Piero Piccioni
Il dio sotto la pelle

LA RECENSIONE

When a composer is the author of more than three hundred soundtracks (and just as many for television), it becomes almost impossible to choose a favorite work.

But this is an exception! Il dio sotto la pelle, the soundtrack of the 1974 film of the same name, stands out not only among Maestro Piccioni's works but also among all those released for Italian cinema in the '70s.

Psychedelia, jazz, and lounge blend in an admirable way, and the incredible thing is that the film in question is an ecological-themed docu-film by Folco Quilici, for which a book is also available, published by Minerva Italica and now out of print.

The music is dominated by Piccioni's organ, gifting us with pieces of dazzling splendor like Night to Come, Katmandu (listen to it, it's a wonderful track I would describe as exotic-psychedelic), Charms, Love Will Find the Way, Give Love a Chance (all songs presented in different versions).

This soundtrack, once again, demonstrates the fertility of the Italian musical landscape of the '70s, which, among progressive, cantautorato, and soundtracks, offered us a true golden age. As I mentioned before, what is disconcerting is that such a beautiful record is the soundtrack of a film of little importance (not regarding the theme or the quality, but for its potential audience). It was certainly an era of heroic or naive times.

A note also goes to the equally marvelous cover, also with a psychedelic flavor and definitely misleading compared to the advertised product. But, as known, in the '70s, a naked woman on the cover was denied to no one.

In conclusion, I warmly suggest this work to soundtrack lovers but, above all, to acid consumers and psychedelia enthusiasts.

Note: The reviewed version is the 2000 release by the legendary Easy Tempo.