Edoardo Bennato
Il Paese Dei Balocchi

We are at the beginning of the nineties, a decade that will see Edoardo's popularity plummet after at least fifteen years of great success, record-breaking concerts, and exceptional albums that became milestones of Italian music. Edoardo Bennato's involvement in creating the anthem for the 1990 Italy World Cup (performed by himself along with Gianna Nannini) will not be a starting point or a solid base for more years at the top of our music scene; instead, it will be the cherry on top for what he did in the previous two decades, the pinnacle from which one can only descend.

Although Edo had also released albums in previous decades that later turned out to be somewhat lackluster (very few, to be honest, very few), they remained isolated episodes. Never before the early nineties had Edoardo presented us within two years such incredibly mediocre albums as "Il paese dei balocchi," from 1992, and "Se son rose fioriranno," dated 1994. What emerges, therefore, is a worrying lack of inspiration, care, and sometimes even the desire to interpret the pieces. It seems incredible, but it's true: in certain songs, Edo sounds lazy and weary, as if he is singing the piece for the thousandth time, almost aware himself that he is singing a mediocre song, without soul or creativity.

The consequence of all this is a banal, repetitive, monotonous work, sometimes even annoying, that tires from the first listen. And, as I've already said, it seems that Edo himself was terribly bored while recording it. An emblem of the album is the first track "Magari si magari no" later renamed "La verità" in the 2001 collection "Afferrare una stella." It's a fairly anonymous little song, opened by a choir that intones the main theme of the song, which turns out to be very elementary. It sounds like one of those pieces that some "artists" today do just to attract kids with a catchy tune to hum for maybe a few weeks in the summer, only to forget it forever. (I don't know if I’m making myself clear... stuff like: "Tieni in alto la mano / segui il tuo capitano / muovi a tempo il bacino / sono il capitano uncino", only less attractive). The second piece, which gives the album its title, is also opened by the choir and starts decidedly better than the previous one; however, after a good initial part, the song becomes limp and quite annoying, only to return to the initial theme. The result is a (bad) feeling that if it had been cared for a bit more, the song could have also been something positive.

The third track "Tutto sbagliato baby" is already better and is at least pleasant. It's nothing special, to be clear, but compared to the uselessness of the previous pieces, even any song can make a minimal impact. We arrive at the fourth song, the only one that deserves to be remembered in some way: "Lo zio fantastico"; the guitar and harmonica are heard again, there’s a certain commitment to the composition of the lyrics, and remarkable creativity in the development of the song, which, with its elements of irony and critique, turns out to be touching at times. Really a great piece, finally. Not even enough time to enjoy it though before another song arrives that aligns perfectly with the first one, maybe even worse: "Attento Joe". The lyrics are banal, almost stupid (just like those heard today); and the music, in its repetitiveness and insistence, is even more so. The next piece is a ballad which, in its uselessness and stupidity, aligns with the previous track: it’s a love song without head or tail, stuff that anyone can put together in a few minutes, as long as alongside them there’s a good guitarist with a touch of creativity to invent an arpeggio.

After these two truly disappointing pieces, not to say unlistenable, the seventh track "Io ballo a stento" lifts the mood a bit: the motif is fast and rhythmic, and thanks also to its appropriate and apt interludes, it’s able to somewhat awaken the listener. The lyrics, to tell the truth, don’t present anything new, but these days one must make do. The eighth track, "Buon compleanno bambina", is another little song, or bad song, choose what you will, of the kind already seen a little earlier. Anonymous and boring. Perhaps the simplest of them all and consequently unlistenable and terribly irritating. The ninth piece, however, turns out to be one of the few positives of this album: it’s titled "Martiri del rock ‘n’ roll" and shows that Edo still had some ideas and a bit of inspiration to write something. The verse is really very original, and the chorus has a truly nice effect. At least the taste left is of a song not happened by chance, showing a minimum of desire to sing and play.

We now come to the lowest point of the album: track number ten, "Here comes Bo Diddley". It’s simply the English cover of "Attento Joe". The album needed filling. So, for lack of reading or writing, four words are thrown over an already ugly piece, all as a tribute to the American bluesman who participated in the recording of the album. Tribute done and hole filled.

With this sad ending, the album closes, not recommended to anyone as it is truly negative, which perhaps few would have expected after so many years of great records and after the good "È asciuto pazzo ‘o padrone" (probably known almost only to the artist's fans), the soundtrack of the movie "Joe e suo nonno," also released in 1992 shortly before "Il paese dei balocchi." All the flaws of this work will be repeated two years later in "Se son rose fioriranno." With the following albums, there will be a comeback, but Edo's star is now eclipsed, the general public will not see it anymore.