Francesco De Gregori
Il Bandito E Il Campione

THE REVIEW

Once I asked someone to describe a new De Gregori album to me, and that someone simply replied: "Well, De Gregori is De Gregori"; an apparently banal, tautological phrase, but guys, this is the most direct and accurate description for a songwriter like our man.

"De Gregori is De Gregori" means simultaneously everything and nothing: it means that his unique and inimitable style is always there, and how could it not be? There are those who love De Gregori, those who no longer want to hear him, and frankly, I am among those who love him, because it is precisely that distinctive, always the same but always brilliant style that I've become attached to; I have gradually become attached to each of his songs so much that now I am led to an instant and almost unconditional love for each of his new works, because listening to De Gregori you always find everything, poetry, protest, sweetness, everything. And this live album, 'Il Bandito e il Campione', is a magnificent collection from 1993 that includes all the brightest gems of his career up to that point; a true paradise built with the sweetness of notes, with words so simple yet at the same time so terribly strong and deep, and with the timid voice of our singer, who, sitting there with his guitar, even when playing a piece I know by heart, always seems to be telling a new story, never banal, never already told.

The songs on the album are well-known for better or worse, so I won't describe them here; to name a few, it obviously starts with "Il Bandito e il Campione", moves through classics like "Viva L'Italia" and "Generale", perhaps the song I've listened to the most in my life, which I've heard in the most diverse versions and sung by the most questionable characters, but despite all this, it always manages to move me, words written more than 25 years ago, but still so relevant; then it reaches the almost surreal sweetness of "Rimmel" and "Buonanotte Fiorellino", and I won't mention others because 19 tracks are too many to describe. A very well played live, one of the many successful live performances in De Gregori's career, who when faced with an audience can make his soul resonate and transform it into music and words, an album in which I honestly cannot find flaws, where all the songs, each with its stories, emotions, and poetry, ultimately stand out, whether they are veiled with subtle notes of sax or harmonica, sharpened by an electric guitar, or whether they are the classic slow songs with acoustic guitar, piano, and drums.

And listening to this old album, I wonder: why should De Gregori change? He has naturally reached a form of personal and unmatched artistic expression in his own terms, in essence, De Gregori is De Gregori, and no one else is De Gregori, and as long as he can, I believe it is right for him to continue to be so, unique and inimitable. This is how it is, and as mentioned, there are those who love him and those who don't, but this is him and I hope he doesn't change.