Renato Zero
No! Mamma, No!

While in England in the distant 1973 progressive rock bands such as Genesis and King Crimson prevailed, and psychedelic rock had been almost entirely phased out due to the annihilation of the hippie movement of the late '60s, in Italy there was the rise of progressive groups like Le Orme, who released the album Felona e Sorona, and PFM. On the other hand, that was not the only musical horizon being explored at the time. There were singers and groups of light music, catchy pop.

In 1973, from the outskirts of Rome and nightclubs like the Piper, emerged the multifaceted showman Renato Zero, an artist who would become an icon of the Italian pop rock scene, especially in the decade from that year to 1980. The debut album is entitled No mamma no and is a fake live. Through recorded applause and effects, there is the illusion of a real live recording. The album is introduced by the song Paleobarattolo. The lyrics of the song are clearly nonconformist. Lazy Nonsense is a carefree track as well as Sergente no. TK6 chiama torre controllo and 0/1023 tackle the theme of identity.

Side B opens with Nell’archivio della mia coscienza, a more introspective song with a poetic vein. Dana, Ti bevo liscia and Make up make up make up are three short tracks with a cheerful atmosphere and carefree lyrics. The penultimate song of the album, Sogni nel buio, is the most touching of the entire work. It is entirely recited and accompanied by the piano: it speaks of a fetus unaware that the mother will abort him, thereby dooming him to die. The album closes with the famous title track, No mamma no.

An album not yet mature, an album not on par with works like Zerofobia, the LP that definitively established Renato Zero in Italy. A remarkable and easy-listening album.