Latte & I Suoi Derivati
22 Celebri motivi... Per Sognare

"And the 23? Ebbuciodeculo!"

Some claim they grew up with bread and Queen (many in Italy do) or with pureed Beatles or beaten eggs mixed with large amounts of pop-punk... But few are able to come out and admit the truth: when we are children, the things that initially draw us to mainstream music are often obscure, unthinkable examples, and sometimes truly lowly musical archaeology.

I am here to come out into the open; however, I will do so with pride because I am here to talk about a small masterpiece.

Among all the obscenities that my parents dared to play in the car's cassette player (also read Amedeo Minghi, Baglioni, Patty Pravo, Gianni Morandi, etc.), during my childhood, there were also (inexplicably!) Latte & i Suoi Derivati.

That album was called "22 celebri motivi... per Sognare," not just a simple album but rather a pretentious work of one hour and nine minutes spread across 31 tracks. To be honest, it's not even a traditional comedy music album, no, the work of comedian-actors-cartoonists Lillo & Greg is a cabaret show set to music and recorded.

As soon as you play it, it will seem almost like a joke, but before it makes you exclaim, "God, what a crap, please take it off!" you'll already find yourself humming a nice tune, and you'll laugh, oh how you'll laugh. The winning card (and the true soul) of this band is represented by Lillo & Greg, two comedians who make music, not two musicians trying to make us laugh. Indeed, comedy music should start with laughter. And that is why these two Roman merry-makers managed to produce a masterpiece in this genre. Nevertheless, the musical quality is there and it shows: ska, powerful guitar solos, rock, folk, blues, mariachi, chord progressions, Techno, Skraund, Nipponica, etc.

Every joke is polyphonic, it makes you laugh both in a lighthearted and intelligent way. Just listen to one of the album's best pieces, "Otto, il passerotto." Songs suitable for both the vinyl fetish music lover and the pop fan who loses their hair in front of MTV, for the hunchbacked philosophy professor and the high school student with an average grade of 5.5. Lillo & Greg make us laugh because they are brilliant and solve nothing with trivial tricks. It's true, there's a bit of vulgarity, but it's never pointless like many other more trivial groups (see under Prophilax, San Culamo, and Gem Boy). Also listen to "Bughi," which is more than a piece, it's a narration and almost reminiscent of Massimo Volume. Or the hilarious and almost pop in its obsessive chorus "Ginoska," an incredibly "staged" song during concerts.

I could spend millions of words on this album, recommending various pieces, but I won't. My advice is to find this album on CD (the comic book-style booklet is beautiful) and to listen to it from start to finish. You can be sure you won't feel like you've wasted that hour and nine minutes. Lillo & Greg (or Greg & Lillo) are a guarantee.