Lucio Battisti – Amore e non amore (1971/2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Lucio Battisti – Amore e non amore (1971/2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 35:33 minutes | 953 MB | Genre: Pop Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RCA Numero Uno

Amore e non amore (Love and non-love) is a concept album by the Italian singer and songwriter Lucio Battisti. It was released in July 1971 by Dischi Ricordi. The album focuses on the contraposition of “love” and “not-love”. As a result, the LP is split in two definite “sides”, each one made up of four songs: The “non-love” side, characterised by a rock and roll music style and lyrics referring to “non-love” situations (e.g. adultery, unrequited or obsessive love, etc.). The “love” side, characterised by instrumental tracks with long titles and a progressive rock music style. The album was Italy’s 10th best selling album in 1971, though no song from this disc became nearly as popular as those included in Battisti’s other albums from this period.

Originally released in 1971 (and reissued on Water in 2006), Lucio Battisti’s seminal Amore e Non Amore was actually put out by his former label, Ricordi – who still had the rights to the songs – after Battisti and lyricist Mogol left to build up their own company, Numero Uno. Still, it stands as one of the artist’s most important records, and it’s a big step forward in Italian rock music. Moving away from the more sentimental, sweet-string-laden songs and arrangements that haunt Romance-language pop (including Battisti’s), Amore e Non Amore is as good as any album released that year (and yes, that’s referring to Zeppelin IV and Sticky Fingers). Battisti’s voice has a rough, unpracticed quality to it that heightens the emotional intensity of his songs. He sounds desperate, or perhaps just unbearably nervous, like a panicky teenager on his first date, in the opener, the fantastic “Dio Mio No” (also found on the 1969 self-titled debut), as he waits for a woman to arrive at his house for dinner. Later in the song, he’s hardly able to control himself when he sees her approaching him in pajamas, his voice a half-sob/half-yelp of joy as he squawks out “cosa fai, che cosa fai?,” before the song breaks into two minutes of modal organ and guitar riffs. Even though half of the eight songs are instrumentals, their long, descriptive titles (“Davanti a un Distributore Automatico di Fiori dell’Aeroporto di Bruxelles Anch’io Chiuso in una Bolla di Vetro” or “7 Agosto di Pomeriggio, fra le Lamiere Roventi di un Cimitero di Automoboli Solo Io, Silenzioso Eppure Straordinariamente Vivo”) explain the situation as well as any of Mogol’s lyrics do. The band – and everything is arranged and composed by Battisti – is tight and crisp, yet loose enough to allow for improvisation and pure groove. It’s great, affecting rock music: the two guitars and the piano play off and with one another while the bass, drums, organ, and the occasional orchestral arrangement add a warm rhythm that moves the song along with concentrated and direct feeling. Amore e Non Amore is short: it clocks in at just over 35 minutes, but it’s an excellent album that shows Battisti at his best and most beloved, with honest lyrics that are reflected in his voice and in his music.

Tracklist:
1-1. Lucio Battisti – Dio mio no (07:28)
1-2. Lucio Battisti – Seduto sotto un platano (03:07)
1-3. Lucio Battisti – Una (03:45)
1-4. Lucio Battisti – 7 agosto di pomeriggio (04:02)
1-5. Lucio Battisti – Se la mia pelle vuoi (04:05)
1-6. Lucio Battisti – Davanti ad un distributore automatico di fiori (02:14)
1-7. Lucio Battisti – Supermarket (04:51)
1-8. Lucio Battisti – Una poltrona (05:57)

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