HEGEL

I've never been a fan of Lucio Battisti and I was actually very surprised to see him on PA. Anyway, everybody knows him and his music in Italy and while I'm writing is the 21st annniversary of his death. Battisti was mainly a popstar during his career, but I must admit that he was able to be innovative without losing his popular appeal, helped by the lyrics of Mogol, who is also the author of the lyrics of PFM's "Impressioni di Settembre".

He decided to quit from tours and TV quite early, but continued to release albums and almost all of them had a huge commercial success, excluded, maybe, this one.

When Hegel was released, the partnership with Mogol was already over and the lyricist is the poet Pasquale Panella. So there's nothing "pop" in the lyrics, while in the electronics the work of Duncan, who despite being a drummer has also produced the album in studio, is a predominant element tendentially leading to the late 80s synth-pop. I remember somebody defining it an "avant-pop" album.

The songs lyrics are very challenging. Panella wasn't an easy poet, and also the title referencing the German phylosopher makes it clear. ùIt's a challenging album in which the electronics, close to the dance music of that age, is counterbalanced by the absence of metrics in the lyrics.

The album left the Battisti's fans very cold, but at that time he wasn't much worried about sales. Probably he was already ill, the same illness which killed David Bowie, and I suspect he wanted to do something really "free" from the commercial constraints. Regardless the RPI standards, in my opinion this is the most revolutionary and avantgardist effort of his long career. Sadly also the last.