The project Crimes Of Passion was built around three mini-albums, released on the second half of the Eighties. Finally this body of work has been repackaged in a single CD with bonus tracks – alternate dance versions of classics such as “I Am On My Way” and “Fire” – showing how much the band was crossing paths with both rock’n’roll tradition and EBM. Includes an amazing cover version of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”.

A more than welcomed release for Le Masque, a very influential band in Northern Italy’s underground scene. Here you’ll find the first 12" The Happy Flock and the rare cassette Trouvailles Pour Comediens (Spunti Per Commedianti). These are the first steps of one of the most amazing wave bands of the late Eighties.

Definitely ahead of their time, A.t.r.o.x. were one of the first bands to move beyond the new wave styles and introduce strong electronic elements. Not too far from works of contemporary groups such as Tuxedo Moon and Minimal Compact, Falls Of Time is their testament, a double CD with their two albums The Night’s Remains (1982) and Water Tales (Contempo 1983) plus the previously unreleased 12" Falls Of Time.

The third album by this combo from Bologna is the apotheosis of their histrionic verve. Directed in studio by Italian progressive rock luminary, Paolo Tofani, Kinotto was released in 1979, and as Freak Antoni himself declared, the album was closer to new wave than previous efforts and its best-known track, “Mi piaccion le sbarbine”, was soon on heavy rotation. With Kinotto came also the artistic consecration of the Skiantos, who went from being a cult band to one of the most energetic and histrionic in Italian rock. Invited to replace Italian rock superstar Vasco Rossi’s back-up band in 1990, and undoubtedly a source of inspiration for the evil doings of Italian “mock rock” band Elio e Le Storie Tese, with Kinotto the Skiantos wrote one of the most thrilling pages in Italian music.

In 2010 Freak Antoni, the undisputed leader of the Skiantos, received the prestigious “Premio Tenco” award in honor of his incredible career as leader of one of the most emblematic groups in Italian rock. Often mislabeled “demented-rock”, the Skiantos were in reality an exception to the rule. This reissue of their second album is, therefore, a road to understanding to what degree rock music was putty in the hands of this band from Bologna, who away from cumbersome references to British and American rock chose to follow their own path to originality. Their youthful and unprejudiced energy together with the personality of great thinkers became an oft-debated manifesto, but one that is destined to maintain its importance in the years to come. The album’s cover art picturing an enormous dinosaur destroying a building is testimony to their ironic, but biting attack on institutions, which when translated into music paid homage both to Italy’s eccentric singer/songwriter tradition as well as the heretic dialectics of coeval punk. The album was originally released in 1978 on the Cramps label, but not a day seems to have passed since then…

One of the most sought after band of the Italian wave. From Treviso, Wax Heroes released a cult 7” for Electric Eye back in ’83 (“Sher”) and were also included in the genre-defining compilation Gathered. Alongside these tracks, all of their re-mastered demos finally came to see the light.

Finally back in print, No One’s Land has been one of the most regarded albums of the new psychedelic movement. The Italian band based in Pisa and led by guitarist Maurizio Curadi (previously in underground stalwarts such as Useless Boys e Birdmen Of Alkatraz) played a wonderful blend of blues and rock and roll, country and acid rock, miming influences both from Texas and California.

Un volume esaustivo redatto a quattro mani da Paolo Dovico e Luigi Riganti, praticamente un abbecedario della musica indipendente italiana degli ultimi 30 anni (e passa) attraverso una ricostruzione puntuale. Il libro, supportato da note dettagliate e dalle immagini relative ai 45 e 33 giri d’epoca, è un manifesto attendibile, punto di raccordo tecnico per le molteplici esperienze tenute a battesimo dagli scantinati nostrani, spesso lontani dalle luci della ribalta. Dal post-punk al rock sperimentale, dal rock’n’roll alla new wave, dal primigenio hardcore al beat, in questa carrellata visiva - ampliamente commentata da due veri appassionati - possiamo cogliere le misure di un fenomeno così articolato come quello del nuovo rock italiano. Oggetto di disamina sono rigorosamente le pubblicazioni vinilitiche, naturalmente venerate per i propri contenuti, ma anche per la spesso difficile reperibilità. L’adeguato supporto tecnico che indica le date ufficiali di immissione sul mercato, con relative quotazioni, rende un ulteriore servizio ai numerosi estimatori e collezionisti distribuiti sul territorio. Parafrasando il vate Lester Bangs, Vinile Italiano si conforma come una guida ragionata al frastuono più atroce prodotto in Italia negli ultimi trent’anni. Le 448 pagine della voluminosa opera sono un sintomatico riflesso del desiderio di documentare una scena spesso ignorata dai media ufficiali, capace in realtà di gareggiare con i grossi calibri del vecchio continente per forme ed interesse storico. Un libro da conservare gelosamente e da trasmettere con rigore ai propri discendenti. Vinile Italiano sarà destinato alle librerie con un cd in omaggio del catalogo Spittle, mentre nella versione destinata ai negozi di dischi sarà presente un 10 pollici con brani inediti di otto gruppi italiani d’epoca. La scaletta prevede infatti i contributi di Art Fleury, La Pattona, Inside Out, Aus Decline, No Strange, Not Moving, Primeteens, Vegetable Men

Following an idea of Italian disco guru Fred Ventura to publish some recordings that have remained in the vaults for more than 25 years, and thanks to the skillful "mastering touch" of Giovanni Versari, we have finally realized what seemed like a dream: a representative and intense snapshot of the Milanese new wave scene of the early eighties, 12 tracks (vinyl redux issue: the CD version features 8 extra tracks) that recount the salient steps of the brief but intense career of four Milanese bands--- from the post-punk of Other Side, to the oblique funk of State Of Art, to the evident Kraftwerk influences of La Maison, to the electro pop-wave of Jeunesse d'Ivoire---four bands that illustrate the mood of an underground scene that burned out rapidly, mostly due to the indifference of the media and recording industry during those years. Limited edition.

Imagine a long autumn and a dusky fog in Milan, the year is 1981... Musicians/poets (or poets/musicians?) exploring the realm of words through music and a deeply passionate search for THE sound. Two men, two complementary souls: Nino La Loggia deeply into sonic experimentation, and Giacomo Spazio, juggling with words as if they were mere sounds, together with Cha Cha Hagiwara and her keyboards from Jeuness D'Ivoire for an incredible debut album (1983) evoking Kraftwerk, Daf and many other electro ambient ghosts in a total cult project that became a myth in the Italian new wave. 8-page booklet reproducing the original artwork.

This 1984 cassette from seminal band Illogico is now released on CD for the first time with the addition of three extra tracks. The Roman ensemble was incredibly ahead of its time, throbbing through that neurotic funk-jazz vibe that was becoming so hip in the mid 1980s and that could and should have caused the combo to be much more successful. Another gem from Spittle's archives in a nice package with an 8-page booklet in English.

Searching for new languages beyond the bitter and nihilist dialect of punk, bands like Gaz Nevada, Litfiba, CCCP,Diaframma, Neon, and many others, began spreading their message all along the Italian peninsula during the early eighties and many of the members of these bands are now some of the best musicians/producers in the Italian independent music panorama (Giovanni Lindo Ferretti, Piero Pelù/Litfiba, Bisca, etc.). This DVD documentary is a journey into the most creative and anti-conformist side of the 1980s, a voyage centered on music, but that encounters along the way theatre companies, artists, graphic artists and fashion designers, a multi-colored trend that, from the largest metropolises to the smallest provincial towns, contributed to that apparently vacuous and superficial decade. It is the tale of the Italian New Wave that we here at Spittle Records have tried to piece together through rare video clips, concert footage, photos, over 40 interviews of musicians, journalists and producers of the era, along with the Tracce Magnetiche CD compilation, curated by the well-known Italian music journalist, Federico Guglielmi. 16 tracks by 16 Italian underground bands from 1982-1984: bands who faded into oblivion before ever releasing anything of their own on vinyl. It should, however, be stated that if these sixteen bands had been found on an album, EP or single, they certainly would not have lowered the average quality of albums in that genre…not even in terms of sound quality, which has actually been improved upon here (considering that the original tapes had been lying around collecting dust for at least a quarter of a century) by careful restoration. Along with the DVD and CD, this package also contains a 20-page booklet with liner notes and an annotated track listing by Federico Guglielmi, plus photos and other memorabilia.

Art Boulevard, born in 1985 in Bergamo (northern Italy), immediately stood out from the pack for their aesthetic and existential attraction to post-punk combined with a musical vision that was straight out of the late sixties: “rock as art” and not merely as an urgent expression of adolescent rebellion.
This CD is a complete retrospective of all their songs, including their “The Favorite Toy” EP (which got rave reviews at the time, but like the great majority of Italian releases, disappeared into obscurity), their two cassettes and their songs from the “Arezzo Wave” and “Pluto” compilations. In the 1990s Art Boulevard, now a trio with a drum machine and the name “Orange Party”, changed sound and identity…but that’s another story.

In 1985, after having released two 7”s for Electric Eye, Not Moving made their home at the brand-new Tuscan label, Spittle Records, for whom they soon recorded the 12” Black and Wild.
The sound was a personal and mature fusion of X and Gun Club (Goin’ Down), goth/blues (Eternal Door), Stones-style blues (“I Just Wanna Make Love To You”) and neo garage (Crawling).
The following year their first LP, Sinnerman, was released, also on Spittle.
The 15 tracks on the album retraced the roads that that led to the creation of the band’s unique sound: rock ‘n’roll, blues, beat, punk, psych, and punkabilly and the album (despite its being released with an unauthorized sound mix) was critically acclaimed and well-liked by the public.
Now these two albums (with Sinnerman featuring the original authorized mix) are available together and for the first time ever on CD! The “mini-LP” artwork also features what should have been the original Sinnerman album sleeve and contains a 12-page booklet including a bio of the band.

While in Manchester A Certain Ratio was exploring funk (perhaps to avoid being called the new Joy Division), and in London a percussive and horn-laden Spandau Ballet was going to no. 1 on the charts, in Milan State Of Art attempted a personal fusion that united the pop sensibility of Abc and Spandau Ballet with the tribal metropolitan sounds of Liquid Liquid and the Talking Heads, the energy of Funkapolitan and Pig Bag, and the new wave angularness of Manicured Noise and the Pop Group. This retrospective CD, featuring all of the band’s studio recordings and some live performances as well, proves their place as attentive and meticulous interpreters of an epoch where mutations were constant and fast.

Neon is undoubtedly one of the most influential and enduring bands of the Italian New Wave. From the beginning, the band’s music was perfectly aligned with continental trends—integrating the attitude of early post-punk with certain types of electronic music that had timidly begun popping up on the club circuit, and an aesthetic that was a cross between late romanticism and decadentism. Inimitable bands like Neon breathed new life into even the most disagreeable and angular rock ‘n’ roll, flirting with war-like dance music, and creating musical scenarios that were unheard of up until that point, placing them in harmony with some of the most talked-about British and German bands of the time. After a string of 12”s (five altogether) and a 7”, the band finally released their first LP, Rituals (originally released in 1985 for the KinderGarten label and distributed by the major label, Polygram).
This crucial album, which unquestionably represented the band’s creative peak, has now been re-released by Spittle not merely for the sake of the album itself, but also as part of a wider campaign to document the Italian New Wave scene.
The eight tracks that make up this digitally remastered reissue—with three extra versions of Dark Age, Last Chance, and My Blues Is You—represent one of the most original possible journeys into the Italian underground. Obsessively rhythmic, like a pagan ritual, with the vagueness and asperity of primordial rock and roll and an inkling of late seventies / early eighties electronica; a cultured dance, officiously contaminated by the sound of guitars that lead us on our journey—if for no other reason than the act of faith performed for guru Jimi Hendrix in their cover of Burning Of The Midnight Lamp.
This ‘return to the scene of the crime’ is essential in the rediscovery of one of the most sober and adventurous breeds of Italian rock.

Following an idea of Italian disco guru Fred Ventura to publish some recordings that have remained in the vaults for more than 25 years, and thanks to the skilful “mastering touch” of Giovanni Versari, we have fi nally realized what seemed like a dream: a representative and intense snapshot of the Milanese new wave scene of the early eighties, 20 tracks that recount the salient steps of the brief but intense career of four Milanese bands — from the post-punk of Other Side, to the oblique funk of State Of Art, to the evident Kraftwerk infl uences of La Maison, to the electro pop-wave of Jeunesse d’Ivoire — four bands that illustrate the mood of an underground scene that burned out rapidly, mostly due to the indifference of the media and recording industry during those years.

Pavia, Northern Italy, 1981. — From the ashes of Doctor Mabuse, protagonists of incendiary concerts of which no trace remains, came Dark Tales. Authors of three demotapes, they also appeared on numerous compilations of the period, including the now beyond rare “First Relation.” Distorted vocals, futuristic sounding keyboards and clean sounding guitars. All inserted in a new wave atmosphere made less sinister by a tight rhythm section always at the forefront, but never obsessive. Then in 1985, the end, due to exhaustion, lack of funding, and stupidity of those who were there, but refused to understand.

An anomaly of sorts, Rinf were truly a different kind of band. Stylish without even trying. An odd mix of English and German that, however, earned them the respect of the most sensitive fans and critics. What could have become of their anarchic funk? Rinf’s music, however, was basically pop, heavily researched pop, but pop nonetheless. Simple songwriting asphyxiated by the urgency of scratchy jazz, with robotic choruses. Like smashing your head against the wall until it bleeds, but without unbuttoning your coat or taking off your tie. Somewhere between innate nihilism and collected pose. In this reissue we find their first 1983 EP, a track originally featured on a 7” single inserted in the fanzine “FREE” and various previously unreleased tracks, real memorabilia of the era.

Back in print after almost 15 years and now completely remastered and available in “miniature LP” format, this collection of live and unreleased material by ‘existentialist Italian new wave’ group, Diaframma. Originally released in 1992, these 22 tracks document the “live” impact of the Florentine band during its first ten years of existence, from its earliest days with Nicola Vannini, and later Miro Sassolini, up until the first solo performances of Federico Fiumani.