Ultima Spiaggia
was not really a band proper, but rather a project of some well known
Italian musical figures which encompassed both the launching of a record
label and the creation of an ambitious recording to celebrate it. Both
were called Ultima Spiaggia. The label was formed in 1974 by the
legendary Ricky Gianco along with Nanni Ricordi and Gianfranco Manfredi.
It released albums for the rest of the 1970s and was distributed by
RCA. The label released the works of the people involved, along with
GRAMIGNA, I.P.SON GROUP, and many others. Although the label's releases
only occasionally crossed paths with "prog rock" he did have an interest
in promoting unique and exceptional sounds. The musical project Ultima
Spiaggia was a large collective of impressive musicians who concocted a
long lost gem entitled "Disco dell'angoscia" in 1975. Composed by
Gianco, Manfredi, Ninni Carucci, and Claudio Bonechi, the work was an
ambitious and strange concept album about a man involved in a car
accident and his subsequent journey through a dark unconscious state.
The material resides on that wonderfully odd, avant branch of the RPI,
where traditional RPI and Italian song tradition get genetically
modified with 1970s experimentation. One blog nails the description as
swerving between musique concrète, pop, avant-garde, beat, rock n roll,
old-fashioned melodies, progressive rock...like continuously switching
the stations of a radio tuned to the distorted brainwaves of a man
fallen. Indeed! (-laltritalia.wordpress)This project band did not last,
although Gianco and Manfredi remained friends for life and collaborated
on other musical ventures. Most of the members can be found in multiple
others musical projects too numerous to list, but a few of note: Hugo
Heredia would work with Antonius Rex and released his own album.
Cappellotto worked with Branduardi. De Piscopo played with Lucia Dalla
and New Trolls. The stunning gatefold cover artwork was done by Paolo
Baratella. Without question this is an album badly in need of a quality
CD reissue which displays the artwork in mini-lp form. The photo on this
page is Gianco and Manfredi later in life. Gianco is on the right. Line-up / Musicians Ricky Gianco/guitar,vocals Gianfranco Manfredi/vocals Ninni Carucci/vocals Nanni Ricordi/vocals Ivan Cattaneo/vocals Sergio Farina/guitar Claudio Bonechi/keyboards Hugo Heredia/sax Gigi Cappellotto/bass Tullio De Piscopo/drums Ellade Bandini/drums Discography Disco dell'angoscia 1975
1.L'incidente 2.Voglio vivere 3.Motivo angoscia 1 4.Canto delle streghe e del demonio 5.Motivo angoscia 2 6.Samba della tortura e della guerra 7.Che cosa è... 8.Motivo angoscia 3 9.Rock della ricostruzione 10.Davanti al nastro che corre 11.Motivo angoscia 4 12.Zucchero mio 13.Piacere e potere 14.Motivo angoscia 5 15.L'incidente
