Flora Fauna & Cemento
Rock

The first album of the group that's been recommended ad nauseam is simply titled 'Rock'. Undoubtedly interesting, having sprung from a subset of a group I will soon review, the Camaleonti (Mario Lavezzi was their guitarist) and Damiano Dattoli, a former collaborator of Battisti, they are remembered today for their most famous song, 'Mondo Blu'. A cheerful and fun song, incredibly catchy, it can stay in your mind for weeks, unfortunately tarnished by an irritating background chatter from Mara Cubeddu, the second voice of the ensemble. Yet, especially in the live session performances of this song, an almost forgotten joy is released, reminiscent of an era when it seemed easy to move crowds, even through such simple and playful songs. And to think Mogol wrote it!

It was 1970, the year of their debut. Through the first singles, we immediately find a wonderful reinterpretation of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' by Simon & Garfunkel in an Italian version, titled 'Il ponte' and 'Un papavero'. The latter is one of the most recognized songs of the group, a track with a rock vibe (listen to those guitar riffs, are they crazy?) with a silly and repetitive text. And yet, how many songs could have been saved without that damned little voice? We don't know exactly their intentions at the time of releasing that single, but all the heavy metal within them later quieted down in favor of a calmer, lighter production, that of the album in question.

After brief tributes to Battisti, in 1973, there was the first release of an album. 'Rock'... What kind of title is that? Rumors suggest that the album would be eponymous but was defined as Rock just because it was written on the cover. There's no trace of rock indeed, but we find a series of good tracks. It all opens with 'La nostra piccola canzone', catchy, fresh, carefree, and with a slightly provocative text, although the main motif feels like something we've heard before. Quite different in taste is the beautiful 'Come Bambini', narrating adolescent-type love, through an intertwining of male/female voices, that can only evoke the shared feeling between man and woman. Charming is 'Libertà nell' amore', supported by an acoustic guitar, a real anthem to happiness and life, rich in choruses and with a very easy-listening refrain. At the end of the album, or even before, one might wonder about that cover. A woman, as we had intuited, who seems to go by the name of Dina Castigliego, bedecked with flags of every nation, dressed provocatively despite not owning the attributes to do so. And while the voluptuous lady attempts a grimace, she drops what appears to be a yo-yo with the album name written on it. I’ll never understand what it has to do with the content, but oh well.

What became of Flora Fauna & Cemento? Being derived from a subset of Camaleonti forced them into something good, and though they might not be remembered in the annals, we could say they made it. Damiano Dattoli, as mentioned. It seems that after the disbandment of the ensemble, he formed Data with Umberto Tozzi, and wrote 'Io Vagabondo' for Nomadi. Not exactly a barren résumé. From 1975, various member changes began to occur, making it difficult to continue. A continuation that indeed did not happen until 1977. Another album, 'Disamore', and a short series of singles followed.

What remains today of llawyer's favorite group? Not much, to be honest. Just inheriting a song like 'Mondo Blu', which, stupid and trivial as it is, manages to capture on first impact for forty years now. And after hearing the lyrics many times, I still haven't understood if there's a damn blue world or not.

Now come here, in my arms, tell me if you too see a blue world