Maledetti (maudits) by Area

Maledetti (maudits) by the great  Area, from 1976

During the recording process, Giulio Capiozzo and Ares Tavolazzi temporarily left the group and were replaced by other musicians. This is Area's last studio album with Paolo Tofani on guitar.

The liner notes explain the themes explored by this concept album, through a "sociopolitical fantasy" story.

"A sociopolitical fantasy concert project: a future society is split vertically and divided into corporations. A liquid plasma is the conscience of the world, stored in a bank computer. Due to a malfunction, the liquid gradually disperses: a total loss of human consciousness. (cf. Evaporation and The Brandenburg Massacre Number Three in G Major). Possible evolutionary hypotheses:

a) Power to the elders, as custodians of the memory of the past, which excludes and rejects the issue of the contingent (cf. Gerontocracy);

b) Power to women, as providers of energy and radical new contributions, in contrast to their historical repression (cf. scum);

c) Power to children, as a guarantee of freedom and the ability to reinvent history with the power of imagination (cf. Giro, giro, tondo and Caos).»

Track-by-track is impossible, at least for me; there are tracks that might not make sense on their own, but make sense in the context of the narrative.

Jazz-rock fusion in its most aggressively experimental form, free jazz contaminated by rock, funk, a Greek lullaby (Demetrio Stratos, as is well known, was Greek), the sound of the Balkans or Greek music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries (Rembetica). The complexity increases with the extraordinary yet mad voice of Demetrio Stratos, who experiments with sounds, verses, and noises... There's The Brandenburg Massacre Number Three in G Major played by a string quartet.

Fantastic chaos that requires attention and repeated listening to fully understand and digest. Besides the vocals, bass and drums are the protagonists, with piano and keyboards being excellent.

A great album, but not for everyone, or at least not immediately.

Tracklist
1. Evaporation (1:45)
2. Urban Diphorism (6:18)
3. Gerontocracy (7:30)
4. Scum (6:30)
5. The Brandenburg Massacre Number Three in G Major (2:20)
6. Giro, Giro, Tondo (5:55)
7. Chaos (Part Two) (9:00)
Duration 39:18

Line-Up
- Demetrio Stratos - vocals, vocal filter (4), Hammond organ (2-4,6), piano (6), bells
- Giampaolo Tofani - electric guitar, (Serge) Tcherepnin synth (3,4,7)
- Patrizio Fariselli - piano (4,6), electric piano (3,4,6), prepared piano (7), ARP Odyssey synth (3,4,6)
- Ares Tavolazzi - electric (3,4) and acoustic (2,3) basses.
- Giulio Capiozzo - drums (3,4)
With:
- Steve Lacy - soprano saxophone (2,3,7)
- Paolo Salvi - cello (5)
- Giorgio Garulli - double bass (5)
- Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli - violin (5)
- Armando Burattin - viola (5)
- Hugh Bullen - bass (2.6)
- Walter Calloni - drums (2.6)
- Anton Arze - txalaparta (3)
- Jose Arze - txalaparta (3)
- Paul Lytton - percussion (6.7)