How David Sylvian saved L'Albero Pazzo: Chimenti interview

[inkinthewell]

Nice interview with Andrea Chimenti.

This is the translation of the bits regarding DS:

What was it like between your first record, La maschera del corvo nero, and L’albero pazzo?
A very difficult moment. Nobody wanted to release L’albero pazzo. The Consorzio Produttori Indipendenti didn't like it because it was too acoustic, and at that time they were interested in more electric stuff…

Marlene Kuntz, Santo Niente…
Exactly. The record came out thanks to David Sylvian. I was about to leave music altogether, and had decided to do anything else, when I heard that David Sylvian wanted to collaborate with me. Everything changed.

How did that happen?
It was all very lucky. Sylvian was touring Italy with Robert Fripp, and had asked Paolo Bedini, my manager at the time and his Italian tour organizer, to listen to some Italian artists. Paolo gave him a stack of CDs, among which were the Albero pazzo demos. Some days later Sylvian called him saying he would have loved to work with me. I remember going back home and listening to Bedini's voice on my answering machine: “David Sylvian wants to work with you and write a song together”. In such a difficult moment this was a ray of sunshine. Of course, all doors flew open and the Consorzio released the record.

What kind of person is David Sylvian?
He's just like you think he might be. Very calm and serene, but I didn't see him enough to get to know him deeply. He's extremely kind, coy, and very professional. We had a very weird relationship: we wrote the song without meeting each other before it was finished. We sent each other tapes, he was in Minneapolis at that time and I was in Florence, and we agreed on the subject of the lyrics communicating by fax. Initially I had asked him to sing on one of the Albero pazzo demos, but he told me he didn't know where he could fit, so I wrote a new song, Ti ho aspettato (I Have Waited for You).

Did you ever think of promoting the record abroad?
We wanted to, but Warner wouldn't let us, in spite of the fact that David Sylvian tried to convince them more than once.

[Quiet Visitor]

Thanks.
Love Chimenti's work a lot. Have 8 of his albums + a compilation CD/DVD + a DVD-documentary.

[Quiet Visitor]

Chimenti's new website suggests that last year a new version of "L'albero Pazzo" was released. This version seems very special, because it's on vinyl and the cover is completely new.
See: https://www.andreachimenti.it/2020/06/1 ... ero-pazzo/

I couldn't find any other information though, so if this LP really exists?

Nice to see Chimenti is also working on a new album.

[kitaj]

I think the release of the new vinyl edition of L'Albero Pazzo is still in the works/postponed, as it's still nowhere to be found on Amazon, Discogs, etc.

On a related subject, during the past year's lockdown I immersed myself in his as-yet latest album, Yuri (2015), which won me over to the point I came to think it may just be his masterpiece - as well as, funnily enough, kind-of his 'Secrets of the Beehive' stylistically (no doubt totally an autumn/winter album as well). It is incredibly evocative, and in the spare yet creative arrangements (by his classically-trained multi-instrumentalist son, Francesco) there's not a second out of place throughout its duration. It may not be one of his easiest works - and I very much love his previous, totally different and poppiest album overall, Tempesta di Fiori (2010) - so it took some time to sink in, but in the end it has and big time. So I'm really psyched for the new, upcoming disc (apparently titled, "KY").

[Quiet Visitor]

I guess you're right. Even the facebookpage of the label doesn't mention it.

Regarding Yuri, it would have been great if his novel on which the album is based in a way was translated into English, so we even could admire it more.

[Quiet Visitor]

Always nice to go a bit deeper into the internet. Just saw Chimenti collaborated on one track for the CD La Prosecuzione Della Poesia Con Altri Mezzi by Alex Cremonesi, which was released in 2019.

Full album: https://riffrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ ... ltri-mezzi

Desiderio I 2 featuring Chimenti: https://riffrecords.bandcamp.com/track/desiderio-i-2

[kitaj]

L’Albero Pazzo is finally available on vinyl, from his website http://www.andreachimenti.it

Edit: oh gosh, sold out already

[kitaj]

'L'Albero Pazzo' is finally available on vinyl from Chimenti's website - the first batch already sold out, with more copies due in from the 27th of this month. This is the link to order the LP from:

https://www.andreachimenti.it/#elemento ... NlfQ%3D%3D

Here's how the new cover looks - very 'manafonian':

https://www.facebook.com/andreachimenti ... 0789888629

[Quiet Visitor]

Ah, learned a word Italian today: Esaurito = sold out.
The new shop shows the only album with Chimenti's name as artist I haven't got yet (https://www.andreachimenti.it/prodotto/ ... i-cantici/) is still/again sold out.

Well, I can buy it from discogs (https://www.discogs.com/Anita-Laurenzi- ... se/4212337) but I won't pay € 90. I once ordered it from discogs for € 15, but the seller changed the shipping-costs after I placed my order into a ridiculous high price, so I had to cancel it.

[silentwings]

Andrea's facebook page says he will have more of the vinyl available from his website in around a week.