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Rating: The eighties were tough for many artists; some aged poorly, and others even worse. And then there are those who aged quite well, or who bounced back after a few missteps. Guccini, along with Faber, is one who made the aging of his production smoother, continuing to write valid albums, although less so than in the previous decade. The slight decline begins precisely with 'Signora Bovary' from 1987, the first album, after a long series, which cannot be called a masterpiece. We all know the marvels accomplished by the Maestro in the seventies, and just a quick look back finds another gem, just before this LP, namely the self-titled 'Guccini' from 1983.
His journey begins with a very good LP that will, in various stages, softened indeed, lead Guccini to produce an awful album like 'Stagioni', and especially never return to the levels achieved up to this LP or, better yet, the splendid previous one.
In 'Scirocco,' we encounter a storytelling that is much more than erotically Guccinian; it's the wind that serves as a pretext to suggest a turning point, a move, to the protagonists painted in a venue. Stuck in a state of stasis and anxiety, one of those unpleasant sensations that only Guccini can think we’d enjoy listening to in a song.
'Culodritto' is instead a beautiful and very successful episode. An atypical song, where we hear very sweet phrases, which this grumpy bear has not accustomed us to. We discover a tender song, directed at his little girl. The formula and the execution are of a Vecchioni-esque mold, as would be the epilogue "…fly, fly you…" if it weren't that this is not a track by the prof., and to remind us, just listen to the words that follow "…where I too would like to fly." Placed there, more for giving it a touch of melancholy and dejection that can't be missed even in a song full of hopes and promises. (He'll manage worse in the scandalous '…E un giorno', where he practically throws every possible misfortune at his poor daughter). Now that I think about it, Guccini quite resembles that guy who, in a Troisi film, kept repeating the phrase "Remember you have to die!"
The rest of the album is almost anonymity, the same that we will find increasingly present and ever more burdensome already from the following LP, 'Quello che non…'.
But if this LP deserves not to leave you indifferent, it is almost only for a single song, which is part of it, and which I consider, perhaps the most beautiful text Guccini has ever written in his career. I won't tell you which one because everyone has their tastes, etc., then, if you find a masterpiece while listening to this LP, maybe it’s precisely that one.
Have a good evening.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Scirocco (05:40)
Ricordi le strade erano piene di quel lucido scirocco
che trasforma la realtà abusata e la rende irreale,
sembravano alzarsi le torri in un largo gesto barocco
e in via dei Giudei volavan velieri come in un porto canale.
Tu dietro al vetro di un bar impersonale,
seduto a un tavolo da poeta francese,
con la tua solita faccia aperta ai dubbi
e un po' di rosso routine dentro al bicchiere:
pensai di entrare per stare assieme a bere
e a chiaccherare di nubi...
Ma lei arrivò affrettata danzando nella rosa
di un abito di percalle che le fasciava i fianchi
e cominciò a parlare ed ordinò qualcosa,
mentre nel cielo rinnovato correvano le nubi a branchi
e le lacrime si aggiunsero al latte di quel tè
e le mani disegnavano sogni e certezze,
ma io sapevo come ti sentivi schiacciato
fra lei e quell' altra che non sapevi lasciare,
tra i tuoi due figli e l' una e l' altra morale
come sembravi inchiodato...
Lei si alzò con un gesto finale,
poi andò via senza voltarsi indietro
mentre quel vento la riempiva
di ricordi impossibili,
di confusione e immagini.
Lui restò come chi non sa proprio cosa fare
cercando ancora chissà quale soluzione,
ma è meglio poi un giorno solo da ricordare
che ricadere in una nuova realtà sempre identica...
Ora non so davvero dove lei sia finita,
se ha partorito un figlio o come inventa le sere,
lui abita da solo e divide la vita
tra il lavoro, versi inutili e la routine d' un bicchiere:
soffiasse davvero quel vento di scirocco
e arrivasse ogni giorno per spingerci a guardare
dietro alla faccia abusata delle cose,
nei labirinti oscuri della case,
dietro allo specchio segreto d' ogni viso,
dentro di noi...
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Other reviews
By Grasshopper
Guccini definitively proves that one can be both a 'puppeteer of words' and a decent musician.
"Van Loon" is so touching that Guccini has said he cannot sing it in concerts, as it is dedicated to and about his father.
