Anthony Bellina
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Anthony Bellina | DeRank™: 0,00

Anthony Bellina, known as "Anthony," is an artist born in 2002 from the province of Venice. He took his first musical steps with a guitar in hand, later adding the bass and finally the drums to his repertoire. From Old School American rap to '80s Heavy Metal, Nu Metal is certainly the foundation of his inspiration. His debut album "Nato Leone" is out now on all digital platforms. more
Dr. John -Dr. John's Gumbo
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Dr. John — Dr. John's Gumbo | DeRank™: 3,00

This album by the Doctor is truly beautiful, no longer shamanic-tribal like the previous ones, but completely focused on the music and the classic-traditional songs of Louisiana, of his New Orleans. It's a full recovery of tradition, both in sound and interpretation, blending R&B, Blues, and Soul, with the Doctor gifting us some amazing performances, like "Mess Around" (fiery, pulsing, and a lot of fun, full of life as the best examples of this music are, even when they talk about pain or death, see "Stagger Lee" here "Stack-A-Lee," but I believe it’s still the same song) or "Iko Iko" or "Let the Good Times Roll" or "Junko Partner," and I should actually mention almost all of them. If I had to nitpick, I find it a little less exciting in the final section, but nothing that undermines its value. It's a great album, and for those who love this type of music, I’d say it’s a must-have. Ah, the Dr. John is always fantastic on the piano, simply outstanding in the way he makes it dance and bounce. more
Dead Can Dance -Garden of the Arcane Delights
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You know what I say? Even before "Spleen and Ideal," the first real masterpiece of the DCD is this EP (then added to the self-titled debut). 4 songs, 4 masterpieces, oh. Then, in my opinion, it's here that Brendan Perry's songwriting talent fully emerges; "In Power We Entrust" and especially "Arcane" are spine-tingling (the latter with those guitar notes in the final part... emotions). It's less surprising for Gerrard, who had already done incredible things on the debut, yet "Carnival of Light" remains one of my favorites by the duo. more
Can -Ege Bamyasi
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Can — Ege Bamyasi | DeRank™: 2,12

The brilliance of Czukay & co in a handful of short, simple, and irresistible songs, with a killer groove and Suzuki's always slightly off-kilter melodies that stick in your head (like "Vitamin C" – how lovely is that?) Plus, a couple of longer tracks where they unleash all their madness and experiment more, without giving up that hypnotic and spectacular drive gifted mainly by Jaki's drumming. The album is a masterpiece, perfectly balanced between experimentation, madness, and greater simplicity compared to "Tago Mago." Of the three with Damo, this is the one I listen to most often. How great are the Can (-can). more
Boa Constrictor & A Natural Vine -Boa Constrictor & A Natural Vine
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Ultra-underground album from the American folk/folk-rock undergrowth of the '60s, formed by the Baltimore duo, Ben Syfu/George Friggs (and who the hell are they? Who knows, this is all they did). Nothing that particularly stands out in terms of quality and personality, or originality, compared to the vast folk/folk-rock landscape of 1968, but it features nice songs and is a more than valid record in my opinion. The two pieces that struck me the most are "Son of Kong" and "Sundown Stick" because, among all, they show the most evident debt to the Buckley goodbyeandhelliano style, the one that’s more "groovy" and rhythmic, so to speak, with a vocal echo from the singer that seems quite obvious to me. A gem is "Devil & The Aces of Spades," a folk-ballad enriched in its arrangement by beautiful saxophone strokes that make everything more nocturnal, bluesy, and atmospheric; it might be the best song in the package. Also, "Time is Money" would be a great rock-soulfully track but is hindered by the terrible recording quality. Aside from that, there are some standard psychedelic voices and noises, a lackluster blues ("Down Child"), a nice piece of rougher American folk ("Alligator Man"), and finally three songs of that acoustic folk with delicate, intimate, and melancholic melodies, encapsulated in the opening "Little David," which can be connected both to this type of American folk and in part to the melodies of British baroque folk. Great album. more
Bauhaus -Swing The Heartache: The BBC Sessions
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Well, the BBC Sessions 1980-1983 by Bauhaus, what more can I say? Great repertoire and great performances (chilling finale with "She's in Parties," for example, although in a version without the coda) but the real gems are obviously those tracks that didn't make it onto the studio albums (a few bonuses or alternative versions aside) like "Poison Pen" and especially "Terror Couple Kill Colonel" (one of my favorites by the band) but also a particularly unique gem like "Party of the First Part," which comes from here Party of the first part, The Devil and Daniel Mouhaus Then there’s the presence of almost all their excellent covers: "Telegram Sam" by T. Rex, Ziggy by Bowie, their best one, "Third Uncle" by Eno, but also "Night Time" by Strangelovers (only Rosegarden by Cale is unfortunately missing). In short, a BBC Session not to be missed for anyone who appreciates Bauhaus.
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R.E.M. -Lifes Rich Pageant
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R.E.M. — Lifes Rich Pageant | DeRank™: 6,83

One of the most brilliant works by R.E.M before they became mainstream. Perfectly consistent with their previous path and their now established style, yet capable, with Gehman's production, of steering some tracks in decidedly more electric and rocking directions, featuring a rock-powerpop energy that partially replaces the electric nervousness closer to the wave sound that emerged in certain songs from their early albums (with the first EP and "Murmur" at the forefront, but not only). Meanwhile, there's a triplet of songs that are among my favorites from their rich repertoire: "These Days," "I Believe," and "Just a Touch," the latter exploding with the "rock" soul of the album, unleashed, pulsating, pounding like Mills' piano, irresistible. These are songs that thrill me, alongside other gems like "Begin the Begin" or "Swan Swan H" or the other "rock-pop R.E.M." track "Hyaena." A varied album, full of little treasures. You feel the most classic ballad-lullaby of the group ("Flowers of Guatemala") or a cover of the late '60s band The Clique ("Superman," which seems to say, "Yes, we love '60s pop, didn’t you notice until now? Are you stupid?" Stipe) and finally, something that even sounds like it was played by Marc Ribot suddenly pulled into the album while recording for any contemporary Tom Waits record ("Underneath the Bunker," and no one can convince me that these four hadn't just listened to "Rain Dogs"). more
R.e.m. -chronic town
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R.e.m. — chronic town | DeRank™: 0,00

A really beautiful debut EP, which works in harmony with that rich number of stunning mini-discs that popped up like mushrooms in those years. These are the most new wave R.E.M. you could ever listen to, and this is clearly evident from the typical rhythmic nervosity, the tension in the flow of some of the five songs present here (especially the beautiful "1,000,000"), unmistakable features of that segment of Wave/Post-Punk or however you want to call it; but even so, the nod to the Jangle sound, that acoustic guitar style and the forefathers of this style back in the '60s was already present, along with that delicate melodic taste, personal enough to become a trademark, which in this EP particularly shines with "Gardening at Night", the gem within the gem. All five songs are really beautiful, a perfect warm-up before truly starting to whisper. Belo belo. more
Fairport Convention -Fairport Convention
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A debut as raw as you might expect, missing a crucial element like Sandy Danny, but already full of talent and quality that the band of the very young Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Ashley Hutchings, Iain Matthews, etc. demonstrate on multiple occasions. Courage and personality in the covers performed (I love the arrangement of "I Don't Know Where I Stand" with those guitar inserts from Thompson and Nicol), especially taken from various Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell... Still inexperienced as songwriters, they nonetheless manage to produce pieces like "Decameron," the first great song of the band (in the sense of "written by them"). Interesting bonus tracks, "Morning Glory" by Fairport is, I believe, the first cover of a Buckley piece. more
Iron Maiden -The Number Of The Beast
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The arrival of Cazzonelfiglio (ugly surname, huh), the turning point towards "classic" Heavy Metal of which they are absolute standard bearers, the first album 100% in the "Maiden style." However, I identify this music here, especially theirs, as Metal-Pop because oh, guys, Iron Maiden are pop, a lot, even in the choice of certain melodies, certain choruses, they are pop (like the title track or the chorus of "The Prisoner"). And this is a fun little pop disc. Moreover, it highlights their theatricality, the "gore comic malice," literary and cinematic references, structural, stylistic, and melodic inspirations from Priest's Sad Wings ("Children of the Damned") and other types of Hard-Rock/Heavy Metal with elegant and/or grand tones (I believe also Sabbath's "Heaven and Hell" at this point) etc. The title track, a beautiful evergreen, is practically the hard version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (come on, there’s even the narrator with the creepy voice, and Harris would have wanted Price by the way...) or the cartoon version of "Black Sabbath." Best track "Hallowed Be Thy Name," but the whole album is a great fun. I don’t like it as much as the first two, but maybe it's the album I enjoy re-listening to the most also for reasons of "likability." more
Toto -Toto
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Toto — Toto | DeRank™: 8,79

Yes, okay, they may not exactly be my cup of tea, and they certainly don't represent the style and sounds I prefer, but Toto is always a nice listen, and in particular this debut (as well as the next album) that I really like, is a really good record. Their pop flair at the most inspired moments and their undeniable skill as musicians in this first album is particularly appreciated. And oh, I could listen for hours to Jeff Porcaro playing the drums. If I were to put together a "Pop Supergroup," he would be the drummer, that's too easy, a phenomenon. more
Peter Hammill -Sitting Targets
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Peter Hammill — Sitting Targets | DeRank™: 0,73

"Sitting Targets" is a great album, like all of Hammill's works in the '80s up to 1986, although it could be considered a transitional album (which, in any case, would not diminish its value) as it sits between that triptych of new sound experiments in the '78-'80 period and the albums with the K-Group. In this album, Hammill's interest in new "wave" sounds has reached a certain completeness, a stylistic confidence that leads to a greater "agility" in the songs, at least compared to the skeletal, disarming, dark structures of "Black Box." Naturally, this is the "Hammillwave" and his approach to the wave of the time is entirely consistent with his artistic creed (and sometimes marked by Jackson's saxophone tone), and here too there are songs that offer little to a casual first listen, never banal in structure, while others summarize Hammill's best expressive explosiveness combined with very bright wave-pop rhythms ("My Experience," "Sign," "Empress's Clothes," the beautiful title track). The "floor" on which they rest is the same as the VDGG, the same as the visceral rock genuineness of Nadir, but reinterpreted in a wave that is sui generis. Then there are pieces closer to the nadirian rock ("Hesitation"), delicate guitar-voice ballads that are indispensable ("Ophelia"), and piano-voice ("Stranger Still," which however flows into an indefinite liquid sonic chaos). Compact and varied at the same time, it is truly a very beautiful album. more
Led Zeppelin -Led Zeppelin IV
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Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin IV | DeRank™: 11,79

And what can you say about the album with the symbols... The band checks the Blues box with the incredible reinterpretation of "When the Levee Breaks," the epic of blues. After paying homage to Harper, they honor another great like Joni with an acoustic gem like "Going to California." They treat us to two electric classics like "Black Dog" and "Rock'n Roll," along with their definitive acoustic masterpiece "The Battle of Evermore," enriched by a sublime duet between Plant and my beloved Sandy (complete with her very own symbol). They also offer two more unique tracks like Misty Mountain (beautiful) and "Four Sticks" (which gives me trouble because of Plant's timbre; did he inhale helium on this piece?). And then oh right... There's that devilish song that is wicked, and if you listen to it backward, all your albums turn into records by Nek and Biagio Antonacci. more
Genesis -Wind And Wuthering
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Genesis — Wind And Wuthering | DeRank™: 9,68

The latest grand album by Genesis. It's not a perfect record; sometimes these guys really shot themselves in the foot... The exclusion of a great track, perfectly in line with the "mood" of the album, like "Inside and Out," only to include Rutherford's syrupy misstep "Your Own Special Way" is inexplicable (especially since the chorus of "Inside and Out" is very melodic and nice but much more pleasant than Mike’s piece). With "Inside and Out" instead of the other, this album could have been another masterpiece for me, but oh well. It’s not as perfect as the previous one, but it has so many high-level elements, two masterpieces by Banks ("One for the Vine" and "Afterglow," which is one of their most beautiful "classic-linear" songs), one by Hackett (and Phil) which is "Blood on the Rooftops," and other great tracks ("Eleventh Earl" and "In That Quiet Earth"). They focus more than usual on instrumentals ("Wot Gorilla," another Fusion legacy of Collins, is pleasant but a bit filler). The choices in track inclusion are debatable here; it could have been even better than it is, but the overall quality is still very high, and I've always loved the gray, twilight, autumnal, and romantic atmosphere of the album. For me, a great record. more
Genesis -Abacab
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Genesis — Abacab | DeRank™: 0,00

The first PROT album by Genesis, which after a nice pop record like "Duke" slips into the abyss of mediocre songs. "Abacab" actually alternates these bad things with flashes of undeniable musical-compositional dignity from Totonno ("Me and Sarah Jane") and additionally boasts the excellent "Dodo/Lurker." I’ve always liked the title track a lot; as an electro-pop piece, it works really well—oh, it’s cool, with nice sounds and a great rhythm, it’s spot-on and gains even more points live. "No Reply at All" and "Man on the Corner" are two fairly decent songs that could have fit perfectly on Phil's contemporary solo debut (which, however, contains songs far superior to these two here). Unfortunately, there's the rest. The rest, alas, is fluff. Ugly fluff. more
Genesis -Live In Zürich 1977
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Genesis — Live In Zürich 1977 | DeRank™: 0,01

Another live (bootleg) from the "Wind and Wuthering" tour. Good audio quality, actually excellent for a bootleg, although at some points the vocals sound like crap, at others the instruments sound like crap too, but overall it has a nice rendition. Now, since the live albums by Genesis are practically all the same and they certainly weren't known for improv on stage, a fan just needs 2-3 live recordings from a couple of different periods to be satisfied. Here, the interesting factor that sets the setlist apart from their other live albums is the presence of "Inside and Out," a rarity, a great track (of collective composition but I believe primarily with Stefano's input) that was disgracefully left out of "Wind and Wuthering" and relegated to a silly EP. It's great to hear a live performance of this song, which perhaps deserved more recognition from the band. As for the rest, compared to "Second's Out," there's even more W&W in the setlist: a beautiful performance of the splendid "One for the Vine," especially, really cool, and "In That Quiet Earth." Ah, the wonders of bootlegs: Phil announces Cinema Show at a certain point but Cinema Show is not on the album. Ehr... more
Crowded House -Crowded House
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Crowded House — Crowded House | DeRank™: 3,48

Very cool pop disco, how much I love the flair and style of Crowded House, very eighties pop but (almost) never predictable. Just a couple of tracks that don’t quite reach the heights of the album (and by heights I mean stuff like "Hole in the River," "That's What I Call Love," and "Love You 'Til the Day I Die") but other than that, it's quality stuff. more
David Bowie -Diamond dogs
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David Bowie — Diamond dogs | DeRank™: 2,95

We're no longer at the level of the superb triad "Hunky-Dory-Ziggy-Aladdin," but boy, is this a great album too. It has a beautifully "dirty" sound and is full of wonderful songs, with the Glam imprint still clear as it envelops pop, rock'n'roll/R&B (again very Stones-like, which isn’t surprising at all), along with some more black/soulful hints, in addition to beautiful ballads with a decadent and theatrical spirit. Bowie was still inspired, it was Bowie during one of his many personal revolutions (completely revamped backing band, farewell to the Spiders from Mars), the Bowie of productions that had recently led to albums like "Transformer" and "Raw Power," where his influence was strongly felt, it was a Bowie who was rich and busy, in short. The title track is lovely, the evergreen jaggerichards-esque riff of "Rebel Rebel" is delightful, and there are beautiful pieces like the "suite" (in fact) in three parts "Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing" or "We Are the Dead," etc. The only misstep in a very solid album, for me, could have been leaving "Big Brother" as the ending, which would have been better. more
Neil Young -Rust Never Sleeps
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Neil Young — Rust Never Sleeps | DeRank™: 12,39

To keep it short: one of the most beautiful albums of the '70s, in my opinion. Legendary. And the use and sound of the electric guitar on this album, well... I believe that in 1979 and in the '70s in general, only Neil Young played like Neil Young. In the following two decades, however, you wouldn't even be able to count the number of followers. A masterpiece. more
Dire Straits -Dire Straits
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Dire Straits — Dire Straits | DeRank™: 0,00

For me, Dire Straits have never composed a true masterpiece; it is also true, however, that they managed to release four great albums one after another, always enjoyable and filled with quality songs, led by a guitarist who is, well, quite talented. This debut is a good album, featuring at least two standout tracks like the classic "Sultans of Swing" and "In the Gallery." The rest has pleasant songs but without notable peaks and, I admit, a few moments of boredom. Overall, though, it’s always a pleasure to listen to. more