7.4.15

"Sergio Endrigo '65-'73" by Sergio Endrigo


Another Italian purchase, this is something I actually wanted for a long time and now decided to stop thinking about it and just go for it.

As title suggest, this is compilation of singles released between 1963 and 1973 which happened to be golden years of Italian singer/songwriter Sergio Endrigo who was one of the brightest talents of his generation. Italy had briefly enjoyed cultural renaissance during 1960s when everything Italian seems to have been huge fashion, including movies, music and cinema - amongst everything else, there were few arty guys who created impressive, poetic body of work wrapped in pop clothes, three minutes little dramas - Endrigo was one of them. Instead of going for usual, commercial sound, Endrigo and his buddies (Gino Paoli, Fabrizio De André, Luigi Tenco) wrote and performed seriously unforgettable little vignettes that actually glow even today, pure and timeless.

As singer Sergio Endrigo was instantly recognizable - he has a soft murmur of a voice, sensitive, soulful and intimate. Where other Italian singers competed in  vocal bravura, he was the shy one, therefore he would steal your heart even faster than someone who was showing off. I think hearing his "La Dolce Estate" and "Io Che Amo Solo a Te" won me over instantly years ago, so this purchase was completely spontaneous.
As singles go, there are lots of goodies here, mostly 1960s chestnuts like "Il treno che viene dal Sud", "Il Dolce Paese" and of course unforgettable San Remo classic "Canzone Per Te". The generous compilation offers lots of wealth to enjoy and explore, there are even some children songs (cute and funny, even though I am usually horrified with children choirs). Its impossible not to love Sergio Endrigo.

Interestingly, Endrigo inadvertently had a huge effect on neighbor Croatia (and therefore Yugoslavia) music scene, not because he was born in Croatia but because his style & music were crucial influence on young Arsen Dedić and his generation. Dedić clearly idolized Endrigo and modeled himself on Italian colleague and friend - he went on to became bard of local Croatian singer/songwriter genre, continuing what Endrigo started first. However, listening Endrigo in his first youth, its clear he was absolute original. As a songwriter he stands behind every single of these little masterpieces and he sings like a dream.



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