…we know, the Tuscan Metalliferous Hills, llike other rural areas, are often the setting for sighting and exotic findings. Who could ever forget about the 2011 panther, the 2007 UFO near Roccatederighi, or -going further back- the Accesa Lake crocodile? [1].
Anyhow, should you be passing around Tatti, in the Massa Marittima area (Southern Tuscany), and you cross a T-Rex, do not be concerned. No need to call the wildlife service, or the guys from the prehistoric theme park in Valpiana, He did not escape, nor did he come to bother. On the contrary: he is here to collaborate on the Participatory Lithology project, given his experience since the Cretaceous. His name is Mauro.
Mauro, on a short “proximity pause”, contemplating the Bruna plain.
[1] In fact, the most incredibly strange sighting remembered in the pibinko.org network goes back to the Seventies. A local newspaper wrote that in the lower Cornia Valley a giant toad was lurking in the crops. Possibly it became so big due to a diet warped by old-school fertilizers. Should anybody remember about this piece of news, or has documentation about similar episoded, please write to micalosapevo@pibinko.org.
…ora che ci siamo ricomposti….Questa segnalazione ci arriva dal nostro Dario Canal, lassù a Torino, sotto la Mole e parecchio attivo fra reading e concerti dal balcone (che però tiene suonando verso l’interno della casa, un po’ come i preti nelle messe del medioevo). Lo potete seguire sia su “Faccialibro” che su “Instagrand“.
Dopo Joss Stone, la bianca dalla voce nera, rimbalziamo oggi su lidi più prossimi. Siamo sulla costa adriatica per conoscere un personaggio che se lo cercate in rete esce l’ultima regina di Francia, ma non è lei che canta durante una sessione con medium. Maria Antonietta è lo pseudonimo di Letizia Cesarini, classe 1987 e laureata in storia medioevale. Nel 2014 ha pubblicato un intero album dedicato ai sassi (questo il titolo del long playing). I pezzi poi hanno titoli diversi, ma la regola dell’intrattenimento litologico vale. Abbiamo quindi scelto il brano Animali, che uscì anche come singolo. Per misteriosi tecnicismi del dialogo tra la nuova interfaccia di Youtube e WordPress, i link di Maria Antonietta non si possono per ora incorporare direttamente, ma se cliccate qui:
All of the Big Kahunas in the music production business were hearing about this for some time: a collaboration between the Jug Band Colline Metallifere, the geomusic guys, and Mauro the T-Rex. First they heard about a potential joint tour in Japan. Then, that mishap with Pellegro, the tenor sax with the Jerry Brecker quartet..so, for one reason or another, the affair was not going anywhere.
Then came Participatory Lithology. This story turned out to provide the right setting. Inspired by a famous American duo from the Sixties, Simone Sandrucci, lead guitar with the JBCM, and Mauro, take some lyrics by Jack O’Malley on the story of this little resilience project, and end the tune with an invitation for all their audience. The video is subtitled in English (not all may understand the T-Rex accent) and in Italian. If you like it, please consider putting something in our digital busking hat.
[Technical note: to get to a perfect syncing of the tracks used in this video with pibinko’s netbook is almost impossible in less-than-geologic time. Please enjoy this demo take in the meantime, and we will see if we can provide a proper edit once we can have more suitable hardware. Or, if you would like to help out on a second edit, please write].
So here’s a little variation in the Litobag series. This is a daily blog post from the Participatory Lithology project, giving you each morning before 9AM (CET) a song related rocks, stones, or minerals.
The playlist we created is now reaching 50 tracks, and every other day or so we are adding new entries. These are either dug out by the Jug Band Colline Metallifere (Metalliferous Hills Jug Band) , or proposed by one of our project’s resident-at-home DJs. We are today out with episode 10, so yo have some sense of our timeline. The little variation is that we would also like to consider artist who have references to stones, minerals, or rocks in their names. So, enter…Joss Stone.
This is also a song mentioning stone, so this is a sort of Lithobag squared! Go Joss, go!
I’ve got a right to be wrong | ho il diritto di avere torto My mistakes will make me strong | i miei sbagli mi renderanno più forte I’m stepping out into the great unknown | sto uscendo verso grandi incognite I’m feeling wings though I’ve never flown | sto sentendo le mie ali, anche se non ho mai volato I’ve got a mind of my own | ho una mia intelligenza I’m flesh and blood to the bone | sono di carne e sangue fino all’osso I’m not made of stone | non sono fatta di pietra Got a right to be wrong | So just leave me alone | per cui lasciatemi stare
I’ve got a right to be wrong I’ve been held down too long | sono stata schiacciata troppo a lungo I’ve got to break free | mi devo liberare So I can finally breathe | per potere infine respirare I’ve got a right to be wrong | Got to sing my own song | devo cantare la mia canzone I might be singing out of key | potrei non cantare a tono But it sure feels good to me | ma mi fa davvero stare bene Got a right to be wrong So just leave me alone
You’re entitled to your opinion | tu puoi avere la tua opinione But it’s really my decision | ma è in effetti una decisione mia I can’t turn back I’m on a mission | non posso tornare indietro, sono in missione If you care don’t you dare blur my vision | se ci tieni, non ti provare a offuscare la mia visione Let me be all that I can be | lascia che sia tutto ciò che posso essere Don’t smother me with negativity | non soffocarmi con la tua negatività Whatever’s out there waiting for me | qualsiasi cosa ci sia, là fuori per me I’m going to face it willingly | l’affronterò volentieri
I’ve got a right to be wrong My mistakes will make me strong I’m stepping out into the great unknown I’m feeling wings though I’ve never flown I’ve got a mind of my own Flesh and blood to the bone See, I’m not made of stone I’ve got a right to be wrong So just leave me alone
I’ve got a right to be wrong I’ve been held down to long I’ve got to break free So I can finally breathe I’ve got a right to be wrong Got to sing my own song I might be singing out of key But it sure feels good to me I’ve got a right to be wrong So just leave me alone
Our next Lithobag was proposed by Liliana Cafiero, the geojazz singer which you may have heard in “Tatti and its stones a few days ago” (if not, you should check it out NOW).
This song was launched in 1977, in Italy. Who knows if Alfredo Antonio Carlo Buongusto (aka Fred Bongusto) when writing of stones and ideas piling on top of each other was thinking about stones and ideas which were flying around the the streets of many Italian cities, in the turmoil of the years .
For us rockers Fred Bongusto is often (and with prejudice) avoided given his traditional crooner and romantic ballad role. But we were completely surprised preparing this article by learning that in 1973 he also covered Stevie Wonder’s super-funky Superstition. Rumor has it that at the time, in a couple of gigs, he presented himself as Fred Goodtaste, for a laugh. Now, on with the music, and then everybody go read the Participatory Lithology page as presented by the Metalliferous Hills Jug Band.
pietra su pietra idea sopra idea ce la faro’ dentro la forza che il sole mi crea ci riusciro’ ricominciare no senza di te ricostruire in me distrutto ormai nell’anima per te… per te, sono spento per te per me, devo solo combattere e pietra su pietra ridere piangere pietra su pietra una vita… per vivere ma lontano da te… giorno su giorno il tempo che va passa di qui io ti credevo intoccabile ma non e’ cosi’ devo convincermi ora, di piu’ che non ci sei piu’ tu un filo ormai mi sta tenendo su… per te, sono spento per te per me, devo solo combattere e pietra su pietra ridere piangere pietra su pietra una vita… per vivere ma lontano da te… per te… cosi’, sulla terra da solo io ma pietra su pietra rimettermi ad illudermi pietra su pietra una vita… ma lontano ma lontano da te… lontano da te…
The next Lithobag was suggested by Anne from the Netherlands. Anne is a perfect example of what in Participatory Lithology we have called “(at home) resident DJ”, among various entertainer roles.
This band deserves the Irony Nobel Prize. Half of The Netherlands’ surface is less than 1 metre above sea level (or below sea level). In 1993 Jack O’Malley visited the island of Texel, which he wanted to see driven by the resemblance of its name with the fictional character of Tex Willer. When he got there he noted that the island has a place called Hohe Berg (High Mountain), peaking at a breathtaking 40 metres.
The Dutch mountains, as we intend mountains, do not exist. So, The Nits mean to tell us something, that each of one should figure. The mountain is not a mountain, the stone is not a stone, rock is not rock. An watch out on where that shirt button keeps rolling.
The other thing we learn about Holland from this song is that it look like there are a lot o people painting the walls of their houses. If that is not the case, it sounds strange that in a song which tells about five “situations”, two of them mention wall painting…anyway..just drifting….
Remember that if for Participatory Lithology you cannot propose yourself as an entertainer, you might qualify as a collector, a classifier, and -in any case- a sponsor.
…on we go with The Nits live (but the official video gives a cool backdrop for the song), and thanks again to Anne and his family for their suggestion:
I was born in a valley of bricks | Sono nato in una valle di mattoni
Where the river runs high above the rooftops. | dove il fiume scorre alto sopra i tetti
I was waiting for the cars coming home late at night | stavo aspettando le macchine che rientravano tardi la sera
From the Dutch mountains. | dalle montagne olandesi
I was standing in a valley of rock | stavo in piedi in una valle rocciosa
Up to my belly in an early fog. | immerso fino alla pancia in una nebbia mattutina
I was looking for the road to a green painted house -| stavo cercando la strada per una casa dipinta di verde
In the Dutch mountains. | nelle montagne olandesi
In the Dutch mountains
mountains -.
I met a woman in a valley of stone | Ho conosciuto una donna in una valle di pietra
She was painting roses on the walls of her home. | stava dipingendo rose sui muri della sua casa
And the moon is a coin with the head of the queen – | e la luna è una moneta con la testa della regina
Of the Dutch mountains; in the Dutch mountains. | delle montagne olandesi; nelle montagne olandesi
I lost a button of my shirt today | oggi ho perso un bottone della camicia
It fell on the ground and it was rolling away. | è cascato per terra e stava rotolando via
Like a trail leading me back to the Dutch mountains | come un sentiero che mi riportava alle montagne olandesi
To the Dutch mountains, mountains
I met a miller on the back of a cow | ho incontrato un mugnaio sul dorso di una mucca
He was looking for the wind | cercava il vento
but he didn’t know how. | ma non sapeva come fare
I said: “Follow the cloud that looks like a sheep” | io gli ho detto: “segui la nuvola che assomiglia a una pecora”
In the Dutch mountains | nelle montagne olandesi
in the Dutch mountains
The Jug Band Colline Metallifere (Metalliferous HIlls Jug Band) represents the musical branch in the little Participatory Lithology exercise launched on March 21, 2020 from Tatti, Southern Tuscany, by the pibinko.org network. In pratice, with Mauro the T-Rex as our creative director (see him spinning some vinyls in the header image) we are:
Curating a series of daily posts proposing songs related to rocks, minerals, and stonesuna (the Lithobag)
The next song was proposed in parallel by Elena from Casotto Pescatori (GR) and Carlo Simeoni from Rome. This is a total song, an icon from the soul/R’n’B planet, and many of you must have heard at least a little bit of it at least once. As yesterday’s Lithobag, it has a very long intro, but it is kind of smoother. As a presentation, I am picking one that I wrote for this song over seven years ago. I like re-reading it, and I hope you will like it too. As a coupled PELP sample, we have item A038 from Forestano’s collection, which could actually roll if you find the right slope.
originale del 27/9/12 – prima della vendemmia
…it’s not the same, but if this track was not inspired by “Papa was a Rolling Stone”, I will eat my hat, as Tex Willer used to say to Kit Carson.
Directly from Savona, defined by my friend Andrea the Italian city with the worst-dressed women (but he never said the worst women), here come Bobby Soul and Alessio Caorsi…..take it away!
It was the third of September | Era il tre di settembre That day I’ll always remember, | quel giorno me lo ricorderò per sempre Yes, I will | eh sì ‘Cause that was the day that my daddy died | perché fu il giorno che il mi’ babbo morì I never got a chance to see him | non ho mai avuto modo di vederlo Never heard nothin’ but bad things about him | e di lui ho sempre sentito dire ogni male Mama, I’m depending on you | mamma, dipendo da te To tell me the truth | per farmi dire la verità Mama just hung her head and said, “Son,.. | la mamma abbassò la testa e disse: “Figliolo…
[Chorus:] Papa was a rolling stone. | il babbo era una mina vagante Wherever he laid his hat was his home. | dovunque appoggiasse il cappello, era casa sua And when he died, all he left us was alone. | e quando è morto, ci ha lasciati tutti soli Papa was a rolling stone, my son. Wherever he laid his hat was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone.”
Hey, mama! | Ehi mamma Is it true what they say that papa never worked a day in his life? | ma è vero che babbo non ha mai lavorato nemmeno un giorno in tutta la vita? And, mama, some bad talk goin’ round town sayin’ that papa had three outside children and another wife, | e, mamma, si sentono brutte voci in città, dicono che babbo aveva tre figlioli in giro, e un’altra moglie And that ain’t right | e questo non va bene Heard them talking papa doing some store front preachin’ | ho sentito che dicevano che babbo stata a predicare davanti ai negozi Talked about saving souls and all the time leechin’ | parlava della salvezza delle anime, e si approfittava della benevolenza degli altri Dealing in debt and stealing in the name of the Lord | era pieno di debiti e rubava nel nome del Signore Mama just hung her head and said,
[Chorus] “Papa was a rolling stone, my son. Wherever he laid his hat was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone. Papa was a rolling stone. Wherever he laid his hat was his home. And when he died, all he left us was alone.”
Hey, mama, | Ehi mamma I heard papa called himself a “Jack Of All Trades” | ho sentito che babbo si faceva chiamare un “tuttologo” Tell me is that what sent papa to an early grave?| dimmi, è questo che ha fatto arrivare il babbo a una tomba prematura? Folks say papa would beg, borrow, steal | la gente dice che babbo faceva l’elemosina, prendeva prestiti e rubava To pay his bills | per pagare le bollette Hey, mama, | ehi mamma Folks say papa never was much on thinking| la gente dice che babbo non è stato mai un gran pensatore Spent most of his time chasing women and drinking | passava la maggior parte del tempo a rincorrere gonnelle e a bere Mama, I’m depending on you To tell me the truth Mama looked up with a tear in her eye and said, “Son,.. | mamma guardo in su con una lacrima nell’occhio e disse..”Figlio…
[Chorus] Papa was a rolling stone (well, well…) Wherever he laid his hat was his home And when he died, all he left us was alone Papa was a rolling stone Wherever he laid his hat was his home And when he died, all he left us was alone.”
[Chorus] I said, “Papa was a rolling stone (yes, he was, my son) Wherever he laid his hat was his home And when he died, all he left us was alone My daddy was (papa was a rolling stone), yes, he was Wherever he laid his hat was his home And when he died, all he left us was alone.”
[If you missed Lithobag #1, with the preface to this blog series, you can find it here]
[If you don’t know Participatory Lithology, check out its first week summary, and be sure to check our title track before you read on.]
Coming up is a Lithobag suggested on March 25 by Elio from Cascina, not far from Pisa and the leaning tower. This comes after yesterday we learned that Participatory Lithology was presented as a “rocky” project…so want to share some real rock.
The peculiar thing about this song is that for some reason “Big Tube” does not expose the original version by Jimi Hendrix…you get it as covered by Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Lukather, played at 45 rpm, in reverse…and the version by Jaco Pastorius, who manages to go beyond Jimi in terms of psychedelia. But I couldn’t find the original version on Big Tube (so here it is from an alternative site).
As a proper video, I would in any case like to propose one of the most recent covers. Please welcome Gary Clark Jr. (which we like in the Jug Band Colline Metallifere, often proposing hisGovernor song).
This version of Third Stone from the Sun should possibly go with a big cup of tea, and sample C018 from the Participatory Lithology gallery. The original version actualy has some lyrics, which Jimi’s successors eventually forgot. And regards to Elio!
Strange beautiful grass of green, | strana e bellissima erba verde
With your majestic silver seas | con i tuo maestosi mari d’argento
Your mysterious mountains I wish to see closer | le tue misteriose montagne, che vorrei vedere più da vicino
May I land my kinky machine? | posso far atterrare la mia strana macchina?
Although your world wonders me, | per quanto il vostro mondo mi stupisca
With your majestic and superior cackling hen | con le vostre maestose e superiori galline starnazzanti
Your people I do not understand, | non riesco a capire la vostra gente
So to you I shall put an end | per cui metterò fine a voi
And you’ll never hear surf music again | e non sentirete mai più musica surf
Imagine a jazz club ambiance: low ceiling, spirals of smoke in the air, whisky with ice, stirred, not shaken.
Images flow in the background, between snapshots of Tatti, Southern Tuscany, the home base of Participatory Lithology, and details of some of the “rocks” that the classifiers are analyzing from their homes.
A Tatti dei sassi ho ritrovato | In Tatti I found some stones Lì giù nella cantina del poro zio Renato | Down in poor old Uncle Renato’s cellar
Forse li avrei buttati via | I might have thrown them away data la mia ignoranza di gee-ooo-logia | given my ignorance in geology
Poi venne l’ispirazione | Then I had an inspiration metter le foto in rete per catalogazione | to put their photos online to have them catalogued
Grazie agli amici in rete | thank to friend I have across the network mi son fatta un elenco che in molti invidierete | I eventually made a list that many of you will envy
