Claudio Rocchi
Viaggio

A little miracle dated 1970. This is how we can define this "Viaggio", the debut work of Claudio Rocchi, an elaborate singer-songwriter, lover of progressive and Italian psychedelic rock. A record of naive maturity, brought forth by a young nineteen-year-old who bravely leaped into the dense and qualitative musical landscape of that period. Fabrizio Dé André had just released "La buona novella"; Le Orme had reached their second LP, titled "L'aurora delle Orme"; and Francesco Guccini was presenting one of his most famous works: "L'isola non trovata". Despite this, the then debutant Rocchi had nonetheless decided to launch his repertoire into the clutches of critics (who were very strict at the time), and fortified by the recent experience with Stormy Six, with whom he had worked on the debut album "Le idee di oggi per la musica di domani", he boldly launched his "Viaggio" which won the Premio della Critica Discografica in 1971.

The album, predominantly acoustic, is heavily influenced by singer-songwriter music, yet adorned with strong prog and psychedelic hues, which denote a more cerebral and elaborate musical quest. "Ouevres", for example, is an experimental sonic blend of indistinct hisses and noises, from which the author's cheerful whistling suddenly emerges (accompanied by a serene piano riff); but it's just a momentary glimpse of calm, before restless violins and a sinister guitar return to the same state of dismay as in the opening seconds. Probably the first track serves to describe the distressed soul of the protagonist of the famous "La tua prima luna", an acoustic blues that tells of the youthful escape of a young man fleeing home. The subsequent "Non è vero" is closer to classic singer-songwriter style, recounting a supposed love, alive only in the character's dreams, as he is too shy to declare his feelings to the loved one. Among the most refined productions stands out "Ogni uomo", with its delightful echoes accompanied by percussion, while "Gesù Cristo (tu con le mani)" is a metaphor describing the revolutionary spirit of the human being, so much so that the Messiah depicted in this song is alive and living in Peru... and his bearded face, printed on a poster, is hung on the walls of those who have not yet stopped fighting against the system. "I Cavalli" features a series of justified allegories meant to describe human behavior. The piece, with its rural atmosphere, is masterfully accompanied by the flute of Mauro Pagani. At this point, the rippling arpeggios of "Acqua" break in, a song where Rocchi highlights a depressing, disheartened way of describing himself: soothing music and lyrics woven with psychedelic poetry. Another autobiography in "8.1.1951", where the author tells us about the missed relationship with his mother. A simple acoustic piece, just like the penultimate "Il mattino", before the concluding title track decides to end the album by evoking the experimentations of the first track, intending to construct an instrumental prog suite, even more effective and fascinating.

An ingenuously brilliant album, which, if released today, would ridicule almost all the musical offerings currently popular in our country.

Federico "Dragonstar" Passarella.