FABRIZIO DE ANDRÉ

A great thanks is due to user Thandrus for their now 13 year old(!) review of this, De Andre's second studio album. This concept album, as they explain, is about the pains and tribulations of drug addiction--Thandrus notes that we should keep in mind that this was at the height of the LSD craze in the then Swingin' '60s, and I can't help but agree. For this, grateful for the Wikipedia article for the album, as it has a breakdown of each song. I would lastly like to show my appreciation for Thandrus' call to their potential though likely bias, as 'Faber' is one of their 'all-time favorite artists' and they consider this one of the best of the '60s. High praise. I'm certainly intrigued (and readied by the overwhelming love other users of the site have shown in their ratings; before me, a 51% representation for 5-stars).

"Cantico dei drogati" starts off the concept apparently with a strong allusion to heroin, based on Riccardo Mannerini's poem "Eroina". The protagonist is addicted to the point of being on death's doorstep, realizing that his addiction is a cowardly way to live... Interesting... Well, the music is far more orchestral, far more lush than his first album. Lovely stuff. Following the theme of the "Cantico" is the interludial "Primo intermezzo". This track is rockin' and tense! Rolling (harpsicord?) keys are juxtaposed with the sharp stabs of horns and the percussion. The acoustic guitar continues in theme at the start of "Leggenda di Natale" only to fall away to a soft, singular ballad. Instrumentation builds with orchestra and then lofty electric guitar. Beautiful. A song about loss of innocence... A tragic story of a girl raped by a stranger...

As the name implies, our second interlude, "Secondo intermezzo" picks back up the theme from the first intermezzo. So of the time, ultimately, both in radio-readiness and in dark, Baroque tone. Still dark in affect is "Ballata degli impiccati", featuring Fabrizio's warm voice and a sort of Spaghetti Western rhythm. So of the time haha.

All falls away to strings and trumpet... and a sort of jazzy piano accompaniment on the intro to "Inverno". Doesn't sound like anything else on the album thus far [the intro, to clarify]. This is a sort of melancholic, but optimistic track; as the Wiki article states, "One must remain open to love, but without trying to condition when it might arise and when it might die." I guess they killed that vibe compositionally. Very classic everything. This is followed by "Girotondo", tied together by that final trumpet note. This song is alternatively upbeat and features a... surprising children's(?) choir. Less surprising when you consider the topic is the impending doom of nuclear warfare, this "is a darkly ironical song" similar to "Ring Around the Rosie". I... didn't enjoy this one haha.

In stark juxtaposition is our third pause, "Terzo intermezzo", a solo acoustic, classical guitar. This is followed by "Recitativo", a warm, but sad ballad. Some of the prettiest music of the whole in my opinion. Its sister song is the final "Corale", composed in a Bach-like style. A different children's choir enters in here. Very classic. But... yeah. I dunno. I appreciate this album for what it is, but the majority didn't do a whole lot for me.

I get the honor of yet another first stab at reviewing an oldie?! Don't mind if I do! The bio for Mr. De Andre lays claim that he is "possibly the most influential of Italian singer-songwriters"... Helluva claim, though I certainly, for one, have no way of combatting this haha. In context, a famed Italian vocalist, Mina, had covered a song penned by him in 1968, "La canzone di Marinella". This gave him certain repute for his writing at the time. His work was apparently inspired by a sort of Troubadour tradition--he is considered a Chanson artist (of a French Renaissance/late-Medieval vocal tradition)--as well as dabbling in Folk Rock. Solidifying his relation to Prog Rock was a series of concerts performed (mind you, 12 years later) in 1979, backed by the great Premiata Forneria Marconi!

Right from the get-go, what I can tell you is this is very Italian, very classic and just a tad Psychedelic [really, just from the start, just from the opener] to my stupid Millennial ass haha. Fabrizio has a very nice, warm voice. I think the problem, at this point in his discography, early in his career, is we aren't looking (much) at Rock and we definitely aren't looking at Prog. That's for sure.

The first track to really catch my attention is "Spiritual", which I suppose is supposed to sound like a Spiritual haha. It's very Italian. And therefore very white! hahaha! Interesting, very old-school instrumentation (organ, lightly brushed but quick drumming, and Trad Pop, if not earlier, group vocals). Interesting to my ears; again, that's for sure [what I mean is it's "relatively foreign to me"]. The next moment of note is the frankly lovely accordion on "Via del campo". The problem through much of this is that most tracks don't offer a whole lot to even speak on. Certainly won't appeal to folks looking for Rock, to reiterate, and is not progressive in the slightest. You've been warned, I guess.

If you want to know what everyone in America thinks Italian music sounds like, give "Bocca di rosa" a spin hahaha!

"La Morte" is low, slow and minimal, with very little in the way of guitar, a singularly-focused drum (like, one drum haha) and flute, this last bit is what should pierce the ear of us Proggers, but... nothing else. Similarly, the final track "Carlo Martello ritorno dalla battaglia di Poitiers" will appeal, only slightly, in its orchestral fanfare expression.

Barely a 2/5 star.

Maybe the first Italian record of "World music", Creuza de Ma is considered by many the masterpiece of Fabrizio De Andre, and artists like Peter Gabriel and David Byrne love it. In this Lp De Andre sings in Genoese dialect, a particular Italian language very different from Italian (I'm Italian and I dont understand a lot of words) with a sound similar to arab, and the arrangements (thanks to Mauro Pagani, ex PFM) are full of mediterraneum ethnic instruments taken also from middle-East.

"Creuza De Ma'" (Road to the Sea) is the first song, a melodic ballad where the artist describe his hometown, Genoa, a city full of small streets that rides along the coastline and Genoa is a city long and narrow, it is in front the sea and it has the mountains behind. De Andre talks about people, food, flavors. Very ethnic music. Rating 7,/8.

Through the noises of the crowd, the first song is mixed with the second, which has a much more sustained and arabesque rhythm. Here you can see the great work of the multi-instrumentalist Mauro Pagani, who in addition to playing the strings performs in the solos with wind ethnic instruments throughout the album (flute, mandola, mandolin, violin, viola, oud, saz, bouzouki). It's a very special song, it's world music, and the lyrics tell of a prostitute with an Arabic name, "Jamin-A", able to drive men crazy, and alternates raw moments with poetic moments. Rating 8.

Through sound effects, Pagani's solo that concludes the second song is mixed with words and war noises that introduce us to the masterpiece of the record, "Sidun", name of a city situated in Lebanon. This piece is introduced by an acoustic mandola or mandolin edits. De Andre sings a landscape of war where a father has lost a child and here the pathos rises to very high levels, condensed only in the voice and sound of the instrument played by Pagani, clear, clean and spooky. Then near to the end it starts an ethnic nenia with oriental percussion that looks like a heartbroken but not sad funeral song. We're at very high levels. Rating 9.

Side A is like a suite because it contains three songs in connection. Rating side A: 8,5/9

Side B starts with an historic character, "Sinan Capudan Pascia'" is a character taken from the history of Genoa. Sinan was captured by Turks and later converted to Isalm. In this songs there is more storytelling, here De Andre recalls his favourite troubadors: Georges Brassens. The music is more accompaniment but has a nice rhythm. Rating 8.

"A Pittima" talks about debts. It is the album's slow song, a reflective, introverted song, which contains noises reminiscent of the waves of the sea. Fine arrangement in the background, almost whispered and short song (three minutes). Vote 7.5/8.

Soon after, to get the album back on its pace, the Lp's most cheerful and exuberant song starts ("A Dumenega" (The Sunday)), with a strong rhythm, and it reminds more of Italian folk and the lyrics speak again of neighborhoods from slums, with prostitution. But the instrumental ending is great and thanks to Franco Mussida who plays classical guitar and electric mandolin, we can listen to a very good Spanish guitar solo. Rating 8+.

The closer is "Da A Me Riva" (From my seaside), another slow song, good but minor piece. Rating 7+.

The second side, with songs shorter but homogeneous as in the first, it lacks of an absolute masterpiece. Side B. Rating: 8,5.

The album is appreciated more than for the individual tracks for the construction of the ensemble, really remarkable for ideation, songwriters, melodies and arrangements. A great pleasure.

A little masterpiece. Rating 8,5/9. Four and a half stars.

I have the privilege of writing the first review of "Le Nuvole"! "Le Nuvole" (The Clouds) is De Andre's penultimate album. It's a heterogeneous record, sung in many languages, with some memorable songs and other gregarious songs. It's a transition album between the masterpiece "Creuza de Ma" (written with Pagani), and the other masterpiece "Anime Salve" (written with Fossati). In fact both Pagani and Fossati appear on the disc, and even Bubola appears, with whom De Andrè had collaborated before the ethnic turn of Creuza de Ma.

Fabrizio De Andrè is accompanied throughout the album by excellent musicians who help him in arrangements, like the multi- instrumentalists Mauro Pagani (ex PFM) and Sergio Conforti, who are the rulers of the great folk and popular orchestra that contributes to playing an infinity of traditional instruments.

The first song (Le nuvole) is a recitative (in Italian) that poetically describes the appearance and the behavior of the clouds in the sky. The lyrics are not interpreted by De Andrè, but by two women, Lalla Pisano and Maria Mereu, who recite in a theatrical way. This short recitative song is an intro to the album (no vote, or 6,5).

"Ottocento" (Eight Hundreds or Nineteenth Century), written by De Andrè and Mauro Pagani is a five minute song with an orchestral arrangement (directed by Piero Milesi). Sung in Italian by Fabrizio De Andrè (called Faber), it is a semi-serious song that parodies the opera. in fact the voice of Faber is set like that of an opera singer (I would say a baritone) but deliberately in a caricatural way - De Andrè has a beautiful tone of voice and a beautiful diction but not a powerful voice or great extension. The track ends with an accelerated tour de force of a Tyrolean jodel sung by a lot of singers. Very strange. Vote 7,5.

The beginning of the Lp is interlocutory.

"Don Raffae'" (Mr. Raphael), lyrics written by De Andrè and Bubola, is a surprising song. In a joking way that mixes popular jargon and cultured quotations, the protagonist tells how organized crime in Naples works (called "Camorra", similar to Mafia). The song is sung in Neapolitan (even if De Andrè is native from North of Italy) by a petty little thug who in all ways seeks the favors of the Camorra boss Don Raffaè. The rhythm is taken from Italian folk songs and the arrangement (Pagani) is phenomenal. The mix of text and music makes this song a little masterpiece. Vote 8,5/9.

"La domenica delle Salme" (Sunday of the Corpses), by De Andrè and Pagani, half past seven minutes, is an acoustic ballad with a wonderful rhythm guitar. The arrangement is fantastic, thanks to Pagani who plays violin and kazoo (a traditional wind instrument). The Sunday of the Corpses narrates (in Italian) in a hyperbolic, distorted, sometimes surrealistic way a series of social and political and musical events in Italy, citing also Renato Curcio, the ideologue of the Red Brigades, the most famous Italian terrorist group. It is the masterpiece of the album. Vote 9.

Side B opens with "Megu Megun" (Doctor, Big Doctor), lyrics by De Andrè and Fossati (music by De Andrè and Pagani), who starts with this song a collaboration whit Faber which will become total in the next album, "Anime Salve". Fossati is a very gifted musician and arranger, who will not regret Pagani. Sung in Genoese language, it tells the story of the long complaint of a sick imaginary against his doctor; in the end, the man decides not to get out of bed. The music this time has a very strong rhythm, which goes hand in hand with the singing, and the synergy between rhythm, singing and folk arrangement is quite successful. Vote 8+.

"La Nova Gelosia", traditional by an unknown author of XVIII century, is a short song (three minutes), very simply. The title means "The New Shutter", which prevents the man from looking at his beloved from the window. It's a melodic song, sung in Neapolitan, embellished by the viola played by Franco Formenti. Vote 7+.

" 'A Cimma", lyrics by De Andrè and Fossati (more than six minutes), is a folk song, sung in Genoese, that describes poetically the preparation of a typical Ligurian dish, the "Cima alla Genovese", and in the meantime tells a story of popular superstition in the kitchen. It is a good song but it doesn't reach the climax. Vote 7,5.

"Monti di Mola" (Mola Mountains), by De Andrè and Pagani (almost eight minutes) is a folk song, sung in Gallurese, the northern language of the island of Sardinia. In this case, Faber sings the love between a young man and a white donkey who meet one morning on these mountains. The people of the village where he lives, they sings: "Beata idda" (Fortunate Her) and they want to organize their marriage, but it was not possible because (in a surrealistic way) the man and the donkey are relatives close. The folk group of Tazenda, native from Sardinia, sings in the choirs. Good folk song, but the text dominates on the music. Vote 7,5/8.

Le Nuvole is a great album, full of creativity in the arrangements, with a lot of variety of sounds, folk atmospheres, languages, up to be too heterogeneous compared to the album that preceded it, the masterpiece "Creuza de Ma", sung and arranged everything (from De Andrè and Pagani) according to language and music Genoese. Le Nuvole is not exempt from falls of tone, alternating between truly remarkable songs to other more constructed ones, or to some very simple ones, but on the whole it remains an album of great caliber.

Medium Quality of the Songs: 7,96. Vote Album: 8,5. Four stars.

This folky concept album based on the Spoon River Anthology is, like the source material, essentially a collection of character studies, each song revolving around a character from the Edgar Masters poems. Although the musical backing by Fabrizio De André and Nicola Piovani isn't full-on prog - more of a blend of influences from Italian folk and classical music - but at the same time these are also the sorts of influences the Italian prog bands of the time liked to introduce into their music, so fans of 1970s Italian bands like PFM or Quella Vecchia Locanda could do a lot worse than checking this out to see where Italian contemporary singer- songwriter stuff was at the time. Other listeners will find this a highly competent singer- songwriter release, though you may lose a little if you don't speak Italian and songs with lyrics you don't understand bug you.

The complete collection of De André's early songs

Fabrizio De André's discography consists of two unequal parts - singles period (1960-66, called, by the name of publishing company, periodo Karim) and album era (1967-1998). Early songs made De André popular and became all-time Italian classics, some of them were re-recorded for later studio albums and were often performed live during his entire career.

"Il viaggio" presents, though not in chronological order, all De André's singles recorded between 1960 and 1966. Even his first single "Per i tuoi larghi occhi"/"Fila la lana" (1960) made it evident that this guy is something special, Faber's deep sensual voice was instantly recognizable. If "Per i tuoi larghi occhi" was a simple love song, "Fila la lana" contained references to medieval history. With newer songs new themes and heroes appeared - life stories and social problems ("La città vecchia"), world of criminals ("Delitto di paese", "La ballata del Michè"), victims of war ("La ballata dell'eroe", "La guerra di Piero"). Of course love is the main subject ("La canzone dell'amore perduto", "Valzer per un amore", "Amore che vieni amore che vai"), even if it often goes hand in hand with death ( "La canzone di Marinella", "Geordie"). And De André had a good sense of humour (sometimes black humour, like in "La ballata dell'amore cieco").

It's a good bonus if you are fluent in Italian. If not you can simply enjoy Fabrizio's voice and music. These songs have wonderful melodies and orchestral arrangements are excellent (many of them made by Giampiero Reverberi who later worked with De André on such great albums like "Tutti morimmo a stento" and "La buona novella", many other Italian bands and artists and produced some of the best albums by LE ORME). Music has obvious 60s feel, but these songs are timeless, like timeless are the classics of, for example, Sinatra or Elvis.

These initial versions of Faber's songs are not included in numerous BMG/Ricordi compilations (due to copyright reasons I guess), but some CDs like this one give us the possibility to listen to them. "Il viaggio" is the best and most complete collection of early De André's classics. "Il viaggio" CD is out of print now, relatively rare and quite expensive, but it worth every cent spent. Despite mono sound (all 1960-66 singles were recorded in mono) and some tape hiss the sound is warm, rich and natural.

Progressive rock did not exist in the days when these songs were created, so if you want prog touches go to Fabrizio's later works. But these little wonders are an essential part of great Italian bard's discography, after all these years they still sound fresh.

My personal rating - 5 biggest and brightest stars, 4 stars for this site.

The release of this album one year after the huge commercial success of its predecessor was just a commercial operations. One thing is releasing a double live album where masterpieces and weaker songs can co-exist so that the weaker things are masked by the goodies. Another thing is taking some of the material discarded from the"Volume 1" to fill a "Volume 2" one year after.

As result we have a still good album, because of the great songwriting of FDA and the great musicianship of PFM, but no highlights.

The live versions of those songs are not much better than the studio, and in particular the last two songs, taken from FDA's masterpiece "La Buona Novella" are better arranged in PFM's "AD 2010" album and were playeed by almost the same artists even on the original FDA album.

However I think that the songs are too well played to consider this album just a collector item, so I can round up my rating to 3 stars with a complain for the label who has released it: a double album would have been a milestone of Italian music in general. This sort of "B-side" sounds just as a well recorded bootleg.

I remember comments from Peter Gabriel (actually very interested in World Music) and from David Byrne saying that this was the best album of the year. Effectively it sounds a lot "world" also because of the dialect in which the songs are written and in the use of ethnic instruments also from middle-East.

"Creuza De Ma'" (Road to the Sea) is mainly a description of the little world of his youthness: Genoa, its harbour and the surroundings. It describes places, people and situations with a base of major chords with a middle eastern flavor.

This contamination between the major chords of the Italian tradition and the middle-eastern instruments is stronger on "Jamin-A" This is the name of an Arabic prostitute who "works" in the harbour as a mariner tells. The music is strongly Middle-eastern influenced and there's also a very good "Oud" solo. I think that any prog fan can like this song.

"Sidun" is a very dramatic track. "Sidun" is an ancient city, one of the most important of Lebanon. The city was attacked by the troops sent by Sharon in 1982 and the lyrics are the lament of a father who has seen his son killed by a tank and carries his devastated body. Dark, tragic and moving. "In this big burning sky a so little death"

"Sinan Capudan Pascia'" is a character taken from the history. It's a Genoan seaman captured by Turks and later converted to Isalm. He then became a "Grand Vizir". About his conversion he said "I have only changed the God to blaspheme". This song has less Arabic elements.

"A Pittima" was the debts collector. Genoan citizens had the possibility, during the Renaissance, to call and send him to the debtors. A nasty guy, isn't it? Hated just a little less than am executor. The lyrics are a dialog (for what I can understand) between he and a debtor. One thing about Genoan language, it sounds incredibly similar to Portuguese, and this surely adds a "World" flavor. The song is in the mood of the opener. Major chords and a slow hypnotic rhythm.

"A Dumenega" (The Sunday) is aboout an ancient use: The maitresses of Brothels were used to make a sort of procession to show their prostitutes. A sort of advertising....with the people commenting and joking at their passage. The language is maybe a bit raw but with Fabrizio de Andre also this is poetry. The Arabian influence is eveident in the instrumental coda in which the guitar sounds quite Spanish.

The closer is "Da A Me Riva" (from my seaside) is about the period of his life in Sardinia that's the opposite seaside to Genoa. A nostalgic song like a lullaby, very appropriate as closer.

What else? I agree with Gabriel and Byrne. This is a great album even if you don't understand the language. I had to look to the official artist's website in order to understand what the songs are about, and I'm Italian! The songs are excellent from a musical point of view and knowing what the lyrics are about can improve the listening pleasure.

A masterpiece even if just prog-related.

Reviewing this album after the remake of "La Buona Novella" released in 2010 by the PFM should help making the things clearer.

First of all, Fabrizio de Andre' was better known as lyricist and effectively many of his songs are pure poetry. It's not that he wasn't a good instrumentist or composer, too. His first release is dated 1958 and he was strongly influenced by the French "chansonniers". Later, as many other italian singer-songwriters he felt the influence of Bob Dylan. This is where he's from. A great artist, never commercial, but surely not prog. At least proto-RPI.

You all know PFM here, instead. Forget them. At the time of the tour from which this live album is taken, Fabrizio was surely most famous than PFM in the mainstream public and was alsovery acclaimed by the critics while PFM was "only" the bigger RPI band together with Banco.

So don't be surprised if all the songs are Fabrizio's hits and PFM is just supporting him. This is a Fabrizio De Andre album which features the excellent arrangement of the PFM.

Now the songs:

"Bocca di Rosa" (Rosemouth) is the true story of a whore that he knew in his city Genoa. Fabrizio was always fascinated by borderline people, also because Genoa is famous for its harbour and is full of borderlines. She died last year and a newspaper has dedicated an article to her. The song is a folky tune in French style and from a lyrical point of view is a song about hypocrisy. All the "good" guys are deprecating the whore but all the town his happy to pay her. One of the most famous songs of this artist.

"Andrea" is about homosexuality. It's a soldier who diserted for love during the first world war and manages to let everybody think that he's dead. Musically it's a sort of country-rock song based on 12 strings acoustic guitar.

"Giugno '73" (June '73) is opened by an interesting bass solo. It's another "French style" song, and one of the few that can really be of some interest for a progger. It's an important song from a lyrical point of view. This is real poetry about the end of a love that's not working between a man, likely Fabrizio himself and a woman too stuck into the conventions. "Leaving ourselves has been better than having never met".

"Un Giudice" (A Judge) is one of the most well-known song of Fabrizio. It's taken form the concept album "Non Al Denaro, Non all'Amore Ne al Cielo" inspired by the "Anthology of Spoon River" of Edgar Lee Masters. "A dwarf is surely a bad person because his heart is too close to his asshole". It's also the song on which the PFM arrangements work better.

"La Guerra di Piero" (Piero's War) is a hymn to the antimilitarism. Piero is a soldier who surprises an enemy in a field of wheat. He's about to shoot him but he stops thinking that he's killing somebody that he doesn't know. That he'll have enough time to see his dying glance...but while he's hesitating the other sees him and shoots him dead.

This was only the side A.

Another very famous song now comes: "Il Pescatore" (The fisherman). To be honest I have never really understood the meaning of the story narrated in this song, apart the fact that the fisherman helps the assassin only because he's asking for food and wine and a safe place to hide. This live version of the song is famous for the excellent violin part performed by Lucio Fabbri.

"Zirichiltaggia" is a song that has a particular story. It's written in one of the Sardinian dialects. It's a language that needs a translation also for Italians. Fabrizio worte it after having been kidnapped by Sardinian bandits (see the artist's bio). It's funny how this language fits into a country-western base. Of course there's room for Lucio Fabbri's violin.

"La Canzone di Marinella" is a classic. It was sung in the 60s by Mina, who is probably the best female vocalist of the Italian pop history. It's the bigger hit single released by Fabrizio. I think it's the story of a woman who commits suicide for love narrated in form of a fairytale. It's the song that I like less in all the Fabrizio's production and PFM doesn't add much to the original.

"Volta la Carta" (Turn the card) is a "ronde". It's a sort of nursery rhyme (literally, nothing to do with Genesis) with some more adult contents. Very folky with a touch of country, between Bob Dylan and Blackmore Nights. Fun but non essential.

Reading other reviews it seems that "Amico Fragile" (Fragile Friend) is the song more appealing for proggers. Effectively is a whispered poetry very dramatic and intensively interpreted. Full of metaphoric images it's not an easy one also in terms of lyrics. It's really dark and sometimes sarcastic: "- Do you know that I've lost two sons? Miss, you are a very inattentive woman!"

If you are looking for PFM classics this is not the right album, but if you want to understand better an album like "A.D. 2010" this is where it started.

It's an excellent addition to any "good" music collection. I have doubts about "prog", but given this advise, I think that 4 stars are not a scandal

Although I am a long standing fan of Fabrizio de Andre', I gained knowledge of this album thirty years after, just during his last concert, dated on 1999 at the Brancaccio theatre.

Fabrizio is not a proper prog artist, his roots are strongly deep inside the traditional Italian singer-songwriter's genre, which is largely even far from the traditional rock's genre, but "La buona Novella", with the subsequent albums "Non al denaro non all'amore nè al cielo" and "Storia di un impiegato", represents a significant prog digression in the artist's career.

"La buona novella" is an exquisite concept album and, if we consider that it is almost contemporary of "In the wake of Poseidon", "The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other" and "Trespass" among the others, and two years in advance of "Storia di un minuto", and "Banco del Mutuo Soccorso" it is among if not even the first real Italian prog record ever, and one of the most important oeuvre of the "Rock Progressivo Italiano".

Fabrizio, a professed atheist, tells the story of the Virgin Mary from a different point of view, generated by his deep studies of the so-called "Apocryphal Gospel". Jesus Christ is the third most important prophet of the Muslim religion, and there are several anecdotes regarding his life within the Koran too, that are not reported within the catholic Gospel. The artist through these anecdotes develops a poignant story, composed with highly poetic metaphors, in order to highlight the problems of the society of his time too, such as war, woman's condition, power politics, hypocrisy etc...

The first five songs tell the story of the Virgin Mary's childhood, apparently raised from the age of three to the age of twelve in a temple until the coming of her first period. Won by Joseph, in market's raffle prize, she become the child-bride of a man (Joseph) too old to be a husband and unwilling to be a father. War. Joseph, a carpenter, is sent to the front in order to use is skill to fix the injured limps of the soldiers, and he will be away for four years. During this period, Mary has a love's affair with an "Angel (?)", and when Joseph is back she is pregnant. I like the best this first part, which is the most progressive part of the album too, the five songs unfold like a real suite in five movements with a proper intro and a "Gran Finale", of course Fabrizio, an excellent musician, is even a better poet, and the knowledge of the Italian language not only help to appreciate his works at the best, but it accentuate this impression of listening a proper suite, too.

The rest of the album carries on a more appropriate way to the traditional Italian songs. "Via della Croce" is a very beautiful ballad with a powerful and forceful pace, worthy of a Leonard Cohen. It tells of the last walk of Jesus Christ to his execution carrying the cross on his back, through the hostile and hypocrite crowds.

"Tre Madri" literally three mothers, describe, in a poignant song, the pain of the Virgin Mary and the mothers of the two thieves, for the execution of their sons.

"Il testament di Tito" among the most popular songs of de Andre' ever, is a sort of "Ten Commandments" the other way around and it is a blast to the hypocrisy of the power and in particular of the Catholic Church.

The symphonic "Laudate Homini" is a progressive "Gran Finale", including of string quartet and choir.

I rate this album 5 star, first of all because it is an historical landmark of the Italian popular music and also because it is one of the first important step into the beginning of the "Rock Progressivo Italiano".