JpLoyRow3

An (almost) masterpiece if it weren't for a certain musical predictability, although a couple of tracks, "Vivere una favola" and the title track, are among his best work ever. "Lunedì" and "Blasco Rossi" entertain; "Ciao" moves. Well done, bravo, encore.

Vasco's album that I love viscerally, from the sax solos to the wild and decidedly provocative lyrics (just imagine writing today "As soon as I catch you alone, I'll slit your throat"), signs of a singer-songwriter shaken by the arrest a few months earlier and unsure which path to take (and indeed two or three tracks are just so-so). Then, for me, a simple soul, "Cosa c'è," the title track, "Toffee," and "Dormi dormi" are enough to make it a work of (very) high quality.

The unreleased tracks are questionable: one is nice ("Più in alto che c'è"), two are so-so ("Un mondo migliore"; "Come nelle favole"), and one is horrifying ("L'amore ai tempi del cellulare"). On the bright side, and not a small one, there's the whole Vasco experience: the first CD, the least interesting, spanning 2016-2008; the second CD, a bit less awful, covering 2008-1998; the third CD, both modest and wonderful, from 1998-1985; and the fourth CD, the absolute best, 1985-1978. Five hours of music, if you like it.

On the fifth album, with the full "clan," Vasco comes close to a masterpiece (to me, this is even superior to the following "Bollicine," which is weighed down by too many fillers). It has everything: the wild Vasco of "Sono ancora in coma," to the one with non-trivial love songs like "Ogni volta." First, there is "Splendida giornata" (a reggae track, on an album very much reggae rock), then there's "La noia," with a stunning saxophone finale. He made a mark at Sanremo with "Vado al massimo," and took the microphone with him. He was at his peak, but it was just 1982.

His masterpiece, and, irony of fate, his last great album. The first side is a barrage of slogans ("Ormai è tardi"; "Vivere senza te è una libidine"; "Com'è simpatica questa domenica"; "E' un treno che non passa più"); the second is the one with the most heartfelt self-generational anthem (the title track). In a state of grace, an album, it must be remembered, played superbly.