reviews / 2020

ALLISON RUN - Walking On The Bridge (Opera Omnia)

Name: ALLISON RUN – Walking On The Bridge (Opera Omnia)
Item: Walking On The Bridge (Opera Omnia)
Rating: 7.5
Author: Gianfranco Marmoro

2020 (Spittle)

psych-pop

by Gianfranco Marmoro

7.5

Another smart reissue from Spittle, a slice of the Italian wave scene gathered together in a three-CD box set containing the opera omnia of Allison Run, a psych-rock outfit from Brindisi that never quite received the fame and respect it deserved.

The vibrant Bologna scene of the late '80s welcomed without hesitation the brilliant creations of Amerigo Verardi, Alex Saviozzi and Mimo Rash, and later of Umberto Palazzo, effectively becoming the band's second home. Allison Run stood out not only for their contrarian style (at a time when grunge was knocking at the door), but also for favouring the creative essentiality of Syd Barrett ("As We Grope") and Robin Hitchcock ("Sado, Goodman & Faith") over the more crowd-pleasing lysergic trance, as well as the wit and irony of Julian Cope ("Ballad Of Mr Twist") and Xtc ("Train To London").

Two EPs and a single album were enough for the band to leave their mark, not just on the Italian scene but internationally too, proving themselves worthy of standing alongside the champions of psychedelic pop who bewitched the generations of the '80s and '90s: Soft Boys ("My First Luminous Birthday", "Smooth Dog"), Echo & The Bunnymen ("Giam-Siam", "Citadel") and Teardrop Explodes ("She's Walking On The Bridge"). Yet they didn't shy away from casting a knowing glance back at the past (the Kinks: "The Red Moon") and towards the present (the Smiths: "I'd Like To Walk With Somebody"), not to mention the trippy escapes into Beatles territory on "Nadija" and the Byrds on "Tangle Of Love".

Placed in strict chronological order after the two EPs, “God Was Completely Deaf” (1989) is an album that hasn't lost one shred of its creativity and charm, thanks to the solidity of the songwriting and an instrumental maturity that was decidedly atypical for Italian new wave. Qualities amply confirmed by the extra tracks (the excellent "Milk Is Set In The Sky") and by the live recordings on the second CD, which highlight a concrete post-punk framework, Joy Division chief among the influences: above all, the version of the already remarkable "Allison".

The third CD, devoted to demos, confirms the excellent craftsmanship of the compositions, including rough versions that stand up well against the officially released ones.

Listening to "Walking On The Bridge" draws more than one smile and plenty of praise. Verardi and Palazzo have shown over time just how much Allison Run had to offer, and of such fine quality and variety — quality that this elegant box set restores to us in full, with the exception of a cover of a song by Edoardo Bennato — "La Fata" — which, for contractual reasons, wasn't included in the box set. The track inaugurated the deal with Cgd, which unfortunately went nowhere due to the band's break-up, which happened after their appearance at the first edition of the Primo Maggio concert.

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01/03/2021

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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Gianfranco Marmoro, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.

Read the original in Italian · About the English edition