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Rating:
"By now we've understood that from this Danny, we can expect everything and more, but this gem from the legendary Pappalardo arrives like a bolt from the blue, what a reviewer full of resources and surprises, corpo di mille balene!" Yes indeed, after screaaaaaming, after letting it all oooooooout, incidentally accompanying himself with sublime limit froo-froo choruses, there was a period when the Pappa was really serious. That this rugged man was a branch of Lucio Battisti is a known and well-known fact around here, and perhaps riding on the wave of that legendary hit, the latter decides to recommenceeeee investing in the overwhelming Salento performer, using him a bit as a lab test for the new sounds he was experimenting with. "Oh! Era Ora", with lyrics by Pasquale Panella, has become a cult for enthusiasts, the fact that it has long landed on these shores is proof of that, but before that album, precisely in 1982, there's the first fruit of the renewed Battisti-Pappalardo partnership, that is "Immersione". Compared to its successor, this has remained even more in the shadows, truly a shame, taking nothing away from the linguistic acrobatics of "Oh! Era Ora" I find this preferable, more "real"; who knows, perhaps also because here Adrianone is a bit more of a protagonist.
His passion for scuba diving (it mustn't be easy to find wetsuits tailored for his bullish neck) and for the sea, in general, is a known and well-known fact, a passion so strong it inspired an entire album, a concept album, "Immersione" indeed. And then Lucio didn't take it lightly, not at all, he spared no expense hiring only British musicians, Greg Walsh above all, seeking a certain type of sound. And well, you can tell, the final result is something adventurous, captivating, refined, a real revelation. The prospect of an entire album with Pappalardo's voice might seem a bit unsettling, but even under this point of view, everything goes smoothly, indeed, excellently: our jovial roughneck is an effective and communicative interpreter, especially when he stays on mid-low tones and, personally, I find him much more pleasant and digestible than a Dave Gahan, just to name a superstar that many like (but he gives me indigestion), bella lì Adrià!
Synth pop full of contaminations, grandiose and visionary, with a predominantly international imprint, this is the style of "Immersione", declined in various and always fascinating shades. We have funky rhythms, very sharp and well-defined in "Guidami" and in the opening title track, which opens into a masterful refrain, of great atmosphere, almost futuristic synths that contaminate the reggae sounds of "Risalendo la sagola" and dominate in a "Giallo uguale Sole" with a delightfully danceable pace, a top-notch piece for those years and still perfect today. "Dimensioni" misleads with a semi-acoustic and gentle start, one expects a languid ballad, coral reefs, and calm seas, then an awakening hard-rock guitar breaks through as if directly from "Machine Head" by Deep Purple, everything stirs up, the atmosphere becomes even more surreal and visionary, finding a berth with the energy and pulsating rhythms of "Il canto delle sirene", bright and incisive.
"Dolci ricordi", a melancholic interlude, childhood reminiscences of "Cheope", which still embraces the rhythms of Jamaica, this time in a slightly more sparse and reflective guise, and especially "Due nel blu", a fascinating midtempo piece, languid, with lyrics even more visionary than the others and a vocal performance worthy of applause, represent the more composed and reflective soul of the album, a small masterpiece that would have deserved entirely different luck. Varied and multidimensional sound, an impressive attention to detail, excellent lyrics; great Battisti, but let's give Pappalardo what's due to Pappalardo, because the voice (excellent) and the passion are entirely his, and these are elements that make the difference. A summer album truly worth savoring, unexpected and never banal. Surprise yourself! After that biennium 82-83 well it went as it went, the image was what it was, the head as well, and then that's all folks; however, a question remains: what could have been of someone like him if he had been discovered not by Lucio Battisti but, for example, Gene Simmons? The verdict is yours and, perhaps, also the listening.
His passion for scuba diving (it mustn't be easy to find wetsuits tailored for his bullish neck) and for the sea, in general, is a known and well-known fact, a passion so strong it inspired an entire album, a concept album, "Immersione" indeed. And then Lucio didn't take it lightly, not at all, he spared no expense hiring only British musicians, Greg Walsh above all, seeking a certain type of sound. And well, you can tell, the final result is something adventurous, captivating, refined, a real revelation. The prospect of an entire album with Pappalardo's voice might seem a bit unsettling, but even under this point of view, everything goes smoothly, indeed, excellently: our jovial roughneck is an effective and communicative interpreter, especially when he stays on mid-low tones and, personally, I find him much more pleasant and digestible than a Dave Gahan, just to name a superstar that many like (but he gives me indigestion), bella lì Adrià!
Synth pop full of contaminations, grandiose and visionary, with a predominantly international imprint, this is the style of "Immersione", declined in various and always fascinating shades. We have funky rhythms, very sharp and well-defined in "Guidami" and in the opening title track, which opens into a masterful refrain, of great atmosphere, almost futuristic synths that contaminate the reggae sounds of "Risalendo la sagola" and dominate in a "Giallo uguale Sole" with a delightfully danceable pace, a top-notch piece for those years and still perfect today. "Dimensioni" misleads with a semi-acoustic and gentle start, one expects a languid ballad, coral reefs, and calm seas, then an awakening hard-rock guitar breaks through as if directly from "Machine Head" by Deep Purple, everything stirs up, the atmosphere becomes even more surreal and visionary, finding a berth with the energy and pulsating rhythms of "Il canto delle sirene", bright and incisive.
"Dolci ricordi", a melancholic interlude, childhood reminiscences of "Cheope", which still embraces the rhythms of Jamaica, this time in a slightly more sparse and reflective guise, and especially "Due nel blu", a fascinating midtempo piece, languid, with lyrics even more visionary than the others and a vocal performance worthy of applause, represent the more composed and reflective soul of the album, a small masterpiece that would have deserved entirely different luck. Varied and multidimensional sound, an impressive attention to detail, excellent lyrics; great Battisti, but let's give Pappalardo what's due to Pappalardo, because the voice (excellent) and the passion are entirely his, and these are elements that make the difference. A summer album truly worth savoring, unexpected and never banal. Surprise yourself! After that biennium 82-83 well it went as it went, the image was what it was, the head as well, and then that's all folks; however, a question remains: what could have been of someone like him if he had been discovered not by Lucio Battisti but, for example, Gene Simmons? The verdict is yours and, perhaps, also the listening.
Tracklist
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