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| E A S Y |
| G O I N G |
| Easy Going was the brainchild of Claudio Simonetti and Walter Martino. Simonetti was the driving force and musical genius. Simonetti was born in Sao Paulo in Brazil. He studied piano and composition in the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. Upon graduation he decided to stay in Italy and pursue his musical ambitions. His recording career began with a local group Goblin. With the group he wrote and recorded the soundtrack to the film "Profondo Rosso" ("Deep Red") directed by Dario Argento, which sold 3 millions copies in 1975. Goblin did two more soundtracks, 1976's "Suspiria" (also for Argento) and "Dawn Of The Dead" (for George Romero) in 1978. In between the group managed to release two non-soundtrack albums but despite their initial success their brand of music didn't catch the public's ears. In 1978 he decided to pursue a solo career as a producer/artist. This move also included a shift in his sound from rock to a disco-oriented beat. His first project was Easy Going. Under this banner he first released "Baby, I Love You" on Banana Records in Italy. The song took off immediately and as it raced up the Italian charts it caught the ears of American DJ's and was picked up for domestic release by Prism Records. Prism asked Harvey Averne to remix that and it's b-side, "Suzy Q" for their 12" release. The song did well in the American market, but was a bigger success abroad. Seeing his success as a disco producer Simonetti quickly pursued the market with gusto. Returning to the studio for a much needed follow up to Easy Going's debut single he came up with a concept. The concept dealt with sex and rape, not your usual disco themes. The result was "Fear/I Strip You." The hauntingly dark uptempo numbers became disco classics. The songs became instant hits on Italian dance floors but took an unusal trip to reach the American clubs. After their 1979 release on Banana Records it was Canada that took notice first. In 1980 Unidisc Records optioned the tracks first, releasing each as individual 12" singles. Finally in late 1980 American label Importe 12 picked up the tracks for domestic issue, once again remixing them for American tastes. The success of the medley prompted Banana to issue a full fledged album which also included the tracks "To Simonetti" and "Put Me In The Deal." Unidisc optioned the entire album (pictured above) for release but Importe 12 passed, perhaps due to the disco backlash. Following those hits Banana rush released another Easy Going 12" in late 1979. "Gay Time Latin Lover" was a spicy disco number that once again found it's way to the American club scene. For it's U.S. release Emergency Records beat everyone to the punch in optioning it. This began a relationship with Simonetti that would be fruitful over the coming year or so. Emergency would also release his recordings under the banner of Capricorn, "Capricorn" and "Maybe No" as well as several other of his productions. In 1980 Easy Going had another Banana release with "Casanova" and "Every Day Every Night." The moderate success of the record prevented it from making it's way to the American shores. With the rising success of Capricorn and the faltering sales of Easy Going Simonetti shifted his efforts towards a different market. In 1981 he released "Walkman" under the name Kasso and in 1983 "I Love The Piano" under his own moniker, both of which enjoyed huge American success. In 1983 Claudio and Banana released one final 12" single as Easy Going. "Go Away Little Girl" failed to find it's niche and he pulled the plug on Easy Going once and for all. Simonetti continued to enjoy success under different banners and as a solo artist throughout the rest of the century. From the early 1980's on he has continued to be involved heavily in soundtrack work and Italian TV themes. In Italy he is the equivalent of a Henry Mancini or Marvin Hamlisch, highly regarded for his composition skills. We honor him here for having done more for Italian disco music than any other artist or producer. To see and hear more about Mr. Simonetti visit his website. |
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