Freddie Portelli’s Greatest Hits Return with D’Amato Records

On May 30^th 2025, I had the privilege of attending the record launch for the newest pressing by D’Amato Records; L-Aqwa Suċċessi – a compilation of the legendary Freddie Portelli’s greatest hits.

This wasn’t just any record launch, though. In a speech, Anthony D’Amato, co-owner of the world’s oldest record shop, stated that his family is now in its fifth generation of ownership, and the only generation never to have produced records. In fact, the label’s last pressing dates back to the 1980s, making this release a historic return to their roots.

The historic record shop buzzed with a warm, lively atmosphere. I was welcomed with a glass of prosecco and an array of finger foods, but that quickly became unimportant when Freddie caught my eye, sitting at a desk, signing the new records, and making conversation with his fans. Of course, I had questions.

I asked Freddie what it meant to him to have his music on vinyl again after all these years.

“First of all, I turned 81, meaning I’ve been going on for quite a while, and back in the day I released a lot of songs on vinyl”, Freddie started. “Now, because they started their label again and they started with mine, it was an honour to me as he told me ‘We’re going to start with yours as they’re the most in demand'."

 Freddie’s eyes lit up with a story that still amuses him decades later.

“I had one LP which went to Gaddafi. They told me it was his favourite, but I didn’t believe them. The Americans bombarded him and ruined his house and room, and got a picture, which ended up all over the world, with his run-down room, and my LP ‘Viva Malta’ displayed proudly.”

I wondered if he had any songs in particular that reminded him of a special moment in his life.

"Let me tell you, Viva Malta reminds me a lot [of special moments] because when we made it, how it came to be and how I wrote it, they fought with me because I would forget and all that, and when it was done it blew up globally. That remained a special moment to me, it featured in newspapers around the world, on Readers Digest, they'd play it everywhere!"

One of the main things Freddie finds so amazing about the legacy his music has left behind is the audiences he’s reached. He pointed out seeing people who weren’t even born when these songs came out, screaming the lyrics perfectly as if they had been released yesterday.

“I got used to it, from here I’ll go straight to Gozo to sing, and I always have younger ones there too. They sing all my songs. I tell them ‘you weren’t even born’. The songs that are in here [the vinyl], I could probably let them sing themselves. From adults I would expect it, but from young ones…”

I asked if he has any advice to give to young people today. He reminisced on his younger years, and the opportunities he was given, some of which he seized and others which he regrettably didn’t.

“There are a lot of opportunities nowadays. Not like for us, there weren’t as many opportunities back then as there are today,” he said. “Even though, big opportunities came to me and I threw them away, with my carelessness. Only once it wasn’t my fault — when The Beatles wanted to sign us. I had signed a contract to someone, two years, and when they [The Beatles] wanted me, they wanted half of the earnings, 50% of the copyright, and they fought with him. Only that wasn’t my fault.”

He recalled other moments where, in his words, the fault was entirely his:

“With Electrola in Germany, my fault, yes, and with Atlantic Records from England it was my fault too, because we were recording at the time and they wanted only me, without the band. I told him its either with the band and all, or nothing. He told me ‘you’re crazy, you don’t know what I’m offering you’.”

Freddie also shared his opinion on Malta’s current music scene.

“Maltese songs that are being released nowadays have amazing instrumentals, but the songwriters need to start writing, as we say, phonetically. They write songs as if they’re poems, but poems can’t always be sung. They don’t realise — they see nice words on paper, but when it comes to pronouncing them, words in certain Maltese songs aren’t quite understood. The singer needs to have diction.”

  Near the end of the record launch, Freddie gave a speech. He thanked Censu Galea, the mayor of St. Paul's Bay, Freddie's hometown (which I'm honoured to share with him). He continued by stating that he hopes that the opportunities that were offered to them (The Malta Bums, Freddie's band), are given to another local in the present day. At this moment, another story of regret came to him.

We went around the world, recorded with The Beatle's equipment, and met a lot of people. We had big opportunities and met big people. The only regret I have is that I messed up when I was meant to meet Elvis and didn't go. We had just played in Detroit and were meant to leave for New York that same day, and because Viva Malta was so popular, many people came from outside Detroit and it was full up, the manager came and said 'Freddie, we have a problem, do you mind if we do another small show tomorrow?", but I forgot, as per usual, and we didn't go. When I went, his engineer asked 'what happened to you?!', I told him 'I forgot!'. He turned to his friend and told him 'there must be something wrong with this guy'."

He reminisced on his early days in St. Paul's Bay with the Malta Bums, before they toured the world, but emphasized that it required talent.

Even though we were from St. Paul's Bay, completely clueless, everything started to come to us on its own, but only because we had talent. I had three others with me who were very talented. I would teach them what I knew as I was the eldest.

I am truly grateful to have attended this launch and spoken with Freddie; an opportunity I will treasure for years to come. A genuine national treasure, he welcomed my questions with warmth and generosity. And yes, in case you’re wondering, I couldn’t leave without taking a record home.