Banda Bassotti was formed in 1988, by a group of politically active musicians who began to sympathize with the Nicaraguan, Salvadorean, Palestinian, and Basque people fights. This group of friends supports the Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional with solidarity initiatives by creating some work brigades. From 1984 to 1987 they took part to a three months brigade with the building cooperative XXV Aprile, to build some students houses and a school. From 1987 to 1989 the group creates a rock-band which begins to stir in the squats and in the demonstrations. The Banda Bassotti together with other comrades establishes the project Gridalo Forte No fascism! No racism! A documentation centre against fascism and racial prejudice.
From 1990 to 1991 they organize an antiracist festival with the same title who took place in Rome on 1991 May 3rd and 4th. European antiracist bands took part into such festival with concerts, videos and meetings. From this documentation centre, after two years the label Gridalo Forte Records is created. From this documentation centre the project Balla e Difendi arises, always in 1991, where the Banda Bassotti, took part to, together with other roman bands, such as: Red House, Filo da Torcere, AK 47. In this record, produced by the Gridalo Forte Records independent label, took part the most active bands of the left roman antagonist scene. "Figli della stessa rabbia" the first Banda Bassotti cd follows the success of such initiative and it is produced by the same label. This cd obtained a great success of both audience and critics and acted as an ingagements band multiplier: from a roman dimension to a national, and then an international one.
Without abandoning their roots, the BB obtained appreciation in Spain and especially in the Basque Country, where they performed in several concerts together with some independist left bands. During the recording of "Bella Ciao" together with the GANG, it raised the idea to play in Salvador for the FMNL. The occasion to realize such idea comes out few months later in march 1994, for the first political elections after 11 years of civil war in Salvador. The Banda Bassotti played with the Negu Gorriak in San Salvador central square at the end of the campaign with an audience of 50.000 people. They performed in 4 concerts in less than a week.
In June 1995 the band moved to Euskadi for 15 days in the IZ studio, on the mountains and with Kaki Arkarazo –sound technician and Negu Gorriak guitarist- they recorded "Avanzo di Cantiere" produced by Gridalo Forte Records label. Fermin Muguruza took part to the traditional song "Carabina 30-30" This cd is sold also in Euskadi and Spain, published by Gora Herriak Records a branch of the International Basque label Esan Ozenki. The record has been presented in several concerts in Italy and all over Spain: Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Santiago De Compostela, Saragoza, Gasteiz, Oiartzun. The Banda Bassotti played with the Negu Gorriak in summer 1995 in Bilbao Gaz Square at the town party with an audience of 10.000 people. After a while the Banda Bassotti took part to a Hitz Egin demonstration for the freedom of expression, a big concert to raising funds for the Negu Gorriak trial against the civil guard General Galindo. The song reported is Ustalkerria. They raised 200.000.000 liras for the defence, about 12.000 people took part to it and 15 bands played, there were all Basque bands and the Banda Bassotti represented the international sympathy.
In the mid 1996 the band decided to stop because of great energies spent and the obvious difficulties to go on both with the band and to work in the yard.
In February 2001 Negu Gorriak -who broke in the same time of of the Banda Bassotti- decided to keep the promise to get back together to play in a concert to celebrate the end of the legal prosecution of Colonel Galindo against their song Ustalkerria when the Negu Gorriak won the trial. The agreement stated that also the Banda Bassotti should have to rejoin nad play with the Basque band. The Banda Bassotti decided to increase the instruments of the band with the brass section: Sandokan to the tombone -singer of the Ramiccia and trombone of the International Fermin Muguruza Dub Manifest and of the Radici nel Cemento- and Stefano Cecchi to the trumpet -trumpet of the bands International Fermin Muguruza Dub Manifest and Radici nel Cemento-. They rearranged their songs and left for Bilbao.
Concerts in February should have been two but they were three, due to the great demand of tickets (30.000). Seizing this opportunity the Banda Bassotti organized two concerts in Rome on 15th and 17th March 2001. The first concert is in support of the people reported for the demonstration against the nazi Haider arrival in Rome, while the second took place in the Social Centre "Villaggio Globale" with an audience of 9.000 people. The great success of these occasional concerts was the input to find new energies and the Banda Bassotti started to reorganize its future as a band. They started again to play and they received great demands from Italy and Spain.
In May 2001 a double live cd has been published by the label Gridalo Forte Records with the title "Un altro giorno d’amore" recorded at the Villaggio Globale and mixed in the Euskadi Garate Studio by Kaki Arkarazo. The video is the live concert of May 17th as well. Fermin Muguruza took part to roman concerts singing "La Linea del Frente" and "Zu Trapartu Arte" the two most famous songs by Fermin Muguruza’s first band: the Kortatu. After a while they shoot the video of "Carabina 30-30" and Maurizio Gregori -Ramiccia’s saxophonist- joined the band.
In summer 2001 the Banda bassotti is on tour again in Italy, Spain and the Basque Country until September when they played at the Independent Day Festival with Manu Chao, Africa Unite, and so on. Without forgetting their attitude, the Banda Bassotti and their label organized a concert in Rome to support the partisan Walter Dall’Olmo and his family. After that they performed in Italy and Spain and in November 2001, during their first seven concerts tour, they had a total audience of about 30.000 people.
In their second tour in December, with four concerts their audience was of around 7.000 people. During this month they released a compilation with the title "Poetry and reality" for the Japanese label Two Children Records.
Singer Angelo "Sigaro" Conti, died at the age of 62 on 11 December 2018.
È solo un sogno
Banda Bassotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
La ciuadade de dios Zebequeno Insieme ai nostri eroi Si vive così nelle strada io oggi sono il re Cachaca bum bum Vanno fuori Un'altra banca e via Aspettano te Sono ladri ma della polizia.
é solo un sogno che tutti giorni diventa realtà.la chiudade de dios Guardie e ladri non sempre bene va El Zebe lo sà che il piombo lo sta cercando domani è cosi la nostra realtà.
é solo un sogno Con una luca arriva la vita e con un lampo se ne và.
Rapinando così Un altro giorno di gloria nel fango dell'umanità corri come fa il vento senza una meta senza fermarti mai
(Grazie a bassotta99 per questo testo)
The lyrics of Banda Bassotti's "È solo un sogno" tells the story of the city of Dios Zebequeno and how it has become a place where playing is no longer an option. The destiny of the city is life, and at every corner, there is a chance for something new. Behind you, the siren echoes as a reminder that danger is always present. The city is full of heroes, and they live on the streets. One day, the singer becomes the king of the city and robs another bank in the company of the thieves. It is a dream that becomes a reality every day, and the city is a place where cops and robbers don't always get along. El Zebe knows that he is a target of bullets, but life goes on, and tomorrow will be the same.
The song highlights the harsh reality of life in the city, where the struggle for survival is the norm. The lyrics paint a picture of a place where the only way to succeed is by breaking the law. The dreams of the people are lofty, but the reality is often hard to bear. The lyrics suggest that there is no escape from the violence, and it is the only way of life. The singer runs like the wind, without a destination, without ever stopping, in a desperate attempt to keep up with the pace of the city. It's just a dream, and life is fleeting.
Line by Line Meaning
La ciuadade de dios Zebequeno
The city of God Zebequeno
Ormai non gioca più
No longer plays
Da oggi è cosi guarda avanti
From today on, it's like this, look ahead
E non voltarti mai destino finale é la vita ad ogni angolo
And never look back, final destination is life at every corner
E dietro di te la sirena dice che sono li.
And behind you, the siren says they're there.
La ciuadade de dios Zebequeno
The city of God Zebequeno
Insieme ai nostri eroi
Together with our heroes
Si vive così nelle strada io oggi sono il re
This is how we live on the streets, today I am the king
Cachaca bum bum Vanno fuori
Cachaca bum bum, they go out
Un'altra banca e via
Another bank and go
Aspettano te Sono ladri ma della polizia.
They're waiting for you, they're thieves but from the police.
é solo un sogno che tutti giorni diventa realtà.la chiudade de dios
It's just a dream that becomes reality every day, the city of God
Guardie e ladri non sempre bene va
Guards and thieves don't always work out well
El Zebe lo sà che il piombo lo sta cercando domani è cosi la nostra realtà.
El Zebe knows that lead is looking for him, tomorrow is our reality like this.
é solo un sogno Con una luca arriva la vita e con un lampo se ne và.
It's only a dream, life comes with a light and disappears in a flash.
Rapinando così Un altro giorno di gloria nel fango dell'umanità corri come fa il vento senza una meta senza fermarti mai
Robbing like this, another day of glory in the mud of humanity, run like the wind with no destination, never stop.
Contributed by Alaina C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Santy
bellissima! grazie per l'upload! ho notato che le canzoni di vecchi cani bastardi sono assenti dal tubo
RADIO LOGIC
è roba pregiata..per pochi fedelissimi! ;-)
fab munster
(L) calidad¡
fab munster
(L)