Fetus

Franco Battiato

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 11, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 1972
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Water
• ASIN: B000E3LHY6
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #299,741 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The idiosyncratic Italian composer Battiato, often compared to eccentrics such as Scott Walker, Terry Riley, and David Bowie, recorded a brilliant, prescient mix of psych-prog and experimental electronics for this landmark 1972 album.

First time on CD in the U.S. and with new liner notes by Jim O'Rourke.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Early Synth-Pop from Italy, December 21, 2004

By	ProEvil (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fetus (Audio CD)

Battiato was already a famous european pop musician when he took this more experimentally progressive turn. On this album, he fused folk-flavored pop with stark electronic textures inspired by Karlheinz Stockhausen. At first the juxtaposition seems strange, but with repeated listens it reveals itself to be quite appealing. Definitely a very early example of techno-pop with a distinctly european flair (this pre-dates Kraftwerk's 'Autobahn' by a couple of years).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Italian prog by one of Italy's big pop stars, September 15, 2003

By	BENJAMIN MILER (Eugene, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fetus (Audio CD)

Franco Battiatio is one of the big names of Italian pop. But this is hardly the kind of music that would be found at the Eurovision Song Contest. On Fetus, released in 1972 on the Bla-Bla label, he went for the Italian prog rock sound of the time, and added some really cool VCS-3 synthesizers. If you like Le Orme, you're sure to like this, as Battiato sounds like Aldo Tagliapietra at times, not to mention the occasional acoustic pieces only justifies the Le Orme comparisons. But unlike Le Orme, Battiato liked making all sorts of strange sounds off his synths. "Cariocinesi" is an interesting piece, especially the use of violin, giving it an almost American feel, until you hear Battiato's singing. "Meccanica" starts off sounding like PFM, but then you hear some ELP-like organs, at the end you hear a clip from the Apollo 11 moon landing with Bach being played in the background. Quite interesting music, and if you like Le Orme, Italian prog in general, or experimental electronic mixed with prog, you're sure to like this.

5.0 out of 5 stars a book by its cover... how politically incorrect, January 12, 2008

By	Cen (of Barbi & Cen) "lost in place" (where pigs fly, USA) - See all my reviews

wow... the anti abortionists in cincinnati would love to plaster this one next to the clinics...
NOW. FOCUS ON THE CONTENTS...
this was my first, and most exciting immersion into battiato. not that others aren't good, and some are as or more satisfying, but this one... is akin to charisma (krisma), or a poppy neu! or can. definitely more kraut(ty). his other work in this period is more soundscape or minimalist. his later work is more formal and classical (at least the ones i've tasted). I would be surprised if this weren't highlighted in julian cope's forthcoming book on italian music. and the price is half what i paid a couple years ago.