Italian Beat - "I complessi" |
A list of italian beat groups (in Italian, at that time, called "complessi") with some essential information about them. Additional groups and more complete information (in Italian) are reported here. The main Italian groups are described here. |
|
Aldo e i Falisci / Ancients / Angeli / Anonima Sound / Apostoli / Astrali / Balordi / Barabba / Bisce / Bisonti / Blacks / Blande Figure / Chetro & Co. / Chewing Gum /Chiodi / Cuccioli / Evy / Fantom's / Ferry, Franco, Renè, Danny & Gaby / Frenetici / Fuggiaschi / Generali / Gene Guglielmi / Gens Pipers / Pops / Planets / Ragazzi del Sole / Rokketti / Rogers / Satelliti / Scooters / Le Stelle di Mario Schifano / Uragani |
The Groups |
|
A
group from Civita Castellana (Lazio) founded by the singer Aldo Angeletti. |
||
A group founded
in Rome by Federico
D'Andrea, Manuel De Sica, Stefano Marcucci and Bruno Biriaco. Bruno Biriaco
will be afterwards the drummer of the famous Italian jazz-rock band
Perigeo, and Manuel De Sica, son of the famous director Vittorio De Sica,
a soundtrack composer. |
||
A different
group, not related with the well known Nuovi
Angeli from Milan, were founded in Chiedti (Abruzzo) from
previous members of a group with the same name and the Savage.Discography:
Dove vuoi" (a cover from "I'm a Boy",
Who) / Butta la corda (Pake). |
||
The
first group of Ivan Graziani, in the following years an
important and popular singer and author in the Italian music scene. |
||
A group of
Rome, founded in 1965, frequently
in concert at the famous
|
||
An Italian pshychedelic group from Turin. Gli
Astrali (The Astral Men) have performed many concerts but no discs
during their period of activity (1967 - '68). A LP almost ready at that
time, "Viaggio allucinogeno"
(hallucinatory travel) was edited on CD many years later (1995) by the
label Destination X. In the album were included
Yardbirds' covers (Mr. You Are a Better Man Than
I, in italian "Noi non siamo come voi", we aren't like you), Byrds (Eight Miles
High, "Vado su in alto") and an original suite la instrumental suite "Un Altro Viaggio
Allucinogeno" (another Hallucinatory travel). The LP: 1) Non
Siamo Come Voi 2) Viaggio Allucinogeno 3) Improvvisazione 4) Credi (Rari
by The Standells) 5) Vado Su In Alto 6) Una Notte Al Bar 7) La Libertà 8)
Intro / Un Altro Viaggio Allucinogeno. |
||
Discography:
Vengono a portarci via, ah! Ah! / Don Chisciotte
(1966 Durium Ld A 7494), Domani devo fare una cosa! / Buona fortuna (1967
Durium Ld A 7516), '0 matusa / A cammesella (1967 Durium LJ A 7525), Non è
Francesca / Guardando te (1967 Durium Ld A 7538), Diamoci la mano / Fateli
tacere (1968 Carosello CI 20204) |
||
A group from Bologna, founded in 1966 by the sax player Mike Alfieri
together with Robert Gillot, an english keyboardist at that time living in
Bologna, and that would be in the same year one of the founder of the
Pooh, the most famous italian group
remained after the beat era. |
||
A group from Milan. The name (Le bisce = The grass snakes), as reported by
Franco Ruggiero, first guitar, derived by a car accident: the four members
escaped the revolted car creeping as snakes. Only one single in their
career, label North Star, year 1967: "La danza della morte" / "Una che
dice sì", cover with unraletad lyrics of "Here There And Everywhere"
by The Beatles. |
||
|
||
A group of Milan very much appreciated
during their period of activity. During a concert at the Shaker night club
in Milan, in 1966, a very well known Italian talent scout, Piero
Trombetta, proposed them a contract with the EMI label. The single published
by The Blacks soon after included "Tu sei come me"
(you're like me), a cover of Hot Pastrami of
The Dartells, and "Rimani" (stay with me) (disc EMI
PATHE' AQ 1334).
Under the direction of the famous music manager Leo Watcher The Blacks
were in tour in Sardinia for a long period in 1967, together with Pino Donaggio,
I Giovani Giovani, Vittorio Inzaina, Wilma Goich, Arturo Testa, Gilda. |
||
A group that started the activity in Modena
(Emilia) in 1965, their first name was The Garden. |
||
A very peculiar group, in the Italian musical scene of mid sixties. Founded by Ettore De Carolis (Chetro), in the following years co-founder of the Nuovo Canzoniere del Lazio, a philological folk group, the other members of Chetro & Co. were Franco Coletta (guitar) and Gianni Ripani (electric bass); they remained in the beat history for their first (and last) single (1967) published with the label Parade. On the A-side a long suite written by De Carolis and called "Danze della sera" (evening's dances), based on lyrics of the great Italian contemporary poet Pier Paolo Pasolini, on B-side "Le pietre numerate" (milestones), based on the classical and homonym tune of Miles Davis. One of the most remarkable examples in the italian psychedelia, completed by a "monster" cover, on six pages with a collage of strong and surprising images. (see all the images). |
||
Between the few groups that can be considered part of the psychedelia in Italy they can be included the Chewing Gum from Florence, Tuscany. Their first names was The Black Angels then, after the way out of the american electric bass player Richard Ursillo (in the following years member of a well known group of the Italian progressive scene, i Campo di Marte) that joined another group of Florence (I Tremendi), they changed their names in Chewing Gum. The producer Moreno Polidori gave them the opportunity to publish a single for the major label RCA, in 1967. On the A-side an impressive tune called "Senti questa chitarra" (hear this guitar) and on the B-side "Tu sei al buio" (you're in the dark). Both songs are characterized by strong solos played by the lead guitarist Flavio Cucchi, at that time very young (18 years), surprisingly modern. Cucchi embraced, after this experience, a brilliant career as guitar solist of classic and contemporary music. |
||
A beat group from Bergamo, Lombardia. The
story of I Chiodi (the nails) started in the beginning of the decade, their
acknowledge between the most known groups dates to the years 1965-67. In
this two years they published several singles, including some covers, as
Nuovi Chiodi: Canta e balla / Il tuo viso
(Vedette 33178 – 1969) // Silvio Rossi:
Arcobaleno / Se rimango qui (Losiérès 3007 -1967) //
Annamaria Mazzola & I Chiodi: Torno a
pregare / Come ti amo (Novelty 804 – 1966) //
Loro Cinque: Ruzzola l'onda / Dolce mistero (1967?). |
||
A "mod" group from Varese, I Cuccioli
(the pets) were very well knownn for their concerts in North Lombardia and
they published a single
45 rpm in the sixties: "La strada che cerco / Tu non sai". The B-side
was a cover of "The Kids are All Right" of the Who, the song dedicated to
the young british " |
||
Evy
(Evelyn Lenton Verrecchia) was one of the few beat singers and performers
active in Italy during the sixties. She's grow up in France, and she
started her career as a singer there. When she arrived in Italy she
started to publish some traditional song ("Giochi proibiti"), arriving
soon after to the beat genre with "protest songs" as " |
||
The group named I Fantom's (something as The
Ghosts) was founded in Turin in 1963. In their first years, as many others
Italian groups, their source of inspiration were Beatles and Rolling
Stones, but in the middle of the decade they were among the firsts to
propose the new psychedelic sound in Italy. During 1966 they published
their first EP single "Le Insegne Pubblicitarie" (the neon signs); on the
other side "Nadia" and "Il Treno". In the following year they recorded and
issued a second 45 rpm containing a cover of "We Shall Overcome", and
another one by "Come by Here" (Kumbaja), with Italian title "Vieni Qui
Vicino" (come close to me). |
||
Ferry, Franco, Renè, Danny & Gaby |
The New Dada were one of the most
influential beat group of the sixties in Italy. Troubles between the
members led the group to a separation in the first months of the 1967 and
to the birth of a new formation. The new band was formed by Ferry Sansoni
(the keyboardist), Franco Jadanza and Renè Vignocchi (guitars) of the
original group and Gaby Lizmi (drummer in the Patrick Samson Group) and
Danny Besquet (bass player of the group I Profeti). The name was simply
Ferry, Franco, Renè, Danny & Gaby (maybe inspired by the UK group Dave,
Dee, Doozy, Beacky, Mick & Tich). |
|
Since the beginning of their activity in
1959 in Voghera (Pavia, Lombardia), I Frenetici (the frantics) was more a
pop group than a beat one, but they had the opportunity to participate to
several concerts and events, even in television, and also at European
level (Oscar della canzone 1968, in Switzerland). They are known in Italy
also as the group in which started his activity Giampiero Anelli, who will
become in the seventies and in the '80s a very much popular Italian singer
and performer with the name Drupi. |
||
The support group of the famous italian singer and musician Don Backy during his first years within the Clan, the
label and the team of the well known italian rocker Adriaino Celentano (Don
Backy was in turn a brilliant performer and author, active also in the
following decades). They came from Mantova (Lombardia), their first name
was I Delfini (the dolphins) then they choose I Fuggiaschi (the escaping
men) from the lyrics of a Don Backy's song. |
||
I
Generali were
for a short period the support band of Riki Maiocchi (previously the front-man of one
of the best known Italian "complessi": I Camaelonti). From Milan, their
line-up included a keyboardist (not a common choice at that time), they were also in the cast of a movie of
that period, inspired by the famous song of Don Backy "L'immensità". |
||
One of the first beat singers and performers in Italy, one of their single
discs was " |
||
A group from Messina (Sicily) of the last
years of the sixties. They are well remembered for their hit "In fondo al viale"
(at the end of the alley), their song for the summer event "Cantagiro" in 1969 (inspired
to the alley "Viale San Martino" of the sicilian town). The B-side of this
45 rpm single was "Laura (dei giorni andati)" (something like
"remembering Laura"). During the seventies a participation to the Sanremo
Festival (the main musical event in Italy, then and now) with "Lo
schiaffo" del 1971), the first place at the Cantagiro in 1972 with
the song "Per chi" (cover of "Without you" by Harry Nilsson), and a LP
inspired to the progressive rock "Gens" in 1974). |
||
A
group created by te well known music manager Alberico Crocetta, the owner
of the |
||
Discography: Un uomo rispettabile
/ Lalla Chicchi (GTA 1966), La ruota / Uomini uomini (GTA 1966), Il
successo / Se la tua mano (Cinevox 1967) |
||
A group active in Rome in the mid sixties, coming from the town of Taranto (Puglie). Even if they did not publish any 45rpm single, they had the opportunity to publish an entire LP for a major label, RCA, in 1967 (see the LP's cover image on the right) , including many original songs and some covers.
The title of the LP was "The Planets"
and the songs' list was: 1) Ci piace star cosí (Bumble bee dei Searchers); 2) Sono
una roccia
( |
||
A
group from Turin remarkable for their genuine rock approach, expecially in
their famous song
|
||
Discography: 1966: "Quanto ho
pianto" / "Se tu mi lascerai" (disco Kansas, una etichetta
di proprietà di Duilo Del Prete, allora collegato al Clan Celentano),
"Ma con chi" / "Guardo l'ora" / "Se con me vuoi
tornare" (45 giri con tre brani, sempre etichetta Kansas),
"Little Man" / "Non chiederò aiuto" (vincitrice a Bandiera
Gialla); 1967: "Chiedimi tutto" / "Ho tanta
paura" (et. Bentler, con il lato A partecipano al Cantagiro 1967 nel
girone cantanti come "Frankye e i Rogers", 1968:
"Guarda" / "Cos'è l'amore" (et. Bentler, il loro più
grande successo), "Chewy Chewy" / "Vorrei davvero" (et.
Bentler, il lato A è una cover del successo bubble-gum music degli Ohio
Express), "Tam Tam" / "Vorrei davvero" (il lato A era
una cover di "Come Together" dei Beatles); 1970:
"Cristina" / "In questa città" (nuovamente su
etichetta Kansas). |
||
From
Civitavecchia (Rome) their career started in 1965, they were guest band
many times at the famous |
||
A
group created in Livorno (North Tuscany) by five friends in the year
1964, their first name was The Criker's. As many other groups the first
activity of I Satelliti was in the dance halls, mainly in Tuscany.
During a concert in Certaldo (a small town near Florence) they had the
opportunity to perform their set soon after Ricky Gianco, one of the
first Italian rockers, and at that time still famous (he will became
during the sixties and afterwards also an appreciated songs' author).
Gianco had been positively impressed by the five boys and had decided to
propose them a contract as his group. |
||
From Ovada (Alessandria,
Piemonte) they started as a band for dance-hall in 1964. |
||
Le stelle di Mario Schifano |
Mario Schifano
was a famous Italian artist, a painter that, during the sixties, as Andy
Wharol, became a multimedial artist, expanding his interests to theater,
music, scenography and more. |
|
Gli Uragani (the hurricanes) were a group formed in Mestre (Venezia) in 1963, active since 1967. During the 1965 they were selected by the Piper Club of Rome, the famous dance hall, to perform their concerts. They gathered a good success by the young people frequenting the club and so they had the opportunity to sign a contract with the Carisch label (one of the most active at that time in Italy, the label of the Beatles in Italy). With the Carisch label they published four 45rpm singles during the two years period 1966-'67, mostly excellent covers from Who, Animals, Cuby & The Blizzards. Their sound was very well focused and their playing technique very professional, in comparison with many others groups of that time, and they let so a good memory among beat era fans.
Their first name was The Sharks and they won with this name the contest
"La Pennetta d'Oro" in Mestre, performing "Be-Bop-A-Lula" by Gene Vincent,
an Italian cover from The House of the Rising Sun ("La casa del sole" in
Italian) and a song by The Rokes. |
Sources many information were received directly form the members of the mentioned groups; other information by the magazine "Anni '60" of Claudio Scarpa e by the books "Una generazione piena di complessi" (Claudio Pescetelli) and "Beati voi" (Alessio Marino, director of the Beat Boutique 67). |
|
© Alberto Truffi - Musica & Memoria 2002 - 2009 |
Content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons License. |