Antonello Venditti
Sotto il Segno dei Pesci

THE REVIEW

Born in Rome under the sign of Pisces, Antonello Venditti is by astral vocation a shy, almost shadowy author, capable of connecting with the audience solely through his profession as a singer-songwriter, with a touch more courage.
It seems no coincidence that the album "Sotto il segno dei Pesci" from 1978 is the most meaningful and illustrative work of Venditti the man, even before Venditti the singer. It's one of the best works of a production that found its most brilliant peak precisely between the late '70s and early '80s.

Antonello is an author who calls emotions by name.
His world is populated by well-defined individuals, like the teacher Marina, the aloof Giulia, the mysterious Chinese Chen, key characters of a desolate Arcadia where the recognition of one's roots is still a lifeline in the liquid plethora of ignorance. These are real characters, diaries of past and recent sensations: "Giulia" and "Sara" are probably two girls whom a young Venditti was attached to during high school, "Francesco" is De Gregori, his companion in adventures, a guitarist with whom Antonello also undertakes the journey of "Bomba o non Bomba", "L'uomo falco" is an enigmatic political figure of the time (Berlinguer?) to whom it is inevitable not to become addicted. This series of human cases becomes an opportunity for the Roman singer-songwriter to reflect on political and religious themes, a platform for discussions on recurring themes such as marginalization and alienation: the grim "Chen il Cinese" and the famous "Sara" become illustrative of the concept of claiming individual rights, while "Il Telegiornale" and "Bomba o non Bomba" tackle the complex contemporary political situation without ever becoming vehicles of heated protest, with a calm smile and a vague hint of Montale's "Male di Vivere."

The only constant in the entire work is the profound meditation on the ancestral nature of man, the precious ultraterrestrial origin of which the zodiac sign leaves a trace in human daily life; "Stretti in libera sorte" says the title track, and in recognizing man as a social animal, unshackled from that solitude mirrored in the album in all its characters, one finds the reason for an earthly rootedness that cannot ignore reminiscence.
Worth mentioning is Antonello's beautiful piano in "Francesco," Prosperini's guitar in "L'Uomo falco," Valentini's sax in "Bomba o non Bomba." Seven honest arrangements by Venditti generally centered around piano and acoustic guitar, by Mazzucca and Samale in "Francesco."

Musically still a bit raw, a small gem suspended between anamnesis and solitude.