V. 3

by Mariano PrunesWith V.3, Fabrizio De André confirmed a trend that would define the first part of his career, that of alternating singles and concept albums. Before becoming famous upon the release of his first LP, between 1961 and 1966 De André recorded several singles for the obscure Karim label (later available in the compilations Tutto Fabrizio de André and Nuvole Barocche). Once he started making LPs, De André appeared to work out an arrangement with producer Antonio Casetta that would allow him to explore new directions, provided that he also continued writing in the manner of his early songs -- which in the meantime had become very popular. Therefore, V.3, the second 1968 De André release, was sandwiched between the ambitious concept albums Tutti Morimmo a Stento (1968) and La Buona Novella(1970), but it consisted chiefly of previously released songs, albeit in improved, definitive versions. In fact, there is no new original material on V.3, as six of the album's ten songs had already appeared as singles and the other four consisted of two Georges Brassens covers and a 14th century French song (all three translated into Italian), and an adaptation of a Cecco Angiolieri text, a contemporary of Dante Alighieri who is considered the first Italian poet maudit. ... Read More...