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For more than 50 years, the Romans have been traveling around Italy. It was 1959 when the group, clearly Roman, began to take its first steps. Initially composed of high school students, the group carved out its space within Italian pop music. The original lineup included Claudio Natali, the only member still with the group, Ignazio Polizzy, Diego Petrera, and Alberto Cori. The undeniable strong point of the band is its longevity. There are countless examples of artists from the era who lasted little more than two albums. The Romans, after the late '70s, remained in anonymity for a long time, continuing their long career nonetheless.
Along with the Camaleonti, they were the protagonists of the early '60s in Italy. They laid the foundation, through the decade of the British invasion, for what the '70s would be for Italian pop music. It's clear that the decade we are talking about imposed certain musical standards that were also respected by the Romans. To prove this, there are a lot of singles/covers of English songs, dance songs, up to the first, if we can call it that, success, namely 'La tua mano', written by Mogol and Gino Paoli in 1962. But success was still delayed. The constant changes in the lineup (something that characterized the band for quite some time) certainly didn't help with fame. However, something started to move in 1967. The Romans came third at the Festival delle Rose with the song 'Il pieno'. Thanks to various summer-themed song competitions, including the most important 'Un disco per l'estate', they carved out their space first with 'Sole sole mare mare', then with 'Voglia di Mare'. They were catchy tunes, which were supposed to become the summer hits and thus brought the boys to fame. For the first official album, they had to wait until 1970 (about 10 years after the group's inception), testifying to how difficult it was to emerge and find satisfactory contracts. The debut, 'Gente qui e gente la', is a good mix of tracks attempting to mimic English rock and commercial music in general.
They arrived at pop music as we understand it today in 1974, thanks to the album 'Quanto una donna...', a wonderful example of simple and light music. What we can define as the first real 'commercial' success of the group stood out thanks to the easily understandable lyrics and the romantic themes. Imagine that the songs from this album were the most requested on the radios of the time. A year in which, along with Mino Reitano and the Guardiano del Faro, they dominated. The protagonist was the young Ignacio Polizzy, who put Coclite's lyrics to music with his voice. Opening the work is the title track, 'Quanto una donna', featuring an impeccable instrumental section and a precise and gentle voice. A masterpiece of pop music, the lyrics tell of a woman's love lost to the protagonist, who will live in his whirlpool of pain and solitude in the days following (la felicità io l'ho divisa insieme a lei/ ma il dolore resta tutto in mano a me), with beautiful choirs at the end. 'Un momento di più' reminds us a bit of the future style of the Giardino dei Semplici, testament to their pioneering nature. A more than successful song, for which a live version is also available. The beautiful following 'Matita blu', an object that the protagonist Lucia used to hide her tears of love, is brought to life through the protagonist's flashbacks, reliving the girl through past memories. 'Il Mattino dell'Amore' was the most requested song on the radio. Considering the radio listeners' taste, we are faced with a beautiful ballad supported by piano, a sweet declaration of love for a girl terrified by the thought of a betrayal by her beloved (ora che amo te/ ho scordato ormai/ tutto quello che trovavo bello insieme a lei). Yet another piano for the beautiful 'Valentino e Valentina', a story of a very sweet love narrated in the third person by Polizzy, set to music properly, with a touch of melancholy. As if the third person were a way to mask one's sadness. Maybe they parted ways because having the same name made them incompatible. And still the slow 'Mi mancherai', a moving song based on goodbye and its consequences. Because, after all, the protagonist, even in the company of another woman, will always think of her.
Pioneers. Along with the Camaleonti, perhaps the ones who laid the groundwork and were the protagonists of the transformation from 'british Italianized' song to true Italian pop song. Witnesses to the change, to which they may have also contributed, they spearheaded the formation of numerous bands, which popped up like mushrooms at the time. A few years after their great successes, among which I remember 'La mia donna' and 'Coniglietto', the first signs of a crisis appeared in the late '70s. Problems with record companies were felt, putting the band in difficult positions. Remaining anonymous until recently, they have returned to the spotlight with the song 'Ragazzi Soli', dedicated to the current generation, lost and indifferent (2013), a truly meaningful song that conveys great sadness towards young people without passions and completely overwhelmed by the virtual. The decline of the band was also determined by various deaths, including that of singer Ignacio Polizzy. As we said, pioneers. What can be termed as the grandfathers of catchy bands. In short, an institution.
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