Friday, October 6, 2017

Il silenzio del rumore - The Silence of the Noise

Il silenzio del rumore
Delle valvole a pressione
I cilindri del calore
Serbatoi di produzione...
Anche il tuo spazio è su misura
Non hai forza per tentare
Di cambiare il tuo avvenire
Per paura di scoprire
Libertà che non vuoi avere...
Ti sei mai chiesto
Quale funzione hai?

Il silenzio del rumore © 1972 Franco Battiato

The classical piece at the beginning of "Il silenzio del rumore" is "Tales from the Vienna Woods" by Johann Strauss II.

The silence of the noise
of the pressure valves,
the cylinders of heat,
production tanks . . .
Even your space is made to order,
you don’t have the drive to try
to change your future
for fear of discovering
liberty, which you don’t want to have . . .
Have you ever asked
what function you have?

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



"Pollution from 1972 is the captivating follow-up to Fetus. Like its predecessor, the album features Baroque textures, motorik rhythms, weird tape effects and Battiato's perfectly oblique vocals. Upon hearing Pollution, Frank Zappa joyfully proclaimed it 'genius.' . . . Pollution touches on themes of environmental catastrophe. Futurist allusions seep in through eccentric lyrics (at times sung backwards) about hydraulics, magnetic fields, etc., yet listeners don't need to speak the artist's language to grasp his melancholy vision. With Pollution, Battiato solidifies not only his cult figure status, but also many of his forward-thinking ideas on rock 'n' roll." - Superior Viaduct review
After the release of Fetus, Battiato began touring. Al.Sa., the Milan publicity firm that collaborated with Battiato on his first two albums and that was instrumental in creating a Battiato persona that intrigued the Italian public, dubbed the tour "Battiato Pollution." The concerts, or “happenings” as they were conceived, were not simply presentations of the music from Fetus. Rather they were spectacles, with Battiato the avant-garde artist breaking down the old order in his outrageous costumes and with symbolic acts like breaking a large cross at some point during the show. The cross was meant to symbolize traditional culture, and is pictured on the back side of the Pollution album cover. The music on Pollution was developed and recorded concurrently with the Battiato Pollution tour. Again on this second album, the lyrics were written by Sergio Albergoni and Gianni Sassi (credited to Frankenstein), the principals of Al.Sa.
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Thursday, October 5, 2017

Areknames - Gnikkalebllahsfi

Ima areknames
Mala areknapes
Ima areknames
Mala areknapess
Atenoip arret elevoun
Sisopromatem ereitnorf alled etnem

Areknames © 1972 Franco Battiato
To understand these lyrics, read them backwards (it's not perfect; e.g., “atenoip” should be “atenaip”); that gets you "se manchera" in Italian and "if shall be lacking" in English. As theorized by Joel Cairo on Genius Lyrics, the translation of "Ima" and "Mala" has them being chord indications: ima -> a-mi = accordo – mi (in English: chord - E) and mala -> alam = accordo – la minore (chord - A minor). Battiato associated chords with chakras; E is the third note in a C scale -> 3rd chakra, A is the sixth note in a C scale -> 6th chakra. The 3rd chakra is associated with the solar plexus and symbolizes mental activities, intellect, personal power, and will; the 6th chakra is associated with the third eye and evokes intuition, extrasensory perception, and inner wisdom. Therefore, the un-reversed first two lines could be:
If willpower shall be lacking, If wisdom shall be lacking.


Ec gnikkalebllahsfi
mac gnikkalebllahsfi
Ec gnikkalebllahsfi
mac gnikkalebllahsfi
Tenalp htrae ehtwen
Sisohpromatem sreitnorf ehtfo dnim

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



"Pollution from 1972 is the captivating follow-up to Fetus. Like its predecessor, the album features Baroque textures, motorik rhythms, weird tape effects and Battiato's perfectly oblique vocals. Upon hearing Pollution, Frank Zappa joyfully proclaimed it 'genius.' . . . Pollution touches on themes of environmental catastrophe. Futurist allusions seep in through eccentric lyrics (at times sung backwards) about hydraulics, magnetic fields, etc., yet listeners don't need to speak the artist's language to grasp his melancholy vision. With Pollution, Battiato began touring. Al.Sa., the Milan publicity firm that collaborated with Battiato on his first two albums and that was instrumental in creating a Battiato persona that intrigued the Italian public, dubbed the tour "Battiato Pollution." The concerts, or “happenings” as they were conceived, were not simply presentations of the music from Fetus. Rather they were spectacles, with Battiato the avant-garde artist breaking down the old order in his outrageous costumes and with symbolic acts like breaking a large cross at some point during the show. The cross was meant to symbolize traditional culture, and is pictured on the back side of the Pollution album cover. The music on Pollution was developed and recorded concurrently with the Battiato Pollution tour. Again on this second album, the lyrics were written by Sergio Albergoni and Gianni Sassi (credited to Frankenstein), the principals of Al.Sa.
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Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Beta

Son felice di essere un beta
Il mio giorno non è duro
Dentro il mare mi posso vestire
Dai gamma e dai delta
Farmi ubbidire
Quando gioco non rompo mai niente
La violenza non ho nella mente
La violenza non ho nella mente
La violenza non ho nella mente
Dentro di me vivono la mia identica vita
Dei microrganismi che non sanno
Di appartenere al mio corpo...
Io a quale corpo appartengo?

Beta © 1972 Franco Battiato

The classical piece at the end of "Beta" is an excerpt from "The Moldau," part of a larger symphonic tone poem by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana.

I’m happy to be a beta.
My day isn’t hard.
In the ocean I can dress myself
with the gamma and delta,
make myself obey.
When I play I never break anything.
Violence I don’t have in my mind.
Violence I don’t have in my mind.
Violence I don’t have in my mind.
Inside of me lives my identical life
of microorganisms that don’t know
they belong to my body . . .
And me, to what body do I belong?

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



"Pollution from 1972 is the captivating follow-up to Fetus. Like its predecessor, the album features Baroque textures, motorik rhythms, weird tape effects and Battiato's perfectly oblique vocals. Upon hearing Pollution, Frank Zappa joyfully proclaimed it 'genius.' . . . Pollution touches on themes of environmental catastrophe. Futurist allusions seep in through eccentric lyrics (at times sung backwards) about hydraulics, magnetic fields, etc., yet listeners don't need to speak the artist's language to grasp his melancholy vision. With Pollution, Battiato solidifies not only his cult figure status, but also many of his forward-thinking ideas on rock 'n' roll." - Superior Viaduct review
After the release of Fetus, Battiato began touring. Al.Sa., the Milan publicity firm that collaborated with Battiato on his first two albums and that was instrumental in creating a Battiato persona that intrigued the Italian public, dubbed the tour "Battiato Pollution." The concerts, or “happenings” as they were conceived, were not simply presentations of the music from Fetus. Rather they were spectacles, with Battiato the avant-garde artist breaking down the old order in his outrageous costumes and with symbolic acts like breaking a large cross at some point during the show. The cross was meant to symbolize traditional culture, and is pictured on the back side of the Pollution album cover. The music on Pollution was developed and recorded concurrently with the Battiato Pollution tour. Again on this second album, the lyrics were written by Sergio Albergoni and Gianni Sassi (credited to Frankenstein), the principals of Al.Sa.
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Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Plancton - Plankton

Sto vivendo da due secoli in oceani
Ho imparato come respirare mare
Le mie mani diventano squame

Sotto il mare sta cambiando la mia struttura
E il mio corpo è sempre più uguale ai pesci
I miei capelli diventano alghe

Plancton © 1972 Franco Battiato

I’ve been living for two centuries in oceans.
I learned how to breath sea,
my hands become fins.

Under the sea my structure is changing
and my body is ever more equal to the fishes,
my hair becomes algae.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



"Pollution from 1972 is the captivating follow-up to Fetus. Like its predecessor, the album features Baroque textures, motorik rhythms, weird tape effects and Battiato's perfectly oblique vocals. Upon hearing Pollution, Frank Zappa joyfully proclaimed it 'genius.' . . . Pollution touches on themes of environmental catastrophe. Futurist allusions seep in through eccentric lyrics (at times sung backwards) about hydraulics, magnetic fields, etc., yet listeners don't need to speak the artist's language to grasp his melancholy vision. With Pollution, Battiato solidifies not only his cult figure status, but also many of his forward-thinking ideas on rock 'n' roll." - Superior Viaduct review
After the release of Fetus, Battiato began touring. Al.Sa., the Milan publicity firm that collaborated with Battiato on his first two albums and that was instrumental in creating a Battiato persona that intrigued the Italian public, dubbed the tour "Battiato Pollution." The concerts, or “happenings” as they were conceived, were not simply presentations of the music from Fetus. Rather they were spectacles, with Battiato the avant-garde artist breaking down the old order in his outrageous costumes and with symbolic acts like breaking a large cross at some point during the show. The cross was meant to symbolize traditional culture, and is pictured on the back side of the Pollution album cover. The music on Pollution was developed and recorded concurrently with the Battiato Pollution tour. Again on this second album, the lyrics were written by Sergio Albergoni and Gianni Sassi (credited to Frankenstein), the principals of Al.Sa.
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Monday, October 2, 2017

Pollution

La portata di un condotto
È il volume liquido
Che passa in una sua sezione
Nell'unità di tempo

E si ottiene moltiplicando
La sezione perpendicolare
Per la velocità che avrai del liquido

A regime permanente
La portata è costante
Attraverso una sezione del condotto

Atomi dell'idrogeno
Campi elettrici ioni-isofoto
Radio litio-atomico
Gas magnetico

Atomi dell'idrogeno
Campi elettrici ioni-isofoto
Radio litio-atomico
Gas magnetico

La portata di un condotto
È il volume liquido
Che passa in una sua sezione
Nell'unità di tempo

E si ottiene moltiplicando
La sezione perpendicolare
Per la velocità che avrai del liquido

A regime permanente
La portata è costante
Attraverso una sezione del condotto

Pollution © 1972 Franco Battiato

The flow rate of a conduit
is the liquid volume
that passes by one of its sections
in a unit of time.

And it is obtained by multiplying
the perpendicular section
by the velocity you have of the liquid.

In a permanent regime,
the flow rate is constant
through a section of the conduit.

Atoms of hydrogen
Electrical fields ions-isophoto
Radio lithio-atomic
Magnetic gas.

Atoms of hydrogen
Electrical fields ions-isophoto
Radio lithio-atomic
Magnetic gas.

The flow rate of a conduit
is the liquid volume
that passes by one of its sections
in a unit of time.

And it is obtained by multiplying
the perpendicular section
by the velocity you have of the liquid.

In a permanent regime,
the flow rate is constant
through a section of the conduit.

English translation © 2020 Dennis Criteser



"Pollution from 1972 is the captivating follow-up to Fetus. Like its predecessor, the album features Baroque textures, motorik rhythms, weird tape effects and Battiato's perfectly oblique vocals. Upon hearing Pollution, Frank Zappa joyfully proclaimed it 'genius.' . . . Pollution touches on themes of environmental catastrophe. Futurist allusions seep in through eccentric lyrics (at times sung backwards) about hydraulics, magnetic fields, etc., yet listeners don't need to speak the artist's language to grasp his melancholy vision. With Pollution, Battiato solidifies not only his cult figure status, but also many of his forward-thinking ideas on rock 'n' roll." - Superior Viaduct review
After the release of Fetus, Battiato began touring. Al.Sa., the Milan publicity firm that collaborated with Battiato on his first two albums and that was instrumental in creating a Battiato persona that intrigued the Italian public, dubbed the tour "Battiato Pollution." The concerts, or “happenings” as they were conceived, were not simply presentations of the music from Fetus. Rather they were spectacles, with Battiato the avant-garde artist breaking down the old order in his outrageous costumes and with symbolic acts like breaking a large cross at some point during the show. The cross was meant to symbolize traditional culture, and is pictured on the back side of the Pollution album cover. The music on Pollution was developed and recorded concurrently with the Battiato Pollution tour. Again on this second album, the lyrics were written by Sergio Albergoni and Gianni Sassi (credited to Frankenstein), the principals of Al.Sa.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Ti sei mai chiesto quale funzione hai?                                 Were You Ever Asked What Function You Have?



Ti sei mai chiesto quale funzione hai? © 1972 Franco Battiato






"Pollution from 1972 is the captivating follow-up to Fetus. Like its predecessor, the album features Baroque textures, motorik rhythms, weird tape effects and Battiato's perfectly oblique vocals. Upon hearing Pollution, Frank Zappa joyfully proclaimed it 'genius.' . . . Pollution touches on themes of environmental catastrophe. Futurist allusions seep in through eccentric lyrics (at times sung backwards) about hydraulics, magnetic fields, etc., yet listeners don't need to speak the artist's language to grasp his melancholy vision. With Pollution, Battiato solidifies not only his cult figure status, but also many of his forward-thinking ideas on rock 'n' roll." - Superior Viaduct review
After the release of Fetus, Battiato began touring. Al.Sa., the Milan publicity firm that collaborated with Battiato on his first two albums and that was instrumental in creating a Battiato persona that intrigued the Italian public, dubbed the tour "Battiato Pollution." The concerts, or “happenings” as they were conceived, were not simply presentations of the music from Fetus. Rather they were spectacles, with Battiato the avant-garde artist breaking down the old order in his outrageous costumes and with symbolic acts like breaking a large cross at some point during the show. The cross was meant to symbolize traditional culture, and is pictured on the back side of the Pollution album cover. The music on Pollution was developed and recorded concurrently with the Battiato Pollution tour. Again on this second album, the lyrics were written by Sergio Albergoni and Gianni Sassi (credited to Frankenstein), the principals of Al.Sa.
Back to Album List         Back to Song List