Litfiba
Re del silenzio

THE REVIEW

The excessive clutter accumulated from preserving my hobbies during a lively and dynamic adolescence is starting to throw my routine into panic; spending days in front of the computer to fight for just causes, burning CDs and munching snacks in front of the best trash films is becoming increasingly difficult, a drastic cleanup is needed. So I find myself in a very rare phase in my life: "tidying up," but this time it's not about once again stacking the thousands of CDs and throwing everything else on the closet; it's necessary to eliminate the superfluous, or rather: the unused. And there is one unused item that has been around for a long time, a nightstand under the desk, which I had completely forgotten existed, and because of its eternal immobility over the years, its drawers were hard to open. Many harmless and small strokes hammered my skull when, under the middle school notebooks, I found a plastic envelope (the kind with holes for binders) full to overflowing with clippings from old '90s newspapers. Piero Pelù is dressed in a country rock style with a large round medallion hanging from his neck, Ghigo is chubby but not ashamed to wear leather pants.

LITFIBA. How many still believe today that the group's name meant LITalia FInisce a BAri? There was a lot of talk and debate about this and more during the band's golden years, but you couldn't (or at least I couldn't) connect to the internet and intercept some forum for news; you had to buy a lot of magazines, always stay tuned to "tv music" (which is not MTV), and listen to a lot of radio (something I no longer do). That profile, that style, those sideburns, those "UAH!" influenced me, Piero was great for me, but now I consider him just like many others in a trend that strikes the weakest and the less established (existentially speaking): FASHION. With a bit of remorse and bitter mental flashes (not only for the music but also for the memories of those years), I look up at the videotapes of Sogno Ribelle, El Diablo Tour, and Lacio Drom Tour, completely covered in dust; their cases once served to secretly stash weed. Venturing into a new musical career, this time directed towards a more media/commercial context, Piero has let down not only my expectations but also those of many thousands of genuine rock lovers. Bomba Boomerang, Toro Loco... I never imagined that even the greatest geniuses would shamefully stoop to the levels of the so-called HITS.

In the meantime, other LITFIBA members conceived other albums titled "infinito" or "Elettromacumba," a different, poor, hollow, fake, forced music completely devoid of authenticity. The Litfiba I liked were the leading exponents of Italian rock, without any youthful syrupiness, anti-moralists, rebellious, (only) metaphorically satanic, with high technical skills (Ghigo Renzulli with that guitar always surprised me), with refined and sophisticated sounds and non-trivial, philosophical lyrics that represented a big picture of the world. A band dissolved, and music dissolved; of the new choppy, tumultuous but inaccessible Italian musical landscape, rock is overshadowed, the permitted one is the fake one, the extra-commercial one. From Vasco Rossi (who, for heaven's sake, has made some nice songs) to many others, today it is no longer understandable, no style is like that of the dear old Litfiba, no rock band charts a path for an escape from mental patterns, false moralism, and modern cynical realities. Sometimes cultured and poetic, other times crude and metallic, stubborn and aggressive, bad and rationally objective: These were my Litfiba. They were born with Desaparacido and died with Mondi Sommersi.

Because I think a general music enthusiast, (even better if it's Italian) cannot ignore their presence and their journey, I advise those who now intend to inquire about the group: RE DEL SILENZIO, an excellently curated collection of beautiful and authentic songs. The first three songs are from "17 RE" album of 1987. "Re del silenzio" mystical and poetic, "Resta" hard and aggressive, and "Gira Nel mio cerchio" heavy, mean, with an interesting keyboard solo in the chorus. Then follow "Amigo" and "Louisiana" from "Litfiba3" of 1988, the former announced with a Harley Davidson rumble and the hard and melodic music conveying the feeling of the hot, desolate climate of certain parts of America, the latter is an original masterpiece of inestimable value; thanks to a great keyboard, it paints a mysterious and delicate atmosphere. The almost tribal "Cangaceiro" with its overwhelming Texan rhythm is the only song taken from the "PIRATA" album of '89. We reach the top nostalgic, which I consider the most important part, the three songs from "EL DIABLO" of '90: the eponymous and famous El Diablo, the semi-blasphemous GIOCONDA with a charged, adrenaline-pumping and spectacular atmosphere tending almost to HEAVY METAL and "PROIBITO": a song that expresses the true rebellious spirit of the band, and speaking of rebellious, two songs follow from "SOGNO RIBELLE" of '92. "BAMBINO" very relaxing and melodic, and "TEX(remix)" very nasty and wonderful, it also contains references to America in Renegade style. From the album Terremoto, there are "MAUDIT" massive and violent and "SOTTO IL VULCANO" psychedelically pop/rock, but also "DIMMI IL NOME" with an unforgettable intro of Sicilian sounds and chatter interrupted by Pelù's shout: "TERREMOOOOOOOTO!".

I have the entire discography of Litfiba, but sometimes, when I want to hear "a bit of them," I play this CD (Piero's big face on the cover, blazing cross on the disc) remembering those years when Piero was a different man: LITFIBA WERE FAMOUS BUT NOT IN FASHION.