CLAUDIO FUCCI

A rare album of folky, gorgeous, pastoral Italian music

Claudio Fucci is an Italian musician born in 1952 who began writing songs in the 1960s before becoming involved in the 1970s Italian scene. After collaborating with Come Le Foglie and Banco he released this self-titled album in 1974 on the Trident label. Among the musicians on the album is the keyboardist Dario Piana with whom Fucci would work on the Le Mani project which you can also read about on this site. Produced by Fucci's friend Eugenio Finardi, "Claudio Fucci" is really a sweet little gem of an album. While frankly not as progressive or groundbreaking as other bands on the scene, the album could more accurately be described as somewhat folk-rock with an Italian Symphonic Prog influence, especially on the latter half of the album.

The first three tracks are almost pure unapologetic "singer-songwriter" exquisitely handled with lovely acoustic playing, slide guitar, keyboards, and hand percussions. It is on the 4th track "Viaggia la Speranza" when the ISP/RPI fans will begin to get interested. The 7 minute long piece is tasty right off the bat with an upfront bass guitar and a mysterious vibe, distant piano notes falling in the background, and again some fine acoustic work. Soon the mellotron flows into the song along with backing harmonies and we approach pastoral Ital-prog bliss. Halfway through the electric guitar kicks in with some lead play over the mellotron and classical guitar with an increasingly louder drums and bass. Fucci's singing voice is certainly not the most powerful in Italian Prog but it is certainly pleasant and works well in the songs. Side 2 splits the difference again with variety. "Loro Sanno Dove" is a gorgeous, sparse number as fragile as something from Joni Mitchell's early era, while "Notte" features CSN style harmonies over what I believe is a trio of dueling acoustics, quite impressive. It's hard to convey for me just how pretty some of these sections are, very lovely. On the flip side is the more upbeat "Tutto cio che hai" with great piano work, passionate vocals, soaring melody and some feisty electric solos. The album closes with the haunting "Giusto sig K" beneath more mellotron and an unusual 180 in the song's final minute where they abandon the track for a little spontaneous improvisation. A fitting closing to this unique little album. I really like this debut and recommend it easily to fans of the lighter, more melodic Italian prog such as Reale Accademia di Musica or Errata Corrige. It is not however an essential title for the adventurous types who are looking for bombast and edge. 7/10

Beautiful, bucolic RPI with some adventure

Claudio Fucci's lone solo album, released in 1974, is a very pleasant trip dominated by the singer/songwriter style. The mood is definitely relaxed, with few upbeat moments. However, the songwriting is absolutely gorgeous, even in the simpler passages. There really is not an unpleasant or even dull moment on the album. The focus is acoustic guitar, with some songs featuring little more than acoustic guitar and nice vocal arrangements. However, on other songs there is a full ensemble, including beautiful keyboards/mellotron.

The track with the highest prog quotient is "Viaggia La Speranza," which creates a mysterious mood with a nice groove in the bass and drums. There are strummed acoustic guitars, punctuated by electric guitar solos, all played on a keyboard/mellotron soundscape. This is the longest track on the album and is my personal favorite. Other favorites of mine are the exclusively acoustic "Notte" and the slightly more upbeat "Tutto Cio Che Hai."

Overall, this is a very nice album, still obtainable, and a great example of the singer/songwriter style of RPI. Although not as rock-related as Fucci's later work with LE MANI, this is a fine work and easily deserves three stars.

A singer/songwriter from Carosino in South Italy,Claudio Fucci was born in 1951 and started his career in 60's playing mostly songs in Folk and Beat style.He collaborated with the acoustic trio Come le Foglie and supported Banco del Mutuo Soccorso in 1972 in Milan.He later signed with the Trident label and there he produced his first work in 1974.In ''Claudio Fucci'' we find the musician helped by Come le Foglie members Attilio Zanchi and Claudio Lugli,later co- musician on Le Mani Dario Piana,Jumbo drummer Tullio Granatello as well as famous Italian songwriter Eugenio Finardi.

''Claudio Fucci'' is a calm and relaxed journey through acoustic soundscapes,led by Fucci's voice and acoustic guitar,definitely falling into Folk/Folk Rock category.Simple melodies,mellow playing,light choirs and supporting instrumentation mostly by harmonica,moog synths and piano makes the album close to the style of ANGELO BRANDUARDI,though of lower quality.Far from anything really challenging,the album flaws in a hypnotic vein,good for having a nice glass of wine in hand,but not for a major listening.A couple of tracks though contain hints of some rock attitude,like ''Viaggia la speranza'' with the good spacey interplay between electric and acoustic guitars plus the synths on the background and the short ''Tutto cio che hai'',featuring a nice bluesy electric solo and strong piano parts.The rest of the tracks are far from memorable,being quite similar in nature with no particular differences.

Later in the year Fucci would tour with Franco Battiato and I Pooh.By mid-70's he was a member of the overlooked Italian prog band Le Mani,whose small sample of recordings would see the light in the new millenium.His self-titled album has nothing to do with the Classic Italian Prog sound and might be of some interest for Folk/Folk Rock collectors or anyone wanting to know what Fucci was experiencing before forming Le Mani.