Elio e le Storie Tese
Esco dal mio corpo e ho molta paura [gli inediti 1979-1986]

THE REVIEW

Wherever there is talk of music, there is also talk of Elio e le storie tese. It's normal, because as absurd as both Elio and his group may be, the "Band" represents a progressive musical talent on the national scene. Both criticized and loved at the same time. On the internet, there are numerous forums on the open "debate" between those who consider Elìì an essential group and those who "disgust" them because they don't think it's right for such success to be given to a comedic band. The result of these debates is always the same: those who focus on the swear words in Elio's songs are not true music listeners, but those who understand the complexity, from the monstrous technique of Tanica and Faso to the wordplay, to the instrumental references to music and cinema, and finally to the humor (in other words, confessing that it's a group with serious skills), then they are wise.

Elio e le storie tese are great, Elio has a remarkable voice, Tanica is considered one of the best Italian keyboardists, not to mention the skill and technique of Cesareo and Faso. There is material evidence to show that this is not just a simple group: Elio e le storie tese have millions of television and radio appearances (think of Elio at Sanremo with Le Vibrazioni, think of all the Mai dire gol shows, consider that on January 23rd of this year, under an orchestra conducted by maestro Dmitri Jurowski at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Elio will be the narrator of "Peter and the Wolf"), they have numerous fans who follow them on tour, countless internet sites (plus a VIRGELIO search portal created by them), and with Elio e le storie tese, a myriad of great artists have worked: from Paola Cortellesi to Aldo Giovanni e Giacomo, from Diego Abatantuono to Riccardo Fogli, from Ritz Samaritano to Enrico Ruggeri and many others...and not least, have you ever wondered what genre they play? Besides the "Absurd" definition, which I always correct to "absurd prog", there isn't (almost) a genre that the Elìì have never played, there's everything, from reggae to hard rock, from heavy metal to jazz, from synth-pop to blues, from gospel to Rock & Roll ...these are things only those who truly know how to make music can accomplish. After everything they have done...I really can't share even a shred of the ideas of those who continue stubbornly to reject them.

Knowing all, but really all the songs of the group is difficult and unlikely as their "works" don't stop at normal discography but go far beyond...most are special songs, improvised songs live, concert quotes, and bonuses than the actual complete songs in their albums. After this long introductory parenthesis about the group in question, let's move on to the album: "Esco Dal Mio Corpo E Ho Molta Paura" (the unreleased 1979-1986) an album dated 1993. I review this album because no one typically reviews it, yet I'm convinced it's one of the best. This album has two peculiarities: the first is that it's recorded live at Regson in Milan with an audience in the room as if it were a small live show. The second characteristic is that this collection features special tracks, indeed unreleased tracks, meant both as the major hits of live performances (recorded in studio, however) and rarely heard tracks, songs the Elìì had discarded from previous recordings, and incomplete songs the band had placed in oblivion.

The fantastic album is announced through "Unanimi", a "choral" track in which the band presents itself to the public: "We agree on almost everything, but sometimes we diverge, for example on the swear words, everyone says the one that suits them..." and continues with many different swear words that, however, said by everyone at the same time can't be heard (there are 6 different stanzas, one for each member of the band, said at the same time). With this little song, the Elìì introduced themselves to the audience during their first provincial shows. It is then followed by "Noi Siamo i Giovani (con i blue jeans)", a hilarious song in perfect old Rock & Roll style, which describes the eternal struggle between cool, rebellious youth and the conservative elders. (the subject of MATUSA reappears beautifully 10 years later with SUPERGIOVANE) Elio e le storie tese also dedicate a song to vegetables, specifically to "Catalogna" and its dubious nutritional/energetic value, which is then reconsidered once they discover that "...But love, only now do I realize that Catalogna allows us to lead a psychically correct and sexually fantastic life...". A beautiful 80s hard rock song. The collection continues with "Abecedario", a piece of pure classic divergent reggae that tells the sad story of a man without a car and a seller of plastic laminated screwdrivers. Ritz Samaritano joins Elio to sing a macabre twist: "Cadavere Spaziale" a song that Ritz himself recorded in this studio some thirty years earlier. Not to be missed is also "Zelig: La cunnesiun del pulpacc" an entirely dialectal song in Milanese, but the real masterpiece of this album, without a doubt, is "La Saga Di Addolorato" running for ten minutes, in my opinion the most prog track the band has ever made along with SUPERGIOVANE, it’s a Rock-pop-Cuban-rock'& roll-Blues fairytale repeatedly interrupted by the narrating voice that tells the adventure of Addolorato, in name and in fact, forced to live in a small room underground without light, and fed by an elephant’s trunk, Addolorato paints the walls of his little room grey to try to distract himself from the pranks of his brothers Pino, Gino, Dino, Rino... "Cavo" is the Pop serenade of a young boy with the problem of the cable coming unsoldered from the guitar. But could Elio deny a Jazz track in this collection? Surely not, so here’s: "La Ditta", slow with piano, Sax and trumpet à la Chet Baker, advertising a company that "with strange techniques" "buys the shit the group produces" and "manufactures it into food for dogs and prostitutes". Then "Ocio Ocio", which in Italian means "Attention Attention", a fantastic hard & Synth rock melodic song with jazzy funk veins and a small reggae piece, where Elio warns the young guys to stay away from Brother Punene played by the mythical Feiez (rest in peace) "You" is a Jazz cover of the Quark theme song where a (hypothetical?) love story between Elio and Tanica is sung... spine-tingling, tap-dancing is also faced in "Au" and "Faro" is the song everyone knows today from the legendary chorus "Ma vaffanculo..." where towards the end that madman of the guitarist creates a mess. Subsequently, a topic of current affairs, Abortion, is however seen as a philosophical question of life, as a style, as a choice in a romantic and spectacular song titled "A gomito a gomito con l'aborto" (not to be missed). And what about the hilarious yet nonsensical "Carne e pesce" which serves as a thanks to the contributors of the recording, and the two final bonus tracks like: "Sono Felice" with a cycling theme and "Amico Uligano" old theme of Mai dire goal?

I commented on some old reviews saying that "Elio samaga..." was the most beautiful album? ...I was wrong, the best in their discography is absolutely this one, truly fantastic and not to miss, an album that more than others enhances aspects that in the group have been gradually lost, like "Improvisation" and "The Absurd". A prize-worthy album.