pippocalippo

At the time of its release, surprisingly, I didn't love it. I had been crazy for Battiato for a year after hearing the early tracks on the anthology cassette 'Ricordi 1972-1974' (recordings of terrible quality, but who cares). I already knew Battiato from the time of Il Cinghiale, so it certainly wasn't something new. All beautiful, though. Really beautiful. But no one here remembered his most prophetic song: Zai Saman': The hordes of fanatics (Muslims, obviously) who push into the West from the East trying to occupy us were written in 1988 not on 12-9-2001... For centuries, Arabs have been attempting to conquer the Christian West, and for a while, they succeeded, centuries ago. Franco Battiato's blood is clearly of Persian origin (as he himself stated), so Bakthiar was not a visionary.

No record is a piece of crap and no record is a masterpiece. It’s the mental convolutions of the listener that decide whether to ideally award the prize or toss an album into the garbage. Fetus proposed a year in advance what would be the Perfectly Global POP of Pink Floyd, to the little Italian public, the opening of a pulsating heart, without anyone noticing. Then the Pink did it, and everyone was like Ehhhhhhhhh... masterpiece... creative masterpiece, stuff for collective fainting... I loved, during my 20s (1987) Aria di rivoluzione, No u Turn, Areknamès, while the (normal) kids my age were drooling over 'The final countdown' by Europe.

bravura and presumption: here it only oozes “well done, guys,” Franco was really experimenting, he wasn't just taking a synthesizer and off we go with the tango, no no. Did he spend sleepless nights composing? Perhaps it’s not for us to know, but I’ve never sensed presumption even in his worst works (for me, Café de la paix, L'imboscata, and l'ombrello... tastes). The early Battiato and even those from the 80s are all very beautiful. Then I kind of lost sight of him, a bit he sought other paths, I stopped following him.

The cover looks like a mix between 'Like an Old Censer' by Sorrnti and 'It Takes a Flower' by the poor Sergio Endrigo. They could have put in a bit more effort... Of course, what matters is the music... in a sense, it's the opposite of Battisti's latest times...

ajejebrazorf is perfectly right. Reading various international sites about Progressive (GEPR etc.), it is said that YS is even among the greatest works of all time, and one person says that 'It is the greatest progressive LP in the world of all time.' I say: Why not also the greatest in the entire galaxy, and the universe? But let’s put an end to these hyperboles of mine... YS: Third excellent meeting, the beginning of Second meeting is splendid (great voice), but then I hardly like anything anymore. Final blasphemy: I prefer Sirio 2222 (which is not Progressive, or rather not 100%, but more psychedelic). However, as with all PROG groups of that period, I am always sadly reminded that these great musicians had the misfortune of being born in a nation of scoundrels and bird-brains who failed to appreciate certain sounds. Certainly bigotry, but for example, I can’t blame RAI 100%: not long ago, they aired a 1975 special about Area (Christmas with AREA) on satellite, a short 15-minute document that has long been forgotten, featuring a lengthy performance by Patrizio... And shortly after, another special from '77 or '78 about the very talented Toto Torquati (well, he didn’t do prog but was still good).

Of esteem.
Baglioni had a Greek arranger (Papathanassiou) who was worth gold.
Greek music, both popular and light, is wonderful,
and in some embellishments, I am convinced that something Hellenic was suggested by Papathanassiou.
It's my idea...
I would leave, Alone, And you and a few others that I love.
Then there are those I hate: Porta Portese, I don't know why it gets on my nerves,
while it gives me a horrendous feeling of claustrophobia Poster and Saturday Afternoon.
The entire LP Piccolo grande amore gives me anxiety.
But I don’t hate Baglioni for this.
Son of a carabiniere: bah... what does that have to do with songs... but well,
the Internet is a world without rules; everyone says their piece...

Melodic nightmare and hit of 1985, I don't know the rest of the LP, which I leave to the admirers of the talented Roman singer, making sure not to spew curses and insults at him because there are several of his songs that I love; La vita adesso, a classic, I don't like.

I heard some unreleased tracks by Baglioni from '72-'73-'74 and I have to say that besides being an excellent songwriter, he was also a good performer: one of these went to Peppino Gagliardi (who, however, wasn't the worst of the worst back then, let's give him credit, he was just too NazionalPopolare...), another one went to the unfortunate Don Backy.

When a Southern Italian and a Roman listen to Fortis and have a good laugh, it’s a sign they’ve matured well and don’t have straw in their brains. Like Area and Finardi, and like Camerini (before the tiresome antics of the early '80s, full of reflux), the anger and vehemence of 'Milano e Vincenzo' are a reflection of the times, songs loaded with violence because the climate of those times was violent. Today there’s more violence than in the '70s, but it’s a dull, dark violence and, above all, private; back then, violence was endemic, perhaps typical of a young democracy like ours.

Calling someone an alcoholic is like calling Jimi Hendrix a heroin addict... Well, they sold a ton of records while those who talk nonsense sell jack shit, and yet they are still there smoking up and maybe even doing some lines (not just mental ones...)...