Elio e le Storie Tese
Craccracriccrecr

THE REVIEW

Year 1999. Renato Zero calls his fans "Sorcini", Elio calls them "Fave". Everyone is eagerly awaiting the release of "Craccracriccrecr", the much-discussed album of the band. The laughter starts even before listening to the CD, as soon as you see the bootleg cover: two marbles stuffed into the nostrils of a powdered nose make for a strange little face at first glance. Then, after listening to the whole CD, you realize it's not the absolute best in their discography, but it is very enjoyable, very smooth, and contains various gems.

The album starts off in a brilliant manner, with a solo by the legendary Feiez, rest his soul, whom the band never forgot to honor. Then band instruments kick in with "EVVIVA/LA VISIONE", a completely non-sense song (you should definitely look for the video). We know that the Elìi have played every genre by now, including all the sub-genres, but we're all ready to bet that what they love to do the most is rock &'n roll. Indeed, how many references are there in their discography from Led Zeppelin to Beach Boys, from the Beatles to many others? It’s followed by a song titled after the genre itself (even though it's not Rock'n Roll but rather Rock+Roll+Opera+Pop+anything else...) but first commented by Mentana on the news, narrating the mysterious stories of music genres fighting each other; a battle that seems to have begun when Osburne bit a bat on stage, involving even the Acrobatic Rock. There comes a great and relaxing (yet comical) track, like an old 43-rpm under the tight grip of a worn-out needle, "La Bella Canzone di una volta" ("The Beautiful Song of Bygone Days"), which everyone used to sing... Giorgio Bracardi takes on the style of a drunken wanderer to sing "Che Felicità" ("What Happiness"), (marching genre?) a song that more than any other has emerged from this album and spread among young people, for its frenetic chorus: "I am an Asshole... Dumbass", the way it ends is spectacular. Elio's voice is not that of any ordinary singer, and it is demonstrated with "Farmacista" where the big guy ventures into opera, the result is nothing short of spectacular, if it weren't for the highly comical lyrics narrating a drug addict in line in a crowded pharmacy, it would be a true masterpiece, to which Elena Rossi's (soprano) voice contributes greatly. I take this opportunity to recommend the high-priced shampoo and the tiger balm to everyone. Here is another tribute to the legendary Feiez in an old USA-made recording: "BOBBI BURRS (BABY BIRDS)" typically country track with vocal banjo. "Nudo e Senza Cacchio" ("Naked and Without a Thing"), in my opinion the best, of prog-rock nature and great overwhelming rhythm, narrates a story from a female perspective. After a beautiful composition named "MUSTASI'", comes the fantastic and lively "BEATLES ROLLING STONES E BOB DYLAN" composed (in beat style) with the creative purpose of clarifying the mysteries between the three bands. But the laughter doesn't end there; in fact, "CARO 2000" ("Dear 2000") comes, slow and poetic, dedicated to the new millennium, but with a bit of a scold, as if to say: "Don't think that now that you're here, 2000, we all consider you the best year of the future, sooner or later 10000 will come too, and you will be old..." Follows "Bacio" ("Kiss") typically Beat and "DISCO MUSIC", these two songs in my opinion are the weak point of the album, the first one has nothing particularly special either textually or sound-wise, the second is a bit boring and not very funny.

But overall the album is hilarious and very enjoyable, after finishing it there's no need to ask for an encore, because the Elìì themselves will propose "BIS", a song in the "Ligabue" style in which the best men of our society are remembered: "Super Giovane" ("Super Young"), "La donna volante" ("The Flying Woman")...