Punk and Ska band from Italy. Their songs are generally rational in nature,… Read Full Bio ↴Punk and Ska band from Italy. Their songs are generally rational in nature, focusing on socialism, internationalism and atheism issues. its music can to remind The Clash, Angelic Upstarts, Red London, Hard Skin, The Selecter or Madness.

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.

Comunicato N 38
Banda Bassotti Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

E c'è chi compra i suoi diritti a cambiali
Così tutta la vita fino ai funerali
Posto sicuro in una fabbrica di veleno
Ma che fortuna
Chissà quanti progetti che faremo
Solo otto ore e un po' di
Straordinari in serale
E vedrai che bei regali ci faremo a Natale

Maternità: un grosso guaio per la produzione
Nessun ricatto se sei per
Caso moglie del padrone
E i caporali a nord e sud sono tutti uguali
Pane e lavoro li troverai
Sotto i loro stivali e vanno via la luna
Il sole e ancora un altro giorno
Tutta la vita, come una schiava
Come un animale

C'è chi ha la casa bella e riscaldata
E c'è chi vive per la strada
E chi si compra un vestito al giorno
E chi non ha nessuno intorno
E chi va al cesso con il cellulare
Chi non ha i soldi per il pane
E chi ripete "Sissignore" ogni giorno
E chi si vuole ribellare

E c'è chi pensa ai dannati della Terra
E a questa guerra risponderà
Con un'altra Guerra
E il minatore che nella miniera
Ha perso il sole
E Vincenzino uscito dal cantiere
Senza la vita e chi quel giorno aspettava
Un treno nella stazione
Forse il suo sangue avrebbe dato
Per un mondo diverso

E per te chi ha pagato?
E perché l'ingiustizia è un diritto?
E per te che hai detto
No e sei stato incatenato?
E perché chi si ribella sarà torturato?
E perché chi si ribella sarà ammazzato?
E se la morte avesse la memoria
Ricorderebbe ai vivi
Che in galera c'hanno chiuso la storia
E chi sta fuori ha dimenticato
Che fuori nulla è cambiato
E dentro niente è cambiato
E che sarebbe stato diverso

E quel lontano 25 Aprile
Compagno non lasciare quel fucile

Overall Meaning

The song Comunicato N 38 by Banda Bassotti speaks of the inequality present in society, where some people have all the luxuries in life and others live in poverty. The lyrics highlight the struggles of the working class who have to work hard just to make ends meet. The first stanza talks about those who sell their rights just to get by and have a "safe" job in a toxic factory. These workers have big dreams but are limited by the eight-hour workday and struggle to provide for themselves and their families. The song also speaks of the challenges faced by women workers who are pressured to not have children to maintain their productivity.

The second stanza talks more about the effects of poverty on workers. It expresses the hopelessness of workers who have to work like slaves for the rest of their lives, with no chance of escaping their oppressive conditions. The lyrics point out the class distinction, where some have warm homes, while others live on the streets. It also brings to light how people try to make the most of their situations, like those who can only afford to buy one dress per day, while others can't even afford basic necessities like bread. The song ends with a call to action, urging people to fight injustice and remember those who paid the price for a better world.

Line by Line Meaning

E c'è chi compra i suoi diritti a cambiali
And there are those who buy their rights on credit

Così tutta la vita fino ai funerali
So their whole life, up until their funeral

Posto sicuro in una fabbrica di veleno
A safe job in a factory of poison

Ma che fortuna
But what a stroke of luck

Chissà quanti progetti che faremo
Who knows how many plans we'll have

Solo otto ore e un po' di
Just eight hours and a little

Straordinari in serale
Overtime in the evening

E vedrai che bei regali ci faremo a Natale
And you'll see the beautiful gifts we'll give each other at Christmas

Maternità: un grosso guaio per la produzione
Maternity: a huge problem for production

Nessun ricatto se sei per caso moglie del padrone
No blackmail if you happen to be the boss's wife

E i caporali a nord e sud sono tutti uguali
And the foremen in the north and south are all the same

Pane e lavoro li troverai sotto i loro stivali e vanno via la luna
You'll find bread and work under their boots and the moon goes away

Il sole e ancora un altro giorno
The sun and another day still

Tutta la vita, come una schiava
Their whole life, like a slave

Come un animale
Like an animal

C'è chi ha la casa bella e riscaldata
There are those who have a beautiful, heated house

E c'è chi vive per la strada
And there are those who live on the street

E chi si compra un vestito al giorno
And those who buy a new outfit every day

E chi non ha nessuno intorno
And those who have no one around them

E chi va al cesso con il cellulare
And those who bring their cellphone to the restroom

Chi non ha i soldi per il pane
Those who don't have money for bread

E chi ripete 'Sissignore' ogni giorno
And those who repeat 'Yes sir' every day

E chi si vuole ribellare
And those who want to rebel

E c'è chi pensa ai dannati della Terra
And there are those who think of the damned of the Earth

E a questa guerra risponderà con un'altra Guerra
And they will respond to this war with another war

E il minatore che nella miniera ha perso il sole
And the miner who lost the sun in the mine

E Vincenzino uscito dal cantiere senza la vita e chi quel giorno aspettava
And Vincenzino who left the construction site without his life and those who were waiting for him that day

Un treno nella stazione forse il suo sangue avrebbe dato per un mondo diverso
A train in the station, maybe he would have given his blood for a different world

E per te chi ha pagato?
And for you, who paid?

E perché l'ingiustizia è un diritto?
And why is injustice a right?

E per te che hai detto No e sei stato incatenato?
And for you, who said No and was put in chains?

E perché chi si ribella sarà torturato?
And why will those who rebel be tortured?

E perché chi si ribella sarà ammazzato?
And why will those who rebel be killed?

E se la morte avesse la memoria
And if death had a memory

Ricorderebbe ai vivi che in galera c'hanno chiuso la storia
It would remind the living that their story was closed up in prison

E chi sta fuori ha dimenticato
And those on the outside have forgotten

Che fuori nulla è cambiato
That nothing has changed on the outside

E dentro niente è cambiato
And nothing has changed inside

E che sarebbe stato diverso
And what would have been different

E quel lontano 25 Aprile
And that far-off April 25th