Pooh is an Italian pop band formed in Bologna in 1966. The group is known for songs such as "Parsifal", Dove comincia il sole ("Where the Sun Begins"), Pensiero ("Thought"), and Uomini soli ("Lonely Men").Sandro Neri. Pooh, la grande storia. Giunti Editore, Milan, 2006.
History
1960s In 1962, drummer Valerio Negrini and guitarist Mauro Bertoli established the band Jaguars in Bologna, forming the nucleus of what would later become Pooh. In 1964, Jaguars consolidated its first stable line-up, composed of Negrini, Bertoli, vocalist Vittorio Costa, bassist Giancarlo Cantelli, and rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Bruno Barraco. In 1965, Costa left the band to pursue medical studies, while keyboardist Bob Gillot and rhythm guitarist Mario Goretti joined.
In January 1966, the Jaguars signed a recording contract with Vedette, Armando Sciascia's record company. As the name Jaguars had already been taken by another band that had recorded a single, the group decided to adopt a new name. Sciascia's secretary, Aliki Andris, a fan of Winnie-the-Pooh, suggested the name Pooh. In February 1966, Pooh recorded its first single, "Vieni fuori", a cover of "Keep on Running" by the Spencer Davis Group. At the end of April, keyboardist Roby Facchinetti from Bergamo replaced Gillot. The band's first album, For Those Like Us, was released in late 1966.
In April 1967, Vedette released the band's fourth single, "Nel buio"/"Cose di questo mondo". Shortly afterwards, Mauro Bertoli left the group following his marriage, and the band became a quartet.
In April 1968, the group first entered the record charts with "Piccola Katy", originally the B-side of the single "In silenzio", which reached fifteenth place on the Italian hit parade. Following the release of their second album and a summer concert tour, Mario Goretti left the band in September 1968, returning to Bologna where he later founded an amplifier company. This was despite the success of "In silenzio"/"Piccola Katy", in which he participated as guitarist.
Goretti was replaced by Donato "Dodi" Battaglia, a sixteen-year-old guitarist from Bologna. He had been noticed by Enrico Marescotti during a local event where he performed an electric guitar solo by The Shadows. A former member of the Meteors, who also accompanied Gianni Morandi, Battaglia went on to play a significant role in Pooh's development.
That same year, relations between Pooh and Vedette deteriorated following the release of their second album, Contrasto, in July 1968. The album was issued without the band's knowledge while they were on tour and was soon withdrawn from the market. The record largely contained audition recordings and discarded material, although it did include the successful single "Piccola Katy".
1970s In 1971, Pooh moved to CBS, where they began working with producer Giancarlo Lucariello. The single "Tanta voglia di lei" reached number one within two weeks. "Pensiero" achieved the same result and sold over one million copies. Both singles also topped the South American charts, selling 450,000 and 1,200,000 copies respectively.Sandro Neri, Pooh40 – La grande storia, 2006. In November 1971, the band released the album Opera Prima.
That year, Valerio Negrini left the group while continuing as a lyricist. He was replaced by drummer Stefano D'Orazio, who had previously played with I Naufraghi and Il Punto, the latter of which had appeared on the cover of Ciao 2001, a leading Italian music weekly at the time. Some songs were recorded in English, such as "Tutto alle tre", adapted as "The Suitcase" for inclusion in a CBS compilation. "Tanta voglia di lei" also placed second at the Festivalbar.
In 1972, the band released "Noi due nel mondo e nell'anima", backed with "Nascerò con te". CBS promoted both tracks equally, issuing the single as a double A-side. "Noi due nel mondo e nell'anima" was promoted on radio, while "Nascerò con te" was distributed to jukeboxes. Around this time, the band began using the Minimoog synthesiser. The album Alessandra marked a stronger vocal presence from Roby Facchinetti and included Dodi Battaglia's first credited composition.
Under Lucariello's direction, Alessandra was arranged with Franco Monaldi's orchestra and featured only love songs. Electric guitar was largely replaced by acoustic arpeggios. Soon after, Riccardo Fogli left to pursue a solo career, citing Lucariello's preference for Battaglia's vocals. In early 1973, bassist Red Canzian, formerly of Osage Tribe and Capsicum Red, joined the band.
In 1973, Pooh released Parsifal, which combined symphonic pop influences with Facchinetti's melodic style. The title track was notable for its extended instrumental second half. "Lettera da Marienbad" appeared as the B-side of "Io e te per altri giorni" and was included on the stereo 8 version of the album.
In 1974, the compilation I Pooh (1971–1974) was issued, while the albums Un po' del nostro tempo migliore and Forse ancora poesia followed in 1975. These albums featured symphonic arrangements, harpsichord, and long instrumental passages, but achieved only modest commercial success. "Ninna nanna", the single from Forse ancora poesia, reached the top 10.D. Salvatori, Storia dell'hit parade, Gremese. Creative differences with Lucariello over orchestration led the group to begin self-producing, one of the first examples of this approach in Italy.
In 1976, Pooh released Poohlover, which included more direct arrangements and lyrics addressing social themes such as homosexuality, prostitution, and marginalisation. The singles "Pierre" and "Linda" restored their chart success, with "Linda" reaching the top position. That year, the band marked its tenth anniversary with a concert in Piazza San Marco, Venice.
In 1977, Facchinetti, Battaglia, and D'Orazio, with Negrini on vocals, recorded a single under the name "Mediterraneo System". The band also contributed instrumental tracks to the television drama La gabbia, including "Risveglio", which later featured in a kitchen advertisement. In the same year, Pooh began staging concerts in stadiums with elaborate lighting and stage effects. They also appeared on Domenica in with Corrado. The single "Dammi solo un minuto" preceded the album Rotolando respirando, their first release under CGD.
The album was initially remixed due to technical issues, with the final version completed at Stone Castle Studios in Carimate. In 1978, the compilation Pooh 1975–1978 was released, followed by the album Boomerang. Boomerang featured synthesisers and electric guitar while dispensing with orchestral arrangements.
Successful tracks from this period included "Cercami", "Giorno per giorno", "Pronto buongiorno è la sveglia", "Classe '58", and "Il ragazzo del cielo (Lindbergh)". Around this time, the band adopted a new logo designed by Paolo Steffan. In early 1979, the single "Fantastic Fly" / "Odyssey" was released as part of the television series Fantastic Tales, based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
Later in 1979, Pooh released Viva, which sold over 700,000 copies. The single "Io sono vivo" remained on the charts for over 51 weeks, while "Notte a sorpresa", "Ultima notte di caccia", "Tutto adesso", and "In concerto" also became popular. "Io sono vivo" and "Notte a sorpresa" were among the first Italian singles to be promoted with music videos. Several songs from Viva were later used in the 1979–1980 season of Domenica in.
1980s In 1980, Pooh released Hurricane, an album featuring English-language versions of their most popular songs from the previous three years, aimed at the international market. The record did not enter the American or British charts but was later issued in Italy, where it achieved gold certification. That same year, ... Stop was released, featuring the single "Canterò per te" (with "Stagione di vento" as the B-side) and tracks including "Inca", "Vienna", "Aria di mezzanotte", "Ali per guardare", and "Occhi per volare".
In February 1981, the compilation Pooh 1978–1981 was released, containing 12 songs, including two previously unreleased tracks: "Giorno per giorno" and "Tu sei tu, io resterò me". In September, the studio album Buona fortuna appeared, featuring the summer single "Chi fermerà la musica", the title track, the autobiographical "Banda nel vento" (earlier released as a B-side), and "Dove sto domani". The video for "Chi fermerà la musica" showed the band members exchanging roles.
In spring 1982, the group issued Palasport, their first live album, recorded during their 1981 autumn tour. The double album included retrospective material from their first 15 years, along with two new songs performed on tour: "Canzone per l'inverno" and "Siamo tutti come noi". Later that year, the single "Non siamo in pericolo" (with "Anni senza fiato" as the B-side) was released.
In 1983, Pooh recorded Tropico del Nord at studios in Montserrat, Caribbean. It was the first Italian LP released on compact disc, including an additional track, "Breakfast in New York". The album also featured "Solo voci", an a cappella piece inspired by the Beatles' "Because". Music videos were produced for several tracks, later compiled into the special L'anno del Tropico, distributed on VHS. No official singles were released, although multiple tracks were promoted domestically and abroad. After a large-scale tour, the band also performed in smaller venues during their "Club Tour 83", reviving earlier songs such as "Eleonora mia madre", "Infiniti noi", "Classe '58", and "La città degli altri".
During these sessions, Roby Facchinetti composed material for his first solo album, Roby Facchinetti. In 1984, the band travelled to Maui, Hawaii, to record Aloha at George Benson's studio. The album included "Boys of the World", "Come si fa", and darker-themed tracks such as "Selvaggio" and "Il giorno prima", the latter addressing the threat of nuclear conflict. "La mia donna", arranged at Lahaina Studios, featured vocals shared by all four members and a solo by Dodi Battaglia. The use of the Fairlight synthesiser characterised much of the album's sound.
The subsequent Italian tour introduced electronic drums played by Stefano D'Orazio, with performances opening to the synthesised sounds of "Selvaggio". Rai broadcast a one-hour television special featuring videos filmed in Hawaii, later issued in 2003 as Pooh's first official DVD. By the end of 1984, the band released Pooh 1981–1984, a double compilation of 19 tracks, including nine previously unreleased on LP and seven unreleased on CD.
In 1985, Dodi Battaglia released his first solo album, Più in alto che c'è, which included a title track written with Vasco Rossi. That same year, Pooh recorded Asia non Asia in Japan, an album with a strong emphasis on synthesisers and electronic guitars. The song "Se c'è un posto nel tuo cuore", sung by Stefano D'Orazio, was used as the theme for Il corso del lunedì, while "Se nasco un'altra volta" was promoted as the lead single and performed at the Festivalbar. In 1986, Vedette issued the compilation C'è amore negli occhi tuoi.
To mark the group's 20th anniversary, Giorni infiniti was released in 1986 on white vinyl. The album combined acoustic arrangements with contemporary technologies and featured a brass section led by Demo Morselli. Songs included "Terry B.", inspired by a 1985 Milan news story involving model Terry Broome, "C'est difficile mais c'est la vie", "Venti", and "L'altra parte del cielo", which reintroduced the Hammond organ. That year, Red Canzian also issued his first solo album, Io e Red. The band was honoured at the wax museum in Rome and appointed Knights of the Italian Republic. Their 1986 winter tour was released on a triple live album, followed in 1987 by another live album, Goodbye.