Here’s one of two posts lined up to get you through the weekend. First, we have what I believe to be the complete discography of Italian band Chrisma, a synthpunk outfit active in the late 1970s. The band combined a Marlene Dietrich kind of vibe with krautrock, Chrome-esque guitar lines, disco rhythms, and primitive synthesizers for a futuristic and incredibly eclectic sound. Very ahead of their time, as far as I’m concerned, especially when you hear the drastic jump in styles between the first 7” and the debut LP.
The band takes its name from combining the first names of members Christina Moser and Maurizio Arcieri. Their earliest recordings were made in Vangelis’ home studio, which more than likely explains their futuristic sound. There’s even a rumor kicking around that Vangelis himself performed on Chinese Restaurant, but he is not listed in the album credits.
While the band was formed in Italy, they sang the majority of their songs in English, which helped earn the band a few fans stateside. You can still hear “Black Silk Stockings” (IMO, the band’s best track) in various clubs to date. In 1980, the band changed their name to Krisma and took a more synthpop turn, releasing five LPs and a slew of singles. Perhaps I’ll cover them someday in the future, but otherwise, here’s the full Chrisma output- two LPs and two 7” records. I didn’t include a few of the other 7”s, as the band would double up on album cuts for b-sides. Here’s the rundown:
Chrisma- Amore 7” (1976)
1. Amore
2. Sweet Baby Sue
Chrisma- Chinese Restaurant LP (1977)
1. Thank You
2. Black Silk Stocking
3. Lola
4. C-Rock
5. What For
6. Wanderlust
7. Lycee
8. Mandoia
9. Thank You
Chrisma- U 12” (1977)
1. U Part I
2. U Part II
Chrisma- Hibernation LP (1979)
1. Calling
2. Aurora B.
3. Rush ’79
4. Hibernated Nazi
5. Gott Gott Electron
6. We R.
7. So You Don’t
8. Lover
9. Vera Platz
In case you’re not sold on downloading this discography, peep a performance of “Black Silk Stocking/Lola” here, complete with a latter day interview with the band, for those fluent in Italian. Awesome.
If you dig on these records, feel free to purchase the excellent reissues from Medical Records!