Franco Battiato

An internationally known artist, Franco Battiato has been everything in his long career, from beat singer to avantgarde performer, producer, contemporary music composer.
His beginnings lay in the mid 60's, with many singles released with no particular success, the first two under his real name of Francesco. He had left the native Sicily (he was born in Jonia, near Catania in 1945) moving to Milan around 1965.

In 1970 after his collaboration with Osage Tribe (that he quit before their only album Arrowhead) he had a record deal with Bla Bla, releasing his first solo album in 1972.
Fetus, housed in a outrageous cover (reproducing a foetus) was definitely a prog album, but a very original one, with a minimalist sound mainly based on the use of a VCS3 synth, unusual lyrics, complex arrangements. Two tracks, Energia and Una cellula were also released as single.

Second album Pollution followed the same route, but the sound was a bit richer with a larger use of traditional rock instruments. A good concert activity led to Battiato being very popular as an alternative artist and Pollution even reached the Top Ten Italian chart.
These two albums are considered their best (and most musically accessible) from prog fans.

With third album, Sulle corde di Aries, the sound shifted toward a more avantgarde style, as in the long suite Sequenze e frequenze, but Aria e rivoluzione remains one of his best tracks from the first period.

Fourth album Clic was mainly instrumental, with just a single vocal track, No U turn, and it also had an English release on the prestigious Island label, though this album contains tracks originally included in Sulle corde di Aries and the Italian issue of Clic. His first solo album had also been recorded in an English version, entitled Foetus, but this was never released at the time and only appeared on CD recently.

With 1975's M.lle le gladiator we're in full avantgarde music, the album even contains a long church organ solo performance and is a very difficult listen. After the Bla Bla's demise the following releases up to 1978 were all in the same direction, with long instrumental piano or synth performances closer to contemporary music than to progressive.

1979 saw the first radical turn, with the new wave-inspired album L'era del cinghiale bianco that began a fruitful collaboration with violinist Giusto Pio. The album was a big hit and later works followed the same style, with very good arrangements and highly inspired and original lyrics. In the 2000's Battiato is still one of the leading figures in Italian music.

LP (up to 1981)
Fetus	Bla Bla (BBXL 10001)	1972	gatefold laminated cover - cutout lyric inner - blue vinyl promo copies exist, including a management presentation folder
Pollution	Bla Bla (BBXL 10002)	1973	gatefold laminated cover - lyric inner
Sulle corde di Aries	Bla Bla (BBXL 10003)	1973	gatefold cover
Clic	Bla Bla (BBXL 10006)	1974	gatefold cover - booklet
M.lle le gladiator	Bla Bla (BBXL 10008)	1975	single cover
	Ricordi/Orizzonte (ORL 8536)	80's	as above
Feedback	Bla Bla (BBXL 210010)	1976	2LP - gatefold cover - compilation of tracks from first 4 LP's - reissued by Ricordi in late 70's as two separate LP's called 1972 and 1974.
Battiato	Ricordi (SMRL 6201)	1977	single cover
	Ricordi/Orizzonte (ORL 8377)	80's	as above
Juke box	Ricordi (SMRL 6218)	1978	single cover
	Ricordi/Orizzonte (ORL 8467)	80's	as above
L'Egitto prima delle sabbie	Ricordi (SMRL 6220)	1978	single cover
	Ricordi/Orizzonte (ORL 8659)	80's	as above
L'era del cinghiale bianco	EMI (3C064 -18285)	1979	single cover - inner
Patriots	EMI (3C 064-18521)	1980	single cover - inner
La voce del padrone	EMI (3C 064-18558)	1981	single cover - inner
CD
L'era del cinghiale bianco	EMI (7467962)	90's	reissue of 1979 album
Patriots	EMI (7467972)	90's	reissue of 1980 album
La voce del padrone	EMI (7463572)	90's	reissue of 1981 album
Fetus	Artis (ARCD 025)	1991	reissue of 1972 album
	BMG/Indimenticabili (74321-58552-2)	2000	as above
	Water (WATER 168CD)	2006	as above
Pollution	Artis (ARCD 026)	1991	reissue of 1972 album
	BMG/Indimenticabili (74321-58554-2)	2000	as above
	Water (WATER 174CD)	2006	as above
Sulle corde di Aries	Artis (ARCD 036)	1992	reissue of 1973 album
	BMG/Indimenticabili (74321-58555-2)	2000	as above
Clic	Artis (ARCD 037)	1992	reissue of 1974 album
	BMG/Indimenticabili (74321-58551-2)	2000	as above
M.lle le gladiator	Artis (ARCD 041)	1993	reissue of 1975 album
	BMG/Indimenticabili (74321-58553-2)	2000	as above
Za	Artis (ARCD 046)	1994	reissue of Battiato 1977 album
Juke box	Artis (ARCD 048)	1994	reissue of 1978 album
	BMG/Indimenticabili (74321-58558-2)	2000	as above
L'Egitto prima delle sabbie	Artis (ARCD 049)	1994	reissue of 1978 album
	BMG/Indimenticabili (74321-58557-2)	2000	as above
Battiato	BMG/Indimenticabili (74321-58556-2)	1998	reissue of 1977 album
Foetus	VM2000 (VMCD065)	1999	English version of Fetus
VARIOUS ARTISTS COMPILATION ALBUMS
La convenzione (with La convenzione, Paranoia, Stranizza d'ammuri, La convenzione 1997)	D'Autore/Azzurra Music (DA 1008)	2002	CD compilation dedicated to Bla Bla, also includes tracks by Juri Camisasca and Osage Tribe
SINGLES (up to 1981 - with picture covers)
L'amore è partito	Net (N 526)	1965	as Francesco Battiato bonus with Net magazine - backed with Dani Andress - È la fine
E più ti amo	Net (N 531)	1965	as Francesco Battiato bonus with Net magazine - backed with Ezio De Gradi - Prima o poi
La torre Le reazioni	Jolly (J-20410)	1967
Il mondo va così Triste come me	Jolly (J-20425)	1967
È l'amore Fumo di una sigaretta	Philips (363 728 PF)	1968
Bella ragazza Occhi d'or	RT Club (RT 1563)	1969
Sembrava una serata come tante Gente	Philips (363 752 PF)	1969
Vento caldo Marciapiede	Philips (6025 031)	1971	never officially released
Energia Una cellula	Bla Bla (BBR 1330)	1972	both tracks from Fetus
La convenzione Paranoia	Bla Bla (BBR 1333)	1972	gatefold cover - both unreleased tracks - released in two versions, with orange and green labels, with different recordings
L'era del cinghiale bianco Luna indiana	EMI (3C006-18465)	1979	both tracks from L'era del cinghiale bianco
Bandiera bianca Summer on a solitary beach	EMI (3C006-18562)	1981	both tracks from La voce del padrone
PROMO-ONLY AND JUKEBOX SINGLES (with blank covers)
È l'amore	Philips (1002 ASC)	1969	white label 4-track promo EP coupled with Georges Moustaki - Lo straniero and others
Una cellula	Bla Bla / Polaris (JB-PO BL 2)	1972	white label juke box single coupled with I Romans - Any way
La convenzione Paranoia	Bla Bla (BBR 1333)	1972	as the corresponding standard single, but in white label jukebox version

All the Bla Bla albums are much collectible and have become increasingly more expensive during the years, but they're still not impossible to find.

Some copies of Fetus (like some Bla Bla singles) had a yellow Billboard sticker. Allegedly some promotional copies came on blue vinyl and contained an info folder.
Two different versions of the Fetus, cover exist, the only difference being a small writing "Reparto Tipolitografico CBS-SUGAR" on back, just under the Messaggerie Musicali distribution credit.
The first two albums had laminated cover, Sulle corde di Aries had a standard gatefold cover, but some copies were made with a rather glossy cardboard that almost gives the effect of a laminated cover. Clic included a black & white lyric booklet.

Pollution has on the label the year 1973, but, according to many sources the album was issued at the end of 1972.

Clic was also the first Battiato album to gain an international release, with an uncommon English issue on Island (ILPS 9323) that included three tracks from the Italian version of the same album and one (Aria e rivoluzione, renamed Revolution in the air) from Sulle corde di Aries, in different recordings. The English version had a similar gatefold cover as the Italian one, but didn't include the booklet.

Also some of the 80's releases had international issues, for example in Spain with translated lyrics.

Since the late 70's Ricordi reissued the Bla Bla albums in the Orizzonte mid-price series; the first four albums, already included in the Feedback double album, were split in two separate compilations, mixing Fetus and Pollution excerpts in the first one (called 1972, on Ricordi/Orizzonte ORL 8127) and Sulle corde di Aries and Clic in the second one (re-titled 1974, on Ricordi/Orizzonte ORL 8128). Both the compilations had rather unoriginal plain coloured single covers and green/white Ricordi labels and are still easy to find.

The 1972 single with the unreleased tracks La convenzione and Paranoia was issued in two versions, the common one has a green label, another one is on orange label, both have a gatefold cover. The recordings of La convenzione are different, while Paranoia is over one minute longer on the orange label single.
These alternative recordings from the orange label single can be found on the La convenzione CD compilation which also contains tracks by Osage Tribe and Juri Camisasca.


Fetus - gatefold cover, front has the Billboard sticker

Pollution - front cover

Sulle corde di Aries - front cover

Clic - front cover

Clic - booklet	Clic - UK issue label

M.lle Le Gladiator - front cover

Jukebox - front cover	1972 (Fetus/Pollution reissue) - front cover

Battiato - front cover

Juke box - front cover

L'Egitto prima delle sabbie - front cover

L'era del cinghiale bianco - front cover

Energia - 7" single cover	Energia - inner gatefold

La convenzione - 7" single cover	La convenzione - inner gatefold

Foetus (English version) CD

Thanks to Fabio Carboni from Soundohm, Valerio D'Angelo and Alessio Annino for information and pictures