Lucio Battisti -

Lucio Battisti (March 5, 1943 — Sept. 9, 1998) was an Italian singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer who released Ricordi albums between 1969 and 1971, then moved through a long Numero Uno run from Umanamente uomo: il sogno through L’apparenza. His later CBS and Columbia albums closed a studio sequence that ran through Hegel in 1994. Mogol supplied the texts for the classic Ricordi and Numero Uno period through Una giornata uggiosa. Velezia and Pasquale Panella supplied the later text axis.

Background

Lucio Battisti was born March 5, 1943, in Poggio Bustone, Rieti, Lazio. He studied guitar as a teenager and entered the early-sixties beat circuit as a guitarist with Gli Svitati, then worked with I Mattatori and I Satiri. He joined I Campioni after Roby Matano offered him the guitar chair, then moved to Milan and entered the Santa Tecla circuit.

Matano encouraged Battisti to write songs. A 1965 audition placed Battisti before Franco Crepax, where publisher Christine Leroux noticed him and later connected him with Mogol. Battisti first worked behind other singers, then made his solo single debut in July 1966 with “Per una lira” (b/w “Dolce di giorno”) on Ricordi.

Ricordi issued further Battisti singles through the late sixties, including “Luisa Rossi” (b/w “Era”), “Prigioniero del mondo” (b/w “Balla Linda”), “La mia canzone per Maria” (b/w “Io vivrò (senza te)”), and “Un’avventura” (b/w “Non è Francesca”). In 1969, Battisti joined Mogol, Mariano Rapetti, Sandro Colombini, and Franco Daldello in the formation of Numero Uno, though his Ricordi obligations bound his first four albums.

Lucio Battisti

Lucio Battisti released his self-titled debut album in March 1969 on Ricordi.

The album collects the first Ricordi singles period in LP form, from “Per una lira” through the 1969 Sanremo entry “Un’avventura.” Mogol supplies the texts; Battisti writes the music apart from “Prigioniero del mondo,” which carries a Carlo Donida Labati music credit.

“Un’avventura” sways through horn replies that pull the festival melody toward a more physical arrangement. “29 settembre” circles through triplet-strung arpeggios, strings, and brass, with Battisti tracing the broken sung contour as private recollection. “La mia canzone per Maria” tilts into Latin-accented motion, with Spanish-style rhythm under a direct romantic address.

“Non è Francesca” narrows to chamber-scale restraint and ends on reversed-tape instrumental space. “Balla Linda” turns on an unusual rhythmic figure and a lean Hammond part. “Io vivrò (senza te)” pleads through orchestral phrases and brass punctuation. “Il vento” crests from electric figures into a sung rise and brief kit breaks.

A1. “Un’avventura” [An Adventure] (3:10)
A2. “29 settembre” [September 29] (3:30)
A3. “La mia canzone per Maria” [My Song for Maria] (3:10)
A4. “Nel sole, nel vento, nel sorriso e nel pianto” [In the Sun, in the Wind, in the Smile, and in the Tears] (2:46)
A5. “Uno in più” [One More] (3:42)
A6. “Non è Francesca” [It Isn’t Francesca] (3:55)

B1. “Balla Linda” [Dance, Linda] (3:08)
B2. “Per una lira” [For One Lira] (2:26)
B3. “Prigioniero del mondo” [Prisoner of the World] (3:28) – Donida Labati
B4. “Io vivrò (senza te)” [I Will Live (Without You)] (3:54)
B5. “Nel cuore, nell’anima” [In the Heart, in the Soul] (2:20)
B6. “Il vento” [The Wind] (3:29)

Sessions for Lucio Battisti occurred in January and February 1969 at Sax Records and Ricordi, Milan, where Battisti and Mogol produced the album with Sax engineer Ezio De Rosa and Ricordi engineer Walter Patergnani. De Rosa belonged to the Sax/Stone Castle engineering pool; Patergnani also engineered Ricordi titles by Equipe 84 (Io ho in mente te) and Fabrizio De André (La buona novella).

Ricordi issued “Prigioniero del mondo” in 1968 (b/w “Balla Linda”), which reached No. 17 in Italy. “Un’avventura” followed in 1969 (b/w “Non è Francesca”).

Lucio Battisti reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart and ranked as Italy’s third-best-selling album of 1969.

Emozioni

Lucio Battisti released his second album, Emozioni in December 1970 on Ricordi.

Emozioni compiles Battisti/Mogol single material from 1968–70, with the 1969–70 A-sides “Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara,” “Mi ritorni in mente,” “Fiori rosa, fiori di pesco,” and “Anna.” Earlier Ricordi sides “Non è Francesca” and “Io vivrò (senza te)” link the program to the debut-era sequence.

“Fiori rosa, fiori di pesco” swells through repeated rhythmic crescendos that lift the returning plea. “Il tempo di morire” grinds on a blunt repeating figure and preserves the loose studio cue that pulls the ending into place. “Mi ritorni in mente” folds romanza contour into darker phrasing as Battisti sings the memory from shock to refusal. “7 e 40” hammers a bass-and-vibraphone figure under organ counterpoints and an ascending close.

“Emozioni” opens on a spare figure, pauses for strings, and lets the orchestra widen around hushed singing. “Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara” contrasts a delicate opening strain with trumpet calls and ensemble replies. “Anna” clenches a two-chord alternation until the closing cry lands over an explosive break.

A1. “Fiori rosa, fiori di pesco” [Pink Flowers, Peach Blossoms] (3:16)
A2. “Dolce di giorno” [Sweet by Day] (2:38)
A3. “Il tempo di morire” [The Time to Die] (5:40)
A4. “Mi ritorni in mente” [You Come Back to Mind] (3:41)
A5. “7 e 40” [7:40] (3:32)
A6. “Emozioni” [Emotions] (4:44)

B1. “Dieci ragazze” [Ten Girls] (2:57)
B2. “Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara” [Blue Water, Clear Water] (3:33)
B3. “Era” [It Was] (2:57)
B4. “Non è Francesca” [It Isn’t Francesca] (3:54)
B5. “Io vivrò (senza te)” [I Will Live (Without You)] (3:52)
B6. “Anna” (4:38)

Mogol and Battisti produced Emozioni from the surrounding 1968–70 single material. Detto Mariano, the former I Ribelli keyboardist and Clan Celentano arranger, conducted parts of the single sequence; Reverberi brought the material into the same Ricordi arranger-producer line that linked Battisti with Fabrizio De André, Luigi Tenco, Gino Paoli, New Trolls, and Le Orme.

Ricordi issued “Acqua azzurra, acqua chiara” in 1969 (b/w “Dieci ragazze”), which reached No. 3 in Italy. “Mi ritorni in mente” followed in 1969 (b/w “7 e 40”) and reached No. 1. In 1970, “Fiori rosa, fiori di pesco” appeared as a single (b/w “Il tempo di morire”) and reached No. 2. “Anna” followed (b/w “Emozioni”) and reached No. 1.

Emozioni reached No. 1 in Italy and became Italy’s fourth-best-selling album of 1971.

Amore e non amore

Lucio Battisti released his third album, Amore e non amore in July 1971 on Ricordi.

Amore e non amore is the first Battisti album conceived as a new studio program. Shorter vocal titles alternate with long-titled instrumentals; guitarist Alberto Radius joins two Premiata Forneria Marconi players, guitarist Franco Mussida and drummer Franz Di Cioccio. Organist Dario Baldan Bembo joins bassist Giorgio Piazza and pianist-tambourine player Flavio Premoli in the main cast.

“Dio mio no” quivers on a single E7 ground until Battisti’s half-sobbed phrases spill into modal riffing. “Seduto sotto…” circles a Middle Eastern-tinged theme. “Una” sinks into a slow, dazed Hammond bed under the speaker’s fixation. “7 agosto…” passes from acoustic entry into atonal drift.

“Se la mia pelle vuoi” charges through a fast rhythm and excited lead breaks. “Davanti…” repeats a piano figure while the arrangement enlarges behind it. “Supermarket” rattles like a floor-tapped sketch beneath the banana-counter lyric. “Una poltrona…” lifts wordless singing through an orchestral crescendo and a late sitar entry.

A1. “Dio mio no” [My God, No] (7:31)
A2. “Seduto sotto un platano con una margherita in bocca guardando il fiume nero macchiato dalla schiuma bianca dei detersivi” [Sitting Under a Plane Tree with a Daisy in My Mouth, Watching the Black River Stained by the White Foam of Detergents] (3:08)
A3. “Una” [One] (3:45)
A4. “7 agosto di pomeriggio fra le lamiere roventi di un cimitero di automobili solo io, silenzioso eppure straordinariamente vivo” [August 7 in the Afternoon Among the Scorching Metal Sheets of a Car Cemetery, Only Me, Silent Yet Extraordinarily Alive] (4:02)

B1. “Se la mia pelle vuoi” [If You Want My Skin] (4:07)
B2. “Davanti ad un distributore automatico di fiori dell’aeroporto di Bruxelles anch’io chiuso in una bolla di vetro” [In Front of an Automatic Flower Dispenser at Brussels Airport, I Too Am Closed in a Glass Bubble] (2:15)
B3. “Supermarket” (4:51)
B4. “Una poltrona, un bicchiere di cognac, un televisore, 35 morti ai confini di Israele e Giordania” [An Armchair, a Glass of Cognac, a Television, 35 Dead on the Israel-Jordan Border] (5:57)

Battisti produced and arranged Amore e non amore in October 1970 at Ricordi, Milan, with Patergnani, whose Ricordi credits already linked Battisti’s single work to Equipe 84, Fabrizio De André, and I Dik Dik.

Amore e non amore appeared in a sleeve with photography by Silvio Nobili and artwork by Fabio Berruti.

Ricordi issued “Dio mio no” in 1971 (b/w “Era”), which reached No. 5 in Italy. “Le tre verità” followed in 1971 (b/w “Supermarket”) and reached No. 9. Ricordi issued “Elena no” in 1972 (b/w “Una”), which reached No. 21.

Amore e non amore reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart.

Lucio Battisti Vol. 4

Lucio Battisti released his numerical fourth album on October 21, 1971, on Ricordi.

Vol. 4 closes the Ricordi LP period with nine Battisti/Mogol titles and the Sergio Endrigo cover “Adesso sì.” The sequence places “Pensieri e parole” and “Le tre verità” beside earlier Ricordi sides from the 1966–70 single run.

“Le tre verità” twists through guitars in high relief as Battisti divides the drama between rasped lines and falsetto peaks. “Dio mio no” quivers on one chord while Hammond figures and a rising sung strain carry the long build. “La mia canzone per Maria” sways on Latin-accented rhythm and a Spanish-leaning design.

“Pensieri e parole” braids two sung strands, with the filtered opening line answered by high counter-singing. “Insieme a te sto bene” leans into a guitar riff that Battisti shadows with his singing. “29 settembre” circles through triplet-strung acoustic lines, strings, and brass. “Io vivrò (senza te)” pleads across orchestral phrases and brass punctuation.

A1. “Le tre verità” [The Three Truths] (4:55)
A2. “Dio mio no” [My God, No] (7:32)
A3. “Adesso sì” [Now Yes] (3:15) – Endrigo
A4. “La mia canzone per Maria” [My Song for Maria] (3:13)
A5. “Luisa Rossi” (2:48)

B1. “Pensieri e parole” [Thoughts and Words] (3:55)
B2. “Mi ritorni in mente” [You Come Back to Mind] (3:43)
B3. “Insieme a te sto bene” [I Feel Good with You] (3:48)
B4. “29 settembre” [September 29] (3:34)
B5. “Io vivrò (senza te)” [I Will Live (Without You)] (4:02)

Mogol and Battisti produced Lucio Battisti Vol. 4 for Ricordi from the same Ricordi single sequence. The release credits identify the producer pair but do not isolate a new studio crew for a unified album session. Later Orizzonte reissues retitled the program Pensieri e parole.

Ricordi issued “Pensieri e parole” in 1971 (b/w “Insieme a te sto bene”), which reached No. 1 in Italy and topped the Italian year-end singles chart.

Lucio Battisti Vol. 4 reached No. 3 on the Italian album chart.

Umanamente uomo: il sogno

Lucio Battisti released his fifth album, Umanamente uomo: il sogno in April 1972 on Numero Uno.

Umanamente uomo: il sogno is the first main Numero Uno album, with eight Battisti/Mogol titles. Gian Piero Reverberi supplies orchestral and choral arrangements, with Radius retained from Amore e non amore. New players include guitarists Massimo Luca and Eugenio Guarraia, bassist Angel Salvador, drummer-percussionist Tony Cicco, and percussionist-backing singers Mario Lavezzi and Oscar Prudente.

“I giardini di marzo” unfurls from delicate arpeggios and doubled singing into a symphonic lift. “Innocenti evasioni” tightens around wah-wah flickers, staged entrances, a pared-back panic break, and a wordless finish. “…e penso a te” settles on plain piano and rises after two minutes into group singing before the close returns to intimate murmuring. “Umanamente uomo: il sogno” whistles unsteadily before closed-mouth singing turns the instrumental into a wordless miniature.

“Comunque bella” murmurs on a subdued line before Hammond and full instrumentation open the refrain. “Il leone e la gallina” skips through a light nursery-rhyme design. “Sognando e risognando” swells through shifting dynamics and a sung exchange with a woman urging the meeting. “Il fuoco” burns through distorted guitar and midpiece exclamations.

A1. “I giardini di marzo” [The Gardens of March] (5:33)
A2. “Innocenti evasioni” [Innocent Escapes] (3:48)
A3. “… e penso a te” [… and I Think of You] (4:18)
A4. “Umanamente uomo: il sogno” [Humanly Man: The Dream] (3:24)

B1. “Comunque bella” [Beautiful Anyway] (3:53)
B2. “Il leone e la gallina” [The Lion and the Hen] (3:32)
B3. “Sognando e risognando” [Dreaming and Dreaming Again] (5:17)
B4. “Il fuoco” [The Fire] (4:10)

Battisti co-produced Umanamente uomo: il sogno with Reverberi in January and February 1972 at Studio A, Fonorama, Milan, with Gaetano Ria, a Fonorama/Trafalgar soundman credited on early-Seventies albums by PFM, Area, I Nomadi, and Acqua Fragile.

Umanamente uomo: il sogno appeared in a sleeve by photographer Caesar Monti, also credited on the first two PFM (Storia di un Minuto, Per un Amico) albums and 1972 covers for Formula 3, Mia Martini, Roberto Soffici, and Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso (Darwin!).

Numero Uno issued “I giardini di marzo” in April 1972 (b/w “Comunque bella”), which reached No. 1 in Italy.

Umanamente uomo: il sogno reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart and ranked as Italy’s second-best-selling album of 1972.

Il mio canto libero

Lucio Battisti released his sixth album, Il mio canto libero in November 1972 on Numero Uno.

Il mio canto libero retains Reverberi in the orchestral role and adds piano, mandolin, Hawaiian guitar, and guiro to the guitar credit. Luca, Radius, Salvador, Cicco, Lavezzi, and Reverberi remain. New players include drummer Gianni Dall’Aglio, keyboardists Gabriele Lorenzi and Vince Tempera, trumpeter Pierluigi Mucciolo, and backing singers Mara Cubeddu, Barbara Michelin, and I Musical.

“La luce dell’Est” opens on Reverberi strings and travels through two sections with a second-part key change. “Luci-ah” prances at a quick pace over honky-tonk piano, lyric pauses, and high choral flourishes. “L’aquila” retreats to acoustic guitar and closes with violins over minor-key doubt. “Vento nel vento” starts on piano, admits organ in the second section, and crests with orchestra and a string-led interlude.

“Confusione” talks through a moderate three-chord circuit. “Io vorrei… non vorrei… ma se vuoi” sinks into minor-key hesitation, then lets the orchestra answer in major-key release. “Gente per bene e gente per male” stages the class rebuff as a call-and-answer with women’s replies, then resolves in a warmer A-flat finale. “Il mio canto libero” begins as a bare voice-and-guitar address and broadens into orchestral resolve.

A1. “La luce dell’est” [The Light from the East] (6:18)
A2. “Luci-ah” (4:47)
A3. “L’aquila” [The Eagle] (4:24)
A4. “Vento nel vento” [Wind in the Wind] (3:24)

B1. “Confusione” [Confusion] (4:30)
B2. “Io vorrei… non vorrei… ma se vuoi…” [I’d Like… I Wouldn’t Like… But If You Want…] (4:35)
B3. “Gente per bene e gente per male” [Good People and Bad People] (4:46)
B4. “Il mio canto libero” [My Free Song] (5:08)

Battisti co-produced Il mio canto libero with Reverberi in September and October 1972 at Studio B, Fonorama, with Bruno Malasoma, a Fonorama engineer with adjacent credits on Le Orme (Felona e Sorona), Antonello Venditti (L’Orso Bruno), I Nomadi (Un giorno insieme), and Ivano Fossati.

Il mio canto libero features another sleeve photographed by Caesar Monti, also credited on 1973 albums by Dedalus and Museo Rosenbach.

Numero Uno issued “Il mio canto libero” in November 1972 (b/w “Confusione”), which reached No. 1 in Italy and held the top position for nine weeks in 1973.

Il mio canto libero reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart and ranked as Italy’s best-selling album of 1973.

Il nostro caro angelo

Lucio Battisti released his seventh album, Il nostro caro angelo in September 1973 on Numero Uno.

Il nostro caro angelo takes the Numero Uno sessions into a two-studio Italy–England setup. Bassist Bob Callero enters the main cast beside Dall’Aglio, Luca, Reverberi, Cubeddu, Michelin, and I Musical.

“La collina dei ciliegi” turns through pauses, rhythmic changes, electronic keyboards, and women’s replies. “Ma è un canto brasileiro” starts with speech, breaks into a sharper rhythm, and interrupts itself with tropical insertions and choral interlocks. “La canzone della terra” fixates on an obsessive percussion pattern under the farmer’s rural monologue. “Il nostro caro angelo” circles a difficult sung arc over guitar figures.

“Le allettanti promesse” pits Battisti against women’s replies while synthesizer and bass thread the rural refusal through overlapping lines. “Prendi fra le mani la testa” recasts the older song over a sleek rhythm base. “Questo inferno rosa” stretches into a mini-suite and collapses into electric-guitar turbulence at the close.

A1. “La collina dei ciliegi” [The Cherry-Tree Hill] (4:58)
A2. “Ma è un canto brasileiro” [But It Is a Brazilian Song] (5:21)
A3. “La canzone della terra” [The Song of the Earth] (5:31)
A4. “Il nostro caro angelo” [Our Dear Angel] (4:13)

B1. “Le allettanti promesse” [The Tempting Promises] (5:11)
B2. “Io gli ho detto no” [I Told Him No] (4:21)
B3. “Prendi fra le mani la testa” [Take Your Head in Your Hands] (3:54)
B4. “Questo inferno rosa” [This Pink Hell] (6:54)

Battisti co-produced Il nostro caro angelo with Reverberi in July 1973 at Studio B, Fonorama, and in August 1973 at EMI/Abbey Road, London. Malasoma handled the Fonorama recordings; John Leckie mixed the London work after tape-operator and balance-engineer credits on George Harrison (All Things Must Pass), John Lennon (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band), Syd Barrett (Barrett), Pink Floyd (Meddle), Wings (Red Rose Speedway), Roy Harper, and Soft Machine.

Il nostro caro angelo appeared in a sleeve by Mogol and Studio G7. Numero Uno issued “La collina dei ciliegi” in September 1973 (b/w “Il nostro caro angelo”), which reached No. 1 in Italy.

Il nostro caro angelo reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart and ranked as Italy’s second-best-selling album of 1973.

Unser Freies Lied

Lucio Battisti released the German-language album Unser Freies Lied in 1974 on Numero Uno.

Unser Freies Lied presents German-language versions of early Numero Uno material for the German market. Udo Lindenberg supplies the texts for songs drawn from Umanamente uomo: il sogno and Il mio canto libero, among them “I giardini di marzo,” “Il mio canto libero,” “L’aquila,” and “Io vorrei… non vorrei… ma se vuoi…”.

A1. “Luci-ah” (4:45)
A2. “Du bist trotzdem schön” [You Are Beautiful Anyway] (3:50)
A3. “Gärten im März” [Gardens in March] (5:29)
A4. “Die heimliche Freundin” [The Secret Girlfriend] (3:38)

B1. “Ich würd’ gern – ich weiß noch nicht – doch wenn du willst” [I’d Like To — I Don’t Know Yet — But If You Want]
B2. “Der Adler” [The Eagle]
B3. “Ich träume” [I Dream]
B4. “Unser freies Lied” [Our Free Song]

Battisti produced Unser Freies Lied for Numero Uno as the German-language counterpart to Il mio canto libero, with the Reverberi arrangements carried into the German issue. Available credits do not isolate a separate sound engineer for this issue.

Numero Uno issued Unser Freies Lied in Germany, then kept the album outside the main Italian studio sequence.

Anima latina

Lucio Battisti released his eighth proper album, Anima latina in December 1974 on Numero Uno.

Anima latina treats the LP as a continuous studio sequence with reprises and internal links. The returning circle retains Luca, Callero, Dall’Aglio, Cubeddu, Radius, and Lavezzi. New players divide into rhythm-keyboard credits (bassist Ares Tavolazzi, keyboardist-percussionist Claudio Maioli, electronic-strings player Gneo Pompeo, drummer-percussionist Francesco Lo Previte) and horn/woodwind credits (woodwind player Claudio Pascoli, trombonist Gianni Bogliano, trumpeters Pierluigi Mucciolo and Pippo Colucci).

“Abbracciala abbracciali abbracciati” seeps from sparse kit and electronic haze into brass release, Latin percussion, filtered flute, and brief saxophone. “Due mondi” tilts into an urgent duet with Mara Cubeddu, with Battisti’s processed opening figure giving way to brass-led motion. “Anonimo” wanders from quiet synth shimmer into a pastoral instrumental expansion, then turns through a darker fandango before the band-style “I giardini di marzo” tag.

“Gli uomini celesti” drifts through samba-like motion, treated singing, and a short concrete-percussion break. “Anima latina” gathers synth, piano, acoustic guitar, and percussion under thin, unstable singing before the final dance surge. “Macchina del tempo” fractures its line-shapes through rhythm changes and shifting registers. “Separazione naturale” dissolves into a dark bed of murmured syllables and ritualized rhythmic debris.

A1. “Abbracciala, abbracciali, abbracciati” [Embrace Her, Embrace Them, Embrace Yourself] (7:04)
A2. “Due mondi” [Two Worlds] (5:13)
A3. “Anonimo” [Anonymous] (7:03)
A4. “Gli uomini celesti” [The Celestial Men] (5:06)

B1. “Gli uomini celesti (ripresa)” [The Celestial Men (Reprise)] (0:52)
B2. “Due mondi (ripresa)” [Two Worlds (Reprise)] (1:10)
B3. “Anima latina” [Latin Soul] (6:37)
B4. “Il salame” [The Salami] (3:38)
B5. “La nuova America” [The New America] (2:49)
B6. “Macchina del tempo” [Time Machine] (6:59)
B7. “Separazione naturale” [Natural Separation] (1:28)

Battisti and Mogol produced Anima latina from June through October 1974 at Fono-Roma Sound Recordings, Cologno Monzese, and Il Mulino, Anzano del Parco. Piero Bravin and Ambrogio Ferrario engineered the credited sessions, with uncredited Il Mulino input from Gianni Prudente. Bravin engineered Area (Crac!) and Eugenio Finardi (Sugo); Ferrario assisted on Crac! and Premiata Forneria Marconi (L’isola di niente).

Anima latina appeared in a another sleeve by Caesar Monti, who also photographed 1974 covers for Alberomotore and Biglietto Per L’Inferno.

Numero Uno issued “Due mondi” in November 1974 (b/w “Abbracciala, abbracciali, abbracciati”).

Anima latina reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart.

Lucio Battisti, la batteria, il contrabbasso, eccetera

Lucio Battisti released his ninth album, Lucio Battisti, la batteria, il contrabbasso, eccetera in January 1976 on Numero Uno.

La batteria contains seven Battisti/Mogol titles plus “La compagnia,” a Mogol–Carlo Donida song. Guitarist-mandolinist Ivan Graziani joins the Il Mulino cast. Bassist Hugh Bullen and drummer Walter Calloni form the rhythm section with returning keyboardist Claudio Maioli. “Io ti venderei” features Radius, Callero, Dall’Aglio, and Lorenzi from the earlier Numero Uno circle.

“Ancora tu” locks interlaced guitar figures to offbeat hi-hat work, electric-piano turns, synth-string rises, and a late upward modulation. “Un uomo che ti ama” pivots from suspended-minor drama into a syncopated base with Wurlitzer runs and a Graziani solo. “La compagnia” recasts the older song as a stretched six-eight sway with group-sung cushioning. “Io ti venderei” flickers between natural phrasing and falsetto turns.

“Dove arriva quel cespuglio” alters its chord path and sung entries while wah-wah, piano, and synth strings mark the pauses. “Respirando” scatters acoustic, resonator, and mandolin figures through short stereo interventions. “No dottore” pleads from recited phrases into falsetto thinning, high replies, and low “per favore” responses. “Il veliero” rides a long ostinato through stereo-split rhythm themes and irregular chord spans. “Ancora tu (coda)” reduces the song to an acoustic voice-and-guitar fragment.

A1. “Ancora tu” [You Again] (4:45)
A2. “Un uomo che ti ama” [A Man Who Loves You] (6:09)
A3. “La compagnia” [Company] (5:51) – Donida
A4. “Io ti venderei” [I Would Sell You] (4:34)

B1. “Dove arriva quel cespuglio” [Where That Bush Reaches] (4:13)
B2. “Respirando” [Breathing] (4:58)
B3. “No dottore” [No, Doctor] (5:45)
B4. “Il veliero” [The Sailing Ship] (6:01)
B5. “Ancora tu (ripresa)” [You Again (Reprise)] (0:38)

Mogol and Battisti produced Lucio Battisti, la batteria, il contrabbasso, eccetera in 1975 at Il Mulino with Prudente, the Anima latina holdover credited as engineer and mixer. Riccardo Pizzamiglio handled technical assistance in the Il Mulino room.

Lucio Battisti, la batteria, il contrabbasso, eccetera appeared in Lucio’s fourth sleeve by Caesar Monti, also credited on 1975/76 albums by Angelo Branduardi, Ivan Cattaneo, Maxophone, and Perigeo.

Numero Uno issued “Ancora tu” in February 1976 (b/w “Dove arriva quel cespuglio”), which reached No. 1 in Italy and topped the Italian year-end singles chart.

Lucio Battisti, la batteria, il contrabbasso, eccetera reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart.

Io tu noi tutti

Lucio Battisti released his tenth album, Io tu noi tutti in March 1977 on Numero Uno.

Io tu noi tutti establishes a Los Angeles studio cast around producer Bones Howe and arranger Mike Melvoin. The RCA Hollywood cast divides by role: guitar (Ray Parker Jr., Dennis Budimir, Danny Ferguson), keyboards and synthesizer (Melvoin, Michael Boddicker), bass (Scotty Edwards, Jim Hughart), and drums (Ed Greene, Hal Blaine). “Amarsi un po’,” “Sì, viaggiare,” and “Questione di cellule” retain the Il Mulino quartet of Graziani, Bullen, Calloni, and Maioli.

“Amarsi un po’” rests on two repeated chords after the synth entry, then carries a broken sung line across the rhythm figure. “L’interprete di un film” threads three rhythm-guitar parts through the electric surface. “Soli” softens into a hushed falsetto address. “Ami ancora Elisa” works the rhythm figures around a single non-repeated insert.

“Sì, viaggiare” loops a rhythmic chord sequence into a circular phrase and ends on a synth tail. “Questione di cellule” drives through an electric figure and one of Battisti’s knottier harmonic paths. “Ho un anno di più” sparks from keyboard flourishes into two unexpected inserts before the main theme returns. “Neanche un minuto di ‘non amore’” tightens the telephone misunderstanding into a late-album rhythmic drive.

A1. “Amarsi un po’” [To Love Each Other a Little] (5:07)
A2. “L’interprete di un film” [The Star of a Film] (4:28)
A3. “Soli” [Alone] (4:18)
A4. “Ami ancora Elisa” [You Still Love Elisa] (6:41)

B1. “Sì, viaggiare” [Yes, Traveling] (6:07)
B2. “Questione di cellule” [A Matter of Cells] (4:16)
B3. “Ho un anno di più” [I Am One Year Older] (5:04)
B4. “Neanche un minuto di ‘non amore’” [Not Even One Minute of “Non-Love”] (5:20)

Battisti and Bones Howe produced Io tu noi tutti from October through December 1976 at RCA, Hollywood. Richie Schmitt and Pete Abbott recorded the backing tracks; Darryl Caseine handled the voice recordings. Howe brought a producer-engineer background from the 5th Dimension, The Association, The Turtles, and Tom Waits, while Schmitt worked out of RCA Hollywood.

Numero Uno issued “Amarsi un po’” in 1977 (b/w “Sì, viaggiare”), which reached No. 1 in Italy and topped the Italian year-end singles chart.

Io tu noi tutti reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart and ranked as Italy’s second-best-selling album of 1977.

Images

Lucio Battisti released the English-language album Images in September 1977 on RCA Victor.

Images presents English versions of five Io tu noi tutti titles and two earlier Battisti songs. Peter Powell writes new English texts over the Mogol material, and Joe Reisman joins Battisti and Howe in the production credit.

A1. “To Feel in Love” (5:09)
A2. “A Song to Feel Alive” (4:39)
A3. “The Only Thing I’ve Lost” (5:02)
A4. “Keep on Cruising” (4:36)

B1. “The Sun Song” (5:17)
B2. “There’s Never Been a Moment” (4:47)
B3. “Only” (4:47)

Battisti, Howe, and RCA arranger-conductor Joe Reisman produced Images from October 1976 through March 1977 at RCA, Hollywood. Schmitt, Abbott, and Pete Romano recorded the sessions, while Romano handled the mix with RCA assistants Darryl Caseine, Derek Du Nann, Ellis Sorkin, and Helen Silvani.

Images appeared in a sleeve by Al Vandenberg with art direction by Glen Christensen.

Numero Uno issued “Only” in Italy in 1977 (b/w “The Only Thing I’ve Lost”). RCA Victor issued “To Feel in Love” in Britain in January 1978 (b/w “Only”).

Images reached No. 11 on the Italian album chart.

Una donna per amico

Lucio Battisti released his eleventh proper album, Una donna per amico in December 1978 on Numero Uno.

Una donna per amico gives Geoff Westley the producer-arranger role and the main keyboard credit. The English session cast includes drummer Gerry Conway, bassists Paul Westwood and Dave Olney, guitarists Pip Williams, Lawrence Juber, and Graeme Taylor, percussionist Frank Ricotti, saxophonist Derek Grossmith, and backing singers Chris Neil, Frank Musker, and Dominic Bugatti.

“Prendila così” glides through electronic shading, keyboard figures, bass support, and Derek Grossmith’s fading alto-sax coda. “Donna selvaggia donna” sways through syncopated motion and an open melodic contour. “Aver paura d’innamorarsi troppo” arcs across syncopated rhythm and airy backing replies. “Perché no” settles into a slow waltz with piano and strings.

“Nessun dolore” leans on a firm bass figure and grouped replies. “Una donna per amico” threads domestic room noise into a sleek synthesizer-led arrangement. “Maledetto gatto” laughs into a lighter studio vignette with cat-like effects near the edges.

A1. “Prendila così” [Take It Like This] (7:48)
A2. “Donna selvaggia donna” [Wild Woman, Woman] (4:39)
A3. “Aver paura d’innamorarsi troppo” [Being Afraid of Falling Too Deeply in Love] (5:49)
A4. “Perché no” [Why Not] (5:44)

B1. “Nessun dolore” [No Pain] (6:15)
B2. “Una donna per amico” [A Woman as a Friend] (5:19)
B3. “Maledetto gatto” [Damned Cat] (4:21)
B4. “Al cinema” [At the Cinema] (4:36)

Geoff Westley produced and arranged Una donna per amico at The Manor, Oxfordshire, and Audio International, London, with Greg Walsh. Walsh was a Landscape/Central Line soundman with subsequent Heaven 17 and Tina Turner credits; Alan Douglas assisted at The Manor and Simon Hurrell assisted at Audio International.

Numero Uno issued “Una donna per amico” in December 1978 (b/w “Nessun dolore”), which reached No. 1 in Italy and ranked as Italy’s second-best-selling single of 1978.

Una donna per amico reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart and became Battisti’s highest-selling album.

Una giornata uggiosa

Lucio Battisti released his twelfth album, Una giornata uggiosa in January 1980 on Numero Uno.

Una giornata uggiosa completes the Battisti–Mogol album partnership with Westley again as producer-arranger and keyboardist. Ricotti returns on percussion; the changed English cast includes drummers Stuart Elliott and Peter Van Hooke, bassist John Giblin, guitarist Phil Palmer, saxophonist Mel Collins, and trombonist Malcolm Griffiths.

“Il monolocale” strides through a dense Westley arrangement with disco-leaning motion, guitar accents, and falsetto. “Arrivederci a questa sera” ripples from an open piano riff into brass backing and Mel Collins’s sax solo. “Gelosa cara” brightens the electronic keyboard field with soft choral backing. “Orgoglio e dignità” thickens around electronic keyboards and falsetto turns. “Amore mio di provincia” leans into a dense keyboard arrangement and an instrumental intermezzo.

“Questo amore” threads synthesizers through a less obvious harmonic path. “Perché non sei una mela” breaks from bass riff and offbeat guitar into a brass-marked insert. “Una giornata uggiosa” strums past thunder effects into a keyboard riff and triplet guitar figure. “Con il nastro rosa” recedes from the album’s heavier keyboard surface and leaves the final section to Phil Palmer’s electric-guitar solo.

A1. “Il monolocale” [The Studio Flat] (4:50)
A2. “Arrivederci a questa sera” [See You This Evening] (4:15)
A3. “Gelosa cara” [Jealous Dear] (3:53)
A4. “Orgoglio e dignità” [Pride and Dignity] (4:28)
A5. “Una vita viva” [A Living Life] (4:04)

B1. “Amore mio di provincia” [My Provincial Love] (4:12)
B2. “Questo amore” [This Love] (4:18)
B3. “Perché non sei una mela” [Why Aren’t You an Apple?] (3:29)
B4. “Una giornata uggiosa” [A Gloomy Day] (5:13)
B5. “Con il nastro rosa” [With the Pink Ribbon] (5:03)

Westley produced and arranged Una giornata uggiosa from June through December 1979 at Townhouse, CTS, and The Manor. Walsh, Douglas, and Richard Manwaring engineered the main sessions, with John Eden on the mix and additional recording by Westley, Richard Goldblatt, and Virgin/The Manor engineer Steve Prestage. Manwaring was a Manor engineer with concurrent credits by Martha + the Muffins, Mike Oldfield, The Mekons, and Zones.

Una giornata uggiosa appeared in a sleeve by Ilvio Gallo with graphics by Mario Convertino.

Numero Uno issued “Una giornata uggiosa” in 1980 (b/w “Con il nastro rosa”), which reached No. 2 in Italy.

Una giornata uggiosa reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart and ranked as Italy’s fifth-best-selling album of 1980.

E già

Lucio Battisti released his thirteenth album, E già in September 1982 on Numero Uno.

E già starts the post-Mogol period with twelve Battisti compositions and texts credited to Velezia. Greg Walsh supplies the keyboard, synthesizer, and electronic-drum setup, which reduces the studio cast after the Westley session-band albums.

“Scrivi il tuo nome” glints in a cold electronic arrangement that frames Battisti’s short opening declaration. “Mistero” hovers on mechanical synth figures and a fatalistic tone. “Windsurf Windsurf” skips through a bright electronic dance pattern. “Rilassati e ascolta” loops a repeated phrase over the album’s synthetic machinery.

“Straniero” freezes the electronic bed into a suspended stillness. “Slow Motion” drifts through a hypnotic, melancholy motion. “Una montagna” skips on offbeat accents under acrobatic singing.

A1. “Scrivi il tuo nome” [Write Your Name] (2:25)
A2. “Mistero” [Mystery] (3:05)
A3. “Windsurf windsurf” (2:47)
A4. “Rilassati ed ascolta” [Relax and Listen] (3:20)
A5. “Non sei più solo” [You Are No Longer Alone] (2:46)
A6. “Straniero” [Foreigner] (4:43)

B1. “Registrazione” [Recording] (2:26)
B2. “La tua felicità” [Your Happiness] (2:18)
B3. “Hi-fi” (2:44)
B4. “Slow motion” (3:56)
B5. “Una montagna” [A Mountain] (3:40)
B6. “E già” [And Already] (2:55)

Walsh produced and arranged E già in May and June 1982 at RCA, Rome, and in July 1982 at Trident, London. Walsh engineered both rooms with RCA engineer Ubaldo Consoli; Mark Ellis, later known as Flood, assisted at Trident, and Raffaele Cricchi assisted at RCA.

E già appeared in a Gered Mankowitz sleeve with graphics by Francesco Logoluso and Antonio Dojmi. Luca Battisti supplied the drawings.

Numero Uno issued “E già” in 1982 (b/w “Straniero”), which reached No. 6 in Italy. E già reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart.

Don Giovanni

Lucio Battisti released his fourteenth album, Don Giovanni in March 1986 on Numero Uno.

Don Giovanni introduces Battisti’s partnership with lyricist Pasquale Panella. Walsh remains in the production and programming role, while Robin Smith enters as arranger and keyboardist. The album features backing by guitarist Ray Russell, ex-Landscape bassist Andy Pask, saxophonist Phil Todd, trumpeter Guy Barker, harpist Skaila Kanga, horn player Ted Hunter, and first violinist Gavyn Wright.

“Le cose che pensano” unfurls from nascent synthesizer and rasping piano into a precise machine-era beat and choral replies. “Fatti un pianto” drives through saxophone breaks and brisk brass turns. “Il doppio del gioco” glides on firm bass lines and closes in echoing sung fragments. “Madre pennuta” lurches from tribal-edged patterning into persistent electronics and string swells.

“Equivoci amici” spins through quick sung turns and ends on a final synth figure. “Don Giovanni” paces a minimal machine pattern beneath an orchestral veil. “Che vita ha fatto” leans from jazz-shaded entry into an orchestral solo with synthetic sheen. “Il diluvio” hovers over high samples, a long rain-like prelude, and an astral final sound.

A1. “Le cose che pensano” [The Things That Think] (4:26)
A2. “Fatti un pianto” [Have a Cry] (4:54)
A3. “Il doppio del gioco” [Double the Game] (4:14)
A4. “Madre pennuta” [Feathered Mother] (4:28)

B1. “Equivoci amici” [Ambiguous Friends] (3:53)
B2. “Don Giovanni” (3:40)
B3. “Che vita ha fatto” [What Life Did He Have?] (4:01)
B4. “Il diluvio” [The Flood] (6:24)

Walsh produced Don Giovanni in June and July 1985 at RCA, Rome, then in September and October 1985 at Eel Pie and Ridge Farm, England. Bryan Evans engineered the English work with assistant Chris Ludwinski, while Walsh kept the project in the same post-E già producer-engineer line. Don Giovanni appeared in a sleeve by Battisti.

Don Giovanni reached No. 1 on the Italian album chart.

L’apparenza

Lucio Battisti released his fifteenth album, L’apparenza on October 7, 1988, on Numero Uno.

L’apparenza continues the Panella period with the same Panella / Battisti–Veronese credit pattern. Smith remains, now as producer, arranger, keyboardist, guitarist, and EWII player. Acoustic guitarist Mitch Dalton joins the cast, and the London Session Orchestra appears under returning orchestra leader Gavyn Wright.

“A portata di mano” modulates from a D-minor keyboard arpeggio and electronic strings into a through-composed line that changes with Panella’s text. “Specchi opposti” descends through a slow Spanish-tinged opening and a whispered operatic turn. “Allontanando” tilts through seventh chords and remote section endings. “L’apparenza” enters on bare singing before a stylized tango crosses C-minor and G-major ground.

“Per altri motivi” treads a fourth-built chord cycle under a robust rhythmic base and suspends the ending in haze. “Per nome” settles into a simpler song path while an ostinato runs without break. “Dalle prime battute” crosses distant harmonic zones while Battisti cuts internal caesuras into Panella’s line. “Lo scenario” searches for key through semitone bass motion and ends with a strange chime on a Neapolitan chord.

A1. “A portata di mano” [Within Reach] (5:17)
A2. “Specchi opposti” [Opposed Mirrors] (4:19)
A3. “Allontanando” [Moving Away] (4:41)
A4. “L’apparenza” [Appearance] (4:35)

B1. “Per altri motivi” [For Other Reasons] (4:18)
B2. “Per nome” [By Name] (5:23)
B3. “Dalle prime battute” [From the First Bars] (4:57)
B4. “Lo scenario” [The Scenario] (4:38)

Robin Smith produced and arranged L’apparenza at Roundhouse Studios, London, where John Gallen engineered with assistant Laurent Lozhaic. Gallen was a Roundhouse-trained producer-engineer whose credit line runs from Queen-assist work into Uriah Heep, Breathe, and later pop/R&B studio work.

Battisti line-drew the sleeve for this and subsequent albums. Numero Uno issued the album on LP, cassette, and compact disc.

L’apparenza reached No. 2 on the Italian album chart.

La sposa occidentale

Lucio Battisti released his sixteenth album, La sposa occidentale in September 1990 on CBS.

La sposa occidentale starts the CBS period with Walsh back as producer-arranger. The compact London cast features percussionist Andy Duncan, bassist Joe Skeete, keyboardists Richard Cottle and John Young, guitarist Paul Stacey, and trumpeter Derek Watkins.

“Tu non ti pungi più” skips through cartoon-like electronic doubling in the first section and turns to a Spanish-tinged second section. “Potrebbe essere sera” circles as a rondò, with each return altering the dance before the minor-key close. “Timida molto audace” stages an electronic pas de deux, then adds a new coda and an instrumental reprise. “La sposa occidentale” turns a B-major harmonic circuit and repeated bass notes under a sweet melodic span.

“Mi riposa” dances on a Brazilian-inflected rhythmic base and redirects its borrowed harmonic cycle. “I ritorni” unfolds over an implacable electronic pattern and a Spanish-tinged lyric curve. “Alcune noncuranze” sustains slow electric drift after Battisti falls silent. “Campati in aria” glitters with electronic strings and stylized television-theme motion before the minor-key ending.

A1. “Tu non ti pungi più” [You Don’t Prick Yourself Anymore] (5:14)
A2. “Potrebbe essere sera” [It Could Be Evening] (5:16)
A3. “Timida molto audace” [Shy, Very Bold] (5:15)
A4. “La sposa occidentale” [The Western Bride] (5:39)

B1. “Mi riposa” [It Rests Me] (6:01)
B2. “I ritorni” [The Returns] (5:28)
B3. “Alcune noncuranze” [Some Carelessnesses] (6:36)
B4. “Campati in aria” [Far-Fetched] (4:57)

Walsh produced and arranged La sposa occidentale at Olympic Studios, Barnes, London, where he co-engineered with Crispin Retey and Chris Brandy.

La sposa occidentale reached No. 3 on the Italian album chart.

Cosa succederà alla ragazza

Lucio Battisti released his seventeenth album, Cosa succederà alla ragazza in October 1992 on Columbia.

Cosa succederà continues the Panella / Battisti credit pair on Columbia. Duncan moves from percussionist on La sposa occidentale to producer, arranger, drummer, percussionist, and programmer. Keyboardist-programmer Lyndon Connah and guitarist Spike Edney complete the named instrumental cast.

“Cosa succederà alla ragazza” winds around an insistent synthetic-bass line and firm rhythmic accents. “Tutte le pompe” rotates a cut-up design through rotary keyboard effects and a machine-dance base. “Ecco i negozi” enters with spoken phrases and sways along an iterative dub-like accompaniment.

“La metro eccetera” loops a clearer AB recurrence through a bright electronic pattern. “Così gli dei sarebbero” drops from falsetto into plainer tones and flashes a brief old-Battisti citation. “Cosa farà di nuovo” varies the keyboard-led harmonic sequence and breaks the nocturnal close with a late spoken insert.

A1. “Cosa succederà alla ragazza” [What Will Happen to the Girl] (4:46)
A2. “Tutte le pompe” [All the Pumps] (4:45)
A3. “Ecco i negozi” [Here Are the Shops] (5:01)
A4. “La metro eccetera” [The Metro, Etcetera] (4:11)

B1. “I sacchi della posta” [The Mailbags] (5:31)
B2. “Però il rinoceronte” [But the Rhinoceros]
B3. “Così gli dei sarebbero” [So the Gods Would Be] (4:53)
B4. “Cosa farà di nuovo” [What Will She Do Again]

Andy Duncan produced and arranged Cosa succederà alla ragazza at Sarm West, London, with Paul Wright on recording and Gregg Jackman on the mix. Richard Lowe and Howard Bargroff assisted in the Sarm system; Bargroff entered the studio as a technical engineer and soon moved into Sarm-linked assistant work on Seal.

Cosa succederà alla ragazza reached the Italian Top 5 and remained on the chart for thirteen weeks.

Hegel

Lucio Battisti released his eighteenth album, Hegel on September 29, 1994, on BMG Ariola / Numero Uno.

Hegel closes Battisti’s studio sequence with twelve songs co-written with Panella, backed by Duncan and Connah.

“Almeno l’inizio” ricochets through dance-floor percussion, techno machinery, rhythmic breaks, and eurodance organ. “Hegel” glides through a more linear construction with dub-shaded electronic space. “Tubinga” locks hyperbolic metric turns into dance motion and lifts the harmonic floor by a semitone at the central disclosure. “La bellezza riunita” settles into a slower dance rhythm and a contemplative melodic line.

“La moda nel respiro” opens in minor-key preamble, enters a new main theme, and alternates plain phrases with falsetto turns before the major-key release. “Stanze come questa” careens through urgent rhythm as an unruly guitar disappears into electronics and split text enters new melodic phrases. “Estetica” gathers the album’s inward side into a poised, contemplative setting. “La voce del viso” blanks the ending with breathless falsetto, a forceful electronic base, and a childlike section.

1. “Almeno l’inizio” [At Least the Beginning] (4:57)
2. “Hegel” (5:15)
3. “Tubinga” [Tübingen] (4:54)
4. “La bellezza riunita” [Beauty Put Together] (5:07)
5. “La moda nel respiro” [Fashion in the Breath] (4:22)
6. “Stanze come questa” [Rooms Like This One] (4:38)
7. “Estetica” [Aesthetics] (5:11)
8. “La voce del viso” [The Voice of the Face] (4:13)

Duncan produced and arranged Hegel at Porterhouse Studios, Great Britain, with Chris Porter as recording and mix engineer and Steve McNichol as assistant. Porter, a Tony Visconti-trained engineer whose eighties work centered on Wham! and George Michael, brought the final Battisti album into a compact Porterhouse setting.

Hegel reached No. 5 on the Italian album chart.

Postlude

Battisti released no further studio albums after Hegel. He died in Milan on September 9, 1998, at age 55. Later reissue programs restored the Ricordi, Numero Uno, CBS, and Columbia albums across compact disc and vinyl formats, including Sony/BMG box and remaster sequences.

Discography: