SydBarrett96

That it is an exceptional album is beyond doubt, but it’s not exactly a debut :)

I meant debut in the world of progressive, in the sense of being one of the initiators of a movement. :) I should have clarified better.

Oh yes, it really seems like it's their debut :) In any case, it is probably the clearest contender for the title of "initiator of prog-rock in Italy," no doubt about it, and it's a beautiful album.

Here it is..

I completely agree with you, as almost always dear Syd... my favorite by Le Orme will always be Collage but this is of the highest level, a great album of which we Italians should be proud, great music.

Among other things, "Collage" is a stunning album, as is "Uomo di Pezza." Le Orme are among my favorite Italian Rock bands; for example, I prefer them even to the great PFM.

Oh my God, there's even a certain Zimmerman from Duluth who has made some enlightening discs...

Great poet, nothing but nothing to say. However, as chicco said, if I have to choose, I go straight to Dylan, my favorite forever.

I instead prefer Cohen, although I find that Dylan has also created his masterpieces. :)

This afternoon I played the album... a handful of extraordinary songs, but what really stirs me is that "out of tune lament" that feels liberating which closes (in a perfect way) "One of us cannot be wrong," and thus the album. Honestly, I prefer Cohen's lyricism... Dylan is an icon, an incredible songwriter who has had an immeasurable influence (only the Beatles compete with Zimmerman in terms of influence), however, for my tastes, Cohen has something extra...

No, I mean, not to speak ill of Leo Cohen, an absolute master, but Dylan has something that... well.

For me, as a lyricist, FDA is superior to both Coen and Dylan.

Making comparisons and rankings is counterproductive in music, but when it comes to "poets turned to music," the first names that come to mind are Cohen and De André. However, this doesn't take away from the fact that Dylan is, for me, one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

I don't think it's counterproductive, they're simply personal opinions, etc. The important thing is not to have prejudices and preconceptions... those are what are truly counterproductive.

Making certain comparisons is counterproductive if one is trying to use objective parameters; it's only natural to have preferences. :-) Anyway, I'm with Syd, especially for the voice; I appreciate Cohen more.

Yes, I definitely should re-listen to all of Battisti's albums. Excluding Anima latina, E già, and all the white ones, I haven't listened to Battisti's albums since 2019. In fact, some of them I haven't even listened to entirely (the first 3, Io tu noi tutti). I've already said it; as soon as I get my Spotify back, I'll listen to all the stuff.

I have them all on vinyl, from the first to the last, and I always enjoy listening to them again.

Among my 10 Italian albums...of all time. CSAR is my favorite, not just among the whites but throughout Battisti's career; it's a perfect labyrinth, that album where every word and note is changeable and takes on a thousand meanings.

My favorites by Battisti are many, but if I had to choose one for each period, I'd say "Anima Latina" (Mogol) and "CSAR" (Panella).

Well, Anima latina is his magnum opus, his most important album artistically, and we can all agree on that.

Damn, I haven't listened to this one completely either, just Supermarket which I always listen to (and I think it was the first Battisti track I ever heard) and my God, no, I haven't listened to it in a long time, right, and I can barely remember anything.

You've rekindled my love for Battisti...

I’ve never listened to it, except for Si viaggiare, The interpreter of a film, and Questione di cellule. And also Amarsi un po’, which I only heard yesterday. In short, in the seven years I've known this album, I'm about halfway through.

Honestly, I preferred "E già" and "La batteria" to this. It has a gloomy day and especially with "il nastro rosa" on its side, but the rest I find moderately bland. "Divertente Monolocale," "carine Arrivederci a questa sera," and "Gelosa cara, bella bella" are pride and dignity, but the rest does not engage me at all. I would have given it 4 stars like yours if at least half of the tracks had been at the level of "Orgoglio e dignità," but I only find 3 out of 10 tracks at that level; the others range from the nice "Gelosa cara" to the frightening dullness of "Perché non sei una mela." I can't say it's bad; it does have those 3 tracks and a few nice ones, but I can't give it more than 2 and a half stars.

Alright, I can see your point. I think it’s still a more than good album, enjoyable and well played.

I don't deny that it's enjoyable; in fact, I used to listen to it often when I would come home on the bus during high school. But the more I dive into it, the less I like it; there's nothing I can do about it.

It was the stop signal and Battisti understood it, time to change, to give a thorough repainting to the walls, deeper than those already done in the past. Not that it’s bad, but for his standards, it’s very bland, only two songs truly up to par with the past. @[Martello] Martellozzo, the Battery, etc., is light years ahead oh, eh, ih.

@[hjhhjij] regarding this, there’s plenty

The battery, yes, but not only that. Everyone else with Mogol is superior, definitely.

I would say that from what I’ve heard, it’s the weakest work of the duo, but I believe that even the albums I haven’t listened to have done better. And to be completely honest, I think he did better with E già; at least that album attempted a new path, it was a continuation of Battisti’s electronic journey already explored in Immersione by Pappalardo, which would later lead to that masterpiece Oh era ora. It was the highest expression of Battisti’s sincerity; in fact, it’s likely that behind Velezia, a surname used by Battisti’s wife, there’s Lucio himself. In short, E già is better.

Yes, in some ways I agree with you, even if “È già” is the ultimate transitional album, while this one marks the end of a cycle. However, for me it remains a very good product; I repeat, I’m not dismissing it at all. I just say that there has been much better both before and after, but the levels are more than good. The problem is that with Battisti the standards are high, but if we compare this album with others from the period, it certainly holds its ground. It’s true that in 1980, only in Italy, iconic albums like “Dalla,” “Nero a metà,” or “Colpa d’Alfredo” were released, but that’s another story.

I miss this! I will take care of it...

I agree. Among my favorites by Lucio.

I absolutely agree here. The arrangements of this album are absolutely unbelievable, especially with "Prendila così," which is truly amazing. And then, unlike "La batteria," where some moments felt a bit tedious and textbook-like, here everything flows almost always smoothly. A remarkable record for me.

A record of rare beauty, one of the greatest expressions of the Mogol-Battisti duo, with songs that have marked my youth... thanks to mom and dad. I am only struck by your statement when you define it as more mature and polished compared to the previous ones. The album Emozioni is two years older and in terms of maturity, both musically and lyrically, I believe it can easily compete with Il mio canto libero, which in turn offers superb songs like Emozioni, Acqua azzurra acqua chiara, Mi ritorni in mente, Non è Francesca... I’m not trying to create a controversy, far from it; I just wanted to point this out.

For heaven's sake, I also adore Emotions. I just wanted to emphasize that, in my humble opinion, this one might be more complete and, in a sense, less tied to the already wonderful but more immature beat of the previous albums. No controversy, don’t worry. :)

Fair consideration and the end of the controversy... although to be honest, it can’t really be called a controversy but merely differences in the musical field. Now I'm going to listen again to La luce dell'Est.... The fog that I breathe is now thinning because before me....... a striking opening.

Great piece, yes.

AAAAAAD A GIGANTIC OVEN MOUTH, WHAT MUST IT FEEL LIKE TO HEAR WHAT IT DOES.

This is also among my all-time favorite albums, my favorite by Lucio and among my top 5 Italian records ever. A masterpiece that still dazzles today.

I don't know anything about this, and I honestly don't want to know anything. The 60s and I don't have much of a connection, no offense to anyone, and I don't think Lucio is an exception either, listening to some scattered tunes every now and then.

Well, they are classics. If I have to give my opinion, the very early Battisti is the one I listen to the least, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they are great songs regardless.

Everything is demonstrable, especially the opposite, with a skillful manipulation of the scenario. This album is also something special; I believe I love all the tracks on it.

Uuuuuuuugh. I have to be completely honest...I just don’t get this album. For God's sake, it has some truly amazing musicians, it has landmark tracks like Il veliero and Ancora tu that are fantastic...but the rest of the album really leaves me lukewarm. I didn't find that many memorable episodes (except for the two mentioned and La compagnia), and in certain songs like Dove arriva quel cespuglio I find too much "textbook" stuff, things I've already seen in Battisti's repertoire before. I find the diptych Respirando/No dottore very interesting, but I can’t remember much of it, Un uomo che ti ama has some nice passages but even there I can’t fully commit it to memory, and I don’t find Io ti venderei a song that's interesting at all. I don’t want to be misunderstood, for me the album is okay but frankly, I find it a bit weak, especially considering what album it was supposed to follow. A nice listen for sure but it doesn’t draw me in enough to want to listen to it again anytime soon.

Instead of the "Funk-Groove-Pop-Dance-something" period, that's what I appreciate the most. A real gem.

That is to say, to clarify… thanks to the little trinket that could never surpass Anima latina, but could, had the right cards and I will tell the truth it could have easily been a revolutionary work in the Italian mainstream scene. It’s already a bit, but it could have done even more. And in my opinion, the true foundations were laid with the next two, even though I have only heard Si viaggiare from Io tu noi tutti, but even from that I understand how the style is a gigantic evolution of La batteria. With Una donna per amico, then, although it is not an absolute masterpiece, it had an enormous resonance in the Italian panorama; it was an impeccably produced album that managed to change the rules of the game in the world of Italian pop music.

On a production and "communicative" level, the subsequent albums have certainly made great strides. Musically, it’s precisely his rawness (in this new musical phase of Battisti) that makes it feel more spontaneous and less polished (not to be taken as a negative term, by the way).

Let's say that in terms of true significance in Italian music, this and "Una donna per amico" are slightly higher up compared to "Io tu noi tutti." I'm not talking about quality, mind you; for me, they are really very close. However, “La batteria, il contrabbasso” was the first album with “hints” (what do we want to call them? :D) of Disco music in Italy, something that had never been done here before: upon its release, it was even considered too ahead of its time, to the point that Lucio said (his words) that the album was born under an unlucky star because “it would not be immediately accepted” (in the end, he was contradicted by its sales success, as always). As for the discussion on “Anima Latina”: for me, Battisti had already reached his peak with progressive/experimentation/psyched elia, it was time to change. Not by chance, in his discography, each album is different from the other: only in one case did Lucio repeat himself with Mogol, and that was with “Una giornata uggiosa,” which he wanted to partially mirror the sound and magic of the previous one, but he did not fully succeed (not that it was a bad album; on the contrary, I quite like it, it’s very good, well-played, and contains a couple of gems including the title track and "il nastro rosa"). This is why he decided to part ways with Mogol; it was time to move on. One last incidental note: I think that this album, more than the subsequent ones, lays the groundwork for some sounds that will later be better developed with Panella in the Bianchi.

Well, the whites are obviously another world... but I feel it a bit in the sailboat. As for Una giornata uggiosa... I’ll say a blasphemy, but I find it even below E già (which was just enough). I swear to God, if there were an episode apart from the last two tracks and Orgoglio e dignità that had stuck with me or that I had even just liked.

I agree...

For me, the best Dalla of all time, without ifs and buts. "Cara" and "Futura," two monuments of priceless beauty.

This is my favorite Dalla along with "How Deep is the Sea" and "Cars," but you'll understand that there's (almost) nothing from Lucio 1971-1986 that should be discarded. :)

8

I'm also a happy owner of the big vinyl! Inherited from my mother (unfortunately with a few scratches, but oh well).

I also have a big vinyl... a timeless masterpiece, although personally I have a stronger emotional connection to the beautiful namesake from '79.

A truly fantastic album, even though, as you know, I prefer "Il giorno aveva 5 teste" from that trilogy.

Well, in my opinion, the trilogy that I like to call the "Moon Trilogy," namely 'How Deep is the Sea,' 'Lucio Dalla,' and 'Dalla,' is clearly superior to everything from the first period and the period with Roversi. Even in terms of lyrics.

This is my second favorite Dalla, obviously behind "Come è profondo il mare"; a well-deserved third place for the self-titled album from 1980.

Beautiful. But I find "Il Giorno Aveva Cinque Teste" and "Anidride Solforosa" to be superior... but from this, Dalla doesn't throw away almost anything.

I have never delved into the post-81 Dalla, is there really nothing worth saving?

Not for me. After the self-titled one from '79, it was a downfall, at least for me.

In my opinion, the semi-homonymous "Dalla" from 1980 remains a great album.

Yes... the last one is certainly dignified. There are also those who like "1983," but for me, the great Dalla dies in '79. Compared to works like "Il Giorno...", "Anidride", "Com'è Profondo il Mare," and the eponymous one from '79, they pale. I'm speaking for myself, you know...

Contrary to what Loconweed claims, the triptych with Roversi is clearly superior to the triptych of the moon, let's not kid ourselves.

@RIBALDO Roversi's lyrics were certainly poetic, but they were lyrics that, in my opinion, did not always perfectly match the music.

However, you might have said something different regarding "superior in terms of lyrics." Anyway, I mostly agree; Dalla's lyrics are more integrated into the song compared to Roversi's, who, let’s not forget, even clashed with Lucio, accusing him of writing lyrics that were too trivial on his own, and I can't completely disagree with him. "stella di mare come sei bella... com'è bianca la tua pelle," etc... A "love" lyric by Roversi is overshadowed by something like "Tu che parlavi una lingua meravigliosa."

For me, Il Giorno had 5 heads, it's superior, Sulfur Dioxide lower, but we’re talking about details, all nice and pretty.

@[SilasLang] as far as I'm concerned, Dalla's golden period begins with "Storie di casa mia" (71) and ends with the Q-Disc (81). During that time, I would have never rated him below an 8.5 in decimal votes. He didn’t miss a single note. After 1981, two excellent albums were released ("1983" and "Viaggi organizzati"), but obviously inferior to the previous ones (I would honestly give both a 7.5). In 1986, unfortunately, he released that half-baked piece of junk "Bugie" (which, however, could barely scrape a passing grade), and thus began his slow but unstoppable decline. In the nineties, he slightly bounced back with two fairly good albums: "Cambio" and "Henna," which were better than the '86 album but inferior to the albums from '83 and '84 (still, they would not score below 3.5, especially for tracks like "Le rondini," "Apriti cuore," "Comunista," "Henna," "Cinema," "Latin lover"). In '96, another half-baked album came out, "Canzoni," and from there began his true artistic demise, although at least 3 noteworthy tracks were still present on that album. From "Ciao" (99) to "Il contrario di me" (07), he didn’t hit the mark at all. Truly repulsive albums. The latest one, however, ("Angoli nel cielo" from 2009), I find to be more or less on the same level as the '96 album.

Yes, but damn it, whoever is in charge should put the right covers on!

It's not my fault, unfortunately. :)

I know, I told the relevant parties. These covers are a mess.