LUCIO BATTISTI - GLI ALBUM ORIGINALI

This is a five CD box set covering the early years of Italy's most beloved pop star, Lucio Battisti, and it is offered at an incredible price. For less that $20 US I was able to snag this set and get a comprehensive musical education on Battisti's early period. The box starts with his debut album from 1969 which is a lovely set of romantic pop songs and Italian melodic rock. (See individual album reviews for more discussion of the music itself) Next you get the "Emozione" album which capitalized on the success of the debut by collecting some of the unreleased material Lucio recorded from 1966-1970. Not all of these are strong tracks but they are still nice to have. Third comes his breakthrough gem from 1971, "Amore e non Amore." This is the album where Lucio first crosses into obviously proggy territory and in fact half of the album is absolutely an early experiment in RPI waters. It's a great album. Fourth in this package is another collection, aptly titled Vol. 4. This one collects some previously recorded singles from 1967-1971 and mixes them up with some choice cuts from the prior three releases. Last you get Lucio's best selling "Il Mio Canto Libero" from 1972, and this is my only true disappointment here as I'd read such great buzz about the album. It's very well done but lacks excitement compared to the outstanding Amore. The only real downside to this package is that the low price means a frugal presentation. The outer box itself is quite sturdy, but the CDs are presented in single paper slip-sleeves with no booklets and no other information or liner notes. If you like the goodies and perhaps already own one or two of these, I'd suggest continuing to pursue the individual albums. However if you are totally new to Battisti and want a cheap way to hear a large amount of the early work, this box is a dream. The sound quality is pretty decent too.