Ligabue
Buon compleanno Elvis

THE REVIEW

It's 1995, and in Italy, several events are taking place that will leave a mark in the years to come: for instance, G. Fini founded Alleanza Nazionale, the heavily favored Milan loses the Champions Cup to Ajax, and an Emilian songwriter rises from his ashes by recording his masterpiece.
Yes, because Luciano Ligabue, after his grand debut with the self-titled album and the gold records, and critics' comparisons to Vasco, etc., went on to collect 2-3 consecutive flops, and "Buon compleanno Elvis" consecrated his comeback, his best album that also marks a turning point in his way of making music.
Listening to the 14 songs, one realizes that this is a different Ligabue from the one known before: the usual rock but more sophisticated, more refined both in sounds and in mixing; the usual lyrics, addressing themes close and dear to young people, but more "profound," more influenced by the years gone by; the usual Luciano, in short, but more mature and experienced.

Here, then, are the 14 stories, now about a teenager wanting to escape his world, now a musician who plays and doesn't care about anything else, now a lover, now the happiest boy on Earth… so much can be read between the lines!
As soon as the CD is inserted into the player, a burst of energy from "Vivo o morto o x" starts, ironically talking about all the obligations and impositions that stop you from living as you would like; it ends, and the atmosphere relaxes with "Seduto in riva al fosso," or the reflections of a person who finally has some solitude to think about themselves; then passing through escapes to freedom ("Buon compleanno Elvis!"), joys brought by music ("La forza della banda"), and confessions of troubles ("Hai un momento, Dio?"), a croak of frogs introduces the signature Ligabue song, his identity document, his career summarized in a little over 4 minutes: "Certe notti," a milestone in Italian music, a slow ballad that with its lyrics has become the soundtrack to so many, many young people in their first encounters with life.
From here on, the atmosphere calms down: apart from "I “ragazzi” sono in giro" and "Quella che non sei" (a consolation gift to a girl in existential crisis), the songs are all calmer and, with just the guitar introducing a very sweet "Leggero," this effort closes, which objectively brought him to the level of other great Italian artists.

Subsequently, all his works have been accepted, appreciated, I dare say revered, and other songs have marked the heart and mind of rockers, but what came after is a child of this album, without which Ligabue probably wouldn't have sung and played as we know. Fans and enthusiasts of the genre cannot do without it!