AA VV Urla Dal Granducato Vol.3

(We have finally arrived at the third and final chapter of our personal story of the GranDucato HardCore (and its surroundings). At first we were a bit hesitant to do volume 3, but as we went on, our motivation and conviction grew… We started with Lanciafiamme (of which we are re-releasing the 7 "EP in its entirety as a due homage!) and the Testemarce on the one hand, and Dements/Dia-triba on the other. Then, thanks to Testemarce, whom we were already happy to introduce to as wide an audience as possible that loved those sounds, we happened to come across a band that was more of a legend to us than anything else, because no one, starting with the members who had played with them in the early 80s, had a rehearsal recording, a live show on a Walkman, or any other trace of that experience… It was Soviet Sex (even the name is already a guarantee!) … in the midst of the reels where Testemarce’s songs were recorded there were also them: you can imagine our/their happiness at the chance discovery! Finally, everyone could meet them!

At the same time, thanks to Dements/Dia-triba, we came across the infamous Oi! band of Sweet Baby Oi! from Lucca, the sound is not for the audiophiles, but it seemed too important a document to be so subtle!
To stay within the length of an LP, which making a double seemed excessive to us, we included no less than 9 bonus tracks from Testemarce, Sweet Baby Oi! and Dia-triba!

To stay at a good level, we opted for a 4-page insert with unreleased photos, band manifestos, as well as precious notes by Riccardo Signorini!
To close, we relied on Winston Smith for the cover and Alessandro ‘Ovi’ Sportelli for the mastering!

In short, we are as proud as ever of each printed volume, but perhaps this time we really managed to unearth bands and songs that seemed doomed to oblivion…)We have finally arrived at the third and final chapter of our personal story of the GranDucato HardCore (and its surroundings). At first, we were a bit hesitant to do volume 3, but as we went on, our motivation and conviction grew… We started with Lanciafiamme (of which we are re-releasing the 7 "EP in its entirety as a due homage!) and the Testemarce on the one hand and Dements/Dia-triba on the other. Then, thanks to Testemarce, whom we were already happy to introduce to as wide an audience as possible that loved those sounds, we happened to come across a band that was more of a legend to us than anything else, because no one, starting with the members who had played with them in the early 80s, had a rehearsal recording, a live show on a Walkman, or any other trace of that experience… It was Soviet Sex (even the name is already a guarantee!) … in the midst of the reels where Testemarce’s songs were recorded there were also them: you can imagine our/their happiness at the chance discovery! Finally, everyone could meet them!

At the same time, thanks to Dements/Dia-triba, we came across the infamous Oi! band of Sweet Baby Oi! from Lucca, the sound is not for the audiophiles, but it seemed too important a document to be so subtle!
To stay within the length of an LP, which making a double seemed excessive to us, we included no less than 9 bonus tracks from Testemarce, Sweet Baby Oi! and Dia-triba!

To stay at a good level, we opted for a 4-page insert with unreleased photos, band manifestos, as well as precious notes by Riccardo Signorini!
To close, we relied on Winston Smith for the cover and Alessandro ‘Ovi’ Sportelli for the mastering!

In short, we are as proud as ever of each printed volume, but perhaps this time we really managed to unearth bands and songs that seemed doomed to oblivion…

But let us come to an excerpt from Riccardo Signorini’s notes:
It is difficult to explain what the GranDucato HardCore (GDHC) was to those who – for age reasons – could not experience and enjoy it.
I like to describe it as a group of people who managed to create a social and musical experiment of cooperation without constraints and barriers, without even knowing how, and at a time when communication was by letter, and phone calls were awfully expensive and people used phone boxes or, if lucky, made their calls by crashing into other people’s offices.
An experiment that lasted a few years and that we lived through without even realising what was happening.
The GDHC had many facets, both social and political and musical, and people who listened to HC, punks, shaved heads, mods and a few metalheads were all part of it.

SOVIET SEX – The band operated between Pisa and Pontedera and featured Gianni ‘Gipi’ Pacinotti, the famous cartoonist and illustrator, on vocals. Luca Mazzuoli, the first guitarist, is no longer with us either,
the second guitarist was Dome La Muerte, who later became the guitarist for CCM and Not Moving, and the drummer was Alessandro Fantinato, who also later joined CCM.
Soviet Sex have no more than three concerts to their credit. The first of these, that of 6 January 1982 in Pontedera (close to Pisa), is the one proposed in this volume.

LANCIAFIAMME – They were born at the turn of 1982-1983, in the wake created by the birth of CCM a few years earlier, when Tetano agreed with twins Luca and Mauro to start playing punk music.
The twins were already playing with the band of an extraordinary musician and composer, Giancarlo Bianco (Upper Jaw Mask), but Giancarlo’s creativity and refinement were ill-suited to the need for roughness and sonic impact that Tim and Tom were looking for.
By now punk was running through their veins, and Tetano was the touch of madness they needed to get going. So the Lanciafiamme started rehearsing on the Victor Charlie stage until they met Rodolfo.
After four or five rehearsals they went straight into recording the only pieces they had written, which were released as a seven-inch on Belfagor Records, the GDHC’s label, and are re-released here.

DEMENTS – with the Dia-Triba had three elements in common. Already present in the collection ‘Last White Christmas’ because they took part in that concert that marked a milestone in the evolution of GDHC, the Dements, played something outside the hardcore mould, also because of the presence of a saxophone.

TESTEMARCE – A band formed in 1982 between Piombino and Pisa, it was a line-up decidedly inspired by the anarcho-punk of Crass and co., both from a rhythmic-musical point of view and for its politically committed lyrics, something not very common in GDHC, and Testemarce was a band sui generis for other reasons too. It is no coincidence that Ale Paolucci (Raw Power) and Antonio Cecchi (CCM) shared a musical background of Crimson, Area, Zappa and others, which contributed to their musical eclecticism.
This also led them to a mini-tour in Holland organised by Cecchi after the Nog Watts had played at Victor Charlie, and even played at the legendary Emma in Amsterdam even before CCM.
Here we find most of the only remaining traces of that experience.

DIA-TRIBA – Stefano Santini’s band (vocals), who unfortunately passed away about ten years ago,
Dia-triba, from Lucca, are not an HC band, rather post-punk / new wave, but are nevertheless linked to the Grand Duchy for what I would call logistical reasons.
All the Lucchese bands of the time (the Brontosauri, the War Dogs, the Sweet Baby Oi, etc.) passed through their cellar, and that’s where A’ufschlag and No Fun rehearsed.
They all had keys to the cellar, which could only remain open because they had signed a document in which they declared that they would not host members of the Brigate Rosse (Red Brigades).

SWEET BABY OI – From the same cellar came Sweet Baby Oi, a meteor in the GDHC scene in the sense that they lasted very little, playing even less live, but left their mark. Former members of recently disbanded historical bands were part of SBO! Vetra and Petri had been the drummer and guitarist of the Wardogs respectively, while Aglio and Roberto ‘Pinguino’ had been the bassist and singer of the Brontosauri.

TRACKLIST

Lato A
Soviet Sex – Italian Decline
Soviet Sex – Monkey Joke
Soviet Sex – Enemy
Soviet Sex – Reagan dance
Soviet Sex – We are sick
Soviet Sex – You must cry
Lanciafiamme – Ama la loro morte
Lanciafiamme – Cavalcata
Lanciafiamme – Nei tuoi occhi
Lanciafiamme – No guerra no politica
Lanciafiamme – Victor Charlie

Lato B
Dements – I am not
Testemarce – Braille
Testemarce – Voltafaccia
Testemarce – Asker du
Testemarce – Mazzadas (Senza Tregua)
Testemarce – Ultimo giorno di gloria
Sweet Baby Oi – Sweet baby Oi
Dia-triba – Echoes in my mind