Area: Discography 1973 - 1978

 

Area most commonly known as Area or AreA, are an Italian progressive rock, jazz rock, electronic, experimental group formed in 1972 by singer Demetrio Stratos and drummer Giulio Capiozzo.

They are considered one of the most respected, innovative and important bands of the blooming 1970s Italian progressive rock scene. Area's uncompromising blend of jazz-rock, ethnic folk, experimentation, and political philosophies made them a unique presence in Italy during the 1970s. Fronting the band's musical fusion was singer Demetrio Stratos, who embellished his own operatic technique with yodels and growls. Stratos died in 1979, and the remaining members disbanded after releasing one instrumental album. 
                            

Efstratios Dimitriou (Greek: Ευστράτιος Δημητρίου; 22 April 1945 – 13 June 1979), known professionally as Demetrio Stratos, was a Greek-Italian vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist

and music researcher, best known as the co-founder, frontman and lead singer of the Italian progressive rock band Area. Born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, of Greek parents, he studied piano and accordion at the "National Conservatoire". In 1957 he was sent to Nicosia, Cyprus, and, at the age of 17, moved to Milan, Italy, to attend the Politecnico di Milano University at the Architecture Faculty, where he formed his first musical group. In 1967, Demetrio Stratos joined the Italian beat band I Ribelli, and in 1972, founded Area. 
                          

Vocal gimmicks aside, Stratos' mission was to free vocal expression from the slavery of language and

pretty melodies. From the observation of his daughter Anastassia, he concluded that humans have enormous expressive potential that is progressively reduced to just a few socially appropriate functions during verbal development, such as language and harmonic singing. He considered the exploration of vocal potential as a tool of psychological and political liberation. He, literally, wanted individuals and social groups to find their own voice.
                            

Stratos grasped the semantic increase produced by the voice. It is not only in function of the meanings but

it is its own primal mode of body expression. The voice has a communicative meaning by itself which deserves to be listened to regardless of the meanings it may convey. The signifier "voice" becomes semiogenetic, that is producer of new signification when verifying it in its bare essence, in its "phoné". The "magic" sound of voice is independent from meanings, so Stratos produces sounds without codified meanings, which yet create new possible worlds. 
                             

The band was formed in 1972 by various musicians who had experience in pop, avant-garde, and jazz groups. The band consisted of Demetrio Stratos (born 1945, Alexandria, Egypt; died June 13, 1979,

NY - voice, organ, harpsichord, percussion); Giulio Capiozzo (born 1946, Boretto, Italy drums, percussion); and Patrizio Fariselli (born 1951, Cesenatico, Italy - piano, electric piano, bass clarinet, percussion, ARP synthesizer). Guitarist Johnny Lambizzi and bassist Victor Edouard Busniello were soon replaced by Giampaolo Tofani (born 1944, Florence - electric guitar, EMS guitar synthesizer, flute) and Patrick Erard Djivas (bass). 
                        

Manager Gianni Sassi signed the group to the independent Cramps label, and their debut, Arbeit

Macht Frei, was released in 1973. The album's bold title, cover imagery, and lyrical content were packaged as a protest of fascism, and by declaring themselves an "International POPular Group," Area gave new meaning to playing music for the people. Musically, the album showed the early influence of jazz rock acts like Soft Machine and Nucleus, with hints of folk music of the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and the Middle East. 
                       

In April 1979, Demetrio Stratos was diagnosed with a severe case of aplastic anemia. On 2 April, he was hospitalized at the Milan Polyclinic, but his condition deteriorated rapidly and he was transferred to

New York City Memorial Hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, in Italy, his friends organized a concert to pay for his medical expenses. Many musicians accepted the invitation to perform, and the concert was planned for 14 June 1979. It was to become Demetrio Stratos' memorial concert, where over a hundred musicians played in front of an audience of 60,000 at the Arena of Milan, the first great and spontaneous reunion of youth in Italy. He died in New York City Memorial Hospital on 13 June 1979 at the age of thirty–four, while waiting for a bone marrow transplant (the official cause of death was a myocardial infarction, more commonly known as heart attack).
                         

ALBUMS WITH DEMETRIO STRATOS

                                

1973: Arbeit macht frei
1974: Caution Radiation Area
1975: Crac!
1975: Are(A)zione LIVE
1976: Maledetti (Maudits)
1978: 1978 Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!

01.  AREA - CRAC! 1975

                            

Area's masterpiece, along with Arbeit Macht Frei, is remembered this time for the spoken word of "La

Mela di Odessa," intricate instrumentals like "Megalopoli," and the beautiful "Elelefante Bianco." The culmination of their artistry and accessibility, and of course, the famous "Gioia e Rivoluzione."
                               

Area – Crac!
Label: Cramps Records – CRSCD 003
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered 1990
Country: Italy
Released: 1975    
Genre: Jazz, Rock
Style: Prog Rock, Experimental, Jazz-Rock

TRACKS

                                

01. L'Elefante Bianco    4:33
02. La Mela Di Odessa    6:27
03. Megalopoli    7:53
04. Nervi Scoperti    6:35
05. Gioia E Rivoluzione    4:40
06. Implosion    5:00
07. Area 5    2:09

LINE - UP

Demetrio Stratos - Vocals, Organ, Harpsichord [Clavicembalo], Steel Drums, Percussion
Ares Tavolazzi - Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass, Trombone  
Paolo Tofani - Electric Guitar, Synthesizer [Sintetizzatore E.M.S.], Flute 
Patrizio Fariselli - Electric Piano, Piano [Piano Acustico], Bass Clarinet, Percussion, Synthesizer [Sintetizzatore A.R.P.] 
Giulio Capiozzo - Percussion, Drums [Drums Slingerland]  

Flac Size: 244 MB

02.  AREA - ARE(A)ZIONE 1975

                        

Great live album... This is a ventilation of magical ideas in a small Area!!! Yes, my intro sentende is a true truth! Certainly Area are one of the best live bands because the magic of their live album are too better

that the magic of their studio album. In this case 'Are(A)zione' (the title is a game between Area, ventilation and action) is a sort of the best of. The power is cloearly Rock with tons of arrangements, heavy arrangements, also if not invadents. It is sure that the Prog & Jazz elements are not simple to describe because the Rock part dominates the rest of musical elements. But the particular voice of Demetrio Stratos and the particular melodic/ writing structure of the songs is typical of Prog. Today Area is a myth. Also for me! 
                                  

Area – Are(A)zione
Label: EMI – 7243 8 57427 2 9, Cramps Records – 7243 8 57427 2 9
Format: CD, Album, Reissue
Country: Italy
Released: 1998
Genre: Jazz, Rock
Style: Jazz-Rock, Avantgarde, Prog Rock

TRACKS

                                

01. Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)    4:25
02. La Mela Di Odessa    11:10
03. Cometa Rossa    5:40
04. Are(A)zione    14:37
05. L'Internazionale    3:20

LINE - UP

Vocals, Organ, Steel Drums, Percussion – Demetrio Stratos
Electric Bass, Acoustic Bass, Trombone, Trumpet [Pocket Trumpet] – Ares Tavolazzi
Electric Guitar, Synthesizer [E.m.s.] – Paolo Tofani
Electric Piano, Piano [Acoustic], Bass Clarinet, Percussion, Synthesizer [A.r.p.] – Patrizio Fariselli
Percussion, Drums [Slingerland] – Giulio Capiozzo

NOTES

Recorded live in Milan (Parco Lambro)

Flac Size: 263 MB

03.  AREA - MALEDETTI (MAUDITS) 1976

                             

Area's songs here are fucking exceptional, on a level of Arbeit Macht Frei and Crac. They're truly a band from outer space, somewhere between jazz, prog, Balkan rock, and everything in between. The Fariselli/Stratos dual keyboards are splendid. Still going strong on this album whereas most other bands were on a

decline already. After a hardly impressive first short track, a slight change in the sound can be heard: funky rhythms and more danceable beats have come! The bass is strong, drums have been adjusted, too. Clavinet is present and the groovy mood replaced the former fusion heavy spirit. Temporarily. "Gerontocrazia" has inredible fusion moments in its second half with fast keyboard solo. "Scum" contains elements of free jazz, especially on the piano, and brings the band to a new dimension. "Giro Giro Tondo" is the closest track reminiscent of their past with jazz bass, electric piano and busy fusion drums. 
                                     

Area – Maledetti (Maudits)
Label: Cramps Records – CRSCD 005
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered 1994
Country: Italy
Released: 1976    
Genre: Jazz, Rock
Style: Avantgarde, Fusion, Prog Rock, Jazz-Rock

TRACKS

                            

01. Evaporazione   1:45
Electronics, Drums – Paolo Tofani
Instruments [Kazumba] – Eugenio Colombo    
02. Diforisma Urbano   6:18
Double Bass – Ares Tavolazzi
Drums – Walter Calloni
Electric Bass – Hugh Bullen
Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy
03. Gerontocrazia   7:30
Double Bass – Ares Tavolazzi
Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy
Txalaparta – Anton Arze, Josè Arze    
04. Scum   6:30
Bells, Electronics [Voice Filter] – Demetrio Stratos
Piano – Patrizio Fariselli
05. Il Massacro Di Brandeburgo Numero Tre In Sol Maggiore 2:20  
Double Bass – Giorgio Garulli
Viola – Armando Burattin
Violin – Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli
Violoncello – Paolo Salvi
06. Giro, Giro, Tondo   5:55
Drums – Walter Calloni
Electric Bass – Hugh Bullen
Percussion – Paul Lytton
Piano – Demetrio Stratos, Patrizio Fariselli    
07. Caos (Parte Seconda)   9:00
Percussion – Paul Lytton
Piano [Piano Preparato] – Patrizio Fariselli
Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy
    

EXTRA TRACK        

    
08. Intervista Di Massimo Villa A Stratos, Tofani, Fariselli   2:01    

 

LINE - UP

Voice – Demetrio Stratos (tracks: 1 to 4, 6, 7)
Electric Bass – Ares Tavolazzi (tracks: 2 to 4)
Electric Guitar – Paolo Tofani (tracks: 2, 3)
Electric Organ [Organo Hammond] – Demetrio Stratos (tracks: 2 to 4, 6)
Guitar – Paolo Tofani (tracks: 6, 7)
Synthesizer [Sinth. A.R.P. Odissey], Electric Piano – Patrizio Fariselli (tracks: 2 to 4, 6)
Synthesizer [Sinth. Tcherepnin] – Paolo Tofani (tracks: 2 to 4, 6, 7)

Flac Size: 240 MB

04.  AREA - GLI DEI SE NE VANNO, GLI ARRABBIATI RESTANO! 1978

                             

Of all the Italian bands emerged in the 70s, AREA remains the one whose musical proposal better stands

the test of time. This album manages, perhaps more than others, to reconcile the melody with the typical experimentalism of the jazz avant-garde of that time, all seasoned in Mediterranean sauce.
                             

Area – 1978 Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano!
Label: Urlo – 9031 74033-2, CGD – 9031 74033-2
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 1992
Country: Europe
Released: 1978    
Genre: Jazz, Rock
Style: Jazz-Rock, Experimental, Prog Rock, Avantgarde

TRACKS

                          

01. Il Bandito Del Deserto    3:13
02. Interno Con Figure E Luci    4:07
03. Return From Workuta    3:02
04. Guardati Dal Mese Vicino All'Aprile!    5:12
05. Hommage A Violette Nozières    3:18
06. Ici On Dance!    3:27
07. Acrostico In Memoria Di Laio    6:12
08. "FFF" (Festa, Farina E Forca)    3:49
09. Vodka Cola (Choir – Clito)  7:27

LINE - UP

Demetrio Stratos - Vocals [Voce], Ocarina, Organ [Organo Positivo Dei Seicento], Synthesizer [Sintetizzatori Arp, Omni], Electric Piano [Piano Elettrico], Organ [Organo Hammond] – (tracks: 1 to 7, 9)
Giulio Capiozzo - Drums [Batteria Gretsch], Percussion, Balafon [Bailophone] – (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 9)
Ares Tavolazzi - Electric Bass [Basso Elettrico], Mandola, Vocals [Voce], Trombone, Trumpet [Pocket-trumpet], Contrabass [Contrabasso Acustico], Acoustic Guitar [Chitarra Acustico]
Composed By – Tavolazzi (tracks: 8, 9), Stratos (tracks: 1 to 6, 9), Capiozzo (tracks: 8, 9), Fariselli (tracks: 2, 7 to 9)
Patrizio Fariselli - Synthesizer [Sintetizzatori Arp, Pro-Soloist, Polymoog, Odyssey, Omni], Piano [Piano Acustico], Organ [Organo Positivo Dei Seicento] – (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 9)

Flac Size: 218 MB

Area:  1973: Arbeit Macht Frei on Urban Aspirinres HERE
Area: 1974: Caution Radiation Area on Urban Aspirinres HERE

Mike Ratledge (6 May 1943 – 5 February 2025) - The Soft Machine: Volume Two 1969 + Fourth 1971

   

MIKE RATLEDGE

                  

Michael Roland Ratledge (6 May 1943 – 5 February 2025) was a British musician. A part of the Canterbury scene, he was a founding member of Soft Machine. He was the last founding member to

leave the group, doing so in 1976. Ratledge was born in Maidstone, Kent, the son of a Canterbury secondary modern school headmaster. As a child, he was educated in classical music, the only kind of music played in his parents' home. He learned to play the piano, and with his friend Brian Hopper, whom he had met at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in Canterbury, played classical piano and clarinet pieces.

SOFT MACHINE

                                     

SOFT MACHINE are an English rock band from Canterbury, Kent. The band were formed in

1966 by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Larry Nowlin. Soft Machine were central in the Canterbury scene; they became one of the first British psychedelic acts, and later moved into progressive and jazz rock. In 1971, Soft Machine became a purely instrumental band. Soft Machine's lineup has undergone many changes, and has included Andy Summers, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, John Marshall, Karl Jenkins, Roy Babbington and Allan Holdsworth.
                                

Though they achieved little commercial success, critics consider Soft Machine to have been influential

in rock music. Dave Lynch at AllMusic called them "one of the most influential underground bands of their era". The band's name originates from William S. Burroughs's novel The Soft Machine.
                      

THE SOFT MACHINE - VOLUME TWO 1969

                         

The first Soft Machine LP usually got the attention, with its movable parts sleeve, as well as the presence of ultra-talented songwriter Kevin Ayers. But musically, Volume Two better conveys the

Dada-ist whimsy and powerful avant rock leanings of the band. Hugh Hopper took over for Ayers on bass, and his fuzz tones and experimental leanings supplanted Ayers' pop emphasis. The creative nucleus behind this most progressive of progressive rock albums, however, is Robert Wyatt. He provides the musical arrangements to Hopper's quirky ideas on the stream-of-consciousness collection of tunes ("Rivmic Melodies") on side one.
                     

Unlike the first record, which sounded choppy and often somnolent, this one blends together better, and it has a livelier sound. The addition of session horn players enhanced the Softs' non-guitar lineup, and

keyboardist Mike Ratledge, whose musical erudition frequently clashed in the early days with the free-spirited Wyatt, Ayers, and Daevid Allen, lightened his touch here. He even contributes one of the album's highlights with "Pig" ("Virgins are boring/They should be grateful for the things they're ignoring"). But it's Wyatt who lifts this odd musical jewel to its artistic heights.
(By Peter Kurtz)
                    

 

The Soft Machine – Volume Two
Label: Water – water196, Universal Music Special Markets – B0008536-02
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 2007
Country: US
Released:    
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock

TRACKS

RIVMIC MELODIES        

                

  
01. Pataphysical Introduction Pt. I    1:00
02. A Concise British Alphabet Pt. I    0:10
03. Hibou, Anenome And Bear    5:59
04. A Concise British Alphabet Pt. II    0:11
05. Hulloder    0:54
06. Dada Was Here    3:25
07. Thank You Pierrot Lunaire    0:48
08. Have You Ever Bean Green?    1:19
09. Pataphysical Introduction Pt. II    0:51
10. Out Of Tunes    2:34

ESTHER'S NOSE JOB        

    
11. As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still    2:34
12. Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening    2:32
13. Fire Engine Passing With Bells Clanging    1:50
14. Pig    2:09
15. Orange Skin Food    1:47
16. A Door Opens And Closes    1:09
17. 10:30 Returns To The Bedroom    4:13

LINE - UP

Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Alto Saxophone – Hugh Hopper
Organ [Lowry, Hammond], Harpsichord, Piano, Flute – Mike Ratledge
Percussion, Drums, Vocals – Robert Wyatt
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Brian Hopper
Written-By – Hopper (tracks: 2, 4 to 8, 10, 12, 17), Ratledge (tracks: 3, 10, 11, 13 to 17), Wyatt (tracks: 1 to 11, 17)

NOTES

Recorded in February/March 1969 at Olympic Sound Studios, London.

FLAC Size: 196 MB

THE SOFT MACHINE - FOURTH 1971

                 

Soft Machine's collective skill is hyper-complex and refined, as they are extremely literate in all fields of musical study. Fourth is the band's free purging of all of that knowledge, woven into noisy, smoky

structures of sound. Their arcane rhythms have a stop-and-go mentality of their own that sounds incredibly fresh even though it is sonically steeped in soft and warm tones. Obviously there is a lot of skillful playing going on, as the mix of free jazz, straight-ahead jazz, and Gong-like psychedelia coalesces into a skronky plateau. Robert Wyatt's drumming is impeccable -- so perfect that it at times becomes an unnoticeable map upon which the bandmembers take their instinctive direction.
                   

Mike Ratledge's keys are warm throughout, maintaining an earthy quality that keeps its eye on the

space between the ground and the heavens that Soft Machine attempt to inhabit. Elton Dean's saxophone work screams out the most inventive cadence, and since it's hardly rhythmic, it takes front and center, spitting out a crazy language. Certainly the band is the preface to a good portion of Chicago's post-rock output, as the Softs undoubtedly give a nod to Miles Davis' Bitches Brew experiments, which were going on in the U.S. at the same time.
                   

Soft Machine – Fourth
Label: One Way Records – A 26254
Format: CD, Album, Reissue Oct 1995
Country: US
Released: 1971    
Genre: Jazz, Rock
Style: Fusion, Jazz-Rock, Prog Rock

TRACKS

                

01. Teeth    9:12
02. Kings And Queens    5:02
03. Fletcher's Blemish    4:35
04. Virtually (Part 1)    5:17
05. Virtually (Part 2)    7:06
06. Virtually (Part 3)    4:33
07. Virtually (Part 4)    3:22

LINE - UP

Alto Flute, Bass Clarinet – Jimmy Hastings
Alto Saxophone, Saxello – Elton Dean
Bass – Hugh Hopper
Cornet – Mark Charig
Double Bass – Roy Babbington
Drums – Robert Wyatt
Organ, Piano – Mike Ratledge
Tenor Saxophone – Alan Skidmore
Trombone – Nick Evans

NOTES

Recorded in autumn, 1970 at Olympic Studios, London.

Flac Size: 231 MB

The Soft Macjine: The Soft Machine 1968 on Urban Aspirines HERE
The Soft Machine: Third 1970 on Urban Aspirines HERE