Equipe 84
ID

L'Equipe 84 is not just that of the '60s beat - among the less crude formations of the period - but it is also that of "Id", a curious experiment recorded and released in 1970.

At that time, the historical formation of Equipe underwent some changes, influenced by factors external to music, keeping as a pivot the figure of Maurizio Vandelli, author of the music and lyrics, who calls for this work musicians external to the band.

Already the album cover marks a discontinuity with the group's previous ones, and if the music keeps alive - and recognizability is an asset - Vandelli's style, it is also evident that we are not just in front of a simple beat album: one can speak, somewhat schematically, of a sort of proto-prog, with a clear pop matrix. And if the rhythms are often "beatles-esque", there are original and nevertheless noteworthy cues.

It is in any case an interesting album, in various respects. The first track "Id" is certainly a novelty in the Italian scene: totally instrumental, it features Indian tablas as its main characteristic. These are fascinating sounds, certainly not very "Equipe", but unfortunately, they will not have continuity in the album. The track links to "Buon Giorno Amico Mio", a cheerful, joyful piece with an easy and direct theme that we will find at the end of the album. It is immediately noticeable, however, that compared to the traditional mixing of pop music, the instruments are more prominent than the vocals, which, by the way, is always a characteristic of Vandelli. The arrangement is rich in guitars, with 12-strings very present, and mellotron. The third track, also linked to the previous one, is "La Notte di Verità", the lyrics tie very well to the music. Here alongside the ever-present guitars, we find flutes and harpsichord. The following "Giochi d'amore", very Beatles-like in melodies and arrangement, flows pleasantly without excessive pretensions: the ending is playful and amusing. The fifth track addresses the generational clash, it's titled "Padre e Figlio": it anticipates Cat Stevens's "Father and Son" in the structure of the piece, that is, the dialogue entrusted to the father (the verse) and the son (the chorus). The idea of diversifying the music quite a bit is clever, with a "light" verse, with relaxed country-like features (phrases in the "style" of singer Donatello already on guitar), from "sermon sitting on the couch" with a more melodic refrain, very typical of the period, but tasty. The lyrics, now obvious but surely less so in Italy in '70, even with harsh passages "...there’s a life between us, do you understand dad? Yours is so empty and always will be...".

"Jo", with an almost military start and Mario Totano's Hammond organ well highlighted thanks to chords on the verge of overdrive, tackles the theme of drugs - among the first songs in Italy - in a non-trivial way. Musically, the piece, especially the arrangement, might recall some sounds from "Collage" by Le Orme.

It then reaches what is probably the most beautiful piece of the album as well as the least "pop" and with the most prog intention: the over 7 minutes of "Un Brutto Sogno". The lyrics do not particularly shine for originality, a pity. The music is very beautiful, the idea of starting each harmonic round with a diminished chord helps convey the idea of a "bad dream", the piano, with an almost "honky tonk" timbre, well connects to the obsessive round. It is complemented by a mellotron backdrop. The final 4 minutes are instrumental, repetitive but dynamic, not tiring. After the rock-blues of "San Luigi", where alongside the electric guitar, a young but already recognizable Franz Di Cioccio's drums come to the fore, we arrive at "Il Re dei Re", a piece with an almost "mystical" backdrop, with Vandelli's voice present in all its "extension". Not a very original track, but the overall sound is commendable. We are now at the "Fine", a curious closing of the record, which reprises the initial theme of "Buon Giorno Amico Mio", entrusted to a flute, rich in choirs, with the mellotron making everything orchestral and almost "epic": but on this basis, the participants of the album are thanked in an ironic way.

It certainly did not change the course of music in Italy, but it is an album that well represents that historical moment, that transition, that "gray" area between beat-pop and true progressive. Moreover, being recorded live, it still maintains freshness and a sound impact today that deserves listening.