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.
Un altro giorno d'amore
Banda Bassotti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lyrics of Banda Bassotti's "Un altro giorno d'amore" address the political and social issues of contemporary Europe. The first lines of the song comment on the absence of equality in Paris and the exclusion of the working class and African immigrants from the chic neighborhood of Champs Elysees. The lyrics then mention the Tour Eiffel, which represents a symbol of modernity, progress, and hope, but the view from its top is obscured by a future dominated by Nazi, fascist, and nationalist ideologies. The lyrics also mention the fascist ethnic police, the expulsion of minorities through "fogli di via," an administrative measure that forced unwanted people to leave a city, and the stretching of the northern borders by monarchs and rulers.
The chorus of the song is an expression of resistance and hope, a call to action urging people not to be spectators but to prepare for another day of love and solidarity. The following lines highlight the struggle of the Basque and Catalan movements for autonomy, freedom, and identity through their respective languages and slogans such as Ikurriña, the flag of the Basque Country, Euskadi, the Basque name for their homeland, Askatasuna, the Basque word for freedom, and Pais Vasco, the Spanish name for the Basque Country.
The lyrics of Banda Bassotti's "Un altro giorno d'amore" narrate a story of solidarity and resistance against oppression, racism, and authoritarianism, combining political messages with cultural references and linguistic diversity. The song reflects the history and the struggles of working-class and immigrant communities in Europe, particularly in France and Spain, but also resonates globally as a hymn of liberation and fraternity.
Line by Line Meaning
Tre joli a Paris senza l'egalité bianchi
Three pretty things in Paris without equality for whites
Campi Elisei senza neri e plebei
Fields of Elysium without black and plebeian people
Sopra la Tour Eiffel non si vede futuro
Above the Eiffel Tower, there is no visible future
Nazi etno-polizia bastoni e fogli di via Europa
Nazi ethnic police with batons and deportation papers in Europe
Madrid fanti Re e Regine quando guardano a nord gli si allunga il confine
In Madrid, foot soldiers, kings, and queens when looking to the north, the border stretches longer
Forse è la tirannia che produce il rumore
Perhaps it is the tyranny that produces the noise
Ogni uomo si sa per la sua terra ha un grande amore
Every man knows he has a great love for his land
Non ha età............Non farà lo spettatore
It has no age, it will not be a spectator
Si prepara............A un altro giorno d'amore
It prepares for another day of love
Sassi e spari............L'Ikurriña dentro al cuore
Rocks and gunshots, the Ikurriña in the heart
Niente e nessuno gliela toglierà
Nothing and no one will take it away from him
Tra Paris e Madrid abita l'allegria
Between Paris and Madrid, joy resides
Né Paris né Madrid se la porteranno via
Neither Paris nor Madrid will take it away from him
Contro la polizia con la faccia bendata ho visto l'allegria ripulire la sua casa
Against the police with covered faces, I saw joy clean its house
Benvenuto............Si dice ongi etorri
Welcome...they say ongi etorri
pais Vasco............Si dice Euskadi
Basque country...they say Euskadi
Libertà............si dice Askatasuna Euskadi Ta Askatasuna
Freedom...they say Askatasuna Euskadi Ta Askatasuna
Contributed by Claire W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Francisco
Primo disco oh sentito del Banda Bassotti
Ricordo la mia giovinezza.......molta forza, molta energia, tempi che non torneranno!!!
Forza Banda....!!
Susan Orella
No sé que dices pero me gusta lo que sientes
Juan Manuel Román
@Susan Orella "Primer disco sentido de la Banda Bassotti. Recuerdo mi juventud...mucha fuerza, mucha energía, tiempo que no volverá! Fuerza Banda" (básicamente dice eso)
Ettore Emanuele Dettori
Non morirete mai!
Dalla "vostra" Sardegna si alza un W la Banda Bassotti!
Lucia Pucci
Un ideologia ci rende uniti la vostra musica la nostra colonna sonora
YEKOZ CRUSTY
Muy chingon
Fabio Riello
Il mio disco....ciao Sigaro......
Miguel Vázquez
Bandiera Nera Triumphera
MICHELE IAN
mi viene da piangere
NO GREEN PASS🇮🇹
SIGARO✊❤️