Cover of Lucio Dalla Geniale? 1969-70 (Inediti)
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For fans of lucio dalla,lovers of italian singer-songwriters,enthusiasts of vintage live recordings,jazz and blues improvisation fans,readers interested in music history
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A Lucio Dalla like you've never heard before. “Geniale?” is a work released in 1991 that contains tracks recorded live between 1969 and 1970 in Barga di Lucca and La Mecca di Rimini. At the time of the record, Lucio had only released one LP “1999” from 1966 and had collected a series of colossal failures. However, in 1969, he decided to embark on a tour that saw him perform in various iconic venues accompanied by a Bolognese group “Gli Idoli” (Giorgio Lecardi on drums and guitar, Bruno Cabassi on keyboards and organ, Emanuele Ardemagni on bass), the band that accompanied him in the recording studio for his first 3 albums.

The recording, given the era, is not technically the best, but in “Geniale?”, a truly rustic album, you can hear a magnificent Lucio improvising with “scat” tracks, i.e., without lyrics, starting with “Gragnanino blues” where Bruno Cabassi's organ takes the lead and an astonishing version of that “Summertime” performed by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday (but also by many others indiscriminately) and here sung by Dalla in his own way. The album also includes “1999” from his first LP and “Sylvie”, “Il mio fiore nero” and “Africa”, songs that appeared on his second career album “Terra di Gaibola”. In all of them, the organs played by Cabassi and Dalla himself stand out. A young Lucio, sings and plays like a beast and in three more “scat” tracks: “Geniale”, an authentic organ, bass, and drum jam, “Fottiti” (where Dalla – or Cabassi? – improvises with the organ in a long solo) and “Etto”, starts with his already unmistakable voice and puts “Gli Idoli” to the test as they relentlessly follow him.

It is also a record that contains two mysteries: the (beautiful) song “Non è una festa” credited to Dalla himself for the music and to Gianfranco Baldazzi for the lyrics, would actually have been written by Franco Migliacci and composed by Little Tony and recorded by the latter in 1969. A mystery that I have not been able to unravel. The album closes with a splendid version of “4 marzo 1943” performed with violin and organ. But if Lucio sang it in Sanremo in 1971, how come it was played at La Mecca di Rimini in the summer of 1970? Error in the CD credits? Wasn't there a rule for unreleased songs at Sanremo back then? None of that. Giorgio Lecardi himself once stated that 4 marzo was performed numerous times before that Sanremo…

“Geniale?” is an album to listen to and love, a genuine live record where Dalla divinely plays his best instrument: his voice.

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Summary by Bot

Lucio Dalla's 'Geniale? 1969-70 (Inediti)' is a rare live album from 1991 featuring performances from 1969-70. The album captures a raw and rustic Lucio improvising with his band Gli Idoli. Despite technical limitations, the recordings reveal his vocal prowess and experimental spirit through scat tracks and early classics. The album holds intriguing mysteries about song origins and performances predating official releases. This record remains a genuine testament to Dalla's unique talent and early live energy.

Tracklist Lyrics Videos

01   Gragnanino Blues (04:41)

02   Etto (02:19)

03   4 Marzo 1943 (03:40)

04   1999 (03:23)

E' bruciato
anche l'ultimo fiore
grigio fumo
è il colore del sole
sono solo
in un mondo che tace
finalmente è scoppiata la pace
aspettavo
che venisse il momento
ora parlo
solamente col vento
finalmente
questo mondo è più bello
il fratello
più non odia il fratello

Cosa farò
non lo so
cosa vorrò
niente, niente, niente

Son salito
su di un tram che non parte
sto seduto
come sempre in disparte
non mi piace
tutto quello che dico
ho paura
io mi sento nemico

05   Silvie (02:39)

06   Summertime (03:00)

07   Il Mio Fiore Nero (03:45)

08   Africa (04:10)

09   Non E' Una Festa (04:23)

10   Geniale (05:39)

11   Fottiti (05:22)

Lucio Dalla

Lucio Dalla (born 4 March 1943 in Bologna – died 1 March 2012) was an Italian singer-songwriter and musician, active from the 1960s to 2012, known for his work as a composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist (clarinet, saxophone, piano).
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