Abecedarians
AB-CD: Greatest Hits

This was the first CD I purchased, it was towards the end of the '80s and soon after, I would also buy the laser player that I didn't have yet. Compact discs cost around 22,000 lire, but I paid 15 because it was on sale.

I already had Eureka and Resin on vinyl and I was eager to digitally "deflower" myself with this compilation released by Caroline, which included both mentioned works minus a couple of pieces, plus a piece from the first EP released by Factory. It caught my eye in the tray of discs because it was necessarily placed first in alphabetical order. It was the first, that's all.

And so, undeterred, I continued to collect stuff from Los Angeles, inaugurating new musical formats, of that Californian trance that has captivated my listening so far. And returning to our West Coast trio, I don't think that abecedary will ever meet the fate of those long-nosed tales we know from local fables. We hold on tight to it with all that energy it offers at every listening, that stimulates with every passage, that makes us rejoice in its immediacy, that with every let-go is truly lost.

But it is certain that with Chris Manecke, John Blake & Kevin Dolan we don't lose our way, the guys with their clean and decided sound provide us an encounter with rock that reassures the doubt of indulging in musical toys. Rhythmic rarefaction, mesmerizing bass, hypnotic guitar spirals, detached voice, set up a tasty consommé of sophisticated but effective rock in its clarity.

Morriconesque western halos appear like mirages amidst the cacti and dust is the main spice. Kinetic is the result and rides of déjà vu flow on an invisible film, engaging the listening. We find in the raw rush to the frontier the hidden refinement of pain, the detached presentation of conscious suffering sought, that automatically cleanses aided by the shod hooves that fortunize the mystical stagecoach.

And the listening is brutal and peaceful and goes hand in hand with the pioneering spirit that accepts the cynicism of journey situations. Dynamite-implosive rock: "Duck your head!", Sergio would say. A superb "spaghetti western" is served here as well.