Birdmen Of Alkatraz
Glidin' Off

Imagine 3 musicians with a '60s oriented look in a dusty cellar in Pisa in the early '80s: records of Seeds and 13Th Floor Elevators are stacked in a corner: the music is an explosive garage-punk that revives the spirit of legendary groups like the Sonics and Count V. The names of the 3 are Daniele Caputo (drums), Maurizio Curadi (guitar), and Alessandro Ansani (bass) and the group is called Useless Boys: this is a seminal group from which, as we will see, other very important groups will form. Subsequently, Curadi and Caputo, two great artists, will form the legendary Birdmen Of Alkatraz while Ansani will originate the Liars. In the shadow of the tower, there was a unique ferment of talents, and it is no exaggeration to say that the Pisa psychedelic scene was the most important and creative of the period.

In particular, the very first lineup of the Birdmen Of Alkatraz, which included Curadi and Caputo, was the best there has ever been in Italy in the psychedelic field. Anyone wanting to know Italian psychedelia must start with their first legendary EP "Glidin' Off" released by Electric Eye of the far-sighted Claudio Sorge in 1986. The 3 tracks that comprise the EP, namely "Young Maiden Ghost," "Dreamin' Demon," and "The Best Way To Say Goodbye," follow the path of an acid psychedelia reminiscent of the lesson of the great 13Th Floor Elevators. With "Glidin' Off," the Birdmen Of Alkatraz gifted the cosmos with an authentic milestone of the genre. Unfortunately, Curadi and Caputo are also two hotheads: thus will arise irreconcilable disagreements that will lead to the former leaving and forming the excellent Steeplejack, which I have already discussed on DeBaser. Caputo, on the other hand, will persist relentlessly with a new lineup that will release "From The Birdcage" in 1989 for Contempo, a good album - whose cover was entrusted to the legendary Rick Griffin - yet in any case far from the magic of its predecessor. Then he will be active again with Standarte, a psych-prog group, and with the London Underground.

Unfortunately, due to unspecified reasons related to the will of some members, it has not been possible to reissue the production of the Birdmen Of Alkatraz on CD. This is a real pity, and it is hoped that a remedy will be found in the future.