Antonello Venditti
In Questo Mondo Di Ladri

In September 1988, the album "In questo mondo di ladri" was released, an absolute best-seller (1,500,000 copies sold!) of the national-popular Venditti: an authentic "masterpiece", not so much artistic as "commercial cunning" (only "Benvenuti in Paradiso", three years later, will manage to do better - or worse, depending on the points of view! -), which can be inferred from the title, as demagogic as it may be but certainly serving the purpose (...of commercial profit, obviously!).

It begins with the ultra-famous "Ricordati di me", the heartfelt appeal addressed by our Antonello to his eternal (ex?) love: a haunting melody with immediate impact, and, unusually, in a descending key: starting from F# major to reach D major, almost symbolizing a "normalization" of one's mood: from fury to reason, or "from skin to heart"!: "and there is no sex without love, it is a hard law in my heart (...but that heart-love rhyme...) that I am a rebellious soul (...Antonè, you WERE a rebellious soul)". Unfortunately, the sax solo performed by Amedeo Bianchi at the end of the track reprises (... well, it’s copied exactly from) the piano theme in "After the love has gone" by Earth Wind & Fire (1979)... AAAARRRGH! Curiosity: the intro of "Ricordati di me" will serve as the soundtrack for TV ads of the former PCI.

"Miraggi" is a summer tune and nothing more (but very well done), while "Correndo Correndo" (dedicated to Sebino Nela, player of A.S. Roma) takes up the chord progression from "Stella" (from "Cuore", 1984), with tonal variations.

"Mitico Amore", whose musical part is co-written with Marco Colucci, is somewhat of a surprise: the beginning is moving, and the melody climbs on an unusual chord sequence in the middle phrase, and the finale is beautiful, with the electric guitar solo by the valiant Marco Rinalduzzi merging with the main keyboard theme ad libitum in fading out (...but the rhyme "universo-perso" reminiscent of Baglioni...).

The title-track is undoubtedly a masterpiece, not musically but in demagoguery ("in this world of thieves, there is still a group of friends who never give up", "we are fine among ourselves, and we trust ourselves", "and we despise politicians, and we get angry, we shout, we cry", "and this party is for us"), but on stage it is certainly irresistible, and given the "far-sighted" references to the scandals of white-collar workers (read "Tangentopoli"!), it's not surprising that it has been elected by popular demand as the ideal "Italian national anthem"! The enormous success of the album is certainly also due to the clever choice of this title (...planned and don't say it isn't true!).

"Il compleanno di Cristina" is an event not to be missed: the song will become an evergreen in live concerts, powered by a fresh and catchy musical base, albeit far from being a masterpiece, especially concerning the facile lyrics. Another curiosity (not even too veiled!): the initial lyrics are the same as in "Sotto il segno dei pesci" (1978, "do you remember that road / it was you and me / and the people running ... and the rock passed slowly over our discussions").

"21 modi per dirti ti amo" is a song of explosive power (Derek Wilson on drums hits precise and hard, as always, while Fabio Pignatelli on bass is no less!) that will be equally devastating in live performances ("in the name of love I will fight", well-known as it may be but certainly effective in the musical context). The instrumental ending is entrusted to the "second voice" of the sax by Amedeo Bianchi. For the creation of the musical part, Venditti relied on the collaboration of keyboardist Danilo Cherni and guitarist Maurizio Perfetto.

It closes as best as it can with the most beautiful and inspired song, not only of the album but of all of Venditti's contemporary production: "Ma che bella giornata di sole" is exactly to "In questo mondo di ladri" what "Vento nel vento" was to "Il mio canto libero" (1972) by Lucio Battisti: a song absolutely to be rediscovered, paradoxically little celebrated, featuring lyrics and melody dense with poignant passion and emotional charge, both fused in perfect symbiosis. Antonello recalls April 25th and its historical significance, experienced through the tragic memories and, despite everything, the good hopes of his parents: "and my father will only live the dream of this land because what he has is still war, and my mother will love this prisoner's dream because what she will have is the whole world". The arrangement is functional to the lyrics and vice versa, with crescendos of key and instrumentation. Well chosen is the pause that preludes the electric guitar solo, on which the song fades out. The only flaw, to be nitpicky, is the sampled hi-hat that almost overwhelms the beautiful compressed drum sound.

Dense with seductive keyboards, powerful drumming, and electronic samples, "In questo mondo di ladri" is perhaps the penultimate work of Venditti where there is still an inspired melodic vein, contrasted in several points by a lyrical regression that was already manifesting in the previous "Venditti e Segreti" (1986). The following (and even more cunning) "Benvenuti in Paradiso" (1991) will not add anything, except equally enormous profits in our artist's coffers.

Noteworthy is the presence of Carlo Verdone on percussion and the excellent work of Sandro Colombini and Marco Manfellotto in the mixing phase. The cover is beautiful and self-ironic.