Gommalacca

Gommalacca
Studio album by
Released18 September 1998
GenreElectronic, rock[1]
Length44:28
LabelPolyGram
ProducerFranco Battiato
Franco Battiato chronology
L'imboscata
(1996)
Gommalacca
(1998)
Fleurs
(1999)

Gommalacca (transl.Shellac) is a studio album by Italian singer-songwriter Franco Battiato, issued in 1998.

Production

Battiato worked on Gommalacca for a year and a half.[2] The album was recorded between Battiato's house in Catania, Stonehenge Studio in Peschiera Borromeo and two recording studios in Milan, Next and Nautilus.[1] Musicians involved in this album include Gavin Harrison, Morgan and Marco Pancaldi from Bluvertigo, and Ru Catania from Africa Unite, with Fleur Jaeggy (credited as Carlotta Wieck), Ginevra Di Marco and Andrea Pezzi providing backing vocals.[1][3] Cover art was ideated by Sergio Pappalettera from Studio Prodesign.[1]

Release and reception

Anticipated by the lead single "Shock in My Town", the album was released on 24 September 1998.[3] It won the Targa Tenco as best album of the year.[3][4]

The album was described as "vigorous and inspired [...] with hard and distorted sounds and bold samples set in lavish arrangements."[4] Annino La Posta wrote: "Gommalacca is a bold and hard-edged album - at times swirling and restless - yet, as often occurs in Battiato's work, occasionally the sonic architecture recedes and allows glimpses of lyrical beauty to emerge."[2]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Shock in My Town"Franco Battiato, Manlio SgalambroBattiato4:24
2."Auto da fé"Battiato, SgalambroBattiato3:59
3."Casta Diva"Battiato, SgalambroBattiato3:38
4."Il ballo del potere"Battiato, SgalambroBattiato4:26
5."La preda"SgalambroBattiato3:44
6."Il mantello e la spiga"SgalambroBattiato3:59
7."È stato molto bello"SgalambroBattiato3:49
8."Quello che fu"SgalambroBattiato4:30
9."Vite parallele"SgalambroBattiato3:24
10."Shakleton"Sgalambro, Fleur JaeggyBattiato8:35

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Gommalacca
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Italian Albums (FIMI)[5] 1

References

  1. ^ a b c d Zuffanti, Fabio (30 June 2020). "Gommalacca". Franco Battiato: Tutti i dischi e tutte le canzoni, dal 1965 al 2019. LIT Edizioni. ISBN 978-88-6231-868-6.
  2. ^ a b La Posta, Annino (2010). "1996-2000: Shock in My Town". Franco Battiato: soprattutto il silenzio. Giunti. ISBN 978-88-09-74253-6.
  3. ^ a b c Spessato, Carla (20 October 2021). "Passa la gioventù, non te ne fare un vanto". Franco Battiato: Come un incantesimo. Giunti. ISBN 978-88-09-95527-1.
  4. ^ a b Enrico Deregibus (8 October 2010). Dizionario completo della Canzone Italiana. Giunti Editore. pp. 48–9. ISBN 978-8809756250.
  5. ^ "Classifica settimanale WK 40 (dal 25.09.1998 al 01.10.1998)". FIMI. Retrieved 29 February 2024.