GIUBBE ROSSE

Quite interesting album. At the end of the eighties, after commercially successful albums like "La voce del pardrone" and "L'arca di Noè", Franco Battiato released this peculiar live work dressing up in new sounds some of his songs.

Most of all strikes here the unusual line-up: just Filippo Destrieri on keyboards and synthesizers, Ricky Belloni on guitar, Donatella Saccardi's soprano vocals and an orchestra conducted by Giusto Pio. Then the track list: near some commercial "smashing hits" (Cuccurucucu", "Centro di gravità permanente", "Voglio vederti danzare") you can find here some tracks coming out from Battiato's prog past like "Sequenze e frequenze", "Aria di rivoluzione" (both from "Sulle corde di Aries") and "No U Turn" (from "Clic" - at the end of this track there's also a fragment of "Areknames", song originally released on "Pollution") and some underrated prog-pop gems like "L'era del cinghiale bianco", "Gli uccelli" and "E ti vengo a cercare". The aim seem to blend smart pop and classical influences, past and future, lightness and spirituality. The result is good!

In the whole this is an album, though not essential in a prog collection, that is worth listen to.

As noted in his bio and various reviews, after pushing the boundries of minimalist 'music' in the late 70's, Battiato for the third time shifted stylistic course and entered a commerical phase that lasted into the 80's. When introduced to this phase by Raffaella it was with with high praise. Where artists like Alan Sorrenti or the New Trolls made music that...well....could be considered mediore pop music. What Battiato's music lacked in outright progressive nature it made up for in downright catchy hooks, a more subtle progressive nature... pop prog?.., and an intelligence often lacking in popular music. While the lyrics.. unfortunately still are still beyond my ability to decifer yet, with a bit of help.. it is rather clear that they are creative and intelligent.

This album recorded during a series of shows in late 1988 is a great introduction for the interested listener to that phase of Battiato's career. Much like a live greatest hits I guess haha. For the prog fan though there are some real treats.. in particular for me. Two songs off of Sulle Corde di Aries. Sequenze e frequenze and Aria di rivoluzione. I know several of my fellow collabs thought Sequenze e frequenze was a bit too long, this one is half the length of the original studio version. Those who thought the length worked against it might find this version a better one...those that loved the original, like me, will still love this abbreviated live version. I much perfer the studio version of Aria di revoluzione to this live version but it is not bad by any measure. The albums Clic and Fetus are also represented here with a medly version of No U Turn with Areknames. Again what is special for the fan, especially one who has only had a chance to hear the studio versions, is the chance to hear such songs performed in the live enviroment.

All in all... I really really like this album. It sold me to continue my explorations of Battiato past the standard... and non-standard hahha prog albums that he did. For the site...3 stars.. not essential by any means, but for the open-minded music fan. A real interesting album to own. For mysef.. 4 stars... would have loved to have heard more live stuff from his 70's albums ...but I'm not complaining about this album at all.

Michael (aka micky)