C.S.I.
La Terra, La Guerra, Una Questione Privata

THE REVIEW

Alba, Church of San Domenico, October 5, 1996. On this historic day, C.S.I., the band formed from the ashes of CCCP in 1992, and which can be comfortably considered one of the best Italian bands ever, recorded this beautiful concert, dedicated to the memory of Beppe Fenoglio, a partisan and writer who greatly inspired the group with his writings.

The band consists of Gianni Maroccolo on bass, Francesco Magnelli on keyboards and piano, Giorgio Canali and Massimo Zamboni on guitars, and finally Giovanni Lindo Ferretti and Ginevra di Marco on vocals. The music played by the group in this concert is very similar to that of their latest album, Linea Gotica: without drums, focused on sharp and distorted guitars, but also on the piano and the melody of Ginevra di Marco’s vocalizations, which contrast with Ferretti’s cavernous and baritone voice.

The album is divided into 3 parts: "La Terra", "La Guerra" and "Una Questione Privata". The first of these is opened by the sweet and calm "Campestre", sung entirely by Ginevra di Marco. Much extended compared to the original version (3 against almost 8 of this version), the piece in the central part features a feedback solo exchange between the 2 guitars, then reprises the last verse (very poetic: "S’impose la poesia / S’alza la luna e/ Sfuma… ") and concludes. Next is "Esco": Ferretti’s voice makes its appearance amidst the dark sounds of the piano and the guitar solos. The piece proceeds without surprises, slowly and solemnly, giving way to the cheerful and light "Fuochi nella Notte di San Giovanni": the first part, only with electric guitar and piano, transitions into a folk/rock where Ferretti declaims his famous manifesto of intentions: "Don’t make me an idol or I’ll burn/ If I become a megaphone, I’ll jam/ What to do, what not to do, I don’t know/ When where why is only my concern/ I only know that everything goes but doesn’t go".

The heart of the concert is the second part. First, the collage of partisan songs "Guardali negli Occhi", then 3 masterpieces in sequence. Beginning with the deeply emotional "Linea Gotica": the initial quotation from Fenoglio takes your breath away, the litany solemnly and emotionally recited by the 2 singers brings tears (“It is necessary to be careful to be masters of oneself/ My small homeland behind the Gothic Line/ Knows how to choose the side to stand on/ It is necessary to be careful, it is necessary to be careful/ And choose the side behind the Gothic Line/ Commander Devil Monk Obedient/ Young Rebel Courier Fighter”). At the same level are the 7 intensely powerful minutes of "Cupe Vampe", describing the bombing of the library of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war: "Piles of fire rise skyward, piles of fire rise in gloomy flames" sings Ferretti on a bed of organ sounds, and then, the long “sonic” solo of guitar and violin. There is not a moment to breathe, and following right after is the lengthy (10 minutes) "Memorie di una Testa Tagliata", which has its strong point in the female vocalizations and the fantastic piano solo.

The third part (named after a piece by Fenoglio) opens with 3 classics of the group played only with the piano: "In Viaggio", good but not surprising (it’s the same version as “In Quiete”), quite another matter "Del Mondo" and especially "Annarella", introduced by an ovation from the audience, pure poetry. The rest of the group returns for a stunning version of "Irata", considered by many to be the best track ever created by C.S.I., and its citation of Pasolini and the reprise of "Guardali negli Occhi".

This fantastic work is unfortunately very difficult to find: it was released in January 1998 and withdrawn from the market on May 1st of the same year. The reason? Ferretti responds: "It's not an economic issue, it's a private matter."