The vinyl debut LP "You Are The Victim" was released in 1983 through a small independent Italian label. In 1983 the band signed a deal with American indie-punk label Toxic Shock (Skin Yard, House Of Large Sizes...). "Screams From The Gutter" (Toxic Shock 1985) was most likely their best album so far. A rough mixture of seminal punk and sharp hard core. The same year the band flew over to the States for their first US tour (and have since then returned to tour the USA a total of six times). The reaction to the "Italian punk rockers" was great all around the States, and the album sold more than 40.000 copies strictly through independent distribution and shops.
"Wop Hour" (Toxic Shock - 1986), "After Your Brian" (Toxic Shock -1986) and "Mine To Kill" (Southern - 1989) helped to develop their heavier, more riff oriented sound. Raw Power, with only a small cult following in Italy, were considered in the States as one of the best examples of the "Crossover" sound, the music which evolved from punk and known to a much wider audience through bands like S.O.D., Corrosion of Conformity, D.R.I., and Attitude Adjustment.
During their long tours in the States Raw Power shared the stage with bands like the Circle Jerks, Adolescents, D.O.A., Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Agnostic Front, Dead Kennedys, Suicidal Tendencies, and in a small club in Seattle in 1986 a then unknown band called Guns'n'Roses opened for the Italian cult.
The band never enjoyed much more than cult status in Europe. Even though the band continued to play explosive live performances all over Europe, they never managed to get a foothold. This was due to the fact that Raw Power suffered from a lack of professional managers and structure, especially in their home country, where they never had the support they deserved and needed. Raw Power never had the chance to express in a studio album the great potential that the band is able to unleash in a live concert. Their first recording for Godhead, "Fight" (1995), with the great interest MTV showed for their clip, was just a step in the process of re-creating in a studio what they can do live, which is the musical equivalent of a nuclear bomb.
This bomb exploded on the 1st of March, 1996 at the Maffia, a club in Reggio Emilia, Italy. That raw, live sound was captured in the only way possible, live, for their latest release, "Live From The Gutter" on Godhead records. Twenty-seven songs, recorded with no overdubbing, perfectly reproduce the barely controlled aggression and raw attitude that recall that "Screams From the Gutter" period, which has been ever-present at Raw Power gigs.
In 1998 the band had several new songs ready for release and began shopping for a label in the U.S. to release them. The end result was "Reptile House", their greatest album yet, released on their original label Toxic Shock, now known as Toxic Ranch Records. Three American tours in support of the album followed.
Then in the year 2000 they released "Trust Me" through a new, and short lived American label called Hello Records. The record was given fantastic reviews, and at the bands 20 year mark, they were stronger than ever. In the summer of 2001, the band flew to Atlanta, Georgia USA and started the most successful American tour to date. The band was wildly welcomed in most major American cities. No matter how many member changes, label changes, etc., the two brothers that started Raw Power remained the core of the band, and as far as the world knew, would never stop!
In 2002, Raw Power went back into the studio to record yet another full length release. The new material was a celebration of the bands longevity, and the band decided to call it "Still Screaming After 20 Years". Shortly after the record was finished, on October 6, founding member Giuseppe Codeluppi suffered a fatal heart attack while playing soccer. Many thought the band would not recover from such a loss, but now in 2003 they are more active than ever. There has been no replacement for Giuseppe, the bands leader. Now the band consists of 4 members, carrying on the name and the music and proving the words that Guiseppe wrote....."Raw Power WIll Never Die!!""
http://www.rawpowerhc.com
Hate
Raw Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drag a black guy, my oh my.
Burn the U.S. this, this world is a mess,
We must stand united, we must fight it!
[Chorus]
We're all the same!
There's nothing but shame! [x2]
Black, white, yellow, red
none of them should be dead.
fuck racism, fuck hate there's nothing to debate.
It's one big trend, we'll fight it till the end
Put our foot down, stand our ground.
[Chorus twice]
The lyrics of Raw Power's song "Hate" speaks against racism and violence through the lines "All for a trait, you mother fucker's hate / Drag a black guy, my oh my / Burn the U.S. this, this world is a mess / We must stand united, we must fight it!" The band expresses that there is nothing to achieve from such hates and emphasizes the need to stand together.
They further vocalize that regardless of color or race, everyone should be treated equally and fairly. The lyrics say "Black, white, yellow, red / none of them should be dead / fuck racism, fuck hate there's nothing to debate." Raw Power makes it clear that hatred is not a solution, but a trend that needs to be terminated. They want people to be united to erase the shame that haters bring into society.
Overall, Raw Power's lyrics reveal the senselessness of racism and violence, heralding the need to respect all races and end this persistent issue plaguing society. The song extols unity as the only way to secure a safer and more just world for everyone.
Line by Line Meaning
All for a trait, you mother fucker's hate
You hate someone because of some characteristic and it's disgusting.
Drag a black guy, my oh my.
It's horrifying to see someone being dragged because of their race.
Burn the U.S. this, this world is a mess,
The world is in chaos and burning a country won't solve anything.
We must stand united, we must fight it!
We need to come together and fight against whatever form of hate exists.
[Chorus]
We're all equal and there's no reason for anyone to feel ashamed of who they are.
Black, white, yellow, red
Regardless of skin color, we're all human beings.
none of them should be dead.
No one should be killed because of their race.
fuck racism, fuck hate there's nothing to debate.
There's no argument or debate to be had about why racism and hate are wrong.
It's one big trend, we'll fight it till the end
Hate may seem like a popular trend, but we'll keep fighting against it.
Put our foot down, stand our ground.
We need to take a stand and not back down in the face of hate.
[Chorus twice]
We're all the same and there's no shame in that.
Contributed by Evan V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.