Sergio Caputo
Effetti personali

I'm certainly not the first to write it: Sergio Caputo is one of the most underrated Italian artists ever, and within his not-so-vast discography, Effetti personali plays a role halfway between an underrated album and a missed opportunity. Caputo was coming off a trio of albums that were all, in one way or another, epoch-making. Un Sabato Italiano had been an explosive debut, brought to CGD by Nanni Ricordi (a defector from IT of Vincenzo Micocci, yes that Vincenzo, the one from Alberto Fortis), Caputo had managed to convince the Sugar-Caselli duo of the quality of his proposal. It was 1983, and an electronic swing album that told surreal stories (with his band of absurd friends aboard Zia Wally, a used Chevrolet) set in Roman nights was, to say the least, a gamble.

But Ricordi had a keen eye, as did Carlo Massarini, who wanted Caputo as a regular guest on Mister Fantasy, an iconic 1980s music show. Italiani mambo, which came after the move to Milan, confirmed the quality of the proposal, with real horns and not electronic ones, but the big explosion hadn't happened. The same went for No smoking, although the leading track, "L'astronave che arriva," was chosen as the soundtrack for a commercial for a well-known coffee brand that aired across Europe in the '80s, giving Caputo a nice SIAE check for years to come. Despite everything, the artist did not make the definitive (public) leap.

So here we are in 1986. The fourth album. A work known primarily for including among its musicians Dizzy Gillespie. Yes, him, one of the greatest in jazz. Someone who comes in, confesses to not being able to read music from a score (as Caputo himself recounts in the book Un sabato italiano memories) and is used in only two tracks, "Il pianeta Venere" and "Trio vocale militare," almost as if he were just a luxury session player. A pity. Wasted opportunity. But really? No, definitely not. The album begins to show the evolution Caputo would pursue in the coming years.

Not just jazzy swing anymore but also pop, rock, and a host of other cultured references. The lyrics continue to be one of the author's strengths. Little movies wrapped in 3 minutes between planets that live thanks to radio transmissions, a story of bungling crime experienced in Cannes, a glimpse into a nuclear future, taxi love stories (yes, not taxi drivers but taxis, the cars), a very ironic spy story, and much more.

"Trio vocale militare" is said to be inspired by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which indeed happened in the year the album was released, and it predicts a future that is already... well behind us, as it starts with the line: “How delightful it is to stroll around the nuclear base with you... in 2003... among the genuine mop-willow trees... While a mischievous breeze contaminates our picnic basket.” It wouldn't have much commercial success. Caputo would try to evolve further with the succeeding studio album, Storie di whisky andati, featuring his latest hit, "Non bevo più tequila." Between the two albums, a live, with participation in Sanremo (habitually in last place or thereabouts) and the introduction of Latin temptations with "Il Garibaldi innamorato." And then another three thousand evolutions from pop to jazz, from 15 years in California back to Italy and the project with Baccini. Give it a listen. He's an artist who knows how to capture the imagination and is easy to love.