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.
Sveglia
Banda Bassotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
una nota lunga e metallica "We are ready"
ma l'acqua fredda ed il caffè non riusciranno
a cancellare dal tuo viso l'ultimo drink
se guardo fuori penso che non mi va
sul giradischi metterò Kortatu e la puntina intarsierà
Hay algo aquì que va mal e il solito tran tran ti porterà tra la gente
Da troppo tempo ormai mi alzo presto la mattina
Gente che lavora gente che produce
Non si è accorta che D'Alema è il loro nuovo duce
Dai USA stanno attaccando le truppe dello zar
Ma la plebe sempre a l'opra china senza ideale in cui sperar…'ndo sta?
Si fa largo tra le cambiali le bollette i pagherò
Guarderà la TV nuovo Dixan ti dà di più
Il bianco più delle tasche
Ahi ahi che male fa sentirsi un caso dentro al cuor
Lo saprà chi non ha più un po' di forza per combattere
Chi si arrende…
Sveglia più animo
Sveglia più animo
Sveglia più animo
The lyrics to Banda Bassotti's song "Sveglia" depict the struggles of everyday life and the feeling of being stuck in a monotonous routine. The song starts with the line "Ti strappa dalle braccia di Morfeo," which means "a long and metallic note tears you away from the arms of Morpheus," referring to the mythological character of sleep. The line suggests that waking up is a painful and abrupt process. The lyrics continue to describe the mundane aspects of life, such as drinking coffee and dealing with bills.
The song then takes a political turn with the lines "L'eguaglianza tra la gente sopra un Volvo si allontana / Gente che lavora gente che produce / Non si è accorta che D'Alema è il loro nuovo duce," which translate to "Equality among people in a Volvo is disappearing / People who work, people who produce / They haven't noticed that D'Alema is their new leader." These lines criticize the lack of awareness and action by the working class towards politics and societal issues.
The chorus, "Sveglia più animo," which means "Wake up, more spirit," is a call to action and encourages listeners to awaken from their complacency and take control of their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Ti strappa dalle braccia di Morfeo
A loud metallic note 'We are ready' pulls you out of your sleep
una nota lunga e metallica "We are ready"
A loud metallic note 'We are ready' pulls you out of your sleep
ma l'acqua fredda ed il caffè non riusciranno
But even cold water and coffee cannot erase the last drink from your face
a cancellare dal tuo viso l'ultimo drink
But even cold water and coffee cannot erase the last drink from your face
se guardo fuori penso che non mi va
If I look outside, I feel like it's not my thing
sul giradischi metterò Kortatu e la puntina intarsierà
On the record player, I'll play Kortatu and the needle will groove
Hay algo aquì que va mal e il solito tran tran ti porterà tra la gente
There's something wrong here and the usual hustle and bustle will take you among people
Da troppo tempo ormai mi alzo presto la mattina
For too long now, I wake up early in the morning
L'eguaglianza tra la gente sopra un Volvo si allontana
Equality among people is fading away on a Volvo
Gente che lavora gente che produce
People who work and people who produce
Non si è accorta che D'Alema è il loro nuovo duce
They didn't notice that D'Alema is their new leader
Dai USA stanno attaccando le truppe dello zar
From the USA, they're attacking the czar's troops
Ma la plebe sempre a l'opra china senza ideale in cui sperar...
But the common people are always on their knees without any ideal to hope for
ndo sta?
Where is it?
Si fa largo tra le cambiali le bollette i pagherò
The bills, invoices and IOUs make their way through
Guarderà la TV nuovo Dixan ti dà di più
Watching TV, new Dixan gives you more
Il bianco più delle tasche
Whiter than the pockets
Ahi ahi che male fa sentirsi un caso dentro al cuor
Oh how it hurts to feel like a case inside your heart
Lo saprà chi non ha più un po' di forza per combattere
Those who have no more strength to fight will know
Chi si arrende...
Whoever surrenders...
Sveglia più animo
Wake up with more soul
Sveglia più animo
Wake up with more soul
Sveglia più animo
Wake up with more soul
Contributed by Aiden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Aka El Circo
Tiene todo para ser la canción perfecta!
Saludos desde México Oi Oi Oi.
fab (Space Invaders Tekno Sound)
A pensarci, nel 2019, c'è più pericolo che nei favolosi anni 90. Resistenza a oltranza.
noizy83
Daje Bandaaaaaaaaaaa!
Lellos Punkrocker
stupenda!
Antonio
Siamo sicuri che sia in quell'album? no, perchè io lo ho è c'è solo la versione Live! Bellissima anche in Studio!!!
Ludovico Fara
Confermato nel primo balla e difendi è la seconda traccia del lato A
DSRiccardo
...ma l'acqua fredda ed il caffè non riusciranno a cancellare dal tuo viso "l'ultimo drink"!
MrToti71
grazie donca un pezzo storico questa era la prima banda un po' di emozione nel riascoltarla avevo vent'anni
io sys
trizzeca 'l core
Marcello Malloni
Questa è da "balla e difendi" (per fortuna).