Biglietto per l'Inferno

Infobox musical artist
Name = Biglietto per l'Inferno


Img_capt = A late picture of Biglietto per l'inferno.
Img_size =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Lecco, Italy
Genre = Progressive rock
Years_active = 1972–1975
Label = Trident Records Mellow Records
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.bigliettoperlinferno.com/ www.bigliettoperlinferno.com]
Current_members =
Past_members = Claudio Canali Giuseppe Banfi Giuseppe Cossa Marco Mainetti Fausto Branchini Mauro Gnecchi

Biglietto per l'Inferno is an Italian progressive rock band whose album "Biglietto per l'Inferno", in spite of the limited success it scored in the 1970s, is today considered a cornerstone of the genre.

History

Biglietto per l'Inferno's members were from Lecco, Lombardy, coming from the bands Mako Sharks and Gee. The year 1972 marked the band's first concerts. In 1974 the band released their eponymous LP, a mixture of hard rock and progressive sounds. The most prominent instruments in the record were Marco Mainetti's guitar and Giuseppe Cossa's keyboards. Claudio Canali,the lead singer, also played flute. The lyrics Canali wrote for the song "Confessione" were about a murder: despite the band's name, meaning "Ticket to Hell", the lyrics have no references to hell or demonic themes - (except the quote "What do you say, brother - you have murdered? (...) I cannot save you from the eternal fire, you only have a ticket to hell"). The other songs feature lyrics dealing with social and psychological themes.

The second album "Il tempo della semina" ("The Seed-time") was recorded in 1974-1975 (production by Eugenio Finardi), but was not issued until 1992. Biglietto per l'Inferno split up in 1975. Some of its members continued their careers in the music industry: Giuseppe Banfi recorded four electronic music albums in 1977-1988 under the name Baffo Banfi, while Fausto Branchini issued several pop music singles. Mauro Gnecchi joined a jazz band and worked for "Racconti della tenda rossa" by Franco Mussida. Mainetti earned a Ph.D. in physics and Canali retired to live as a monk in a monastery located in the mountains near Lucca, Tuscany.

A 30th anniversary box set was released in 2004 containing remastered versions of both official albums, a third CD with a live recording from 1974 in Lugano, and a DVD including various material.

Trivia

* After Trident, Biglietto per l'inferno's label, went bankrupt, the original tapes of "Il tempo della semina" went lost. The current edition of the album is based on a found music tape.
* The vocalist Claudio Canali is today a monk.

Lineup

* Giuseppe Banfi - organ, minimoog
* Fausto Branchini - bass
* Claudio Canali - flute, flugehorn, vocals
* Giuseppe Cossa - piano, organ, keyboards
* Mauro Gnecchi - drums
* Marco Mainetti - guitar

Discography

*"Biglietto per l'inferno" (1973)
*"Il tempo della semina" (1992)
*"Live 1974 (2004).

See also

*Italian progressive rock

External links

* [http://www.bigliettoperlinferno.com/index.html Official site]
* [http://www.italianprog.com/a_biglietto.htm Biglietto per l'inferno in Italian prog]
* [http://guide.supereva.com/musica_progressive/interventi/2003/12/146694.shtml Interview with Giuseppe Banfi]