Views
Mother Tapes Anthology 1986 / 1990

Within the complex neo-psychedelic scene of the '80s, we can find groups that have been talked about too little. One such case is undoubtedly that of the Views, a band originating from Brescia whose leader was Giovanni Ferrario, a fan of the Rolling Stones and the guitar sound of the great Television. Now the commendable Area Pirata reissues them in a precious double CD entitled Mother Tapes Anthology 1986/1990, continuing the work of unearthing the nuggets of that era. I fear, however, that we will never see the first records of the No Strange (due to the Toast) and the Birdmen Of Alkatraz (in this case due to the will of the band members) reissued. We are facing a particularly succulent reissue that includes the 2 vinyls released at the time by the Views, namely Mummycat The World n.2 and Namby-Pumby along with otherwise unreleased material consisting of demos, live tracks, and archive recordings. The Views had a unique and original sound, a guitar-based psycho-pop (it echoes the lesson of the aforementioned Television) with post-punk inflections and great attention to '60s melody. Released by the Milanese Crazy Mannequin, Mummycat The World n.2 is their best record. Right from the opening track "Say It!" we are catapulted into a universe full of sounds, colors, and good vibrations. We are faced with a slightly acid guitar sound that has nothing to envy from the so-called Paisley Underground groups. It's impossible not to get caught up in the genuinely '60s atmosphere of tracks like the alluring "The Raining Man" and the acid and psychedelic "The Mirror." "She’s Going Out" is instead a precious ballad highlighting the singer Emanuela Esquilli. There are also 2 covers, "Everybody Has Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey" by the Beatles and "Red Flowers Moon Light" by Lou Reed. "Patty Flan" is surreal while "Mummycat" is a great psycho-pop song. Unfortunately for the Views, the album was released too late (in 1990) when the driving force of neo-psychedelia was waning and grunge was on the horizon. In the end, music is also a matter of trends propelled by specialized magazines. In any case, this collection is truly complete, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to recover a piece of Italian musical culture from that period. Available on Bandcamp: https://areapiratarec.bandcamp.com/album/mother-tapes-anthology-1986-1990.