Litfiba
El Diablo

THE REVIEW

After rightly entering the Olympus of Italian rock with the new wave masterpieces "Desaparecido" and "17 Re" and the good "3", Litfiba, due to the departure of bassist Gianni Maroccolo and drummer Ringo de Palma, who joined CCCP, decided to change their sound and turn toward a strong and powerful rock.

There has been much debate about this choice (some have even talked about betrayal), my opinion is that a band must always challenge itself because repeating the same sound on every album is ultimately counterproductive.

The first step of the new Litfiba (Pelù, Renzulli, and Aiazzi plus newcomers Trambusti, Terzani, and Candelo Cabezas) is "El Diablo" from 1990. The value of this album is more historical (it's with it that Litfiba achieved success) because it is inferior to both the previous and subsequent works due to a monotonous sound and the inexperience of Piero and Ghigo with rock sounds.

The opener is a true generational anthem, the very famous title track. Opened by a belch-cry and the words "Olbaid Le" (El diablo backwards), the song is not very powerful in itself but the lyrics (an accusation against all rock stereotypes) and Piero's interpretation make it an unforgettable milestone. It is followed by the Latin trip-hop of "Proibito", not excellent in this version, which ironically speaks against drugs ("I feel betrayed if you shoot up, and you no longer exist"). Track number 3 is the wonderful "Il Volo" dedicated to Ringo De Palma, who died just a few months earlier; the lyrics are beautiful because the pain is only imaginable ("Baby, zelig in evidence, you could have had the world, but you left it") and the music is full of pathos. It is followed by the negligible country-rock of "Siamo Umani", only the fiery finale is redeeming and the lyrics speak with many allusions about the history of the band up to that point. This brings us to the middle of the album and to "Woda-Woda" with a great performance by the whole group and lyrics about those who do charity only to have a clear conscience. "Ragazzo" on the contrary is a half misstep, too static and lacking in brilliance, especially in the middle part. If a decline is feared, the very rock-driven "Gioconda" arrives to stir the waters, no doubt about it, the paradigm of what Litfiba will do moving forward. The lyrics ironically discuss marriage ("But hope is the last to die, who lived hoping died you can't say, the heart no no I won't give it to you, the ring no no forget it") and a great number of solos make this song a gem. "Resisti" closes with good elements that will be highlighted later (also played by the current Litfiba) but here it's quite clumsy.

Summing up, an album with some of the best Litfiba songs of the '90s but that today seems quite outdated.