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REVOLUTION

Area

Rock Progressivo Italiano


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memowakeman
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Want to know Area? Want to complete your collection?

Well, last year a friend who is also member here told me go to el chopo (a place where i use to buy most of my prog CD's) there is a man selling an Area Box Set, and yeah the next week i went there and fortunately found that guy who i already knew because i have acquired lots of cds thanks to him. Actually what he told me was i was waiting for you, take this boxset with you and i really felt that it was for me, so i didn't hesitate and bought it with also a very nice price.

This box-set called Revolution was released by Akarma Records some years ago, in the front you can see a picture of Area, besides a huge picture of Che Guevara. What this boxset contains, are Area's first 4 releases (note that i said releases, not estrictly studio albums) since their debut album Arbeit Macht Frei passing through Caution Radiation Area up to their 1975 relseases, on studio with Carc! and live with Are(a)zione.

All of those 4 releases are filled with awesome, original and with the unique style that a band like Area could have created. Of course i won't review album by album, so what i can say is the following, if you already know and like Area and have their albums, then this boxset would be useless for you, unless you are a collector. Then, if you already know and like the band, but don't have their albums or just one or two, then you can buy this boxset and kill 4 birds in one shot, you won't regret. And, if you don't know the band, and would like to enter to their fabolous realm, i would also suggest this to you, though it would be better if you buy just one album first and if you enjoy it, then get this colelction.

So now the dilemma is, how many stars am i going to give to it? I might say 4, because i love all the albums here, the music is just awesome. I might say 2, because a boxset is normally for fans and collectors.

But well, don't pay attention to the rating, better read what i expressed and listen to Area, via this boxset or by individual albums. 3 stars then!

Enjoy it!

Report this review (#189417)
Posted Saturday, November 15, 2008 | Review Permalink
VianaProghead
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Review Nš 496

"Revolution" is a very special compilation of Area and was released in 2003. It was released by Akarma Records and in its front cover we can see a picture of the group, besides a picture of Che Guevara. This is a package that includes their debut studio album "Arbeit Macht Frei", released in 1973, their second studio album "Caution Radiation Area" released in 1974, their third studio album "Crac!" released in 1975 and their debut live album "Are(A)zione" released also in 1975.

This is a very interesting compilation because it includes, in my humble opinion, the two best studio albums from the group "Arbeit Macht Frei" and "Crac!" and also "Caution Radiation Area" one of their best studio albums too. However, all their five studio works with their vocalist Demetrio Stratos in the group are all great and absolutely indispensable musical works. Furthermore, the compilation includes also "Are(A)zione" which is probably the best live album of them.

As I've already reviewed these four albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read all those reviews. However, in here, I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of all those albums.

"Arbeit Macht Frei": "Arbeit Macht Frei" is a true pure jazz rock/fusion album with great intensity. This will probably appeal more to fusion lovers and avant-prog fans than to the average RPI fans, because it's more adventurous and challenging. In many ways, it's a perfect album. It's emotional and unforgettable. It's an adventurous and intricate album that will repel some and compel others. This is a landmark, one of the most important Italian albums of the 70's. It's, in my opinion, one of the best releases of that sub-genre. "Arbeit Macht Frei" is a masterpiece of the band, putting Area at the same quality level of their compatriots, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Premiata Forneria Marconi and Le Orme.

"Caution Radiation Area": "Caution Radiation Area" is a completely different kind of work than "Arbeit Macht Frei" is. "Arbeit Macht Frei" represents the highlighted Area's early musical sound, which featured folk melodies, Canterbury Scene sound, acid psychedelic stile and avant-garde experimental jazz music, all together filtered and mixed through a very special and very particular Italian sensibility and taste. "Caution Radiation Area" is much more experimental with plenty of electronic effects. So, this is the album where the experimental music is completely introduced. As its name indicates, it's darker than their previous debut. It obviously intended to provoke and disturb the listener. "Caution Radiation Area" is more "radioactive" and needs an extreme caution approach, especially by the newbies with Area.

"Crac!": "Crac!" is one of the best prog albums released by Area. The energy on this album is incredible. It has an excellent mix between jazz and RPI. It has a perfect fusion between the instrumental parts and Demetrio vocals in RPI style. It has some of the best and most popular songs from the band, like "L'Elefante Bianco", "La Mela Di Odessa" and "Gioia I Rivoluzione", which quickly became some of the most played live by the band, keeping the long instrumental parts that have become one of the greatest features of the band. "Crac!" is one of the most influential albums of the early 70's in the Italian prog rock scene. This is a classic album in its genre and it's highly recommended for those who love to check something different fresh and new. Sincerely, this album should be part of every serious prog collection.

"Are(A)zione": "Are(a)zione" is a great live album from a great live band. It's probably the best live album released by the group. On "Are(a)zione" the live songs are closer to the studio versions. It has also a very good production. This is a very short album with only five tracks. However, it has two lengthy amazing tracks "Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero)" from "Arbeit Macht Frei" and the title track "Are(A)zione", which is simply an original track. So, this is a very good live album and it's perhaps the perfect choice for anyone to start with Area, and in some way it tells their story better than band's studio albums, or even better than the compilations of them. This is an excellent addition to any prog collection.

Conclusion: It's always a bit difficult for me to rate this kind of compilations, box sets, with the complete original albums from a band. Why? Because, If you have already the four original albums from the group, you don't need to buy this compilation because it hasn't practically anything new to offer, unless you have only the vinyl versions. In this case, this package is a good complement for you, probably with a cheap price than the four CD's, individually. However, if you don't have these four albums yet, you need urgently to leave your home to buy them. Concluding, this is a great box set with four of the best albums from the group. If you own this compilation or the four albums individually, you only need to buy their fourth studio album "Maledetti" of 1976 and their fifth studio album "1978 Gli Dei Se Ne Vanno, Gli Arrabbiati Restano" of 1978 to have the essential discography of Area. So, this is a high recommended compilation.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Report this review (#2668955)
Posted Wednesday, January 5, 2022 | Review Permalink

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