Edoardo Bennato
Non farti cadere le braccia

THE REVIEW

This is the little gem by Edoardo Bennato, and not only is it a magnificent album, but it's also a very cute story. Non Farti Cadere le Braccia is the first LP of the Singer-Songwriter's production, and it is famous for its very refined cover, precisely because in 1973, the year of the album's release, they had to rely on the cover to intrigue the public and compel them to buy the album, given that the name "Edoardo Bennato" at that time recalled only a few 45s that hadn't had much success. The cover in question (shown at the beginning of the page) depicts a matchstick, the last matchstick. In fact, the original title of the album was supposed to be "L'Ultimo Fiammifero," which, along with the cover, was meant to call to mind a last chance that the record producers were giving a young Bennato to break into the music scene. Although the title was eventually changed at the insistence of Edoardo's mother, who thought that title was too depressing, the album did not achieve great success, in fact even today Edoardo often says that the album was bought by only two people, Mamma Adele and Aunt Anna (the latter forced by Mamma Adele).
In any case, over the years, the value of this album has been recognized, as back in '73, it seemed very alternative and Edoardo's voice was said to be "Not Very Radio-Friendly". But let's move on to the actual music. The album is quite short, as were all records originally released on vinyl. It consists of 10 tracks that in "vinyl" order are:

Side 1
MM
Non Farti Cadere Le Braccia
Una Settimana... Un Giorno...
Ma Quando Arrivi Treno
Campi Flegrei
Tempo Sprecato

Side 2
Detto Tra Noi
Lei Non E' Qui... Non E' Là
Un Giorno Credi
Rinnegato

In compact order... it would be the same but without listed sides... In any case... it can be said that this album, in general, in terms of themes, is not very cheerful, but we will now discover them by analyzing piece by piece...
MM: at first impact seems somewhat enigmatic, but you need to know its history to understand it. First of all, the title of this very short piece is ambiguous because its meaning has never been clearly understood. My hypothesis is that it means "2000" written in Roman numerals. Others instead think it is an acronym of a recording support like "CD" or "MC". In any case, it is an instrumental piece, performed with harmonica, kazoo, pedal tambourine, and 12-string guitar. It is Edoardo's first demo, which he performed in Milan, during his university days. Nothing else should be said.
Non Farti Cadere Le Braccia: I think it's one of the most interesting pieces on the album. It's an anthem to strength, not letting go, not dropping one's arms, never... to run fast, as fast as you can... there's nothing else to do but listen to it.
Una settimana... Un Giorno: remains one of the saddest pieces on the album, but nonetheless communicates strong emotions. Even today it is one of the main pieces of Edoardo's repertoire, so much so that it was performed by Velvet, not long ago, although in my opinion, it would have been better if they had stayed still...
Ma Quando Arrivi Treno: another enigmatic piece from Edoardo's production, if you manage to understand it you're a genius. It seems like a Jingle, without particular sense, a bit like MM.
Campi Flegrei: a very famous piece, which evokes very strong emotions in me, as I am proudly Bagnolese like our Edoardo. It needs to be listened to, but in any case, it talks about Viale Campi Flegrei, the area probably frequented by Edoardo in his youth. Beautiful, very beautiful.
Tempo Sprecato: an apparently sad piece, but full of anger. It's a scream of rage at someone's stupidity... very beautiful as well, but perhaps this one is much more beautiful to play than just to listen to.
Detto Tra Noi: perhaps the first clear expression of an ideally engaged Edoardo. It's a critique of the chatterers who, as he himself says, "talk, talk, but only sell smoke".
Lei Non E' Qui... Non E' Là: written by "batuffoloman" BRUNO LAUZI, remains one of Edoardo's most loved and appreciated songs, giving strong emotions, even though it's a bit sad as well.
Un Giorno Credi: this is also not Edoardo's work, but by Patrizio Trampetti, and it is also one of Edoardo's most beloved songs ever, so much so that a TECHNO remake by Gigi D'Agostino was recently made, and even in this case, it would have been better if they had stayed still. It is a song as strong as it is beautiful. The curiosity is that Edoardo also included it in the work following Non Farti Cadere Le Braccia, because he was convinced it was a shame that no one had heard it.
Rinnegato: yet another very famous piece by Edoardo. At that time there was a guy named Edoardo Bennato, and he was an innovator. This guy named Edoardo had a brother named Eugenio, who instead was traditionalist. Rinnegato somewhat represents the crazy debates between a traditionalist and an innovator, imagine in him and his brother...

As for the vinyl, it is a very rare record that cannot be found, and even if you find it, it costs an arm and a leg. In any case, there is, always in vinyl, a very affordable Orizzonti reprint. You can opt to look for the reprint if you really want to listen to it on vinyl, otherwise, it is better to buy the CD, which should also be very inexpensive.

Ok, now you should know everything about the album in question... all that remains is for you to listen to it...