second unreleased track is "Filastrocca 2" which has already become a summer tour hit with ironic and boozy lyrics. It continues with the title track, a song with Caribbean sounds thanks especially to the trumpet played by Rocco of Tamales De Chipil. The following song is "Bobo merenda", a cover of the song by Enzo Jannacci, which honestly is the least liked of the four. It features lyrics that appear funny and humorous but upon second reading are quite profound. After the four unreleased tracks, the first CD contains some songs taken from their previous works, especially songs from the penultimate work of bandabardò which is "Bondo! Bondo!". Unfortunately, they are the same versions present on the old CDs. For new fans, it will be a chance to listen to some tracks of the band's previous works without having to get them, while long-time fans like me would have preferred different versions of those tracks.

The first part of the second CD contains eight classic songs but rearranged differently than usual. For example, there is a beautiful "Disegnata" played together with Bandao, which gives a very exotic touch and adds many percussions to a song with extraordinary lyrics. Another noteworthy song is "Ho la testa" played featuring BandaImprovvisa. The song is very different from the original, much more intense and with a much darker atmosphere but it conveys the lyrics of the song very well. Additionally, there are different versions from the original but equally beautiful of songs like "Manifesto", "Lo sciopero del sole", and others.

The last part of this album consists of ten songs taken from concerts that Bandabardò performed in various parts of Italy. The live part is definitely where the band manages to express itself at its best, where it manages to engage the entire audience thanks to the danceable, cheerful, and fun atmospheres of their songs. This part mainly features tracks from the latest studio album called "Tre passi avanti" but without leaving out songs that have now become the travel repertoire of these six musicians as well as friends like "Beppeanna" and "Ventoinfaccia". Indeed, these last two songs close this beautiful best of.

In conclusion, "Fuori Orario" is a fundamental album both for those approaching Bandabardò for the first time and for longtime fans who wish to listen to the now classic tracks in different keys. In short, a CD that I truly recommend to everyone and that is set to be one of the best albums of 2006.