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Litfiba

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Litfiba

Litfiba is an Italian rock band formed in Florence in early 1980 togheter with Diaframma.

Litfiba originated from the meeting of 5 punk (though it was then on the decline), New Wave and simply rock music fans with then no musical background. From the early 1980s 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.

History

1st era (1980-1989)

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 lead guitar (he 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. 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 used to sing some of its songs in English, the rest in Italian. The use of English was however abandoned early.

The band’s first recording was a 5 track 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 worked on a soundtrack, Eneide di Krypton. After a while Franchi leaves the band, being replaced by Luca De Benedectis, known as Ringo De Palma: this is often considered the Litfiba classic line up. The first record with the new drummer was Yassassin, a 12 inch record containing a brand new track, "Elettrica Danza", and a David Bowie cover.

Trilogy of power

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

2nd era (1989-1999)

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

File:Litfiba mondisommersi inside2.JPG
The horned heart was the band's logo during the Piero Pelù era.

Sales of the (1992) released Sogno ribelle album proved the band’s new fame. The record was 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 was once more followed by a VHS featuring music videos, live performances samples and interviews. The year after, the band released its harder and most rock’n’roll album up to date, Terremoto ("Earthquake"), soon followed by the 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 hired a new bass player, Daniele "Barny" Bagni, and recorded 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 was, as usually, followed by a VHS called Lacio drom which contains extracts from the "Spirito tour".

The 1997 Mondi Sommersi album, with its 700.000 copies sold in a few weeks, brought out the missing element, water, as Aiazzi left the band, replaced on keyboards by Terzani, who also remained the second guitar player (as it appears to be in the last tour). Litfiba's biggest tour was immortalized on a VHS, whose profits went to the victims of earthquakes in Umbria and Marche regions, and on a double live CD both titled Croce e delizia. Infinito (1999) was 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 sold to almost one million copies. On the "Infinito tour", tensions between Pelù and Renzulli became unbearable. The last show with Pelù took place at the "Monza rock festival 1999". He stopped to be officially part of the band on July 11, 1999, subsequently starting a solo career.

3rd era (from 2000)

Pelù took away in his farewell to the band three of Litfiba's musicians: Bagni, Terzani and Caforio. Renzulli lost the property of the band’s logo, a horned heart, but kept the name Litfiba, which is copyrighted under his name. The guitarist then decided to follow on immediately with a renewed and rejuvenated band, including the new singer Gianluigi Cabo Cavallo, bass and drums player Gianluca Venier, and Ugo Nativi, coming from the funk-rock band Malfunk.

File:Litfiba Urlo.jpg
Historical frontman and singer Piero Pelù left the band in 1999.

The 2000 album, first with new line-up, Elettromacumba reached 150,000 sales. On the following "Elettro tour", Litfiba, with Mauro Sabbione, who had already played on the El Diablo album, on keyboards, played in smaller halls than before. After the tour, the band released Live on Line, including 15 tracks recorded during the last tour available only for download under MP3 format through web portal Lycos.

The musicians went back to the studio, whit Nativi replaced on drums by Gianmarco Colzi, who had played with band Rockgalileo and singer Biagio Antonacci, for the recording of the Insidia album (2001). The record was much different from the previous album, due to darker lyrics with many symbolic references and the significant use of electronics. It was soon followed by the "Insidia tour", a 73 concerts tour that was the first part of the "Never ending tour". The band was 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 was issued. Former keyboards player Antonio Aiazzi returned to the band for the 2003 "Lara Tour" and 2004 "04 Tour", the second and third part of the "Never ending tour". The last concert was 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 was followed by a short tour, almost 15 concerts, followed by others during 2006 summer.


4th era (from 2007)

At the end of 2006 singer Gianluigi Cabo Cavallo, bass player Gianluca Venier and keyboard player Antonio Aiazzi leave the band. The latter was then substituted by the previously session man Roberto Terzani. The band is actually working for a new album, but the name of the new singer is still unknown.

Discography

Official discography

Unofficial discography

Line-ups

Members

Past full members

Session men

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