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Rating:
Provocative, mystical, magical, gritty, brilliant.
That's how Litfiba presented themselves in all their glory in the year of our Lord 1985. The tour was for the marvelous (my favorite) "Desaparecido," perhaps the darkest period of these five Tuscan rebels.
As there are no official recordings of that series of concerts, we have to rely on the numerous bootlegs: the "Live in Marina di Carovigno," now a real must among the most die-hard fans like me, is preferable to the "Live in Malnate" (another great event that I almost chose for this review) for the incredible audio quality. At times, the audience seems to be on stage, even more possessed at moments than the already devilish Piero. Other concerts, although wonderful, were discarded by me because this concert presents itself with a grit that makes it exquisitely enjoyable.
Perhaps Aiazzi's stage presence may not be at its peak, but the sound he proposes in all the songs is perfect, as if he reads the fans' minds and delivers exactly what everyone wants to hear. On more than one occasion, he makes us powerfully hear the richly nuanced sounds of his instrument where we had forgotten them in the studio versions. Ringo never stops striking the drums for a moment (at times, it seems like he's beating with thimbles!), even during Pelù's introductions of the songs. His rhythm is immense, just as is the work of my favorite (Gianni Maroccolo), who graces us with a performance midway between the "all-eating" bass of "Desaparecido" and the "dark" bass of the official live album "Aprite i Vostri Occhi." Even Ghigo seems particularly inspired: having learned the lesson of punk—harsh sounds with few nuances—he bends it to his will, enriching many tracks with small and calibrated solos. Pelù is the one who stands out the most: a bloody voice, which, in that particular way, he possessed (but why, then?) only in that year. His way of singing is like a Greek tragedy, his announcement of songs is heavy and "sick," his vocalizations animalistic. More than just Crazy Bull!
The brief setlist presents us with an intro of keyboards alone, at least peculiar, followed by a beautiful Desaparecido enriched by Renzulli’s work. The third track is the first great shock: La Preda, a song Pelù particularly cherished, here oozes blood from every pore. The hunter thinks he's struck down, but he doesn't understand that he's the real prey. Fabulous! After an Eroi nel vento that doesn't stray much—except for Piero's excellent interpretation—from the studio version or the live one from which "Aprite i Vostri Occhi" would be drawn (but in which it's absent) vehemently dedicated to the entire audience, we arrive at the first jab of the evening: "The next song is dedicated to Alì Agca... do you know who Alì Agca is... he missed the target....pciù... what a bad aim.... Yassasin!" And while the Florentine may admit in his biography that the provocation is a bit heavy, the cover of the White Duke is perfect, even more mysterious than the version previously known to fans. From this moment onwards, even though the others certainly don't fade into the background, the entire concert will be musically taken over by keyboards and bass. In Onda Araba - excellent solo by Ghigo - Gianni's bass dominates and surprises with Pelù's long list of various Arab radio stations sung in the tail end of the piece. Luna is completely sublimated by Aiazzi, who lets us enjoy an intro, an outro, and a general performance above human comprehension. For about six minutes, Pelù will repeat the chilling warning "I will be a king and a dictator...stupid dictator!" The orgasm continues with Istanbul, with Piero's dreamy vocalizations (that is, part of the sphere of brain activity that's not dominated): if you want to enjoy it to the fullest, you absolutely must turn up the volume, close your eyes, and let yourself be carried away by the magic of this piece that perfectly represents Italian 80s and Litfiba in general. Unfortunately, Transea musically has never appealed much to me, but it still leaves a trail of strong emotions thanks to the excellent lyrics.
Prepare yourselves.
The grand finale arrives:
Lulu and Marlene is ALL about Gianni's bass at the beginning, Piero's voice until the exquisite vocalizations in the middle, and Aiazzi’s ingenious keyboard work at the end. If you liked the "Pirata" version, this one could leave you quite shocked. Don't overdo it. In Tziganata (I repeat: my favorite Litfiba song—I even did a de_depth analysis, go check it out), the keyboard-violin of the good Antonio take center stage again, especially in the intro, completely different from the version present in "Aprite i Vostri Occhi." Obviously, the others are fantastic as well. The "punk" finale with insane screams from the most animalistic Piero you've ever heard. Guerra - the emotional peak of the entire evening - is presented with a "sick" voice by Piero (either he screamed too much in Tziganata or he did it on purpose because he took something... and it was probably the latter) warning drastically about the risk the inhabitants of Marina di Carovigno were about to run due to the construction—apparently there was talk of it at the time—of a nuclear plant nearby: "a small mistake is all it takes... small, small like this.. AND YOU BLOW UP!.. ssssssssht!!!.. you have to suffer in silence.. SILENCE!." Interpretation very similar (and therefore extremely powerful) to the live in Berlin in 1984, complete with repetition of the phrase "Der Krieg, Der Krieg." Musically the peak of pleasure.
p.s.: in the version I own, there is also an excellent I wanna be your dog (by The Stooges) followed by a sort of reprise of the theme of Eroi nel Vento as the track following Guerra. I don't understand how it's possible that they belong to the same concert, although Piero's singing style is identical given that the quality of this last part of the recording is significantly worse, and the song starts and ends abruptly without any continuity with the closing of the previous track...
What???????? still there??????? GO GET IT!!!!!!!!!!! OPEN YOUR EYES!!!!!!!!!!
Lo Tzigano
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