Resolving the Spizz/Gruppo Sportivo confusion

[Karl Dotzek <DOTZEK%DS0LILOG.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>]

Hi there!

Somebody (even different people?) mentioned, the Spizzles (Spizz Energy,
Athletico Spizz, ...) and Gruppo Sportivo are the same band. That's
wrong (at least what I can get out of the lp-covers I own of both
groups and when I compare the two sounds - the latter being no clue
of evidence, haha).

The reason for this mischange I assume by now is that both names
Athletico Spizz 80 and Gruppo Sportivo sound somewhat Italian and
in the middle of the groups' names there's the same letter combination:
                 Athletic           ortivo
                           \      /
                             o Sp
                           /      \
                    Gruppo          izz 80
Could that be?


Anyway, to the (never hundred percent) facts(?!):

On BACK TO '78 by Gruppo Sportivo the line-up reads:

   Drums: Max 'Climax' Mollinger
   Bass:  Eric Wehrmeyer
   Organ&Piano: Peter Calicher
   Lead Vocals and Guitar: Hans Vandenburg
   Lead and Backing Vocals: Meike Touw, Jose van Jersel

The writer of the songs is a person VanDeFruits -
The group is from Holland and the sound is Ska (to me).
(I also own COPY COPY, but there's not much info on the cover,
 at least at the German version of it).


The other band forms around lead vocalist Spizz and is from England,
I would say. That's what can be read from the covers and inner sleeves
of Athletico Spizz 80's DO A RUNNER and the Spizzles' SPIKEY DREAM
FLOWERS (of course, again only valid for the German versions of it).
The sound is a kind of NewWavePunk, difficult to say, as always with
those cupboard drawers where criticists try to sort diff't styles,
but *not* Ska.

The rest of Spizz's band members are:

    Jim Solar - Bass
    Mark Coalfield - keyboards, vocals
    C.P. Snare - drums
    Dave Scott - guitars

A guitar player 'Lu[umlaut]' appears, too. The names Solar and Snare
sound rather artificial to me. Maybe they're a good disguise?  :-)

Trying to bring some light into this confusion

- Karl.