Gino D'Eliso
Singoli

Gino D'Eliso, during the years of his albums with major labels, from 1976's Il mare to 1983's Cattivi pensieri, including Ti ricordi Vienna? (1977) and Santi ed eroi (1979), also released two 7-inch singles with tracks not included in the LPs. Therefore, I'll call this review "Singles."

After Ti ricordi Vienna?, with distinctly funk arrangements later disavowed by the author many years later, a 7-inch single titled "Look (at children playing)" with the B-side "Pale Ale King" was released under the name Vanessa Band for RCA Victor, which was born from the merger between the U.S. RCA and Victor. Both songs are sung in English, and the first one was the theme for the radio program Spazio X, hosted by Dario Diviacchi. These two songs are unique in Gino D'Eliso's career, using the moniker Zot for the occasion, as they neither nod to funk anymore nor yet feature the Central European rock that would characterize his work starting with 1979's Santi ed eroi. They are two pop rock songs that are quite listenable, and between the two, I prefer the second one. Curiously, in Yugoslavia, the same single was released under the name Gino D'Eliso, pictured in close-up, and not next to the child as in the single under the name Vanessa Band. I chose this image for the review.

In 1980, however, a different 7-inch single was released by Philips, the same record label that published Santi ed eroi, featuring "Bigliardi/Mitteleurock." Despite the second song being the manifesto of Gino's new direction, I prefer the first track, which is more carefree and features a more striking chorus. "Bigliardi" and "Mitteleurock" can be considered two outtakes from Santi ed Eroi.

The other singles, with tracks already present on the LPs, are: "Il mare/Emilio barbone," "Non saremo angeli/Ti ricordi Vienna?," "Come sempre primavera/L'ora del tè," and "Magari fosse Natale/Yoli Ho." Practically one 7-inch for each album. "Belfast," taken from Cattivi pensieri, ended up in 1983 as a B-side split with "Tribal statistics" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band.

Wanting to average the singles, we're at about 3 and a half stars.