various: samples only

First ever reissue of a sought-after Italian compilation highlighting all the potential of the northeastern Italian post-punk scene, originally released in 1981. Starring Ruins, European Stage, and R.A.R.A., Samples Only is your kind of compilation if you're aware of the development of the new romantic and synth wave scene. It all happened back in the day near Venice. These guys were fascinated with the whole new wave phenomenon -- the radio was pumping in their single rooms and they knew the times were changin'. They were pretty young -- mostly in their twenties -- and any influence came from abroad. Rock, beat, electronic, punk, and even white funk (did someone say A Certain Ratio?) all together, as a stream of consciousness. There was a leading TV program at the time, Mr. Fantasy -- directed by an influential journalist and DJ named Carlo Massarini -- and everyone interested in post-punk and art pop was watching it, including the main characters in Samples Only. They were spending all of their small wages on imported records, duplicating them on the (in)famous C90 cassette. They were dreaming of CBGB's in New York or the Blitz in London, but the Italian clubs -- Tenax in Florence, Plastic in Milan, and even the Shindy and Memorabilia in the vast northeast area -- were not afraid of the competition. Samples Only is a postcard from those days, a shining document available again for your pleasure. Includes two tracks from the group Art Déco, exclusive to this reissue.