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.
Potere al popolo
Banda Bassotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nell'ignoranza, lo sfruttamento, l'oppressione e la povertà
Chi ci controlla paga ai suoi servi il premio fedeltà
Poltrona, villa e scorta laggiù dove il bullone non arriverà
Ma la forza del progresso in una sola direzione va
Marcia verso l'orizzonte rosso della libertà
Ex democristiani biscioni e fascisti cacciamoli via
La storia non è stata ancora scritta
Adesso è l'ora, potere al popolo!
Chi ci condanna vuole dare una lezione a chi alza la testa
A chi è vissuto sempre come uno schiavo e adesso dice basta
E chi controlla i media è sempre il ruffiano di trent'anni fa
Che condannò Valpreda e la verità ha nascosto nella pubblicità
Ma la forza del progresso in una sola direzione va
Marcia verso l'orizzonte rosso della libertà
Ex democristiani biscioni e fascisti cacciamoli via
La storia non è stata ancora scritta
Adesso è l'ora, potere al popolo!
E quando sarai stufo e dirai di no un nuovo giorno per te sarà
E insieme a te ognuno capirà di non avere scelta
Un'unica occasione avrai
Cantiere, fabbrica, scuola, ghetto e quartiere
Non dormiranno i ribelli delle città
Non sarà più come vorrà il potente
Sarà il ritorno della civiltà, e si ballerà...
Chi ci governa vuole riportarci indietro a cent'anni fa
Nell'ignoranza, lo sfruttamento, l'oppressione e la povertà
Chi ci controlla paga ai suoi servi il premio fedeltà
Poltrona, villa e scorta laggiù dove il bullone non arriverà
Ma la forza del progresso nelle nostre mani sta
Il nemico è sempre lo stesso ce vole annientà
Ma i ministri papponi e ruffiani leghisti buttiamoli via
Non è più tempo d'aspettare, ora è già tardi indietro non si tornerà!
The lyrics of the song Potere al popolo by Banda Bassotti talk about the desire for progress and freedom and the need to overthrow those in power who want to take society back to a century ago in terms of ignorance, exploitation, oppression, and poverty. The song criticizes those who control the media and pay their servants to be loyal to them, while denying the truth and hiding it behind publicity. The lyrics urge the listeners to rise up against ex democristiani biscioni and fascisti, who represent the old guard of politics, and not to wait any longer for change to happen.
The song acknowledges the struggles of those who have lived as slaves, but are now standing up for themselves and demanding to be treated with dignity and respect. The lyrics promise that those who join the fight for progress will not be alone, and that together they will be able to make a difference. The song suggests that the power of progress is only going in one direction, toward a red horizon of freedom, and that those in power who want to stop it must be removed.
Line by Line Meaning
Chi ci governa vuole riportarci indietro a cent'anni fa
Those who govern us want to take us back a hundred years in ignorance, exploitation, oppression, and poverty.
Nell'ignoranza, lo sfruttamento, l'oppressione e la povertà
They want to take us back to times where ignorance, exploitation, oppression, and poverty were prevalent.
Chi ci controlla paga ai suoi servi il premio fedeltà
Those who control us reward their loyal servants with positions, wealth, and safety that the common people will never reach.
Poltrona, villa e scorta laggiù dove il bullone non arriverà
These rewards include a comfortable position, a luxurious villa, and protection in a place where they will never face the consequences for their actions.
Ma la forza del progresso in una sola direzione va
However, the force of progress is moving towards one direction, towards the horizon of freedom.
Marcia verso l'orizzonte rosso della libertà
It marches towards the red horizon where freedom beckons.
Ex democristiani biscioni e fascisti cacciamoli via
The previous leaders who were once members of the Christian Democrat party, traitors, and fascist sympathizers should be banished from power.
La storia non è stata ancora scritta
History is not yet written.
Adesso è l'ora, potere al popolo!
Now is the time, power to the people!
Chi ci condanna vuole dare una lezione a chi alza la testa
Those who condemn us want to teach a lesson to those who dare to stand up for their rights.
A chi è vissuto sempre come uno schiavo e adesso dice basta
To those who have always lived like slaves and now say enough is enough.
E chi controlla i media è sempre il ruffiano di trent'anni fa
Those who control the media are still the same old sycophants from thirty years ago.
Che condannò Valpreda e la verità ha nascosto nella pubblicità
These people who hid the truth about Valpreda and suppressed it in advertisements.
E quando sarai stufo e dirai di no un nuovo giorno per te sarà
When you are tired and say no, a new day will come for you.
E insieme a te ognuno capirà di non avere scelta
And with you, everyone will realize that they have no choice.
Un'unica occasione avrai
You will have a single opportunity.
Cantiere, fabbrica, scuola, ghetto e quartiere
Construction site, factory, school, ghetto, and neighborhood.
Non dormiranno i ribelli delle città
The rebels of the cities will not sleep.
Non sarà più come vorrà il potente
The powerful ones will no longer have their way.
Sarà il ritorno della civiltà, e si ballerà...
It will be the return of civilization, and we will dance...
Il nemico è sempre lo stesso ce vole annientà
The enemy is always the same, and we must annihilate them.
Ma i ministri papponi e ruffiani leghisti buttiamoli via
We must cast away the ministers who are corrupt, sycophantic, and associated with the Lega Nord party.
Non è più tempo d'aspettare, ora è già tardi indietro non si tornerà!
It is no longer a time to wait, it is already late, and we cannot turn back now!
Contributed by Sadie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.