Garbo
Scortati

LA RECENSIONE

When thinking about Italian music from the '80s, the same fashionable and rather banal characters that radio and TV promoted during those times always come to mind (I know it's a phenomenon that exists even, and perhaps especially, today, but so it is), often and gladly forgetting artists who tried to go a little beyond the usual tired and worn-out patterns.

Garbo is a character who attempted to blend good Italian music with the less commercial phenomena of the time, with a good eye, especially on new wave and the more experimental David Bowie, the one from "Low", "Heroes", and "Scary Monsters", and with excellent results, as in this his second album, which moreover contains at least a couple of songs that can easily be defined as his manifesto.
He would have been fortunate to have been born in England instead of Brianza, as his name could easily be compared to characters like David Sylvian or Robert Smith, without being diminished in artistic value.
His early albums from the '80s, namely "A Berlino... va bene", "Scortati", and "Fotografie" have fortunately been reissued on CD (after more than 20 years, what a shame!!) and today’s listeners also have the chance to know who this "David Bowie of Brianza" was (is) (as Diego Abatantuono called him).

The album I am reviewing now is "Scortati" and it is undoubtedly the best of his production. It starts with the title-track, an instrumental that very much evokes Berlin settings, of which he must have been a frequent visitor.
"Generazione" can certainly aspire to the title of the most beautiful Italian song of the '80s, those who have sung "Noi, padri del silenzio siamo polvere e il vento ci disperderà, noi nei giorni silenziosi siamo nuvole, le nuvole non hanno mai paura" know something about it.
Rock then looms over "Moderni", another track that talks about confused and uncertain young people about which paths to take.
The passing of time, "what time is it?", "what year is it?" are somewhat constants in Garbo's songs.
"Al tuo fianco" is one of the few love songs (in the broad sense) by Garbo, which still maintains a rocking rhythm throughout most of the piece, making it very pleasing to listen to.
Then it's time for one of the masterpieces, "Vorrei Regnare", one of those tracks that makes you want to listen to it over and over again, new wave blasting, guitar-laden and exuberant.
"Terre Bianche" is also very new wave, and even here "Andremo nella notte fino all'alba per vedere che giorno è".
"Dance Citadine" is also excellent, pounding in its rocking manner, then the record closes with two instrumentals, "Frontiere", a somewhat synthesized piece accompanied by whistling, and "Auf Wiedersehen", where drums and guitars take center stage.

An album that could not have been forgotten by those who loved it in 1982, and that can very well be rediscovered today, despite the somewhat dated sounds.
Come on, the musical '80s were not just Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet!