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Rating:
Here we are: whether we like it or not, whether we accept it or not, a semi-serious study of Italian pop music cannot ignore the knowledge of this album, a true turning point in the evolution of modern song; "Il mio canto libero," released in 1972, is a milestone in Battisti's production and beyond, a supreme example of orchestral richness that makes the instruments necessarily inseparable subjects, a first work of the contemporary panorama of Italy's screaming scene.
It is, like no other Battisti album – except for "Anima Latina" two years later – a musically complex work, a piece featuring a great variety of instruments played by as many as nineteen different musicians: Lucio manages well with the guitars alongside Radius and Lavezzi, Vince Tempera gives a good performance on the piano, Gianni dall'Aglio's drumming is decisive. Much has been said about the content of the album, and when not said, Mogol's words have spoken for themselves: masterpieces like "La Luce dell'Est," "Il mio Canto Libero" and "Io vorrei... non vorrei... ma se vuoi" need no redundant comments, but to avoid making every critique cloying, it will suffice to recall the splendid string arrangement directed by Gian Piero Reverberi in the melancholic first track of the album, the gospel soul and vaguely new-age – in the good sense of the term – of the heartfelt title track, the unforgettable climax of voice and strings in the sixth piece of the album: "Le discese ardite e le risalite" bring to mind a musical richness that only Battisti managed to bring to Italian pop music. There are moments of amusement like "Luci-Ah" and "Confusione" where Battisti indulges in his vocal distortion capabilities, there are moments of dignified protest like "Gente per Bene e Gente per Male" and "L'Aquila," there are small musical pearls like "Vento nel Vento," one of those pieces that someone savvy like De Gregori couldn't have ignored by reprising it as an instrumental tail of "La Leva Calcistica della Classe '68": all this is there in Canto Libero, Battisti's emotional experience filtered through music, Mogol's real experience shaped through words.
A masterpiece, a success. It remained at the top of the Italian charts for over two months, ousting from the Empyrean that sacred monster that was "The Dark Side of The Moon," without irreverence, with courage: it's the definitive turning point of Italian pop music, the redefinition of the role of singer as well as songwriter, the choice to talk about feelings and not gossip about them, the coup de grace to the graceless fashion of screams and hair with pomade.
How can a rock hold back the sea.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Luci-ah (04:47)
Stell' dein Motorrad doch bitte 'mal leiser, das f�nd ich sch�n
wenn's nicht so laut ist, dann kannst du mich n�mlich besser verstehn
was h�ltst du davon, wenn wir beide jetzt 'mal einen trinken gehn
oder willst du nach gestern nacht noch keinen Alkohol wiedersehn.
Seit du neulich nachts den Polizeiwogen ganz bunt angemalt hast
seit ich geh�rt hob' was du f�r ein M�dchen bist und was du machst
ja, nach jeder verr�ckten Aktion hott' ich mehr Sympathien f�r dich
komm, erz�hle mir von deinen Pl�nen, das ist so erfrischend f�r mich
Luci-ah, darum hab' ich dich so gern
Luci-ah, darum hab' ich dich so gern.
Zeig' 'mal, wie hast du denn neulich dem Priester in die Augen geschaut
er wurde ganz rot, jeder konnte es sehn und dann lachtest du Iaut
und was hast du denn an deiner Schule mit einigen Lehrern gemacht
die �rmsten, die haben ihr ganzes Gehalt zum Psychiater gebracht
ja wei�t du, was ich auch stark fand, das wer dieses Ding mit der Schnapsbrennerei
ganz heimlich im Keller, alle trafen sich da zu einer Feierei
Luci-ah, darum hab' ich dich so gern
Luci-ah, darum hab' ich dich so gern.
Sowos Grondioses wie dich hab' ich wirklich noch niemals gesehn
weil du so bezaubernd verr�ckt bist, m�cht' ich so gern mit dir gehn.
05 Confusione (04:30)
Tu lo chiami solo un vecchio sporco imbroglio
ma è uno sbaglio è petrolio
troppo furbo per non essere sincero
ma è davvero oro nero
Io perché non dovrei dirti tutto quello che sento nel cuore
Io perché non dovrei parlarti di tutto anche di un nuovo mio amore
sei o non sei sei o non sei al di sopra di ogni mia grande passione
Confusione
confusione mi dispiace
se sei figlia della solita illusione
e se fai confusione
confusione
tu vorresti imbalsamare anche l'ultima e più piccola emozione
Se tu credi che il carbone bruci meglio
è un abbaglio è petrolio
Comunque se ami più del fuoco il fumo di un cero
non usare l'oro nero
Ma perché non dovrei liberare qualunque sentimento per chiunque sia
tanto sai io non ti sentirò certamente per questo meno mia
Ma chi mai disse che si deve amar come se stessi il prossimo con moderazione
Confusione
confusione mi dispiace
se sei figlia della solita illusione e se fai confusione
confusione
tu vorresti imbalsamare anche l'ultima e più piccola emozione
Confusione confusione
E non dir che antico privilegio d'uomo per mia comodità faccio mio
perché tu comunque libera saresti se libera vuoi essere come sono io
Credi che ma credi che qualcuno possa darti amore se dell'amore suo non è padrone
Confusione
confusione mi dispiace
se sei figlia della solita illusione e se fai confusione
confusione
tu vorresti imbalsamare anche l'ultima e più piccola emozione
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Other reviews
By stargazer
"The 8 songs on this album have entered the history of Italian pop music, thanks to their freshness."
"The last track is the very famous title track, in my opinion, the best song ever written by Battisti, and one of his most famous."
By death immortal
Through 'Il mio canto libero' Battisti presents us with the issue of love in almost all the songs.
Battisti is attracted to the desire for a death that doesn’t kill him, but rather allows him to live every moment of life with love and simplicity.
By Cristianpiga
Lucio Battisti at the peak of his career.
A must-have.
