ARBEIT MACHT FREI

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From the first Arab prayer words to the the last note , everything in this album spells classic! It certainly is a very influential album not only for Italian groups ( bands such as Deus Ex machina owe a lot to Area) but also for RIO. Although Area is one of the prominent group thought of when RIO is mentioned , this album is not yet in that style but more to do with Canterbury style music.

Led by Grek-born Stratos, Area were very left wing politics and the title of this album is a denonciation of the Nazi slogan (translates into "work sets you free") written on the gate of the extermination camps! This title track is absolutely stunning veering often in Free style improv at the start before settling in its jazz-rock groove. All tiltes are strong but the real highlight IMHO is the closer Abbatimento dello Zeppelin. A lot of the ambiances will remind you of Canterbury classic bands but none exactly pin-pointed. Just one hint, some of the more inventful moments will remind you of Soft Machine but more in the Hugh Hoppe- mode tunes than in the Ratledge-Jenkins mode.

Very much a classic and highly influential!

AREA, for me, are one of the most unsung Italian prog bands, especially on this site. With my preference for all things symphonic when it comes to Italian prog, I too fall into the category of not knowing lesser known prog bands in the Jazz/Fusion field. These guys are at the top, so far. I just love Stato's voice with its twists and turns, bellows and warbles, he flys all over the place. And so does the music! The saxs takes the lead on most of the songs, but don't dispare, all the important prog elements are there but you must have an open mind, this is definately not BANCO, PFM or any of the multitude of Italian one shots. These guys have an agenda, left wing politics on top of some of the tightest grooves that ever came out of Europe. Watch out Miles, you have some competition! Oh, and by the way, if you listen closely during the title song you'll hear some GENTLE GIANT from their jazzy first album. Being their first album, I tend to think there's not enough of Stato, but don't let discourage you. This is a must-have Italian prog album of the absoulte highest order. Almost as good as their 1975 masterpiece "Crac!". My rating is 4.5, which I'll round out to 5 stars. It would be a definate 5-star album for fans of Jazz/Fusion prog and maybe Canterbury fans will dig it. So what are you waiting for? Go now! You won't regret it!

With more energy than Mahavishnu Orchestra and more edge than most of the RPI scene, Area's "Arbeit Macht Frei" is a must-listen - one that puts less accomplished groups back into perspective.

Note that this album is not exclusively for fusion-heads - this reviewer certainly isn't one of them - as it rarely slips into jazz variation downtime, preferring to steadily apply pressure to the listener's ears. When jazz is the focus, this reviewer is reminded of bands such as Soft Machine or Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi and features similar instrumentation; however, instead of extending into the jazz note horizon, "Arbeit Macht Frei" features several moments where strong rock grooves emerge from the funk - the beauty of it all is that this always occurs just before the sax versus electric piano motif would become taxing on the patience.

Let's not skip over Mr. Stratos' voice - it'd be a reviewer's crime to do so, thereby skipping a perfect chance to use the word "bleating" with a positive connotation! For the man is a vocal contortionist with style and with fierce power of delivery - think Banco's Di Giacomo with less of a theatrical edge but more passion, coupled with a little fringe Patton activity (it'd be interesting to know whether Mike Patton is indeed a fan of Area.)

A few notes about the individual tracks without lapsing into analysis; "Settiembre" is partially built around a dancing, ethnic melody line, perhaps inspired by the traditional music of greece; the title track starts experimentally but locks into a jazz-rock groove without compare; "Consapevolazza" is smooth and pensive and features a sax part that to this reviewer's mind mimics Mr. Stratos' singular vocal style; "Le Labbra del Tempo" changes things up with an intro that has a similar furious "everyone play the theme in unison!" feel as KC's legendary "21st Century Schizoid Man"; "240 Chilometri da Smirne" is your alloted semi-improv jazz expedition to put you in the mood for "L'Abbattimento delio Zeppelin", which is a dark and stormy fusion skree featuring the versatile voice of Mr. Stratos in the role of instrumentation - if there are lyrics to be beheld during this song, they are whispered, ranted and piped out, falsetto. It's an urgent, desperate and avant-garde way to end an album but this is no mistake, as from here Area just get more and more peculiar.

If you like what I've described then I urge you to listen to "Arbeit Macht Frei" for yourself as it shouldn't disappoint - the musicians involved have taste and class and are performing world-worthy compositions with glee and at times, a terrible ferocity. Recommended.

Thanks again, ProgArchives, for this unique and exciting addition to my collection! There's absolutely no way I would have found this album on my own, and it would have been much to my collection's detriment. Area have put together one of those albums that features a sound you won't find anywhere else, similar to what Harmonium and Symphony X have accomplished at least on one occasion (at least in my opinion), to name a few. Of course, the influences are vastly different for Area than these other bands, which include for me plenty of Gentle Giant, some Van der Graaf Generator, and just a hint of some fusion stalwarts (though not a lot, considering they are in the same genre).

These guys really sample from too many genres to be pigeonholed into any one of them, including rock, jazz, fusion, and some psychadelia. The net result is an ever changing, fascinating beast that will keep your ears at attention for the 36 minute duration. Nero is a great opener, which really kicks up the tempo (including plenty of tempo changes), different instrumental/vocal combinations, and even throwing some key changes on top at the end. This segues nicely into the highlight of the album for me, the title track. Arbeit begins with some spacey noodling, which leads into some nice jazz interplay, and then finally the funky primary melody for the tune. This is also a great example of the band's tendency for one or two members to catch a new groove, and then for the other members to pick it up later for great effect. I love these kinds of transitions, and they are difficult enough to pull off that many bands either aren't creative or capable enough to attempt them.

The rest of the songs similarly distinguish themselves, from the impassioned vocals on the heavy parts of Consapevolezza (with awesome heavy/light contrasts throughout), to the freaky conclusion to Le Labbra, to the extended guitar/sax jam on 240 Chilometri, to the fuzzy guitar/distorted keys interplay on the closer. You just get the sense that each member has complete control over his instrument (or voice) at all times, and are constantly pushing each other.

If I could use a sports analogy, this is like a game of basketball in which each player is constantly hustling and giving maximum effort and concentration, and the end result is that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Each time you put this one on, you'll have a new appreciation for at least one of the sections, and if you get bored with one, Area will quickly move into something that does interest you. An essential addition for anyone who thinks they have a diverse collection: this will likely add a new dimension.

Times of political and social unrest throughout history have proved a reliable jumpstart to creativity, throughout history. Perhaps these circumstances are present all the time, but it's obvious that there were many "hot spots" during the tempestuous years of the Cold War. If we zero in on Italy during the middle of this conflict, we see a nation struggling to gain an identity, and the characteristic battle between polar opposites on the ideological spectrum. Area emerged at this time, with the ambitious goal of capturing the atmosphere on the streets in addition to challenging themselves as musicians and individuals. They could be included as an embryonic form of the "Rock in Opposition" movement, because their approach was similar to what Henry Cow was doing at the time. From the outset, the Area sound was an all-inclusive free-for-all of influences and ethnicities - stretching from different Mediterranean styles, Balkan folk music, Arabian, avant-garde, classical, free jazz/improv, and fusion. This seemingly jumbled assortment of influences congealed beautifully into an adventurous statement of artistic aptitude waiting excitedly to jump from behind its cunning Dadaist smirk. I would seldom call what Area did here a commercial approach, but they created quite a buzz with "Arbeit Macht Frei."

At the time this album was recorded, the band was already demonstrating assurance of role and personality within the group. Vocalist Demetrio Stratos was very much the voice and image of the group, while keysman Patrizio Fariselli was the mastermind beneath their stylistic direction. Interestingly, it had only been a short time since Stratos' abandoned his attempts at becoming a pop star. When Area was formed, he decided to dramatically redirect his approach to singing, becoming one of the most experimental vocalists of the era.

"Luglio, agosto, settembre (nero)" opens the album and from the get-go solidified Area's place as musical and political daredevils. An Arab prayer or poem introduces the track before Stratos takes over, promptly joined by a tricky groove that takes a folk dance and gives it a jazzy kick in the rear. The middle section is filled with chaotic noise which gradually becomes more organized before that groove comes back. This is the type of track that is very hard to describe; you have to hear it yourself. Definitely one of Area's finest moments. "Black September" is also significant in its controversial dive into the political ring. It is notable for its' sympathetic treatment of terrorism, specifically the actions of PLO's and the "Munich Massacre" during the Olympics the previous summer. Regardless of their stance . . . or yours, or mine, Area's representation of the struggle is a powerful one and shows incredible depth of perception (unfortunately, I can't recommend an adequate translation although there are several experts on this site who may be able to shed more light than I ;).

Up next, the title track takes its name from a Nazi slogan, along the lines of "work sets you free." The lyrics are oblique and I get the feeling there's a clever use of wordplay that doesn't translate particularly well across cultures. After an intro consisting of various sound effects and drum rolls, a descending bass line emerges from the swamp and morphs into a funky rhythm after several brass transitions. These guys really nail it here; the performances are incredibly tight - on par with the best. My favorite part is around four minutes, when the "main" bassline comes in backed by Eddy Busnello's energetic saxophones . . . and of course there's Demetrio's excellent vocal performance complete with intense groans and even something that sounds like angry yodeling. By the end of the track, we get another funky bassline with freaky synth and guitar soloing.

"Consapevolezza" jumps out to an upbeat eruption of sax, bass, and electric piano before winding into many valleys and crevasses. Stratos performs more acrobatics, this time pounding each verse into the ground and accenting with that quasi-yodel - don't try it at home! The instrumental sections dart in and out of the verses, with unpredictable twists that are nonetheless welcome every time. We hear frantic sections interlaced with cool jazzy solos courtesy of Busnello. I'm amazed at how well Fariselli, Busnello, and Tofani translate the vocal line into a unison riff over top of the volatile tempo of Capiozzo and Dijvas. "Le Labbra del Tempo" follows in the same vein only with less structure. Most of the themes covered begin to appear and disappear quickly and often contrast the rhythmic backing; the resulting feel is dissonant yet approachable. The whole thing is really a mess to describe (in a good way, of course). After this, we get more jazz with "240 Chilometri da Smirne". It's hard to tell whether this was improvised or not, the musicians play extremely well off of each other, seemingly in free jazz spirit, and Giulio Cappiozzo is notably impressive behind the kit. The final track, "L'abbattimento dello Zeppelin" is the most chaotic on the album. Stratos lets loose with all kinds of shrieks and insane raving, whispering, and moaning. Not for the faint of heart.

I really want to give this one five stars, but I'm sure it's not for everyone, especially those who aren't into this relatively extreme approach and the tendency to experiment early and often. But to those looking for a taste of this crazy stuff, "Arbeit Macht Frei" is a good place to start, just edging out "Crac!" as Area's best work.

PA rating: somewhere between 4 and 4.5

The Jimmy Row Factor: 9/10 , A

After many twists and turns and recommendations popping up in various threads at various times, Area finally made it into my collection. The praise spoke of high-class intensity and world-class musicians and naturally, even though this isn't a symphonic Italian band, just the tag Italian represents a certain attraction, but most importantly often a deviance from many of the norms of the established genres, wherever the band itself is placed.

Stunning, intensely fiery, extrovert and refusing to sit still in its jazz-prog/fusion home, Arbeit Macht Frei just nailed me to the wall during the first listen. If damaged by the music, don't expect any insurance money. They will instantly claim force majeure. In part this surprise originates in that I haven't dabbled much in J-R/fusion or in the jazzed up, more avant corners of the Canterbury scene, but fact remains; this is an immensely powerful and passionate record.

Tight, interesting bass and frantic drumming rumbles up an impressive momentum on which complex guitar, saxophone and keys can freely head out in organised chaos. But if the Canterbury and J-R/Fusion bands manage to do this with at least equal intricacy, they don't stand a chance against the emotional quality of Area. Being a very politically active band, out on the left, this definitely helps in transmitting the raw aggression and passion to the listener in what feels like a perfectly honest way. It grabs you by the throat, calling for action and understanding, but never in an unpleasant way; all these feelings may seem compulsory, but they come to you in the most voluntary way. I guess this is why I like it so much compared to my other experiences of musically similar bands. They end up in that complexity-for-complexity's sake trap: interesting, sure, but it just doesn't reach me on an emotional level. Even the experimental and stripped musical passages, often with twitchy, probing performances from all the instruments, are charged with emotion. Uncertainty, suppressed anger and something darker and more sinister. It's hard to put you're finger on.

The jazzy parts are dominating, but it's very refreshing that they rarely stray into inward noodlings, something I find very hard to tolerate. It happens, but they're soon back with full throttle again via another one of those tasteful bridges. Also noteworthy is the groovy, slightly rockier character of Arbeit Macht Frei, which creates that powerful drive and direction I otherwise actually would have missed.

As in most reviews of this album, Demetrio Statos deserves some extra credit. His voice is uniquely expressive and dramatic, and with his range he often performs well beyond the call of duty, blending with the rest of the music like another instrument. The same man is also responsible for the organ on Arbeit Macht Frei. Together with underrated keyboardist Patrizio Fariselli, the assembled keys also deserve mentioning; they are quite close to the sound familiar from much of RPI! Often warm and rich when they get a place in the spotlight.

In many ways a perfect album, and at first it felt like one. But with repeated listens the jazzy parts have a tendency to dominate just a little too much, and sounding a little too much like the others. This isn't really a problem. It's more a matter of taste. It's not repetitive, but after a while a lot of structural and stylistic similarities emerge from the record. Had they used a little more of the ethnic qualities, epic connotations and rhythms found on the stand-out tracks of stand-out tracks - Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (nero) - this would easily reach masterpiece levels

.but 4 well-deserved stars really aren't bad.

//LinusW

4.5 stars.AREA's debut album from 1973 is a politically charged blend of jazz,canterbury and avant-garde.Vocalist Demetrio Stratos born from Greek parents was certainly one of the best singers of any genre.He really pushed the boundries with his style and was very innovative.He tragically died of leukemia in New York where he went to receive a bone marrow transplant.He was only 34 years old.This would be bass player Jan Patrick Djivas' only album with the band as he would leave after this one to join PFM. "Luglio,Agosto,Settembre(Nero)" opens with a female speaking a prayer in Arabic before we get vocals from Demetrio,some sax, then a full sound.Check out the dissonant sax before 3 minutes and the chaos too.It settles with some organ and vocal melodies before the uptempo melody from earlier returns.Not a huge fan of this song.I am of the rest of this album though. "Arbeit Macht Frei" opens with some impressive and intricate drumming.Birds are chirping(what the heck!) as cymbals,flute and bass follow in an atmospheric section.Sax 2 1/2 minutes in and then the song just takes off.A great jazzy sound is the result with lots of sax,piano,light drums and bass.Love the sound as the drums come in after 4 minutes.Vocals arrive after 4 1/2 minutes.Lots of amazing sax after 6 minutes.Drumming also impresses 7 minutes in.Fantastic track. "Consapevolezza" is led by sax and drums early in this uptempo intro.It settles into a very canterbury-ish sound.This part really blew me away,i mean this is canterbury 101 and yet this is before the canterbury scene came to be.Vocals 1 1/2 minutes followed by some excellent guitar.It calms right down 3 1/2 minutes in as sax,light drums and bass create a great atmosphere.Vocals return 5 minutes in.It ends with a full sound.Amazing song, and my favourite. "Le Labbra Del Tempo" opens with outbursts of sound that come and go.It settles in and then vocals come in with sax.A jazzy sound after 2 minutes.A powerful chaotic sound before 4 minutes.A calm arrives.Check out the vocals 5 minutes in! A full sound ends it. "240 Chilometri Da Smirne" is very jazzy with lots of sax reminding me of PASSPORT.Some great sax work on this one.A bass solo after 2 minutes.The drumming and sax continue to impress. "L'Abbattimento Dello Zeppelin" has a spacey and haunting intro.Jazzy with vocal melodies after 1 1/2 minutes in.Guitar after 2 minutes is the best on the album. Some crazy vocals 3 1/2 minutes in to the end of the song with some avant-garde instrumental work to support him. Highly recommended to fans of avant-garde and jazz.A very influential album.

Arbeit Macht Frei is the debut studio album from Italian jazz rock/ avant garde rock band Area. I´ve listened to this album many times before writing my review because I felt it difficult to write about Area´s music. Music this diverse and challenging is always hard to write about.

The music is primarely in the jazz rock vein but there are also avant garde tendencies and a bit of hard rock here and there. There are lots of solos played primarely on sax and on initial listen the music seems a bit unstructured and jam like except for the first song Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero) which is very different from the rest. If you want to know what Area sounds like you should skip to song number 2 and that´s not because Luglio, Agosto, Settembre (Nero) is a bad song. On the contrary it´s one of my favorites here but it´s very different from the rest. There are some great Italian vocals and an electric violin in that song which is so masterful. That song is more in the RIO/ Avant garde vein than jazz rock. The rest of the songs are more or less jazz rock. Mainly instrumental but with vocal sections here and there. Great Italian vocals. Of course I don´t understand a word but the way Demetrio Statos sings is great.

As I mentioned above I first found the music a bit unstructured but after listening to Arbeit Macht Frei several times everything falls into place and I have found that this music is indeed very tightly structured. This is something which is alfa omega for my listening pleasure. It feels like I´ve solved the puzzle and it´s a great experience. What beautiful and challenging music.

The musicianship is astonishing and I´m left speechless every time I finish listening to this rather short album ( 36:24 minutes). There are so many great moments on the album. The rythm section,the guitar, the vocals, the organ, the sax, the violin. It is one of those divine interplays between musicians you so seldom hear.

The production is excellent. Warm and cleverly done.

Arbeit Macht Frei has been an eye opening experience for me. My persistence has payed off and Arbeit Macht Frei is near a masterpiece in my ears. I´ll rate it 4 big stars and recommend it to anyone who like me is a bit intimidated by jazz rock. This is a great place to start as there is plenty of rock on this album as well as jazz. I might upgrade this to 5 stars sometime in the future that´s how good I think it is. I just need to see if it stands the test of time.