CCCP Fedeli alla Linea, officially written CCCP - Fedeli alla Linea, () were an Italian band formed in 1982 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

by vocalist Giovanni Lindo Ferretti and guitarist

Massimo Zamboni Massimo, also Massimino, and Massimine () is a masculine Italian given name. Notable people with the name include: Given name: * Massimo Agostinelli (Max Agos) (born 1987), Swiss based Italian American artist, entrepreneur and activist * Massimo A ...

. The band's style was self-defined by the members themselves as "Musica Melodica Emiliana—Punk Filosovietico" (" Emilian Melodic Music—pro-

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

punk") Their name, CCCP, stems from the

cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking co ...

script for ''SSSR'', Russian acronym for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, although pronounced following the Italian phonetics. CCCP left behind the stereotypes of punk rock, and reached for a genre-defying convergence of militant rock, industrial music, folk, electropop,

Middle Eastern music The various nations of the region include the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East, the Iranian traditions of Persia, the Jewish music of Israel and the diaspora, Armenian music, Kurdish music, Azeri Music, the varied traditions of Cypri ...

, and even

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small nu ...

while delivering through their lyrics a bleak vision of humankind, also introducing elements of expressionist theatre and existentialist philosophy in their live shows. CCCP's works influenced dozen of artists such as Marlene Kuntz, Massimo Volume, and

Offlaga Disco Pax Offlaga Disco Pax was an Italian Indietronica band. Background and discography The band was formed in Reggio Emilia in 2003 by Daniele Carretti (guitar, bass guitar) Max Collini (lyrics, vocals) and Enrico Fontanelli (bass guitar, keyboards). T ...

History

1981–1983: Formation

CCCP was formed in 1981 when Ferretti met Zamboni (both were from

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abo ...

) in a discothèque in

Kreuzberg Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990 it h ...

(

). Once they returned home they founded a new band called MitropaNK. During the following summer Ferretti, Zamboni and bassist Umberto Negri returned to Berlin: it was during that trip that CCCP Fedeli alla Linea were born. The band members decided to use a drum machine instead of an actual drummer. The name of the band celebrates the popular sub-culture of Emilia while also praising the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, creating a link between

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

and the typical province of

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

. During this period the band performed several times in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, playing some underground clubs in

such as the Kob or the Spectrumin. Their permanence in Berlin influenced the sound of the band through the local industrial scene. East Berlin's culture and the

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ma ...

community of the West side of the town also influenced Ferretti's lyrics. The band's first concerts in Italy were met with a negative response from the crowd, leading the band to add two new members to the line-up: Annarella Giudici "Benemerita

soubrette A soubrette is a type of operatic soprano voice ''fach'', often cast as a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy". Theatre In theatre, a soubrette is ...

" (''well-deserved soubrette''), and a performer named Danilo Fatur. Annarella, Fatur, and for a little time Silvia Bonvicini (a second "Benemerita

") contributed to characterize their concerts by playing comic-demential sketches during their gigs.

1984–1985: First EPs

In 1984 the band released '' Ortodossia'', their first EP on the independent label Attack Punk Records. In the same year the'' Ortodossia II'' EP was released, which included the same three songs already included in their first EP ("Live in Pankow", "Spara Jurij", and "Punk Islam") plus an additional fourth track ("Mi ami?"). 1985 saw the release of their third EP, '' Compagni, Cittadini, Fratelli, Partigiani''. The three EPs were produced and recorded by the band with very little money and few musical instruments in a single room set as a recording studio, near to a city tram line constantly disturbing the recording.

1986: Debut album

Their first studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

, '' 1964/1985 Affinità-Divergenze fra il Compagno Togliatti e Noi - Del Conseguimento della Maggiore Età'', was recorded during 1985 and published by Attack Punk Records in 1986. It reduced the visceral impact of hardcore while focusing on the eerie contrast between a harsh but spare instrumental background and Ferretti's delirious cut-up lyrics and Brecht-ian delivery. An eclectic stylistic range (from existential psychodrama to

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...

groove, from erotic

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

folk ballad Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

) helped craft an oppressive atmosphere of angst and boredom, particularly in the centerpiece, " Emilia Paranoica". This album is considered by many music critics one of the masterpieces of contemporary Italian music, and a milestone for the whole European punk movement. The album's sales induced Virgin Dischi, the Italian branch of

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

to sign the band. Some of the band's fans saw this move as betrayal and nicknamed the band "''CCCP fedeli alla lira''" with ''

lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...

'' (the old Italian

currency A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general ...

before the introduction of

Euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

) instead of ''linea'' ('line' in the sense of 'party line', in line with the soviet theme).

1987–1988: Signed for Virgin

In 1987 the band recorded and released their first single '' Oh! Battagliero'' and their second album, '' Socialismo e Barbarie'', which was made with a relatively big budget if compared with the first one. It is a less cohesive work, that ran the gamut from

to a rock version of the

anthem, from

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

hymns to feedback workouts. In 1988

re-released '' Socialismo e Barbarie'' on CD, and their first EPs on the compilation '' Compagni, cittadini, fratelli, partigiani / Ortodossia II''. In the same year, CCCP released the single '' Tomorrow (Voulez vous un rendez vous)'', a cover version of a song by the singer and painter Amanda Lear; Amanda Lear sang on both the two tracks of the single.

1989: Third album

The third album, '' Canzoni, Preghiere, Danze del II Millennio - Sezione Europa'' (1989), signs their musical change to electropop.

Keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mu ...

, instead of

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, became the most important instrument. Their sound is now influenced by

and is softer than in the previous records. It replaces the original

sociopolitical Political sociology is an interdisciplinary field of study concerned with exploring how governance and society interact and influence one another at the micro to macro levels of analysis. Interested in the social causes and consequences of how ...

emphasis with mystical overtones, and their industrial hardcore with a far less revolutionary

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

1989–1990: Litfiba and demise

In 1989 CCCP, Litfiba, and Rats went on tour in the

(

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

). In

they played in a palace full of soldiers in uniform. The soldiers stood up when the band played at the end of the concert the

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn ...

"A Ja Ljublju SSSR". During this year guitarist Giorgio Canali, bassist Gianni Maroccolo, keyboardist Francesco Magnelli, and

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer's ...

Ringo De Palma (the last three left the Litfiba because of some artistical difference of opinion with band's manager Alberto Pirelli) joined and transformed the group. The group, now composed by eight members, recorded their fourth album '' Epica Etica Etnica Pathos'' in an abandoned 700' villa. This album signes another musical evolution for the band. CCCP reached their zenith with this album, a

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...

-esque stylistic puzzle which also stands as a personal musical encyclopedia, with complex suites such as "MACISTE contro TUTTI", their "''swan song''", and a transition to the new sonorities of the

Consorzio Suonatori Indipendenti Consorzio Suonatori Indipendenti (C.S.I.; English: ''Consortium of Independent Players'') is an Italian band that evolved from the former punk/art band CCCP Fedeli alla linea. C.S.I. were founded in 1992 by Giovanni Lindo Ferretti and Massimo Za ...

(C.S.I.), the new band born from the ashes of CCCP. The acronym used for the new band name, C.S.I., reminds to the new situation in the

, with the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010 ...

(CIS) ( it, Comunità degli Stati Indipendenti (CSI)). With the creation of the CIS, the

and at the same time the band ceased to exist. CCCP effectively disbanded the 3 October 1990, in the same date of the German reunification, and the members went on to other projects.

Post-CCCP

When the

collapsed, Ferretti and Zamboni decided to shuffle the line-up and adopt a less political stance. The renamed

(C.S.I.) debuted with a set of songs from ''Ko del Mondo'' (

Polygram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

, 1993). They rapidly evolved towards a form of chamber rock music (mostly drum-less) with ''Linea Gotica'' (

, 1996). When C.S.I. disbanded in 1999, Ferretti debuted solo with Co-dex (2000), then formed Per Grazia Ricevuta (PGR) and released ''PGR'' (2002) that steered towards world-music.

Members

* Giovanni Lindo Ferretti (Cerreto Alpi, 9 September 1953):

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

, vocals (1982–1990) * Massimo Zamboni (Reggio Emilia, 1957):

(1982–1990) * Umberto Negri:

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

(1982–1985) * Zeo Giudici:

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

(1982–1983) * Mirka Morselli -

(1983) * Annarella Giudici (born Antonella Giudici): "Benemerita

" vocals (1984–1990) * Danilo Fatur: "Artista del popolo" (''people's artist'') vocals (1984–1990) * Silvia Bonvicini: vocals (1984–1985) * Carlo Chiapparini:

(1986–1989) * Ignazio Orlando:

, keyboards,

(1986–1989) * Gianni Maroccolo (Manciano, 9 May 1960):

(1989–1990) * Francesco Magnelli: keyboards (1989–1990) * Ringo De Palma (born Luca De Benedictis,

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

, 28 December 1963 –

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

, 1 June 1990):

(1989–1990) * Giorgio Canali (1958):

, programming (1989–1990)

Members timeline

TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy ImageSize = width:540 height:300 PlotArea = width:450 height:250 bottom:20 left:20 Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) id:grid1 value:rgb(0.86,0.86,0.86) id:grid2 value:gray(0.8) id:bars value:rgb(0.96,0.96,0.6) id:bg value:white id:2color value:rgb(1,1,0.6) BackgroundColors = canvas:bg Period = from:1981 till:1990 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:1981 gridcolor:grid1 BarData= barset:Bandmembers PlotData= # set defaults width:20 fontsize:m textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) color:bars barset:Bandmembers from:1982 till:1990 text:"Giovanni Lindo Ferretti" color:2color from:1982 till:1990 text:"Massimo Zamboni" from:1982 till:1985 text:"Umberto Negri" color:2color from:1984 till:1990 text:"Danilo Fatur" from:1984 till:1990 text:"Annarella Giudici" color:2color from:1986 till:1989 text:"Carlo Chiapparini" from:1986 till:1989 text:"Ignazio Orlando" color:2color from:1989 till:1990 text:"Gianni Maroccolo" from:1989 till:1990 text:"Francesco Magnelli" color:2color from:1989 till:1990 text:"Ringo De Palma" from:1989 till:1990 text:"Giorgio Canali"

Discography

Studio albums

* '' 1964/1985 Affinità-Divergenze fra il Compagno Togliatti e Noi - Del Conseguimento della Maggiore Età'', Attack Punk Records, red vinyl 1986, re-released in 1988 by

* '' Socialismo e Barbarie'',

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a world ...

1987, re-released in 1988 on CD with two extra tracks. * '' Canzoni, Preghiere, Danze del II Millennio - Sezione Europa'',

, 1989 * '' Epica Etica Etnica Pathos'',

, 1990

Live albums

* '' Live in Punkow'',

, 1996

Compilation albums

* '' Compagni, cittadini, fratelli, partigiani / Ortodossia II'',

, 1988 * '' Ecco i miei gioielli'',

, 1992 * ''

Enjoy CCCP ''Enjoy CCCP'' is a compilation album by the Italian punk rock band CCCP Fedeli alla linea released by Virgin Records on 1994. The cover is an imitation of the Coca-Cola brand. The name of the band is written in white color and uses the same fo ...

'',

, 1994 * '' Essential (CCCP)'', EMI, 2012