Eneathedevil

Guevo, we agree that it's forgettable, but damn, it's not bad! Objectively speaking, you can say it's a pleasant album, even if it doesn't excite that much. Then "Childhood's End" and "Free Four" have nothing to envy from some later tracks. Anyway, as Albanese told Tony in "La Fame e la Sete," "Forget me!"

I like Squallor, among the trash, or Celtic music!

I noticed that earlier I used the term "certainty" regarding my theses: I stand corrected...let's just say they are "more than likely interpretations" (when I take a stance, hehe).

Interesting, this could lead to opening another important discussion about the evocative power of words and not only, for which I possess an interesting bio-discography of Battisti where an interview with Panella appears, but it's better to leave that aside or we'll get further entangled. As for the meaning, I mostly agree, however, as I repeat, my interpretation regarding the title of the CD seems plausible to me, because at least it is not in contrast with what is heard in Panella's work... PLAUSIBLE, it is not a "definitive interpretation"; it seems to me that Battisti had an explicit desire at the beginning of the collaboration with the Neapolitan poet to break away from the Mogol past and, consequently, from the amorous content of the emotions he used to convey through voice and music.

Good one, Valerio. Let's say it's a record for connoisseurs, not for those who only know Pink Floyd's output from '73 to '79. Uhm, yeah, we have similar tastes, but I like many other junk too.

A useless album? What a bunch of idiots you are! It's clear that it's not one of the best, but it's definitely better than some post-"The Wall" stuff like "Momentary Lapse"! So 3/5, meaning: sufficient, modest, but listenable...not crap! Just because you're comparing it to Dark Side and friends doesn't mean you have to give it a 1 or 2 right off the bat saying "trash, trash, give us the lunatic on the grass back"... extremists.

"The Western Bride," '90: "You don’t prick yourself anymore," "It Restores Me," "Some Indifference," "Shy but Very Bold" are pure mockeries of love, of the erotic experience that binds the author to the woman, and emblematic is the title track where every effort of the lover is but an unfulfilled desire: he would like to bring flowers but doesn’t, he would like to lift the tracks with his levers but he doesn’t, etc. "It Could Be Evening" like "By Name": poignant and sentimental but centered on the single figure of the woman confined in her ornamental vanity, without any hint of emotional involvement from the twin (still in the third person), interesting "Living in the Air," and above all "The Returns," where love is discussed, and how: perhaps the most controversial piece regarding my thesis: the exception that confirms the rule? I wouldn’t say so because if you listen closely to the words Battisti explicitly states: "It's always for trial that the word 'love' returns to the lips, for trial, for exercise, because it is known that afterwards one never knows," thus the usual devaluation of love itself. "C.S.A.R.," '92: we've mentioned, the only sentimental one is "But the Rhinoceros," but even this is in the third person; "Hegel," '94: speaks of an old love story - of Panella, I believe - without delving too much into it from that perspective, perhaps from this point of view the title track is the most cloying, but it’s just to say...! In any case, it’s trivial, the impression you get is that love is spoken of little, and where it does occur, especially in "The Western Bride," it happens only for reasons of mockery... to be explored.

Setting aside the fact that I still find my explanation regarding the title plausible, let’s take a moment to reflect on Battisti’s "non amore" after '86; "L' Apparenza," '88: the most intense ones are "Specchi Opposti," the title track, "A Portata di Mano," "Per Nome"; the fourth offers absolutely no emotional involvement from the author (third person, there's no mention of love), while the first three have a sound that seems to reference love, but without discussing it explicitly, and even in the title track, there's more of a mockery of the affectionate concerns either of the lover or the partner, reflective but not sentimental: "Specchi Opposti"...

But how "why such a title?"??? But I wrote it right in the review! Don Giovanni as the personification of love tout court mocked by B.-P. at the beginning of the new intention not to talk about emotions and romantic feelings anymore! And this doesn't seem like a conjecture to me, but a certainty, given that you will have indeed noticed that every emotion, every thrill with Panella is denied (on input from Battisti himself? Seems so).

Speaking of references and allusions, I really liked your mention of Fellini regarding "C.S.A.R."; it’s true, "C.S.A.R.", like all the albums by Panella-Battisti, including, and especially this one, is somewhat reminiscent of those self-satisfied Fellinian fantasies in the style of "8½" or "Giulietta degli Spiriti"...ASA NISI MASA!