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Review Summary: One of the best Italian albums of the 70's and the most accessible Area's album. “Crac!” is the third studio album by Area and was released in 1975. The line up on the album is Giulio Capiozzo, Patrizio Fariselli, Demetrio Stratos, Ares Tavolazzi and Paolo Tofani.
“Crac!” is a standout album in jazz-fusion, avant-garde and progressive rock scenes, yet somehow neither genre would appropriately classify its music. “Crac!” is in general considered Area’s most accessible album. They cut back on experimentation and stuck mainly with their incredible, unique and mind blowing fusion playing. On it, Stratos providing his usual demented vocals and vocalizations such as if his voice were a truly musical instrument.
I consider “Crac!” an essential listening, because it sounds just as strong and envelope bursting today as it did then. Area released a number of albums over the course of their career turning the band as one of the most important Italian progressive acts from the 70’s with Banco Del Muttuo Soccorso, Premiata Forneria Marconi and Le Orme. Those Area’s albums contain different types of compositions, with varying degrees of success. Most of what they recorded is usually amazing stuff.
They could rock with the best of the progressive acts of their days, with some of the jazz fused bands with experimentation and even, in political acts. “Crac!” only proves that Area was simply one of the finest prog/fusion acts ever. Contrary to many people, their openly communist political views hardly detract from my enjoyment of their music.
Check out the tracks on the album, we can say that it has a varied type of songs. They go from the most popular songs to the most experimental music. “Crac!” is an album with theatrical vocals and an experimental, exotic and robust sound. The energy contained on this album is real unique and truly incredible, and is full of abundant humour.
About the individual tracks, “L’Elefante Bianco”, “La Mela Di Odessa” and “Gioia I Rivoluzione” are probably the best tracks on the album and are surely some of the songs most performed live by the band, (especially toured in political festivals organized by the Communist parties, at the time, all over the world), keeping the long instrumental parts that have become as one of the main characteristics of the group. These are tracks that suffer from diverse musical influences, which go from jazz rock/fusion, Italian ethnic folk, Mediterranean traditional music and Eastern musical influence, especially Arabic music. Probably the origins of Stratos (he was born in Alexandria, Egypt), isn’t strange to that fact. By the other hand, these are songs with a more “POPular” style, what has always been very important to them, doing justice to the band’s name, “Area – International POPular Group”.
“Megalopoli” and “Nervi Scoperti” are two other great tracks. These are two instrumental tracks, very intricate, full of energy and clearly influenced by the usual concepts of the jazz rock fusion style. In both tracks we can clearly see the incredible vocal capacity of Stratos and the great musical virtuosity of all band members. These are more traditional tracks in the vein of the songs recorded on their debut work “Arbeit Macht Frei”.
The remaining two tracks “Implosion” and “Area 5” are another two instrumental tracks, but are much more experimental, and contrast with everything else which was made before on the album. “Implosion” is in the same vein of “Nervi Scoperti” but is much more experimental with each band member improvising in their one way. “Area 5” is a very short track, with two minutes of completely formless and great improvisation. It’s a very weird experimental track full of improvisations and with some solos and noises. This is a truly contemporary piece of music, but a little bit hard to listen to for almost of the people.
Conclusion: Area is one of the greatest fusion/prog acts of the 70’s and became as one of the best Italian groups. “Crac!” is a must have of Area and is consistently great. On it you can hear several musical influences. There’s unquestionably a bit of Soft Machine and Mahavishnu Orchestra on here, and a touch of King Crimson too. But, if they were inspired by any of those groups, they never wear it on their proverbial sleeves. I also think there’s also a stronger element of humor in Area than in those groups. In relation to their communist political ideas I realize that politics can turn off many people of their music. However, Robert Wyatt and Henry Cow were also openly communists and many in the progressive community have high regards for them, and for good reasons. Definitely, “Crac!” is one of the mid 70’s works that deserves to be properly known and appreciated, even today.
Best tracks: All tracks are good but “L’Elefante Bianco”, “La Mela Di Odessa” and “Gioia I Rivoluzione” are probably the best. However “Area5” isn’t for everyone.
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
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P.A.R.A.G.R.A.P.H.S.
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One review per day dude, also, why a whole paragraph for the tracklist? Lol
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
In relation to with one review per day, there is no problem for me. I begun to prepare my participation on this site since the begining of the year. So, I have in this moment about 75 reviews almost ready to display on it. I'm a vey organised guy.
Relatively to the decision of a whole paragraph for the track list. it's because I understand that all the tracks are linked and deserve to be mentioned together because they're part of the same work. This is my point of view.
Besides, many people don't have patience to read the parts related with the analyses of track by track. Many people only want to read the introduction and the conclusion of a review. So, I leave the decision to the people about it.
However, in my future reviews, not all come to have the analyses of the individual tracks.
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There is no need to write down all the tracks, on top next to the release date u can click on 'tracklist' and it will show u all the tracks, so don't write them down anymore,it's kind of pointless.
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love this band!
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Nice review and great album. I would only edit the format, for example eliding the tracklist which is unnecessary and putting the listed (not in a messy paragraph) line-up at the bottom of the review.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I don't know if I prefer this or Arbeit Macht Frei. I have to relisten to the latter. Both ''La Mela di Odessa'' and ''Gioia e Rivoluzione'' are superb songs on here. What a singer Stratos was!
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The reason for one review a day isn't because we don't you can do more, it's because it's rude to other users if you fill up space on the home page
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Never heard of these guys before--listening now, great album.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Gioia e Rivoluzione might be one of the best Italian stand-out tracks ever.
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"Line up: Giulio Capiozzo – drums, percussion; Patrizio Fariselli – electric piano, piano, clarinet, synthesizer; Demetrio Stratos – vocals, organ, clavicembalo, steel drums, percussion; Ares Tavolazzi – acoustic bass, electric bass, trombone; Paolo Tofani – guitar, synthesizer, flute.
Track list – 7 tracks: “L’Elefante Bianco” (4:33); “La Mela Di Odessa” (6:27); “Megalopoli” (7:53); “Nervi Scoperti” (6:35); “Gioia E Rivoluzione” (4:40); “Implosion” (5:00), “Area 5” (2:09). All tracks were written by Fariselli, Tavolazzi, Tofani except “Area 5” written by Juan Hidalgo, Walter Marchetti.
...
Check out the tracks on the album, we can say that it has a varied type of songs. They go from the most popular songs to the most experimental. “Crac!” is an album with theatrical vocals and an experimental, exotic and robust sound. The energy contained on this album is real unique and truly incredible, and is full of abundant humour. “L’Elefante Bianco” opens the album with some incredible playing from all around, plus some Middle Eastern influences shown up. It’s essentially an instrumental track, incredibly complicated and with many variations all over the same theme. “La Mela Di Odessa” consists again of more incredible jazz-fusion prog, and there’s a funky part with horns and where Stratos’ vocals accompanying perfectly the music, giving a more melody to the song. This is another amazing complex track. “Megalopolli” is another excellent track with some great bass and drumming works, and this is one of the tracks near to their debut “Arbeit Macht Frei”. It’s a superb instrumental track with Stratos’ voice performed as a musical instrument. This is a very intricate song full of energy. “Nervi Scoperti” is another instrumental track with nice guitar and keyboard solos, a vibrant and tense piece of music. It has some really incredible piano work and an incredible noisy guitar solo that deserves to be known. This is another great tack on the album. “Gioia e Rivoluzione” is a big surprise with some acoustic guitar work, there’s an acoustic passage with Stratos singing, but there are plenty of electric parts too. This is clearly a song that shows a tendency towards a more...
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... conventional tunes and a less intricate and complicated sound, in contrast with the more experimental forms, such as “Implosion” or “Area 5”. “Implosion” is in the same vein of “Nervi Scoperti” but is very good and very interesting. This is a free instrumental track where each member improvising in their one way. It contrasts with everything else which was made before on the album. “Area 5” is two minutes of completely formless, fidgety improvisation. It’s a very weird experimental track full of improvisations and with some solos and noises. This is a truly contemporary piece of music a little bit hard to listen to for almost of the people."
this can all be cut. review's way too bloated
also sputnik whined at me cuz my comment was apparently too long hehehe that's a hint
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Ok idontcareaboutthis. You wasn't the first to tell me that. I think you are right. I'm going to do that. Thanks for your help.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
After your suggestions, which almost I think are correct, I decided to re-write this review as I did before with "Selling England By The Pound". I think is better now.
If anybody are on line and have patience to read it once more, I would like to have your opinion.
Thanks
| | | Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off
As I wrote when I explain my rate about Arbeit Macht Frei, I really don't know if I prefer it or Crac!. However, both are two great works. Probably Crac! is more accessible than Arbeit is. By the way, e210013. My compliments because you was the first to do a review of an Area album on Sputnik. Despite I'm new here, I think these are the kind of things that we need more. By the courage and by the review, the review is great, have a pos.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Thanks TheIntruder.
I think it's not a matter of courage, but rather a matter of a band that is worth knowing.
Anyway, I have plans to occasionally bring to Sputnik a few cases of lesser-known bands. Some of them are even something obscure. However, I really think they deserve to be known and spend with them some of my time and the attention of the ocasional listeners.
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the prog community in here loves that word: "obscure", nothing better than a classic album by an unknown band, looking forward for those reviews man even though I've checked many obscure bands already
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^agreed
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
The jam in the second half of Odessa kicks some serious ass
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