Le Stelle di Mario Schifano

Mario Schifano was a famous Italian artist, a painter that, during the sixties, as Andy Wharol, became a multimedial artist, expanding his interests to theater, music, scenography and more."Le Stelle di Mario Schifano" (The stars of Mario Schifano) was his project in the musical area. Together with the guitar player Urbano Orlandi and other musicians acting then in Rome, he created one of the first groups of the Italian psychedelia, together with Chetro & Co., Chewing Gum, Fantom's, Astrali and few others. A collaboration that resembles the partnership between Wharol and the Velvet Underground of Lou Reed, Nico and John Cale.

The group was very interesting indeed, being their first (and last) work, the 1967 LP "Dedicato a... " (dedicated to ...) closer to the forthcoming progressive scene that to the contemporary psychedelia.
On the first side a long suite with a very long title: "Le ultime parole di Brandimarte, dall'Orlando Furioso, ospite Peter Hartman e fine (da ascoltarsi con tv accesa, senza volume" (the last words of Brandimarte from the Orlando Furioso (the poem of Ludovico Ariosto), special guest Peter Hartman and end, to be listen to with the TV set switched on, but the audio switched off), and five songs on the other side of the vinyl disc. In the following year their single "E il mondo va / Su una strada" (and the world goes on / on a road) and the conclusion of the interesting experiment. The LP was printed only in 500 copies and became during the following years one of the rarest discs, not only for the italian musical scene, being very much requested even in Japan. Remarkable also their concerts, with a innovative (for the period) light show, in particular those in the famous dance-hall of Rome, the Piper Club.

See other informationi and images about Italian beat groups ("complessi") on Music Graffiti website.