Enrico Ruggeri
Champagne Molotov

Anyone who loves New-wave and Italian singer-songwriter music must absolutely get to know the early years of Enrico Ruggeri's career. Regardless of taste, all of his early records, from those with Decibel up to at least "Tutto Scorre" (including those from '85), are of excellent quality and deserve at least a listen.

Ruggeri often claims to be born punk; in reality, his early albums are closer to electronic new wave (perhaps the records with Decibel have a more punk spirit and a bit like Devo) and the romantic-decadent style of Foxx's Ultravox. But Ruggeri is also a bit like Bryan Ferry and David Bowie and often deals with themes akin to Kraftwerk ("… we are transistors and computers…"). In short, having grown up with punk and Lou Reed, he is influenced by the atmosphere of the late '70s and early '80s and, influenced by great foreign artists (Stranglers above all), he is among the first to express himself with such a mix of languages in Italy, but in a very original and ultimately unclassifiable way.

His solo career does not start in the best way: there is the seizure of the album "Champagne Molotov" (due to legal problems with Decibel's "Spaghetti Records"). After the success of the Sanremo song "Contessa" with Decibel, his first solo album doesn't live up to market promises: the former professor rises thanks to the successes of Diana Est and Den Harrow, for whom he is the author.

"Champagne Molotov" (already the name of a high school group of Ruggeri and the name of the group that accompanies him) marks the beginning of a partnership (which continues to this day) with guitarist Luigi Schiavone (former Kaos Rock), composer of memorable pieces (like "Polvere").

The inconveniences of the musician's trade, related then to the distribution of this very album, are immediately described with the first piece "Una fine isterica" ("friendship to remember, the promissory notes to play"… "the guitar to climb the social ladder and the desire to play fades away. There was only music, so much new music, an electric story and a hysterical end"…).

"Champagne Molotov" (from '81) still strongly resonates with the punk-wave sounds of Decibel in more playful tracks like "Sono proprio un infantile", "Sempre giù", "Nostalgia" or "Fingo di dormire", but in many other pieces one can feel the transition towards more sophisticated and mature compositions, darker and more elegant, as in "… E sorride", "Vecchia Europa" or "Passato, presente, futuro".

The album is closely tied to its times and perhaps not produced very well, but it is pleasantly listenable.