Artist

AREA

1973:
Demetrio Stratos (vocals, organ, percussion)
Paolo Tofani (guitar, synth)
Victor Busnello (sax)
Patrizio Fariselli (keyboards)
Patrick Djivas (bass)     
Giulio Capiozzo (drums, percussion)

from 1974:
Busnello and Djivas left, added:
Ares Tavolazzi (bass)

Area were in fact an "international popular group", as the cover of their first album says, with greek singer Demetrio Stratos coming from the beat group I Ribelli, French bass player Djivas and belgian sax player Busnello. 
The first line-up, in 1972, also included pianist Leandro Gaetano and the guitarist of hungarian origin Johnny Lambizi, the latter soon replaced by Paolo Tofani, a musician with the longest experience in the group, having played in 60's bands Samurai along with Formula Tre keyboardist Gabriele Lorenzi, I Califfi and for a short time with Noi Tre, that also included future Triade bass player Agostino Nobile.

Arbeit macht frei was an essential album in the Italian rock of the 70's, full of different influences yet totally original in its sound. Stratos' voice is stunning, used like an instrument, and the backing band is powerful, formed by top quality and inventive musicians. Some jazz and eastern folklore influences are easily distinguished, and the music is not easy to categorise. The group image was characterised by the style of Cramps label designer Gianni Sassi, that added a distinctive visual style to their music.

Second LP, Caution radiation area, was more experimental with tracks like Lobotomia and ZYG (Crescita zero) that show strong free-jazz influences.
The following album, Crac, released the same year, returned to a more prog style, with some of their best rock tracks in Gioia e rivoluzione and L'elefante bianco, yet retaining the long instrumental parts that were the group's trademark.

The strong political influences in Area music emerged in their rendition of the popular socialist hymn L'internazionale, released as a single in 1974 and a concert classic, as demonstrated in the 1975 live LP Are(a)zione. 

1976 saw a radical turn in the group's style, with the help of external musicians such as sax player Steve Lacy and percussionist Paul Lytton, playing in Maledetti. The band was turning toward jazz and even the posthumous live recordings from 1976 concerts seem to demonstrate it. 
Maledetti was the last chapter in the long Area/Cramps connection, with the group signing a recording deal with Ascolto and releasing less successful albums at the end of the 70's.
1978, gli dei se ne vanno gli arrabbiati restano, their first on the new label, contained a couple of interesting prog-inspired tracks, like the opening Il bandito del deserto and Hommage à Violette Nozières, mixed with others in a stronger free-jazz direction.

Demetrio Stratos died in 1979, probably one of the most important singers and music researchers of all the Italian (and probably european) musical scene. The day after his death a big concert, with 60000 people, was held at the Arena Civica in Milano to honour him (this had been originally organised to collect funds to support Stratos expensive medical therapy), and a double album was taken from the event.

Another group called Area II appeared in the mid 80's, this was in fact a group built by original Area drummer Giulio Capiozzo with session musicians. Much closer to jazz than any previous Area incarnation, the group lasted for two albums in 1986-87.
A new CD by Area, Chernobyl 9771 was released in 1997, the line-up included this time another original member, Patrizio Fariselli, along with Capiozzo.
This was probably the last time the Area name has appeared on an album of new recordings, the group kept playing until 1999 then split. Drummer Giulio Capiozzo has sadly died in August 2000.

The name Area has been resurrected by Patrizio Fariselli, Ares Tavolazzi and Paolo Tofani with drummer Walter Paoli for a series of concerts in 2010 and 2011, including a couple df dates in Japan. Singer Maria Pia de Vito also collaborates with the group, and this line-up produced a double CD, entitled Live 2012.

LP
Arbeit macht frei	Cramps (CRSLP 5101)	1973	gatefold cover with lyric inner first copies include a cardboard revolver - early copies distributed by Ricordi, later by Baby Records
	Cramps (5205 101)	1978	as above, but with no insert
	Get Back (GET 5101)	2000	same as the original with insert
	Akarma (AK 394)	2011	as above
Caution radiation area	Cramps (CRSLP  5102)	1974	single cover with lyric inner - early copies distributed by Ricordi, later by Baby Records
	Cramps (5205 102)	1978	same as above
	Get Back (GET 5102)	2000	same as above
	Akarma (AK 395)	2011	as above
Crac	Cramps (CRSLP  5103)	1974	gatefold cover - first copies had a sticker on the shrinkwrap - early copies distributed by Ricordi, later by Baby Records
	Cramps (5205 103)	1978	same as above, no sticker
	Get Back (GET 5103)	2000	same as above
	Akarma (AK 396)	2011	as above
Are(a)zione	Cramps (CRSLP 5104)	1975	gatefold cover with inner
	Cramps (5205 104)	1978	same as above
	Get Back (GET 5104)	2000	same as above
	Akarma (AK 397)	2011	as above
Maledetti	Cramps (CRSLP 5105)	1976	gatefold cover with inner
	Cramps (5205 105)	1978	same as above
	Akarma (AK 1009)	2000	same as above
	Akarma (AK 398)	2011	as above
Anto/logicamente	Cramps (CRSLP 5106)	1977	compilation - single cover with inner
	Cramps (5205 106)	1978	same as above
1978, gli dei se ne vanno gli arrabbiati restano	Ascolto (ASC 20063)	1978	rough gatefold cover
	BTF/Vinyl Magic (VM 142LP)	2009	as above
Event '76	Cramps (5205 107)	1979	gatefold cover with inner - recorded live in 1976
	Akarma (AK 1038)	2002	gatefold cover
Tic & tac	Ascolto (ASC 20224)	1980	single cover with inner
	BTF/Vinyl Magic (VM 141LP)	2009	as above
Area '70	Cramps (9279 594)	1980	compilation - single cover - released in the Polygram "Successo" mid-price series
CD
Arbeit macht frei	Artis (CRSCD 001)	1989	reissue of 1973 album
	EMI/Cramps (72438 57424 2)	1998	as above
	Edel (CRA 0136472)	2002	as above - digipack cover
	Cramps (CRSCD 001)	2009	new reissue with mini-LP gatefold cover and revolver insert
Caution radiation area	Artis (CRSCD 002)	1989	reissue of 1974 album
	EMI/Cramps (72438 57425 2)	1998	as above
	Edel (CRA 0136482)	2002	as above - digipack cover
	Cramps (CRSCD 002)	2009	new reissue with mini-LP cover
Crac	Artis (CRSCD 003)	1990	reissue of 1974 album
	EMI/Cramps (72438 57425 2)	1998	as above
	Edel (CRA 0136492)	2002	as above - digipack cover
	Cramps (CRSCD 003)	2009	new reissue with mini-LP gatefold cover and sticker
Are(a)zione	Artis (CRSCD 004)	1990	reissue of 1975 album
	EMI/Cramps (72438 57427 2)	1998	as above
	Edel (CRA 0136502)	2002	as above - digipack cover
	Cramps (CRSCD 004)	2010	new reissue with mini-LP gatefold cover
1978, gli dei se ne vanno gli arrabbiati restano	CGD (74033-2)	1992	reissue of 1978 album
	Warner/CGD (9031 74033-2)	90's	as above
Tic & tac	CGD (74033-1)	1992	reissue of 1980 album
	Warner/CGD (9031 72211-2)	90's	as above
Maledetti	Artis (CRSCD 005)	1993	reissue of 1976 album
	Akarma (AK 1009)	2000	as above - mini gatefold cover
	Edel (CRA 0136512)	2002	as above - digipack cover
	Cramps (CRSCD 005)	2009	new reissue with mini-LP gatefold cover
Anto/logicamente	Artis (CRSCD 006)	1994	reissue of 1977 album
	Edel (CRA 0142032)	2002	as above - digipack cover
	Cramps (CRSCD 006)	2010	new reissue with mini-LP cover
Event '76	Artis (CRSCD 007)	1994	reissue of 1979 album
	EMI/Cramps (72438 57430 2)	1998	as above
	Edel (CRA 0136522)	2002	as above - digipack cover
	Akarma (AK 1038)	2002	as above - mini gatefold cover
	Cramps (CRSCD 007)	2010	new reissue with mini-LP gatefold cover
Concerto Teatro Uomo	Cramps (CRSCD011/12)	1997	2CD - recorded live in 1976
	Edel (CRA 0153222)	2004	as above - digipack cover
Parigi-Lisbona	Cramps (CRSCD018)	1997	recorded live in 1976
	Edel (CRA 0138582)	2002	as above - digipack cover
Chernobyl 7991	Sony (486862 2)	1997	new studio album from 1997
Live concerts box	Akarma (AK 1033/3 CD)	2002	3CD box set including Concerto Teatro Uomo and Parigi-Lisbona, both with mini-LP gatefold covers
Revolution box set	Akarma (AK 1036/4 CD)	2002	4CD box set including Arbeit macht frei, Caution Radiation Area, Crac, and Are(a)zione, all with mini-LP gatefold covers and also sold separately
Live 1977	Akarma (AK 1042/2 CD)	2002	2CD - unreleased live recordings in Turin
Live 2012	UpArt (UPA CD003)	2012	2CD - live recordings from the Reunion Tour 2011/2012
BOOTLEG CD (relevant issues)
Acrostico in memoria di Demetrio	Le Matango (LM 97003)	1997	live recording from Florence, 1978
La mela di Odessa	Black Hole (BH 001/2)	1998	2CD - live recordings from 1976 and 1977
VARIOUS ARTISTS COMPILATIONS
Parco Lambro (with Gerontocrazia)	Laboratorio (LB/LP 201)	1976	live recordings from the 1976 Parco Lambro festival - also features Sensations' Fix, Ricky Gianco, Agorà, Canzoniere del Lazio, Toni Esposito, Paolo Castaldi, Eugenio Finardi.
	Stampa Alternativa (RP 02)	2005	CD reissue of the above with different mini LP cover - only sold with the book Area/Musica e rivoluzione by Gianpaolo Chiaricò
1979: Il concerto (with Danzanello and  L'internazionale)	Cramps (5203 001)	1979	2LP - gatefold with inner - from the Demetrio Stratos tribute concert - also features Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Angelo Branduardi, Francesco Guccini, Antonello Venditti, Roberto Vecchioni, Roberto Ciotti, Eugenio Finardi and others
	Edel (CRA 0136532)	2002	single CD reissue of the above - digipack cover
	Akarma (AK 1026)	2002	single CD reissue of the above - mini gatefold cover
	Cramps (CRS BOX001)	2009	2CD + DVD box set with 40 page book
SINGLES (with picture cover)
L'abbattimento dello Zeppelin Arbeit macht frei	Cramps (CRSNP 1701)	1973	both tracks from Arbeit macht frei
L'internazionale Citazione da G.L.Jackson	Cramps (CRSNP 1703)	1974	unreleased tracks
PROMO-ONLY AND JUKEBOX SINGLES (with blank covers)
Luglio, agosto, settembre nero	Cramps/Bla Bla (JB56)	1974	jukebox single coupled with Aktuala/Miña
L'internazionale	Cramps (CRSNP 1703/1802)	1976	jukebox single, coupled with Eugenio Finardi/Musica ribelle
Diforisma urbano	Cramps (CRSJB 5105/1602)	1977	jukebox single coupled with Alberto Camerini/Gelato metropolitano
Hommage à Violette Nozières	Ascolto (YD 521)	1978	jukebox single coupled with Pierangelo Bertoli/Rosso colore

AREA II LP
Area II	Gala (GLLP 91005)	1986	single cover with inner
City sound	Gala (GLLP 91011)	1987	single cover with inner
CD
Area II	Duck (PLCD 020)	90's	reissue of 1986 album
City sound	Gala (CDGLP 91011)	90's	reissue of 1987 album
	Duck (PLCD 021)	90's	as above

All the albums by Area are still easy to find in Italy, as they have been issued in large quantities. Around 1977-78 the Cramps label changed distribution and adopted a different numbering system replacing the CRSLP-5 prefix with 5205 (CRSLP 5101 became 5205 101 and so on). Many of the albums released until then were reissued with the new catalogue numbers, but are easily identified for this reason.

Hardest to find are the first album in original form with the gun insert, and Crac with the sticker. The first issue of Arbeit macht frei, Caution radiation area and Crac have a "Distribuzione Dischi Ricordi Spa" credit on the back cover, they were later distributed by Baby Records.
Some say that early copies of Caution radiation area contained a cardboard insert reproducing the radiation danger sign that's in the cover picture.

A vinyl reproduction of the first album was released in late 90's and also included the gun insert, this is very similar to the original but can be identified with a side to side comparison, having a slightly miscoloured label and different matrix writings on vinyl. This reissue was released in 500 numbered copies for Italy and 500 non-numbered ones for abroad. The shaped insert can be identified by the cardboard back colour (white, the original was grey), the green coloured parts are pale (the original has more vivd colours) and the slimmer shape of the revolver's hammer (see pictures below). Some inserts exist made with white/yellow back cardboard that may be original, and others of unknown origin with the writing "Corpo DI reato" instead of "Corpo DEL reato". The vinyl reissues made by Get Back and Akarma both include the shaped gun insert.
A vinyl reissue of Caution Radiation Area was released at the same time as the one of Arbeit Macht Frei.

The single L’internazionale/Citazione da G.L.Jackson contained two tracks unreleased at the time of its release. Both tracks later appeared on compilations, L’internazionale on Area 70 (the same track appears on other compilations, but always in the live version taken from Are(A)zione) and Citazione da G.L.Jackson on Anto/logicamente.

A very rare promotional compilation featuring a track by Area (Antes de hablar abra la boca, taken from Tic e Tac) is SIM Hi-Fi (CGD 15049), promoted by Radio Studio 105 and issued to launch the 1980 hi-fi and electronics exhibition in Milan.

Japanese issues exist of Arbeit macht frei (Pioneer-Warner P-10286C), Are(A)zione (Pioneer-Warner P-10393C), 1978, gli dei se ne vanno gli arrabbiati restano (King GXF2053) and Tic & Tac (King K22P116).
A French issue (on Cramps, distributed by Barclay) exists of their 1974 single L'internazionale (no.640 068) and their albums Crac (no.940.512), Are(A)zione (no.940.528, with glossy gatefold cover) and Maledetti (no.940.803, with liner notes in French), and it's likely that other Area records have been issued in that country.
Anto/logicamente (Cramps P5205 106 - single cover with inner) and 1978, gli dei se ne vanno gli arrabbiati restano (CBS 83142- gatefold cover) were also issued in Portugal.

Both Area II albums are not easy to find, though their value is low. They have been reissued on CD by Duck Records, the first one with a different artwork.
An odd version of Area II is the original cassette, containing an extra track not on the LP, Play the music.

Arbeit macht frei - front cover
Arbeit macht frei - inner gatefold and gun insert
Arbeit macht frei - gun insert, original (top) and reissue (bottom)
Caution radiation area - front cover
Crac - front cover	Crac sticker
Are(a)zione - front cover	Maledetti - front cover
1978: gli dei se ne vanno, gli arrabbiati restano - front cover	Event '76 - front cover
Tic & Tac - front cover
L'abbattimento dello Zeppelin - 7" single	L'Internazionale - 7" single
Hommage à Violette Nozières  - promo single
Area II/Same - LP
Area II/Omonimo - CD and cassette version
Area II/City Sound - LP
Area - Live 2012 CD

Area's keyboardist Patrizio Fariselli has an official website at http://www.fariselliproject.com that contains lots of information on both Area and Fariselli solo career.
The website of Paolo Tofani, including information on his past career with Area is at http://www.krsnavision.com

Thanks to Massimiliano Chiarini, Luigi Papi, Alessandro Ciuti, Manuel Da Achada, Annunziato Cangemi, Ubaldo (Franco) Cibei, Pierre Tassone, Nicola Benelli, for some of the information and pictures in this page