Pooh
Pooh Book

Ah yes, the Pooh.

The perfect and indispensable meeting point for the reconciliation of practically every controversy between noise-core fans and NWOBHM supporters, between followers of quality mainstream (Portishead) and unyielding, alternative, underground seriously knowledgeable experts of Muziqa-Muziqa, the eternal testing ground of how much we can agree on nothing but one thing: the Pooh are the most inferior version of "mainstream," the fact that it's easy to fill arenas and stadiums, and that quality doesn't reside there (indeed, it is proof of the lack of quality), and since we're at it, that "pop will it itself" and all the rest (let's not mention it for reasons of good manners). And then, heaven's sake, they are also Italian! Good luck to the motto "listen without prejudice" or more recently "I am open-mind." If you think you are truly open-minded, then try to free yourself from ideological remnants (no obligation to listen, come on) and start from this point. The Pooh are the missing link between the Albion pop of the Beatles and the neo-romantic melodies of Lucio Battisti, listen to believe. The first five albums were based on a project that navigated along the banks of progressive rock, revolving around a realistic and non-idealized idea of love, which stylistically was based on an operatic idea of light music, classic rock fusion, Moog synthesizers (and how many today still know how to play them like that?) and concept albums included. After "Opera Prima," "Alessandra," "Parsifal," "Forse Ancora Poesia," and let's also add "Un Po’ del Nostro Tempo Migliore" (the latter two being the most symphonic and instrumental), the four D'Orazio, Faccinetti, Canzian, and Battaglia were compared to Genesis and Pink Floyd. "Imposing" comparisons and rejected, but the same would have applied if the comparisons had been "limited" to PFM (which with the voices of Roby and Co would be the most beautiful progressive group in history), Garybaldi, or Le Orme: impossible to make a "genre" argument because that genre was abandoned by the Pooh, to devote themselves first to seventies rock and then to more "pop" productions, good? bad? a bit of both, as often happens when you combine a vast production. Commercial pop yeah... do the Rolling Stones and U2 make records only for the homeland? It doesn't seem so (given the results).

The PoohBook of 1995, with unusually sober and refined artwork, encapsulates in four CDs the summary of the four's careers (including lineup changes) from the beginnings with "Vieni Fuori" cover of "Keep On Running," to the early rough Italian beats like "Quello che non hai" (cover of "Rag Doll"), the atmospheric slow songs (as they used to say) like "In Silenzio" and "Mary Ann," secret diary songs from middle school. With "Brennero 66" the tone changes (here the version is sung by Riccardo Fogli), a difficult acoustic and epic/tragic ballad on the almost never touched theme of terrorism in South Tyrol. But of themes (we are talking about the obsolete term "content") rarely represented from a new perspective, this song is not an isolated example. In the second disc, the maturation has occurred with "Noi due nel mondo e nell'anima," a musical garment worthy of the best neo-melodic tradition - so it is if you believe it (synth vocals, harmonic turn) and the love theme known as love that ends and end of love, "Io e Te per Altri Giorni," story of a double betrayal for love (oxymoron? not exactly) but how can you forget that conclusion "in your eyes your rightful age returns... this is the most important thing, come I want to get out of the crowd" and not be fascinated? Indispensable "Tanta Voglia di Lei" and "Pensiero" (the first, overwhelmed by convenient satire, tells of a betrayal and subsequent repentance, the second is and remains, as famous as it may be, one of their most enigmatic songs), and then between "Infiniti Noi" and the very precious "Eleonora Mia Madre" there is room for the arpeggios of "E Vorrei." Nothing more to say: listen to it, if you don't like it ok, but if it stirs emotions this is proof that we are facing "number one" in Italian Music. The third disc is on the same (excellent) standards as the second: it opens with the luminous "Linda" (similar to the theme of "Tanta Voglia di Lei"), to continue with the wonderful "Pierre," and then to touch one of the indisputable peaks of the discography with "La Gabbia," suite built on a harmonic and melodic score based on "Tubular Bells" played expertly by Stefano d'Orazio. Following are episodes from "Rotolando Respirando" (the singles "Dammi Solo Un minuto," "In Diretta nel Vento"), to continue with the less convincing "Boomerang" ("Cercami" above all, another somewhat atypical way of dealing with love "but it is hidden from glances, this perfect love..."), ending with excerpts from "Viva" ("Io sono vivo," bass very remotely wave-like), "Hurricane" (that is the title track of "Rotolando Respirando" translated into English) and a "Canterò per te" without shame nor praise. Unfortunately, CD 4 is to be forgotten for the first six tracks, but "Lettera da Berlino Est" (an almost hard rock piece, in which the new-wave style pulsating bass reappears) revives the fate of an otherwise near shipwreck album, "Stella del Sud" and "Io Vicino Io Lontano" do the rest. Let's say that if the third CD is the less successful, the conclusive one is much more convincing (ranking at third place?): it starts excellently with "Giorni Infiniti" (powerful, epic, with unexpected time changes, poetic, synths finally used properly again), the majestic "Goodbye," the lively "Venti," the melodic power of "Per Te Domani" (attempt to emulate "Giorni Infiniti"? still pleasing) the touching (and splendidly melancholy "La Ragazza con gli occhi di sole"), up to another lyrical peak of the collection: "Concerto per un'Oasi," no singing, just an instrumental crescendo (sign that for the Pooh too, the past partly does not pass), up to the inevitable enclosure with "Uomini Soli," which over the years has become "the" manifesto song of the Pooh.

We stop at 1990, no one would have imagined that today, in 2009, the Pooh not only would have gained in credibility (see "Beat ReGeneration") but also that their audience is transgenerational (but if you look at YouTube you will see that the average age of fans is very low), one can also overlook the fact that the foursome from Treviso Bergamo Rome Bologna are about to snatch from the Stones the scepter of "the longest-running band in the history of rock"... can one overlook? if it had been the Stones I don't think so, but I hope that (at least for reasons like this, a group that has never fallen into its own revival, but still manages to "sell out" and deservedly so) los anglos-americanos begin to notice... it would be about time (fans and non-fans alike could: and I emphasize could, agree on this).

A-Men