Fabio Concato
Fabio Concato

I am surprised by the absence in this space of the album that brought Fabio Concato immense fame, namely the self-titled 1982 release, which contains his first major hit by the name of "Domenica bestiale". Always accompanied by first-rate musicians, such as Vince Tempera and Massimo Luca, but also the saxophonist Claudio Pascoli, this time Fabio is serious, and he crafts a product of 9 truly successful tracks, forming a suggestive and fascinating romantic overall picture. Everything possible has been said about the opening track; it is the narration of a picnic far from the Milanese metropolis, with an absurd phrase, "every now and then I eat a flower", which, however, in this dreamy context perfectly illustrates the idea! The song is superbly arranged, and even in terms of chords, it creates splendid atmospheres with that major/sixth chord alternation... In the chorus, that burst of notes on "la domeeeeeeenica con te" takes off. Masterpiece? Masterpiece! "Sulla strada romagnola" speaks of a journey in rural land, where the farmer "came with Maria"... and the verb "cosare" is used for the first time in the Concatian songbook (it will return in the famous "051/222525", the "song of Telefono azzurro"). "Berlacca" is a fantastic village reminiscent of a nursery rhyme where a child goes to the bathroom, but there is also a housewife washing clothes and once again a farmer, in a bucolic album set among the Italian countryside. Powerful and characteristic voice at the beginning of the chorus. The A side of the record closes with the song that, together with the opening one, will remain in the collective memory and Our concerts, namely "Canto", a beautiful declaration of love for music and the reasons why one sings. All to be listened to, not commented on or described. "Severamente vietato", dedicated to incommunicability, opens the B side of the vinyl in a great way. It is the encounter between a man (Fabio?) and an elder who would really like to confide in each other, but this is "strictly forbidden" indeed, as they end up exchanging pleasantries and clichéd phrases lacking depth. "Disonesta" is the account, in Florence Concato would later say in an interview, of a woman, and many women, who were daring with soldiers and tram drivers. In the song, Fabio talks about how the protagonist, the "disonesta" indeed, wanted him to become a soldier. And then it becomes clear why... the charm of the "blue uniform"! Then comes "Una casa al mare", where we find all the typical elements of Fabio, namely the sea, the flowers, and the garden, for a pastoral and rustic record. It closes with two always sentimental episodes, "Restiamo soli" and "Un piccolo vecchio amore". In the first, the couple tries to isolate themselves from people once back in the city after the trip, and the trips, of the previous songs; in the second case, it talks of a retro love, like once upon a time, but with the intent of mocking the "matusa" way of understanding love and marriage.

Fabio Concato 1982 will be the first of three albums named after the author. The others will be in 1984, his best album, a best-of first intention, and in 1999, shortly before leaving the major record labels. It is certainly a mature work, but never to the levels of two years later.