Lucio Battisti
Hegel

THE REVIEW

September 29, 1994.

Last step, last record. After going beyond with the previous concept "Cosa Succederà Alla Ragazza (C.S.A.R.)", released in 1992, Battisti and Panella no longer understand each other: the former continues towards declining sales due to the white records, while the latter can no longer endure it and starts a partnership with Amadeo Minghi which, as reported in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, would later earn him much more dough compared to the partnership with Battisti. In the interview, it is also understood how the Poet and the Artist did not have mutual respect. Their relationship was almost a mechanical game: Panella wrote small masterpieces like the lyrics to "L'Apparenza" in less than a week, while Battisti - since "Don Giovanni" - decided to overturn the concept of light music that had been attributed to him, giving space to his own art and abandoning the clichés of the past. Here, therefore, we have two Dadaist artists - more Panella than Battisti - who for eight years have baffled both the artist's average audience and the intellectual one who, shortly thereafter, would be struck by the gem of "Hegel."

Can Battisti marry the philosophical concept of theologian Hegel with his own take on music and love? He never stopped talking about love. If anything, he abandoned that "songish" method that they still often assign to him today. In fact, for many, Battisti died with "Una Giornata Uggiosa," in 1980. Neither "E Già" nor the white albums exist. This constant brooding over sales by Battisti, however, led to the creation of truly alternative music and lyrics (leftfield) like the already mentioned "L'Apparenza," "C.S.A.R.," and "Hegel." With the latter, a vicious circle closes: it ends beautifully with hardly remembered tracks like the title track, "Tubinga," "Stanze Come Questa," "Estetica," in other words, the artist's last masterpiece, and "La Voce Nel Viso." All decent tracks if compared to the previous "C.S.A.R." which, according to many, is "damaged" due to cryptic and obsessive arrangements but, at the same time, appears superior.

For his last album, Battisti releases two important things:
1) The cover. A shiny and sincere "E" open to interpretation. It could be the missing "E" from "C.S.A.R.," which could reference a certain Cesar. Could it be Cesar Monti? Photographer and painter, in the first place he created many covers during the '70s for minor and not so minor prog/psychedelic groups ( Museo Rosenbach, PFM, Dedalus, Dik Dik, Perigeo, Equipe 84, Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso, Cervello), but he was especially the author of famous covers for Battisti himself, including those of the singles "La Canzone Del Sole/Anche Per Te," "Innocenti Evasioni/Il Leone E La Gallina" and "Il Mio Canto Libero/Confusione," and the albums "Umanamente Uomo: Il Sogno," "Anima Latina" and "Lucio Battisti, La Batteria, Il Contrabbasso Eccetera." However, given the nature of the album and the previous esoteric resource of "CSAR," the mystery remains unresolved, although some allude to a Middle Eastern reference, linked to Egypt.
2) The various electronic influences among which we can find alternative dance and electropop (Almeno L'Inizio, Tubinga), dub and synth pop (Hegel, La Bellezza Riunita, Estetica), funk (La Moda Nel Respiro), jungle and folktronica (Stanze Come Questa), and europop (La Voce Nel Viso). The most approachable but also the most beautiful track of the album is certainly "Estetica," a stucco ballad fitting within its dream dimension: just think of the verse "E' successo quello che doveva succedere" to see Panella's deep involvement in the making of the concept: the theologian Hegel’s thought, in fact, stated that what is real is rational, meaning that in a given situation, what happens must happen because reason and what exists (i.e., an abstract concept and what is real) go hand in hand. Everything goes beyond surrealism itself, so much so that Battisti decides to frame it all with alternating melodies: sad, joyful, and again happy and angry.

Panella himself said in an interview that only those who have been to high school can understand Hegel, while if someone listening to the album is an idiot, they will admit that whoever wrote the lyrics wrote nonsense. Well, having attended high school and having dealt with the controversial figure of the philosopher and theologian, I must admit that I still understand only half of the album and probably will never fully grasp it. However, the mix of strongly electronic sounds with avant-garde lyrics still leaves us dazzled. One wonders why Battisti wanted to leave us with this last album still not understood by me nor by his old fans.
Rumors abound regarding this fact, that the artist actually wanted to make one last album but, due to Hegel’s low sales (around 60,000), it was not possible. Later, there was an April Fools' joke organized by journalist Franco Zanetti in 1998: the prank was meant to make people believe that Battisti himself had released an album online, "L'Asola" (Romanesco for "fregatura"), on his newly created site. The news spread, and Zanetti said it was a joke, but despite this, for a few even today, "L'Asola" is considered Battisti’s last album.

"Hegel" is, therefore, Battisti's testament. Could it have been a last attempt at musical freedom by the artist? Could it have been a cry for help towards the record companies - not coincidentally this was the last album published with "Numero Uno"? We will never know. We only know that the white albums have been a source of unique emotions. Many judge them cold but, to quote a comment on YouTube, they are terribly warm.