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Basta, Dioxina, Rough, Klaxon, Hydra, Cani, Nabat, Hope and Glory, Fun, Youth, SS20. These are the bands that came together in 1985 to create one of the most famous and important Italian Oi! compilations in the Italic Skin-Punk scene.
Produced by C.A.S. Records, which is the famous label of Steno (singer of Nabat) “Campane A Stormo” (which is the Italian translation of “Nabat”, the name of a Ukrainian anarchist federation), this album uniquely brings together both very famous bands of the Italian street punk (Nabat, Rough, Klaxon, Dioxina) and lesser-known formations that have sometimes even disappeared without a trace (I challenge anyone to find information on or about Hydra, for example). The 11 songs are well-blended since the shared sound is the basic Oi! style, and the thematic fil rouge of these types of bands is more or less always the same (and I don't say this in a critical tone but with simple realism): rejection of institutional politics and opposition to bourgeois power (Rough - "No Politica", Dioxina - "Contropotere", Cani - "Vivi la tua vita", Nabat - "Zombi Rock", Fun - "Come voi", featuring a very enjoyable horn section, Youth - "Ghetto", the concluding "Non staremo più a sentire" by SS20, the rawest and dirtiest of them all), rejection of State militarism (Klaxon - "Diserzione"), pride in having chosen the path of the Skinhead and Punk subculture and belonging to the working class (Basta - "Nessun Pudore", Hope and Glory - "Working Class").
Counting them, I see I have left out a track, that is, the one by (or by?) Hydra, titled "Ombre". Was it an oversight not to include it when I discussed the thematic topoi above? Oh no, dear readers, I did it intentionally because I believe this track is the best of the compilation and deserves special mention, even for its history. As already mentioned, it's not easy to find information on Hydra online (at least I couldn't), and probably this could have been the band's only studio recording. The singer is a girl, supported in a chorus by another female voice: was it an all-female group? Unfortunately, it is not known. The lyrics are full of suffering and somewhat poetic, delivered in a singing style that seems to me interesting and unique; moreover, consider that I am not a great fan of female voices in punk, so my judgment on the track can be even more important to understand how, in this case, we are facing a small rare gem.
So, in conclusion, this compilation is a must for those who love old-school Oi!, an album that certainly cannot disappoint and, indeed, arouses even more interest because the lesser-known participants in this project make an excellent impression and do not feel any debt of comparison to sacred monsters like Nabat, Klaxon or Rough. Are there any important bands missing from the Italian Oi! scene of the time? Well, maybe groups like Arrm and Rappresaglia. Or Rip Off, who, if not invited by Steno, must have had a reason, which I believe is found in the friendship broken between Nabat and Rip Off around 1983 due to the enormous problems that arose during the third Italian Oi! gathering, organized in Certaldo, the hometown of Basta, a gathering that marked the official entry of right-wing ideologies into our Skin scene, with Rip Off among the protagonists of the first pro-Nazi provocations of the event (various outstretched arms), followed by brawls, a destroyed bar, and razors and filled cans thrown at the stage. The Rough chose not to play. Nabat eventually played, more to honor the event and those who organized it than for desire itself.
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