Lucio Dalla - Caro Amico Ti Scrivo (2002)

Caro amico ti scrivo is a compilation of Italian singer Lucio Dalla, published in 2002 by BMG Ricordi. Lucio Dalla, Grand Officer in the Order of Merit (Italy) (4 March 1943, which is also the title of one of his most famous song: 1 March 2012) was a popular Italian singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He also played clarinet and keyboards.
Dalla was born in Bologna, Italy. He began to play the clarinet at an early age, in a jazz band in Bologna, and became member of a local jazz band called Rheno Dixieland Band, together with the future film director Pupi Avati


Avati is said to have said that he decided to leave the band after feeling overwhelmed by Dalla's talent. He also acknowledged that his film, Ma quando arrivano le ragazze? (2005), was inspired by his frinedship with Dalla. In the 1960s the band participated at the first Jazz Festival in Antibes, France. The Rheno Dixieland Band won the first prize within the tradiztional jazz bands and was noticed by a roman band called Second Roman New Orleans Jazz Band: with them Dalla played in his first record in 1961, and had the first contacts with RCA records, his future editor.

The singer-songwriter Gino Paoli noticed Dalla's vocal qualities and suggested he attempt a solo career as an Italian soul singer. However, Dalla's debut at the Cantagiro festival in 1965 was unsuccessful probably due to his appearance and to his music, which was considered too experimental for the time. His first album, 1999, was released the following year. His next album, Terra di Gaibola (from the name of a suburb of Bologna), was released in 1970 and contained some early Dalla classics. His first hit was "4 Marzo 1943", which garnered some success at the Sanremo Festival.


The original title of the song was supposed to be "Gesù bambino", however during those years there was censorial control over the content of the songs, and the title was changed to Dalla's birth date. "Piazza grande", which Dalla would sing again at Sanremo, was also a success.

Dalla was the composer of Caruso (1986), which has been covered by numerous international artists. A version of Caruso sung by Luciano Pavarotti sold over 9 million copies, and another version was a track on Andrea Bocelli's first international album Romanza, which later sold over 20 million copies worldwide This piece is also on Josh Groban's album Closer, which sold over 5,000,000 copies in the United States. The song is a tribute to the emblematic opera tenor Enrico Caruso. Maynard Ferguson also covered the song on his album "Brass Attitude", after having previously paid tribute to Caruso with his rendition of Vesti la giubba (titled as Pagliacci) on the album "Primal Scream".

Dalla died in the morning of 1 March 2012, three days before his 69th birthday, right after having had breakfast. His death was due to a heart attack. He was in Montreux (Switzerland) for his new tournée. He performed as scheduled, on the night before he died.


Tracklist

1. 4/3/1943 – 3:45
2. Piazza Grande – 3:13
3. Comè profondo il mare – 5:24
4. Disperato erotico stomp – 5:47
5. L'anno che verrà – 4:26
6. Futura – 6:07
7. Washington – 4:39
8. Caruso – 5:13
9. Attenti al lupo – 4:21
10. Apriti cuore – 5:11
11. Canzone – 4:30
12. Tu non mi basti mai – 4:31
13. Ciao – 4:38
.14 La – 4:03
15. Kamikaze – 4:25
16. Zingaro – 3:37