• Rating:
Italy is seen worldwide as the land of the PPM: Pasta, Pizza, and Mandolin. This quite limited view provokes in me a reaction of disdain towards those who are utterly ignorant of our varied regional cultures. No offense to the Neapolitan supporters (...and partly Neapolitan myself ;) ), but it doesn’t seem fair to limit everything beautiful about our (once?) Bel Paese to a type of folk song. We can find more or less established realities like Sud Sound System or lesser-known groups like the one I intend to present to you today.
Romagna. For those with a limited view, it might evoke thoughts of Sangiovese, Cappelletti, and Piadina. However, what is hidden yet characteristic are the towns revolving around large cities with their stories on the verge of the ridiculous, the paradoxical, and the ironic. Life concentrates in what are village bars: true centers of activity and/or fixed meeting points. Here, generations merge thanks to the presence of elderly people, family men, and young people who converse in a more or less contrasting manner with each other. For those with a narrow view, the main topics are soccer, girls, and beccacino (or maraffone). It’s in this reality that I Blec De Sabat live. And it is this reality they sing about and narrate its vicissitudes.
Their name jokes on the much more famous Black Sabbath, alluding to the dialect meaning of "The Saturday Clothes" and borrowing various aspects of the Andrea Mingardi of the past. Now, I wouldn’t want to be long-winded in the references to the meanings of terms in Italian, so I will limit myself, without musicality, to citing verses of songs in Italian to better clarify the meaning. but it's necessary. The musical ambit in which they can be placed is the mainstream rock of the '90s with sprinkles of typically Romagnolo folkloric elements and some references to classic rock. The technique of the Romagnolo combo, coming from Sant'Alberto di Romagna, is not to be scorned, rather. The group project of Blec de Sabat, in which some members play, is called "Da Polenta" and they predominantly replicate high-quality Pink Floyd covers. Having said that, we can move on to the album. A pleasant and light album which lends itself well to car trips or in the company of friends. The irony that permeates is straightforward and cute without delving into bad language, rather it situates itself in the vernacular, that is, of the people.
It starts off right away with two nice covers. The first takes on perhaps the most famous song of Bob Dylan (Knockin' on Heaven's Door) and is titled "No che l'an l'aveva d'or" (Since they made Miss Coccolia / Even the priest has stopped greeting). The second, instead, is titled Gianel and narrates the vicissitudes of a bizarre and "amusing" car accident near Cesenatico that happened to them on any given Saturday night ("Puttana vacca Gabacion you can sleep through even this, we almost mowed down a birch / Damn it, we had to call ACI, but no one answered there either") which unfolds over the notes of "Patience" by Guns'n Roses. The third and final cover of the album is related to "One" by U2 and is titled "Ad mont d'bot" and talks about disco fights with a group of boys who are their enemies ("They punched like blacksmiths, wonder what bruises we'd have for weeks / We changed disco to avoid seeing them, but even that evening was the same, Savino we are unlucky / Beats from September, beats until August / Moments I got tired, moments I couldn't take more punches") (perhaps the best of the album).
The covers are not the priority in this album (but perhaps the most joyful and carefree from a literal viewpoint) and indeed, "Canzon par la mi dona" an atypical love song, "Cal don", "Un pe intla fosa" (You're already a foot in the grave, you've sunk to the thigh, desperately clinging with nails, but that spade has buried you) on the tumultuous relationship of a boy and his friends because of his submission to his girlfriend, are pleasant and full of zest with amusing use of the Romagnolo dialect. More serious and dedicated to the workers of yesteryear (specifically to the "scariolanti") is "Par do "papet" a-e dé" which leaves the carefree tones of the album for a more intense and emotional sound, reflecting on the fortune of new generations and the real toil of past labor. Then, there's a revised version in ballad style of "Romagna mia", marked by melancholic and sorrowful tones.
The album is difficult to obtain (although the internet has helped with the site "http://crotalo.com/blecdesabat.htm") and almost useless for those who can’t fully comprehend its meaning, but on the other hand, even Neapolitan songs share this flaw, yet they shouldn’t remain unheard. The musical culture of our country needs to be reevaluated for a greater understanding of others and the history of the territory. And here, you can also spend a pleasant forty minutes in total lightheartedness, not to mention the laughs.
Loading comments slowly
