Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

The Italian legend and Eurovision veteran Franco Battiato turns 76 today, but the main reason this year is to celebrate his La voce del padrone album that turns 40. The album was the very first album in Italy to sell over one million copies and changed the Italian music scene forever and influenced other artists and does so even today. In most every voting by critics ever since it is considered as one of the most important Italian albums ever. And no wonder considering the songs on it, that are all classics these days. The album and its songs were hits also in Spain, France, the Netherlands and Germany among others. Remaining in Eurovision theme his Eurovision veteran partner Alice covered several of them in her stolen jewels album Gioilli rubati in 1985.  Now for the 40th anniversary the album is re-released in various limited edition formats and remasterings, including the one being most alike to the original (after remastering in 2008) with minor changes Battiato now considers...

Today sees the release of a new book on Franco Battiato. The 320 paged one is written by writer and musician Fabio Zuffanti. Filippo Bardi has created a detailed Franco Battiato discography section in the book. Battiato, who represented Italy in the Eurovision song contest 1984 with Alice and I treni di Tozeur enjoy's a living legend status in Italy with his over 50 years in the Italian art scene. He has written music from experimental to pop, opera and films, being also a painter, writer. movie director and a lot more. This book tells his story from a little Sicilian village to the biggest Italian pop phenomenom that exploded in 1982 with his La Voce del Padrone album, one of the most sold albums in the Italian music history. The book also digs deep into his collaboration with Alice and his other female collaborators, most notably Giuni Russo and Milva . Still active in his various forms of art he's retired to his home by the mountain Etna and recovering from a broke...