Elio e le Storie Tese
Eat The Phikis

THE REVIEW

We are in 1996: Elio e Le Storie Tese return with "Eat The Phikis," "promoting it" at the San Remo of the same year.

The intro is called "Vincitori o Campioni?" followed by the famous "La Terra dei Cachi." Why winners or losers? Legend has it that the band triumphed in that edition of San Remo with "La Terra dei Cachi," but through a bureaucratic trick, the victory was awarded to Ron and Tosca with "Vorrei Incontrarti Fra Cent'anni." Despite everything, the band remains the undisputed moral winner of the edition, able to take the stage at the Ariston during the final evening dressed as Rockets.

"Burattino Senza Fichi" is a catchy melody accompanied by lyrics that tell of Pinocchio dealing with a new part of his body produced by Geppetto. Immediately after, "T.V.U.M.D.B." starts, where the album's first important collaborations are noticeable, namely Giorgia and Demo Morselli on horns, already present in "Burattino Senza Fichi." The piece is a slow where Giorgia and Elio share the roles of the protagonists of the narrated story: the young girl writing on the metro walls and the young man courting her.

In "Lo Stato A, Lo Stato B," the band ventures into electronics, with a crazy groove composed of electronic drums and bass, followed by electronic guitar in the chorus, which concludes the piece with a great solo worthy of the best.
The next track, one of the most famous in their entire discography, "El Pube" takes on Mexican and Cuban rhythms, with Elio on flute. "Omosessualità" instead is a punk ride that makes you want to mosh. Elio playing bass, a novelty for the band.
A legendary piece of the band is "Mio Cuggino," a rather dark song in which well-known urban legends are told. Here too are collaborations: Tenores di Neoneli on backing vocals and Aldo playing Rolando. "First Me, Second Me" is instead two songs in one: the first (First me), sung by Elio and Feiez in quite a macaronic English with a musical background reminiscent of a night club, but with all the irony that distinguishes them. The tone changes completely later for Second Me (The Peak Of the Mountain), where James Taylor sings a slow that surprises everyone, supported by a piano and keyboards that make everything magical. Despite everything, in the finale, James Taylor concludes with a phrase that will remain in the annals "What do you think of the my car? Is much beautiful, second me".
"Milza" and "Li Mortacci" pave the way for the glorious "Tapparella," where Elio recalls moments lived at middle school parties, surprising with the falsetto and stadium chorus "Forza Panino!" and with the finale of "Smoke on the Water" from "Made in Japan" by Deep Purple, which will make the piece unique in its kind. In "Neanche Un Minuto Non Caco" instead, it returns to "La Terra Dei Cachi," but sung in 55 seconds.

Irreverent lyrics, great musicians, completely different pieces, with continuous rhythm changes, spanning various musical genres and important collaborations: an irresistible blend that has always made Elio e Le Storie Tese irresistible at first listen.