Litfiba

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Litfiba

Piero Pelù and Federico "Ghigo" Renzulli
Origin Florence
Country Italy
Years active 1980–Present
Genres New Wave, Rock
Labels Warner Bros.
EMI
Members Federico Renzulli
Gianluigi Cavallo
Gianluca Venier
Antonio Aiazzi
Gianmarco Colzi
Past members Piero Pelù
Gianni Maroccolo
Ringo De Palma
Francesco Calamai
Renzo Franchi
Website(s) http://www.litfiba.net/

Litfiba is an Italian rock band formed in Florence in early 1980 that is still active.

The meeting of 5 punk (though it was then on the decline), New Wave and simply rock music fans with then no musical background gave birth to Litfiba. From the early 1980’s until now, the band evolved from a british influenced new-wave pop-rock to a more personal and inspired rock music, always with Italian singing. Litfiba is often considered Italy’s most important and influent rock band.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 1st era (1980-1989): Five men band

The band was born in Florence in 1980. The name Litfiba is the mixing of several words: Località ("place"), Italia (Italy), FIrenze (Italian for the city of Florence) and "Via dei BArdi" ("Bardi street" where the band was based). The former band is composed of 4 members : Federico Renzulli (nicknamed Ghigo) on guitars, Gianni Maroccolo on bass, Sandro Dotta on solo guitar (who left the band after a few weeks) and Francesco Calamai on drums. Vocals were then performed by Renzulli. Antonio Aiazzi on keyboards and Piero Pelù on vocals joined the band shortly after. The group was born. At that time, the music was influenced by punk and new-wave.

The first concert took place on 8 December 1980 (the day John Lennon died) in Settignano near Florence. The band, which sound was british influenced, used to sing some of its songs in English, the rest in Italian. The use of english was early abandoned.

The band’s first recording is a 5 tracks EP titled "Guerra" (1982), followed the year after by a 45 rpm single "Luna/La preda", taken from their victory at the "2° festival rock italiano". Meanwhile, Calamai was replaced on drums by Renzo Franchi. With this line up the band works on a soundtrack, "Eneide di Krypton". After a while Franchi leaves the band and is replaced by Luca De Benedectis, knows as Ringo De Palma: this is the Litfiba classic line up. The first record with the new drummer is "Yassassin", a 12 inch record containing a brand new track, "Elettrica Danza", and a David Bowie cover.

[edit] Trilogy of power

The band released its first full-length album "Desaparecido" (Disappeared) in 1985, which made them famous and get out of the underground scene. Following the EP "Transea" (1986) and the second full-length "17 RE", Litfiba went touring for the first time and released as a testimony the "12/5/87 (aprite i vostri occhi)" live album. "Litfiba 3" (1988) is the last recording featuring Maroccolo, de Palma et Aiazzi as permanent members. They’ll stay as session musicians until 1996. The record ends the "Trilogy of power" (italian : Trilogia del potere), started with both first albums, which is a saga about the refusal of every kind of totalitarianism. This first era with the five members line-up ends with the release of the "Pirata" live album, recorded on the 1988-89 tour.

[edit] 2nd era (1989-1999): Piero and Ghigo

Last part of the tour is performed by a renewed band: beside Pelù, Renzulli and Aiazzi, are Roberto Terzani on bass, Daniele Trambusti on drums and Candelo Cabezas on percussions. A VHS is taken from this "Pirata Tour". Pelù and Renzulli then go back to the studio to record "El Diablo", an album with a much rawer sound, which encounters a huge success and allows Litfiba to become an important band. From the following tour is also released a VHS (on which Federico Poggipollini can be seen as a second guitarist).

The horned heart was the band's logo during the Piero Pelù era
Enlarge
The horned heart was the band's logo during the Piero Pelù era

Sales of the (1992) released "Sogno ribelle" album prove the band’s fame. The record is a compilation of old songs from previous albums rearranged with a more hard-rock sounding, live tracks and an unreleased song titled "Linea d’ombra". It’s once more followed by a VHS featuring music videos, live performances samples and interviews. The year after, the band releases its harder and most rock’n’roll album up to date "Terremoto" (earthquake), soon followed by a double live CD "Colpo di coda".

When changing their label from CGD to EMI (with legal complications due to the release of unauthorized compilations), the band hires a new bass player, Daniele "Barny" Bagni, and records the third volume of its "tetralogy of elements": "El Diablo" was celebrating fire, "Terremoto" soil, the new album "Spirito" (1994, whose name should have been "Serpente d’asfalto") celebrates the air. The record is, as usually, followed by a VHS called "Lacio drom" which contains extracts from the "Spirito tour".

The triumphant 1997 Mondi Sommersi album, with its 700.000 copies sold in a few weeks, brings out the missing element, water, as Aiazzi leaves the band, replaced on keyboards by Terzani, who also remains the second guitar player (as it appears to be in the last tour). Litfiba's biggest tour is immortalized on a VHS, which profits go to the victims of earthquakes in Umbria and Marche regions, and on a double live CD both titled "Croce e delizia". "Infinito" (1999) is the very last chapter of the band’s history with frontman Piero Pelù as a vocalist. Though much criticized because of its so-called "light" sound, the album sells to almost one million copies. On the "Infinito tour", tensions between Pelù and Renzulli become unbearable. The last show with Pelù takes place at the "Monza rock festival 1999". He officially isn’t part of the band on July 11, 1999 and starts a solo career.

[edit] 3rd era (from 2000): A new start

Pelù takes away in his stormy farewell to the band three of Litfiba's musicians: Bagni, Terzani, and Caforio. Renzulli loses the property of the band’s logo, a horned heart, but keeps the name Litfiba which is copyrighted under his name. The guitarist then decides to follow on immediately with a renewed and rejuvenated band. New singer Gianluigi Cabo Cavallo is unknown from the general public, bass and drums player Gianluca Venier e Ugo Nativi come from the funk-rock band Malfunk.

Historical frontman and singer Piero Pelù left the band in 1999
Enlarge
Historical frontman and singer Piero Pelù left the band in 1999

The 2000 album and first with new line-up Elettromacumba reaches 150.000 sales, that is on the decline compared to previous releases. On the following "Elettro tour", Litfiba is confronted to a public that has lost its marks in a front of a band deprived of its historical frontman. The band, with Mauro Sabbione on keyboards, which had already played on the El Diablo album, has to play in smaller halls than before. After the tour, the band has the innovating idea of the Live on Line release: 15 tracks recorded during the last tour are only available for download under MP3 format through web portal Lycos.

The musicians go back to the studio, while Nativi is replaced by Gianmarco Colzi on drums, which had played with band Rockgalileo and singer Biagio Antonacci, for the recording of the Insidia album (2001). The record is much different from the previous album, due to darker lyrics with many symbolic references and the significant use of electronics. It is soon followed by the "Insidia tour", a 73 concerts tour that is the first part of the "Never ending tour". The band is then requested to release the soundtrack for the italian version of the "Tomb raider 6 - The Angel of Darkness" video game, from which the october 2002 released "Lara Croft" single is issued. Former keyboards player Antonio Aiazzi returns to the band for the 2003 "Lara Tour" and 2004 "04 Tour", which are second and third part of the "Never ending tour". The last concert is recorded for the release of Litfiba's official first DVD.

The last album to date, "Essere o sembrare" (2005), appeared to be moderately inspired and had a relative success. The release of the record is followed by a short tour, almost 15 concerts, followed by others during 2006 summer.

At the moment the next projects of the band are unknown.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Official Discography

[edit] Not Official Discography

  • 1994 - Re del silenzio
  • 1994 - Urlo
  • 1997 - Viva Litfiba
  • 1998 - Viva Litfiba 2
  • 1999 - Viva Litfiba Live
  • 2005 - Le più belle canzoni
  • 2005 - Live'99

[edit] Line-ups

[edit] Members

  • Gianluigi Cavallo: vocals (1999- )
  • Federico Renzulli: guitars (1980- )
  • Gianluca Venier: bass (joined the band in 1999 as session man, confirmed as a full member in 2001)
  • Antonio Aiazzi: keyboards (1980-1989, as a full member, 1989-1996 as a session man, 2003- again as a full member)
  • Gianmarco Colzi: drums (2001- )

[edit] Past Full Members

  • Piero Pelù: vocals (1980-1999)
  • Gianni Maroccolo: bass (1980-1989)
  • Francesco Calamai: drums (1980-1983)
  • Renzo Franchi: drums (1983-1984)
  • Ringo De Palma: drums (1984-1989)

[edit] Session Men

  • Daniele Trambusti: drums (1987, 1989-1992)
  • Roberto Terzani: bass (1989-1994), guitar and keyboards (1995-1999)
  • Antonio Aiazzi: keyboards (1989-1996)
  • Federico Poggipollini: rhytm guitar (1991-1993)
  • Mauro Sabbione: keyboards (1990, 2000, 2001)
  • Daniele Bagni: bass (1994-1999)
  • Candelo Cabezas: percussions (1989-1991, 1994, 1996)
  • Ugo Nativi: drums (1999-2001)
  • Gianluca Venier: bass (1999-2001)

[edit] External links

Litfiba
Piero Pelù | Ghigo Renzulli | Antonio Aiazzi | Gianluigi Cavallo
Discography
Studio albums: Desaparecido | 17 RE | Litfiba 3 | El Diablo | Terremoto | Spirito | Mondi Sommersi | Infinito | Elettromacumba | Insidia | Essere o sembrare
Live albums: Live 12-5-87 (Aprite i vostri occhi) | Pirata | Colpo di coda | Lacio Drom | Croce e delizia | Viva Litfiba Live | Live on Line
Compilation albums: Sogno Ribelle | Re del silenzio | Urlo | Viva Litfiba | Viva Litfiba 2 | The Platinum Collection
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