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TALCO is not only a fantastic live band but also a band that has managed from the very beginning to preserve their live energy in the studio and incorporate it into their recordings.
Now, for their 10th anniversary, the band has gifted something very special to themselves and their fans. A live album with a DVD.
Let's start with the CD.
The silver disc contains 21 songs and provides a cross-section of the band's creative phase. Many of the current songs like “San Maritan“, “Danza Dell´Autunno Rosa“ or “La Parabola Die Battagghi“, for which there are also videos, are included on the album, but older songs like “Testamento Di Un Buffone“, “L´Odore della Morte“ or “A La Patchanka“ are not missing either. The focus is still on the newer albums. Of course, the classic “Bella Ciao“ is also included, as well as the song dedicated to St. Pauli, with the same title featured on the album.
The CD is a “Best Of“, just in the guise of a live disc.
One can certainly and repeatedly debate whether live albums are necessary. I say very clearly “Yes!“. If the live energy is captured and thus the live feeling is established, which one knows from the concerts, then that is exactly what one wants, what lifts you up after a long day, what excites you!
The recording quality of the album is very good, with only minor drawbacks. The drums might be a bit too dominant, but otherwise everything is optimal. Vocals, guitar, bass, and the brass section are well audible. You don't hear much from the audience except for singing from many throats, which is pure goosebumps for some songs, like “Bella Ciao“. The sound is a real live sound. Actually everything is great, actually.
Maybe it has to do with the mixing of the sound, which is a bit too thick in some places. Maybe it also has to do with the band, which almost exclusively gives it their all. From the middle of the set, a feeling of saturation sets in. It's almost only one tempo, namely full throttle. This can be a bit… well… you know it, because you had already listened to 15 songs at the same tempo before. I actually wonder if the last concerts of the band from Marghera were like this, because I always go crazy and get excited. I will check it out on September 12, 2014, when the band plays at the Astra in Berlin.
Now let's talk about the visual material.
First, you can choose in which language you would like to watch the DVD, whether with German, English, or Spanish subtitles, or in the original Italian. Then it starts with the story of TALCO. From the beginnings, from the first concert in Berlin, from the legendary Mauro, to whom the band (and all of Berlin) owes so much, from the festivals “Punk Italia” and the rapid development of the band already in 2005/2006. All of this is narrated by the band itself and accompanied by images from archives, partly filmed with handheld cameras. More recent footage can also be found. So there is a nice picture of the band.
The chronological structure and the sometimes very personal comments from the band about how they experienced the development of TALCO make the DVD interesting for both fans and curious viewers.
However, what is missing is a chapter selection. The DVD runs through in one go. That's okay if you have about 90 minutes to watch everything at once, but it's frustrating if you want to watch the DVD in segments and then have to fast forward painstakingly.
Overall, the beautiful digipack with the two silver discs is a lovely piece of music history from TALCO. It is, of course, despite slight deductions in the B-note, something to look forward to and worth listening to and watching.
In addition to thanking the band for 10 great years, a big thank you also goes to Muttis Booking and Destiny Records, who discovered, promoted, and made this band what it is today.
