Massimo Bubola
Amore e Guerra

Massimo Bubola, for many, is an unknown figure who, after listening to this album, will certainly be reevaluated. Released in 1996, this album is an atypical Greatest Hits collection of the most famous songs written by the Verona-born singer-songwriter, class of '54, for himself and for important Italian authors, including the great De André, and re-recorded for the occasion.

Bubola has never enjoyed great commercial success, despite having written some of the most beautiful Italian songs of the last 25 years, and I'm not exaggerating. This collection proves it extensively. Alongside songs from his solo albums, like the rock-infused "Marabei" from his second work of '79, "Tre rose" originally from 1981, at least five masterpieces written with Fabrizio De André find their place.

Massimo Bubola and De André collaborated on the writing of "Rimini" (1978) and "L'indiano" (1981) from which emerged "Fiume Sand Creek", "Quello che non ho", "Sally", and "Andrea". From "Nuvole" (1990) came the stunning "Don Raffaé" in Neapolitan dialect. Bubola is a small-town poet who, on folk-rock bases of clear American influence, crafts wonderful lyrics that endeared him to the great Genoese singer-songwriter. More recent are his collaborations with the Marchigiani band Gang. With them, Bubola wrote two albums: "Le radici e le ali" (1991) represented here by "Johnny lo zingaro" and "Storie d'Italia" (1993) represented by the stunning "Eurialo e Niso".

This collection is an excellent starting point to begin appreciating a singer-songwriter who has always lived his artistic life in the background of Italian music.