Italian music in Russia

[Mariott]

This season, heralded as the era of the 80's, many Russian skaters chose the music of Italian pop singers from the 70's-80's of the 20th century. Many have asked why this happened. The answer lies on the surface: coaches and choreographers of athletes tend to cherish memories of their youth, and in their youth they danced at discos and parties to Italian music.

Italian music has become part of Russian culture, whether we like it or not. I didn't analyze it before, but now I got curious and decided to do a little investigation. I will rely on materials from Russian-speaking bloggers who write about the history of music in Russia and beyond. I won't go back in time, I won't remember composers and singers who went to Italy to study. We are only interested in the second half of the 20th century, and perhaps the very beginning of the 21st century. I hope you will find it interesting! (I was very interested in finding out some of the facts).
Enjoy!

Part I. 50s. Comrades
Part II. 60s. New generation
Part II. 60s. Belle epoque
Part II. 60s. Golden voice
Part II. 60s. The first "Italian in Russia" and his "Toy"
Part III. 70's - 80's. Friends and idols. Stars of the Sanremo Music Festival
Part III. 70's - 80's. Friends and idols. Nostalgic Disco 80s 2009-2019
Part IV. 80's - 90's. Italian disco
Part V. From 90's to 20's. Starting over

 

[Mariott]

Part I. 50s. Comrades​

link: daybyeday

Say that Italy is a song country is like saying "the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea". Italy is the most songful country. Reflecting on the Italian pop music of the sixties of the last century in terms of its impact on us, you realize that it was just an intervention - so strong was its influence on the Soviet radio airwaves and, consequently, on our "habitat". Relations with Italy were not bad - diplomatic, economic and "cultural exchange", and the explanation was simple: after the war there was a fairly strong Communist Party with a solid representation in Parliament. (Communist Palmyro Togliatti even managed to become godfather of the town on the Volga - Tolliati.)

Let's not forget that the 60's rolled in to us straight from the 50's, when not only Europe, which had experienced an economic boom, but it seems that the USSR as well - took a breath, tasted the peaceful sky above their heads, and.... wished to hear music corresponding to the slightly relaxed time of "thaw"! And let's take into account the fact that everything reached our listener, if not in a few years, then definitely - months later. That's why it won't be a great sin to start our narration with tunes from even the end of the 50`s.

In order not to delay the beginning for a long time - listen to this composition by Renato Carosone: "Chella lla ". We loved it very much in the whole country, because Boris Amarantov, a talented mime, performed "on TV" with a memorable pantomime (initially I remembered that it was Leonid Yengibarov, but I was corrected by a reader in the comments, for which many thanks).

Renato Carosone - Chella 'lla

Italians do it better - Il canale dedicato alla musica Italiana - Trova i tuoi artisti e canzoni preferiti e (ri)scopri i grandi classici della musica Italia...

youtu.be

However, even more memorable from that era is a song performed by Marino Marini's "ensemble": "Marina" - what this coincidence means, one should probably ask Marino himself. But this song rattled all over the Union (and rightly so!) - everyone over 50 remembers it : -). Its popularity is fixed by cinematography. Remember in the movie "Welcome or No Entry for Outsiders" (best Soviet comedy of 60`- Mar.) :
- Here the audience applauds, applauds, applauds.... Stop applauding!
What did the virtual audience applaud? Exactly the song "Marina-Marina", to which "bad peeping girl" dances, somewhere between the fence and nettles, to his own "la-la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la...".

Marino Marini - Marina

World Music Records uma label de referência.Porque a música é a nossa paixãoSUBSCREVA O NOSSO CANAL: https://www.youtube.com/user/paisrealproducoesFaça o D...

youtu.be

You can't imagine our radio of the time without the songs of Domenico Modugno. The following tune was very popular, those who remember certainly do. Despite the upbeat tone, the title suggests a rather dramatic subject ("Women, Sailors and Trouble"):

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But the performers of the 50`s had to be squeezed: a new breed, literally yesterday's schoolchildren, were rushing into the Italian stage and even into the movies! Look at this "soldier", look how dumbfounded the older generation looks at him and how admired by his peers ) : this is Gianni Morandi, who became a little later almost an "official friend" of the Soviet Union.... because his father was an Italian Communist.
(This record of his, IN GINOCCHIO DA TE, would later become almost a diamond, being released on records in countless copies)

​

 

[Mariott]

Part II. 60s. New generation​

link: daybyeday

No less young was Mina Mazzini, later a famous, gorgeous diva, a name that became a stage name - Mina of the 80's - and in 1959 just a "kid", but she announced herself in full voice, and how full it was - we can only marvel....

From Mina, for warming up, we listen to 63-second twist Nessuno ("Nobody...") of the mentioned year. The young performer's temperament, dazzling smile and "Italian-speaking" hands (here she is 19) attract attention.

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Let's dilute the succession of these immediately star-studded artists with a song by an unremarkable kid who also started his career in the early 60s. He'd just emerged from the obscure joints and made a couple of small recordings. What's his name? Uh, wait a minute. Adriano. Cippolino (a reference to a fairy tale by Gianni Rodari, popular in Russia - Mar.)? Chipovano? Celestino? А! Figure it out for yourselves...
Mezzа luna ("The moon is growing")

Adriano Celentano - La Mezza Luna

www.youtube.com

But quite recklessly on the stage of that time the irrepressible, truly furious Rita Pavone appeared, resembling with her whole appearance more like a Kid without Karlsson than a traditional pop star. But. I don't think it is necessary to introduce this song, too many people remember it too well ) Especially, the music belongs to the brilliant Nino Rota.

RITA PAVONE -- VIVA LA PAPPA CON POMODORO

youtu.be

Yes. Yes. Yes! "I love tomatoes, though my fiancée doesn't like them..." ((Russian invented Russian version of the lyrics of a song about love for different dishes. In my version the beloved still adored pasta, "lublu ja makarony"" - Mar.)


And - at the same time, in the early 60's, appears Milva (born Maria Ilva Biolcati), Mina's constant competitor in the dispute for the first place on the Italian stage.... Her operatic choreographed voice brings an Adriatic sea of pleasure to fans from all over the world - to this day... The power of this voice, its fabulous, seductive timbre is the perfect backdrop for the star-song sky of the whole Italy of the 60's and later, it is the bar set high until the end of the century.

Here we'll hear her perform the hugely popular 60s schlager, "Blue Spanish Eyes".

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[Mariott]

Part II. 60s. Belle epoque​

link: daybyeday

It is good, of course, to talk about the rivalry for the first place between Mina and Milva, but pray tell - where do we put the beautiful Gigliola Cinquetti? Our romance with Italian pop music is formed in such a way that at the same time the inimitable Gigliola (can one think of a more beautiful Italian name??) comes to the forefront from secondary to main characters.
Remember this half-child face - by the end of the decade she will be called the queen of Italian pop!...

And look - as before our eyes by the mid 60's Italian young performers become more mature, romantic, sophisticated.... And with them, the whole Italian pop scene changes.
We listen to Gigliola, Non Ho L'eta, 1964 (in this clip, it seems, the performer is not yet seventeen): isn't it here that all our domestic serenades from the cinematography, all the love pop of the late 60s and 70s are laid down (like a garland of silk handkerchiefs in a magician's ring)? (So painfully native we'll hear more of it only from one French singer, but a little later).

Gigliola Cinquetti - Non Ho L'Età - Eurovision Song Contest Winner 1964 (original performance)

This is the complete radio broadcast of the actual performance in Copenhagen with added video and stills from the reprise to enhance it. The original video r...

youtu.be

No, still, what a choice of stars!... It's impossible to call this time of the '60s anything other than belle epoque. Impossible, no.
But let's continue watching the rivalry between Mina and Milva. Here is what Mina "threw out" in 1967: she performed the world English-language hit Bang Bang (translated roughly as "Pif-paf"), about which we can talk separately (we remember it perfectly well from the performance of Bulgarian Lili Ivanova), but then our program will go beyond any limits.... It should be noted that Mina has already acquired an absolutely starry luster: her outfit, her hairdo - the lush-smooth "mop" of the time of the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution - quite appropriate...

- YouTube

Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.

www.youtube.com

And..? Let's listen to Milva's answer...? (Oh, Milva knows a lot of hymns!...) Listen to the famous Tango Italiano, in Italian. Listen, freeze, and melt in delight at the Neapolitan sound.

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But listen, in the meantime the boy Adriano has matured, and it seems that his husky baritone has already acquired his characteristic timbre, which will later be recognizable from two notes - for the next 40 years. And his Negro plasticity was with him from birth.....
"Tre passi avanti." Three Steps Ahead, 1967 (this is apparently how he defines his role in the Italian pop scene of the coming decades).

ADRIANO CELENTANO TRE PASSI AVANTI Eccetera eccetera 29 luglio 1967

ADRIANO CELENTANO TRE PASSI AVANTI Eccetera eccetera 29 luglio 1967

www.youtube.com

Only in the richest nourishing environment of Italian song culture could such different, such interesting, such delightful talents appear simultaneously. And the finale of the decade was adorned with the emergence of yet another young Italian star....
I don't know about you, dear viewer, but I didn't know this (next) performer before, and now... (I'll tell you a secret, after listening to her songs from the early 70's, I realized: - she inexplicably overshadowed for me all the brilliance of the magnificent Mina, the exquisite Milva, and the beautiful Gigliola).

This is Nada Malanima

She is literally still a schoolgirl (she is 16 years old here), still stiff, clumsy, with untried plasticity, but there is something very appealing in her manner - ingenuous, completely sincere and selflessly devoted - to one element of music.... Listen to the memorable and popular in the Soviet Union tune Ma che freddo fa ("Ma ke freddo fa": But how cold it is...). I don't remember which of ours performed it or what it was called. But certainly we didn't know Nada at that time.....

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(Sanremo Festival 1969)

...And this was the atmosphere in which the children of the sixties were entering the seventies. Can you imagine that?
This is Italy, bambina!


I will allow myself to finish the thought of the esteemed blogger: in the mid-60s Italian pop songs was hotly loved in Russia not only because it was the only foreign variety (apart from songs from Eastern Europe and East Germany) that was welcomed on official TV and radio, but also because it was, damn it, insanely good, and a scattering of bright stars were revealed to us.

 

[Mariott]

Part II. 60s. Golden voice​

link

In the early 1960s, the heartfelt "O Sole Mio" and the ringing "Jamaica" were sung from almost every window in the USSR. This prodigy from Italy was adored in our country by millions of listeners - and flooded with bags of letters with declarations of love.

Robertino Loretti was born into a large family of a Roman plasterer. At the age of six, he became a soloist in the church choir, where he received the basics of musical literacy, and from eight years old already sang in the chorus of the Roman Opera.

The boy was 12 years old when the young talent was appreciated by the Danish music producer Volmar Sorensen. He met with Robertino's parents, moved the singer to Copenhagen and began a strong promotion.

The first success in 1961 brought Neapolitan song "O Sole Mio".
Soon the radiant Robertino Loretti was triumphantly touring Europe and the United States, and his boyish, pure voice conquered the whole world. The French press called Loretti "the new Caruso". The performer himself such fame is not very happy. "From 12 to 15 years I never went on vacation. My tour lasted five months and meant two or three concerts a day. I had my own helicopter and airplane, and I wanted to ride a bike with my friends. Still, this is the age when it is better to climb fences and run around the yard with friends than to collect stadiums and autographs".:

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In the USSR young Italian artist loved desperately and forever. There were legends about how the unfortunate boy was forced to sell out to the cruel bourgeois show business to feed his family ... His records were chased. But the tour never came to fruition. Managers Robertino Loretti not satisfied with the financial conditions: the lion's share of royalties went into the hands of the state.

"For impresario I was a machine for making money, and in the USSR on me could not make money." Robertino Loretti

In 1964, Robertino Loretti was one of the five strongest performers at the Sanremo Italian Song Festival. "Giamaica" and "Come Back to Sorrento" sounded new, but unfortunately less interesting than before. The artist's vocal range was still impressive, but gradually shifted down a few octaves. The glory that was the boy Robertino, adult Roberto has not reached...

In 1973, Loretti suddenly went into the shadows. At this time in our country there were rumors that he had lost his voice, that he was seriously ill and forgotten by everyone. Of course, this was far from true. Desperate to repeat his childhood success, the singer decided to radically change his occupation in order to finally live a normal human life. Having crossed the threshold of 35 years, he left the stage for a decade, devoting himself to his family, film production and business.To return to Olympus is always harder than to leave. But Loretti has traveled this road with dignity. For almost ten years his voice "rested", and it went for good. In the 1980s, Loretti found a second youth. He began to record opera arias, Neapolitan songs and pop songs again. In 1989, a long-held dream came true: Robertino Loretti performed in the Soviet Union for the first time.

It should be noted that Robertino has come to Russia many times, I found a video from the 2016 concert in Vladivostok:

​

 

[Mariott]

Part II. 60s. The first "Italian in Russia" and his "Toy"​

The title is a reference to the title of the 1973 comedy The Incredible Adventures of Italians in Russia (link) - mixed Italian-Soviet cast and insanely popular in the USSR

link

The Soviet public's reverent love for Italian pop music blossomed in the San Remo era, but it began much earlier. In the summer of 1965, a whole delegation of Italian artists came to Moscow, and their performance in the Green Theater of Gorky Park was broadcast throughout the USSR. The public remembered the imposing Gianni Morandi best of all.

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The path to the status of an icon of Italian pop culture was not easy for him. As a child, Morandi sold soda and candy at the local movie theater in his hometown of Mongidoro to make ends meet. The young talent made his debut at the age of 12, singing directly in the plaza.

When Gianni Morandi formed a band in 1961, he was dubbed "the Italian Paul Anca." In 1962, the singer won a talent contest and was noticed by new name seekers from RCA. In the same year the world appreciated the debut single of the young talent - a carefree twist "Andavo a Cento All'ora":

Andavo A Cento All'Ora

Provided to YouTube by RCA Records LabelAndavo A Cento All'Ora · Gianni MorandiGianni Morandiâ 1962 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT (Italy) S.p.A.Released on: 2...

youtu.be

Then there was success in the USSR - and the release of the record on the firm "Melodiya". In 1970, domestic music lovers received a vinyl with four songs: "Toy", "Smoke", "My Girl Knows" and "Looking for You". As is often the case, the first song was the loudest hit. The perfect musical accompaniment for a teenage romance in the early 1970s:

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In 1970, the singer performed at the Eurovision Song Contest and placed eighth with the song "Occhi di ragazza":

ESC 1970 03 - Italy - Gianni Morandi - Occhi Di Ragazza

Eurovision 1970

youtu.be

Although Gianni Morandi's popularity declined in the 1970s, the next decade was marked for him by a winning performance at the prestigious Sanremo Festival in 1987. And triumphant concerts in 1983 in Moscow, Leningrad, Riga, Tashkent and Rostov-on-Don. Performances of the Italian heartbreaker could be caught in New Year's programs:

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And the firm "Melodiya" pleased for Russian music lovers with a long-playing record "My Sweet Enemy" (1983). Sweetest Sounds:

La Mia Nemica Amatissima

Provided to YouTube by RCA Records LabelLa Mia Nemica Amatissima · Gianni MorandiQuesta à La Storiaâ 1982 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT (Italy) S.p.A.Released...

youtu.be

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Oh that's so nice, the Russian morning program on TV in 2019 shows an in-depth piece on Gianni Morandi, isn't that the people's love for the artist:

СÑаÑÑливÑй ÑлÑÑай Ðжанни ÐоÑанди УÑÑо РоÑÑии ÐÑÐ¸Ñ Ð¾Ñ 22.06.2019

СÑаÑÑливÑй ÑлÑÑай Ðжанни ÐоÑанди. ÐнаÑÑаÑÐ¸Ñ Ð§ÐµÑнобÑовина и ÐÐµÐ½Ð¸Ñ Ð¡Ñойков. УÑÑо РоÑÑии. ÐÑÐ¸Ñ Ð¾Ñ 22 иÑÐ½Ñ 2019 года

www.youtube.com

I think that's where I can end the conversation about the 60`s era and move on to the next decade. The 70`s saw the emergence of music that remains iconic for Russia to this day, and most of the stars opened the San Remo music festival.

 

[Mariott]

Part III. 70's - 80's. Friends and idols. Stars of the Sanremo Music Festival

link

Gianni Morandi on the donkey​

- I personally have always liked this festival, and I tried by all means to promote on our television fragments from there, - says the former editor of the music editorial office of Central Television, composer Vladimir Davydenko. - Of course, it was difficult: we submitted applications, they were approved or not approved. In 1982 in the program "Melodies and rhythms of foreign pop music", which was broadcast either on New Year's Eve or Easter Eve, so that people would not go to church, some performances from the San Remo festival began to appear, and later we began to show the complete concerts. It helped that even the KGB monsters listened to Italian pop music in their offices or at home: at that time they had access to these recordings, unlike ordinary citizens of the country. Italian pop music immediately became popular with us. Their melody turned out to be akin to our melody, and they are as musical as Russian people. And in terms of mentality our peoples are very similar. On TV it looked unusual for the Soviet viewer - bright, beautiful, color music, beautiful girls and guys in the ballet, and the artists themselves are beautiful.

Around the same time we had an Italian series "Sprut" with Michele Placido in the title role, - Oleg Shatskov, a former employee of the Main Department of Foreign Relations of the USSR Stateeleradio, who worked in the department of capitalist countries on the direction of Italy, shares with "LightPress". (I remember this movie, I watched it in my early childhood, a good film for a kid - a movie about the Sicilian Mafia, lol - Mar.) - I can say that we had a lot of trouble getting this movie on our television: we wrote letters to the then chairman of Gosteleradio Lapin, convinced him. Then everything was decided at the level of the CPSU Central Committee. It turns out that then the spread of Italian culture went on different fronts. And when our television began to show the San Remo Festival, Italian producers began to appear. The first was the famous Gian Piero Simontacchi.

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Photo: Bors online

It was he in 1982, together with our State Concert brought to the USSR Gianni Morandi. After the success at the same Sanremo, he was already popular. Remember the movie "The Most Charming and Attractive", where the main character Nadia Klyueva struggles to get tickets to the concert of this artist in Moscow.

- We then with director Evgeny Ginzburg shot a movie about Morandi's stay in our country, - says Vladimir Davydenko. - I remember we were with him in Uzbekistan. We shoot it in the middle of the road, and cars rushing past. And suddenly he said that he would like to ride a donkey. He said it as a joke, but I immediately found him a donkey, and he was happy to ride it and take the picture.

Easter night in Sanremo with Pugacheva​

Toto Cutugno became the second after Celentano to have his records released in the Soviet Union. The first one was released in 1983 with a circulation of 733.780 copies and cost 3 rubles 30 kopecks in the stores of Melodiya. But the dealers made it many times more expensive. And it happened after Coutunio won the San Remo festival with the song L'italiano. We know it by its refrain: "Lachate mi cantare." Soviet people certainly did not understand what the singer was singing about: spaghetti aldente, some canary on the window, women who threw off their monastic robes, a partisan president - a hint to the then head of Italy Pertini. But who could have known that? Just liked the tune, and the women liked the handsome artist himself.

- With the translation of Italian songs to get them approved on our television - a separate story - laughs Oleg Shatskov. - In order to get the go-ahead from the management to show this or that foreign song, it was necessary to provide them with a translation. At first there were unsuccessful cases when we gave them the exact text, because we translated word for word, and the officials criticized: "There is too much love, eroticism!" So we started to be cunning: we corrected the texts so that it was convenient for the ears and eyes of the management. They don't know Italian anyway. And this translation then went on the credits during the performance of the song.

- Once we were talking to Simontacchi, and I suddenly expressed the following idea: it would be a good idea to bring San Remo to Moscow. He immediately caught fire with the idea and implemented it: he brought an airplane to the Soviet capital with half of the artists and half of the flowers," recalls Davydenko.

And so in March 1986 in the concert studio "Ostankino" held a concert "Flowers and songs of San Remo in Moscow". On stage performed then little-known Italian artists: Loretta Goji, Luca Barbarossa, Eros Ramazzotti, Flavia Fortunato, Giampiero Artegiani, Lena Biolkati, Gino Paoli and others. And in the role of presenters - two red-haired singers: from the Italian side - Milva, from the USSR side - Alla Pugacheva. By the way, Pugacheva would later go to Italy with her beloved Vladimir Kuzmin and sing at the San Remo Festival as a guest star. And that concert in "Ostankino", which lasted 2.5 hours, was broadcast live on the main Italian channel, and ours was recorded again on Easter night in early May.

That group included the epathetic Italian singer Loredana Berthe, who unexpectedly put forward conditions that she came to Moscow only in the company of her friends. She already had a lot of accompanying persons with her, and here there were a dozen of her buddies! But I had to agree.

For example, during their month-long stay in the Soviet Union in 1984, the family duo of Al Bano and Romina Power had one of their main demands that their family - their children and also Al Bano's parents - come with them.

- When we shot a movie about them "Magic White Night" in Leningrad, they lived in the coolest at that time the hotel "European" and asked that in their room they always had mineral water - shares Oleg Shatskov. - They were offered Leningrad water "Polyustrovo". But at that time it had such a high iron content that it left a yellow sediment at the bottom. Of course, they refused to drink it. Then we somehow found, which was not easy in those days, other water - "Borjomi" and "Narzan".

But it was Toto Cutugno who first appeared on Soviet television, directly in Moscow: during his tour of the Soviet Union in November 1985, he visited the TV studio of the New Year's "Blue Light", where he sang the famous "La shate mi cantare".



As the singer himself admitted later, after getting acquainted with Soviet people: "I am Russian at heart!" And later he called Russia "his second homeland". The last time he visited Moscow was in 2006 with a concert in the Kremlin.

Rest in peace Toto, we'll feel the emptiness in our souls for a long time.​

 

[reader3]

You certainly have done a lot of research on this interesting topic.

 

[Mariott]

Part III. 70's - 80's. Friends and idols. Nostalgic Disco 80s 2009-2019

I think I won't list all the golden names. I'll just show you which Italian singers were invited to Russia before 2020. You can see for yourself the enthusiastic reaction of the public

​

 

[Mariott]

You certainly have done a lot of research on this interesting topic.

Thank you so much! I actually learned many interesting facts that I didn't know before. And gosh, it feels good, I'm going back to an earlier childhood

 

[Mariott]

Part IV. 80's - 90's. Italian disco

At the end of the 80s, new music appears. Censorship is practically abolished, various pop music of different quality appears in the USSR. Russians are fascinated by songs by Madonna, Michael Jackson, Bonnie M, C.C. Catch, Modern Talking, Sandra..... But Italians get a lot of warmth from our hearts. A new generation is making music that remains popular.

link

Talking about the music culture of the 80's can be endless! For example: Italo-disco - an incendiary genre, which was born at the beginning of the decade in Italy, and soon took its roots all over the world! Representatives of this musical direction is not that to list - they will be impossible to count! And since we really wanted to remember the main icons of that era, under disco hits of which millions of people from all over the planet were rocking out on dance floors, we decided to narrow down our list....

We suggest to remember three important stars and two powerful groups of italo-disco originated from Italy itself! These Italians sounded for years all over the world, and even today - when the fashion for italo-disco is long gone, listeners do not cease to admire their music. And it can't be otherwise - that's what youth sounds like...

Let's start with solo artists.

Mr. Zivago​

In the 80's not everyone knew about Mr. Zivago. But for the domestic listener he was the favorite representative of Italian-disco! And there was a very melodic reason for that... In our country the main favorite was and still is his track with a talking title "Little Russian".

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In addition to "Little Russian" the artist became famous with the composition "Tell By Your Eyes". But as the mercilessly running time shows - the domestic listener still remembers Mr. Zhivago by "Little Russian"! And the singer himself, meanwhile, continued his cult of songs about Russia!

His repertoire also includes "Love in Moscow" and "Russian Paradise"!

Russian Paradise (Dance Version)

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard EnterprisesRussian Paradise (Dance Version) · Mr. Zivago · Enrico SavinoRussian Paradiseâ 2007 I Venti d'Azzurro RecordsRe...

youtu.be

Savage​

Sweet-voiced Italian Roberto Zanetti was widely known under the pseudonym Savage. And his main hit, which has not been heard at discos for many years, remains the composition "Only You"! Almost 10 million views on the music video, which is a perfect success for a hit song of those years.

Savage - Only You [Official Video]

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youtu.be

Most of all Roberto was loved in Europe and the former USSR! Thanks to his cute image of a "dream-poet" and melodic tracks, Zanetti became famous as one of the most romantic representatives of Italian disco! Many girls were enamored with this disco warbler!

Sabrina Salerno​

Sabrina Salerno is literally the epitome of Italian disco! Her dazzling career began in 1986, when she was just 18 years old! Sabrina's biggest hit is the incendiary composition "Boys (Summertime Love)", the racy music video for which made a lot of noise in its time!

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However, Sabrina broke into Russia with "My Chico" - it was the first song of hers to break into the airwaves of the Soviet Union!

Sabrina - My Chico

Buy here: https://www.goodymusicproduction.com/album.php?id=507Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5RaSs4RC0UZxIk9u0gSn3uWritten by: S. Salerno - O. John...

youtu.be

Among other popular Italians who conquered the world stage with hits in Italian-disco style, we can mention Gazebo, Gianni Coraini, Albert One, Joe Yellow and many more! You would have to write not an article, but a whole book not to mention every star of those years! We tried to collect the most important ones, which the whole world listened to with rapt attention...

Joe Yellow - I'm Your Lover (12' Vocal Version)

High Quality Audio#ItaloBios #ItaloDisco

youtu.be

And now let's move on to the bands!

Scotch​

Italian Italo-disco band Scotch existed only 5 years. But it was enough to conquer the world charts! In the Soviet Union this band was one of the favorites! As, in fact, in the Europe at all...

[ Scotch ] - Disco Band. ( HQ )

youtu.be

The band released only two albums! But there were a dozen of powerful hits! Some Scotch songs are rightfully recognized as Italian disco classics, and the band itself is one of the most influential and important in its genre.

Radiorama​

Radiorama music is often called "heavy disco". This Italian band existed for almost two decades, and became famous all over the world for their songs about vampires!

But the main hit of "Radiorama" is addressed to another fantasy character - Yeti!

Radiorama - Yeti (Version Original)

Album (The Second) 1987 Italo Disco

youtu.be

The main vocals are by Mauro Farina and Simone Zanini (later Clara Moroni)! However, at the origins of the project stood a completely different person... The story of Radiorama began when the famous Italian producer Aldo Martinelli wrote the song "Chance To Desire" at Mauro's request.

Then history makes a steep retracement, instead of the USSR there is a union of new countries. Russia becomes a capitalist country, censorship and state regulation are practically abolished. The music market is capitalized and strongly American influenced. However, musical ties with Italy do not disappear completely, I will talk about that a bit later.

 

[el henry]

I just wanted to pop in to say thank you for all this research and background @Marriott. I am learning so much about Italian pop music and the Russian reaction.

I didn't know a thing about either (the music or the reaction, although some singers, like Domenico Modugno, had hits in the US, most did not) and I have enjoyed learning.

 

[Mariott]

I just wanted to pop in to say thank you for all this research and background @Marriott. I am learning so much about Italian pop music and the Russian reaction.

I didn't know a thing about either (the music or the reaction, although some singers, like Domenico Modugno, had hits in the US, most did not) and I have enjoyed learning.

Thank you so much for your interest! In the process, I learned many facts I didn't know before. Now I understand better why we love Italians and their culture so much. Some songs that are habitual from my childhood, I didn't know they were Italian, because we are so used to them.

 

[Mariott]

For a cheerful mood this Sunday night - Raffaella Carrà in Moscow in 1980.







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[Mariott]

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[Rina RUS]

Thank you, Mariott, for these interesting posts. I hope I’ll read them later and will watch the videos.
As for me, I know Robertino Loretti and Adriano Celentano. I like their songs. It seems I know almost nothing about others.

 

[elektra blue]

some great stuff here and some great trashy stuff too and the immortal Raffaella . i think i owe you kind of an explanation too. when it comes to italian classics abroad i can get a bit sour because of the stereotype attacched to it, as people all over the world tend to think of Italy like a place frozen in time and stuck somewhere between the post war period and the 50s, Toto Cutugno's Italy (whose most famous piece is kind of a reactionary hymn btw), a deeply conservative country, incapable of evolution. i see it's not the case with the russians. i'd like to leave here some modern great songs but, listening mostly to rock and metal, i'm far from an expert (also italian modern pop really is low level with few exceptions).

P.S.: for the 60s i'm team Milva. the best Mina's songs are from the 70s, another great singer and expression of the cultural revolution of the 70s (yes, we had a strong feminist movement in Italy ) is Patty Pravo ( even though she wasn't politically involved. she is still alive and singing but she looks like Voldemort now)

 

[Mariott]

some great stuff here and some great trashy stuff too and the immortal Raffaella . i think i owe you kind of an explanation too. when it comes to italian classics abroad i can get a bit sour because of the stereotype attacched to it, as people all over the world tend to think of Italy like a place frozen in time and stuck somewhere between the post war period and the 50s, Toto Cutugno's Italy (whose most famous piece is kind of a reactionary hymn btw), a deeply conservative country, incapable of evolution. i see it's not the case with the russians. i'd like to leave here some modern great songs but, listening mostly to rock and metal, i'm far from an expert (also italian modern pop really is low level with few exceptions).

P.S.: for the 60s i'm team Milva. the best Mina's songs are from the 70s, another great singer and expression of the cultural revolution of the 70s (yes, we had a strong feminist movement in Italy ) is Patty Pravo ( even though she wasn't politically involved. she is still alive and singing but she looks like Voldemort now)

I didn't tell about the musical connections of the 90s and 2000s, but of course I will do a little review on this topic. There will be no more enthusiastic adoration here, as in the "great five-year period of Italians in the USSR" (1983-1987), but there is still interest in Italian music in Russia. The tendency in this period is that singers who have already gained fame earlier get new interest with the release of new hits, as, for example, was the case with "Confessa" by Celentano. However, there were also new names. In the 90's our musical taste was shaped by MTV, teen magazines and a bit of Eurovision, nowadays, in the times of easy accessibility of music on the Internet, consumers tend to form their musical preferences themselves, collecting playlists for every taste.
And of course, we've never considered Italian music to be a frozen 50s monument. Even our favorite oldies brought something new in addition to their favorite hits.

 

[elektra blue]

I didn't tell about the musical connections of the 90s and 2000s, but of course I will do a little review on this topic. There will be no more enthusiastic adoration here, as in the "great five-year period of Italians in the USSR" (1983-1987), but there is still interest in Italian music in Russia. The tendency in this period is that singers who have already gained fame earlier get new interest with the release of new hits, as, for example, was the case with "Confessa" by Celentano. However, there were also new names. In the 90's our musical taste was shaped by MTV, teen magazines and a bit of Eurovision, nowadays, in the times of easy accessibility of music on the Internet, consumers tend to form their musical preferences themselves, collecting playlists for every taste.
And of course, we've never considered Italian music to be a frozen 50s monument. Even our favorite oldies brought something new in addition to their favorite hits.

of course you didn't! i was talking more from a general point of view and not just about music. some people believe. as for the last decades as i said there's nothing to admire or worth listening to

 

[Mariott]

of course you didn't! i was talking more from a general point of view and not just about music. some people believe. as for the last decades as i said there's nothing to admire or worth listening to

Surely you know that I made this thread more for you, to give an idea of our view of Italian music, right?
But I'm very happy because in the process I got a lot of pleasant emotions related to my childhood. Our cultures are quite closely related, and this can still be seen today, at least on our side. Russian culture is like the Russian language, it is quite difficult to understand it from the outside, and even more so to repeat it.

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If we talk about Russian music known abroad, we have to go back to the 19th century, to the beginning of the 20th century, and remember all these classics. There have not been many successful commercial projects in pop music, I personally think of Gorky Park and Tattoo. The first project is quite secondary and gained fame thanks to the protectorate of media stars with Slavic roots,

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and the second... Honestly, I still laugh when I remember them, they always seemed funny to me. I loved them because they were my age (I was a senior in high school at the time) and sang about all sorts of obscene things in a way that you could listen to

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