Gianni Morandi Grazie A Tutti CD

The three-CD box set Grazie a Tutti offers a comprehensive overview of Gianni Morandi's 45-year career. One of Italy's most beloved entertainers of the past century, Morandi's impregnable mainstream appeal is based on his perfect embodiment (in life and art) of the boy next door of humble origins and wholesome values, in love with love, and music. Singer, actor, comedian, TV host, he has done it all, and -- but for a dark spell in the '70s -- his popularity has always remained high. Even age could not dent the seemingly untouchable Morandi, who successfully adjusted from matinee idol in the early '60s to everybody's favorite uncle in the 2000s. Grazie a Tutti spreads 48 remastered tracks over three discs. The first covers his '60s material -- arguably his most endearing period and certainly the most fun -- and includes timeless classics of silly Italian pop such as "Fatti Mandare Dalla Mamma" or "In Ginocchio da Te," as well as the anti-Vietnam war staple "C'era un Ragazzo Come Me Che Amava i Beatles e i Rolling Stones." The second disc chronicles Morandi's renaissance in the '80s as a mature romantic singer, with hits such as "Bella Signora" and "Uno Su Mille," as well as his blockbuster collaboration with Lucio Dalla. Finally, the third disc gathers its tracks from Morandi's most recent productions, and it adds a new song "Stringimi le Mani," written by Pacifico. Grazie a Tutti features two other previously unreleased recordings, a live 1965 rendition of "Se Non Avessi Pił Te" with the Ennio Morricone orchestra, and a new version of "Un Mondo d'Amore," one of Morandi's greatest hits now reprised as a duet with that other perennial romantic, Claudio Baglioni. Although decidedly overkill for casual listeners, Grazie a Tutti is a gift intended for Morandi's fans only. Of course, in Italy that means the entire mainstream market. Released in late 2007, it unsurprisingly became a huge seller, so much so that less than a year later it was followed by another Morandi three-CD box set (with no overlapping tracks) Ancora...Grazie a Tutti. ~ Mariano Prunes