Leighton Koizumi & Tito And The Brainsuckers
Power Hits!

There is this book, beautiful from the title itself: it's called «Born Losers», born losers, because you're born a loser, you don't become one, and with the first cry you let out when your mom pushes you out of the womb, you've already lost if this is the destiny someone has written for you. The subtitle says something, nuggets and flint slabs; the under-subtitle says it all, in the footsteps of the lost and losing heroes of garage-punk.

There is this album, beautiful: it's called «When the Night Falls». Saying it's beautiful was an act of faith for twenty years, because I didn't have it nor had I ever listened to it. Then, almost simultaneously with «Born Losers», comes «Power Hits!», the super-expanded version of «When the Night Falls», and of course, it's beautifully multiplied, and I say this knowingly, having it and having worn it out with frequent listens.

Album named Leighton and Tito.

Leighton is Leighton, like Iggy, like Chandler, just a nickname that already means everything, and to those it means little or nothing, well, that “who” doesn't know what rock'n'roll is at all. At a certain point, Leighton disappears, and no one knows what happened to him, and in front of the judge immediately forms the line of aspiring usurpers to ask for the declaration of death, imagine Mr. Judge, he must have died in some nook with a needle in his vein, that damned junkie.

Instead of queuing, Tito goes searching because if Leighton were truly dead, some god would have come down to earth just to kick our asses for letting rock'n'roll be corrupted. And even though it takes years, he eventually finds him, surely alive, more or less vegetative. Tito takes care of getting him back on track, in the only possible way: damn Leighton, do what you were born to do, that's all, and if you need something, reach out.

And, since Leighton reaches out, thus begins one of those many improbable stories that populate rock'n'roll and that no one bothers to write in any serious encyclopedia, even though they are the most beautiful, one could simply call it friendship, for me, I think it's better to call it brotherhood in spirit, flesh, and blood. Days spent in a basement turned into a recording studio and nights spent around out-of-the-way venues between Abruzzo and Marche where when Leighton appears, the sparse patrons react unfailingly like new Rolando, while in those areas, good Tito is like one of the family, there's as much to drink as you want, and we'll find you a little space, just bring your microphone, guitar, and amplifier.

In the end, from that basement comes out «When the Night Falls», exactly twenty years ago, thirteen beautiful tracks, and I go around preaching it for twenty years myself, just like an act of blind faith, because who has it, who has ever seen it, and who has ever listened to it, certainly not me.

At least until the night when some god among many stands before me and says, Dani', your faith has been rewarded, check this out, and throws «Power Hits!» my way, I give a substantial offering, and he vanishes without even hinting at giving me change, but it was absolutely worth it.

Because «Power Hits!» is an incredible journey into the depths of garage-punk in 24 tracks, the 13 that made «When the Night Falls» and 11 more that came out of that same basement in those same days. There are the famous ones – «Teenage Head» and «99th Floor», «Milkcow Blues», and «No Friend of Mine», «No Fun» and «Signed D.C.» up to «I Need You» – there are those that have always been there – «Get Out of My Life, Woman», Allen Toussaint via Morlocks – there are those you don't expect – «If You Could Read My Mind», Gordon Lightfoot acoustic guitar, voice, and nothing else, «No No No» and Leighton singing in Italian – it's all there, the visceral passion of Leighton and Tito for naughty dashing gents like Purple Hearts and Outsiders, Nobody's Children and Murphy & The Mob, Q65 and Open Mind.

So, the story of Leighton and Tito was told to me by the Reverend a few centuries ago, and you find it exactly as told inside «Born Losers». If only for this, it's worth buying; then while you compulsively devour the 500 pages and play «Power Hits!», when Leighton and Tito first grab you with «No Friend of Mine» and then hit with «Born Loser», you see the light and realize why the side of the born losers is the only one to be on.