Pooh
Opera prima

Incredibly (already) I find myself noting the absence of a review on this Opera Prima. The title alludes to the operatic and symphonic nature but also to the fact that it was the first successful album of the Pooh, partly due to the change of record label, from Armando Sciascia's Vedette to Giancarlo Lucariello's CBS. The young producer decided to take the four away from Vedette, after seeing them play in a club, and indeed a penalty had to be paid to the previous record label. The most famous song on the album, Tanta voglia di lei, released eventually as the first single, was initially supposed to be replaced by "Tutto alle tre", but then, even after a bizarre attempt to write another text to the music, titled "La mia croce è lei", Tanta voglia di lei finally comes out as a single on April 28, 1971. It immediately achieves great success, placing second at that year's Festivalbar, but reaching the top of the hit parade, so much so that an English and a Spanish version are also requested. At this point, Giancarlo Lucariello decides to exploit the band's popularity and releases another 45 RPM, Pensiero, which achieves even greater sales success than Tanta voglia di lei. Pensiero is interpreted by Riccardo Fogli, with Dodi Battaglia on the acoustic and the orchestra refining the track. It will remain fixed in the concert setlists and ultimately represents one of the best tracks among the 345 of the band. Another significant piece of Opera Prima is A un minuto dall'amore, with an instrumental introduction reminiscent of Puccini's Tosca. A track that Dodi, after almost fifty years, wanted to propose again in his Perle Tour. Also noteworthy is the title track, Opera Prima, an orchestral crescendo, where the chorus is sung in four voices, but the verses are divided. This modus operandi from this moment on will characterize a considerable part of the Pooh's songs. We are still in the years when Valerio Negrini is also singing (he will leave room in the same year for the drummer Stefano D'Orazio), and indeed the lyricist, who passed away in 2013, interprets Terra desolata, a piece inspired by Thomas Stearns Eliot's poem, but also by Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Dodi, on the other hand, is not yet widely used as a virtuoso of the instrument, as he will be with Parsifal, although in Il primo e l'ultimo uomo, Dodi showcases a long electric solo. The already mentioned Tutto alle tre is also recorded in English, titled The suitcase. Rating 3 and a half stars. A definite leap forward compared to the unripe beginnings.