hjhhjij

Fairport Convention - Fotheringay Shush everyone, here comes Sandy.

After the two previous masterpieces, at the dawn of the 1970s, the acclaimed company Chapman-Whitney, accompanied by the loyal Rob Townsend on drums, gifts us with another excellent album, despite the dual lineup changes (John Weider and John Palmer, the very skilled multi-instrumentalists, replacing Grech and King). For me, it’s a stunning album, perhaps not as wild and utterly uncategorizable as the debut, but still very varied and rich in ideas, insights, and spine-tingling performances. Palmer's acquisition is superb. "Wheels" remains the masterpiece of this third album, not so much for the majestic instrumental performance of the band, which is not particularly superior to those of the other tracks, but for Chappo’s interpretation, which I find absolutely sublime.

Another very beautiful album for Family, the last one really at high levels, the first with John Wetton on bass, a musician with square balls on four strings. Then if your name is Chapman, you can even afford the luxury of having Wetton as a backing vocalist. "Spanish Tide" and "Burning Bridges" are among my favorite songs by Family, especially the former, with Wetton carving out a fragment as the lead voice and then singing duets and intertwining with Chappo. Spine-chilling.

10

Immense masterpiece. Peter "Merlin the Magician" Green, may you always be praised.

A masterpiece of Rock-Blues, this stunning debut by Fleetwood Mac, led by the guitar genius of Peter Green. What a great band they were with Green. Between beautiful pieces written by him and Spencer and some excellent covers, the album flows by effortlessly, a delight. Babba Bia.

Excellent compilation that features tracks already appeared on "Mr. Wonderful" and others that are unreleased or never released on the group's previous two studio albums. And it is in this aspect that the strong pieces of the album can be found, which deserves a 5 thanks to two masterpieces from the usual genius of Peter Green, the famous "Black Magic Woman" and the instrumental gem "Albatross," the latter, in my opinion, truly the peak of this album. As for the cover, I don't know if it's more amusing or horrifying.

After the last and greatest studio masterpiece "Then Play On" in '69, this live recording from February 1970 is the true swan song for Fleetwood Mac, the last work with Peter Green. A mind-blowing triple live album, returning to the realms of more classic Hard-Blues-Rock, here truly at sublime levels. Three nights, three discs for over three hours of great music. The first two discs are insane, with devastating firepower, while the third is softer but incredibly fun. A monumental and extraordinary live performance.

This is undoubtedly beautiful as well, just a tad less than the previous one (there’s “Focus II,” which is, for me, their best piece). Still, there are short tracks with very catchy and perfectly suited melodies (with “Sylvia” leading the way) and a gem like “Focus III.” The suite, on the other hand, suffers from being a bit too lengthy and isn’t particularly successful. They are four excellent musicians, but neither Van Leer nor Akkerman (is that how it's written?) were Fripp or Hammill, for example. The new bassist (Ruiter) is superior to his predecessor, though.

For this reason, it can easily deserve a 5, it's their best album. The Focus excel in short distances for me, and here in particular Van Leer and Akkerman deliver brief instrumentals and truly beautiful and inspired songs with their simple yet incredibly beautiful and romantic melodies. The flute in "Janis", the splendid title track, and especially "Focus II," a wonderful piece, my favorite from the band, has a spine-tingling "emotional" intensity. However, in the case of "Moving Waves," the suite is also very beautiful with spine-tingling melodic hints, and then there's the powerful opening of "Hocus Pocus," a classic. Come on, a 5 is well-deserved here.

Among Sandy Denny's albums, I place this one just slightly below the works of the Convention and her two wonderful early solo efforts, but we are still on high levels, indeed. This first (and only, for many years at least) album of the new band led by Sandy and Trevor Lucas is a beautiful record. We are in the realm of folk-rock with electro-acoustic ballads that range from typically British-folk tones to those typical of American folk-rock (like the inevitable Dylan cover or "Ballad of Ned Kelly," which nonetheless has its own Englishness in Lucas's voice), well arranged, with splendid vocal harmonies in addition to Sandy's superb lead vocals. At times, the melodic Englishness and the inspirations from across the ocean (the early Joni Mitchell, contemporary to her, is a clear influence on at least a couple of Denny's songs) are one and the same. Some songs, with their British-influenced folk-rock, are not far from the path that her friend Thompson, Riccardino, would take shortly after. Many tracks, particularly the beautiful, intimate, and emotional folk ballads, are penned by Sandy Denny (wonders like "The Sea," "Nothing More," or "Winter Winds," etc.), while the rest are handled by Lucas (or collaboratively, as in the beautiful "Peace in the End") or consist of rare and excellent covers (I mention the splendid electric folk of "The Way I Feel" by Gordon Lightfoot). Inevitably, the peak arrives at the end with the typical British traditional, a chilling rendition of "Banks of the Nile."

The album "that never was" by Fotheringay, which Jerry Donahue has resurrected from oblivion thirty-eight years after its conception (in that same year 1970) and its aborted realization. In the end, this reborn "Chapter 2" of Fotheringay, which has obviously been completed with various "on-site 2008" adjustments by Donahue to finish what was left incomplete, recovering the old vocal tracks of Denny from back then, is merely a breath shy of the first. In terms of songs and performances, it’s truly a beautiful album: giving more space to traditional music (the fabulous electric folk of "Eppie Moray", to name one, when Sandy's voice joins in at the end...) some covers (the usual Zimmie, the Strawbs when Sandy was one of them, etc.) and only two tracks composed by Denny, which later ended up on his stunning solo debut: "Late November" and "John the Gun," the latter being the only one 100% completed during the original sessions and thus 100% "Fotheringay," which, for me, is the masterpiece of this album. A testament to Denny's talent as an arranger, composer, and singer-songwriter: the verses, which seem a modern song of the ancient English tradition, lead into a choral refrain of epic folk, dabble in the electric renewal of Donahue's guitar, and then out pops a sax solo (!) that is pure originality in that genre (played by Donahue's father, a jazz saxophonist). A masterpiece, from someone who was, for far too short a time, truly great among the greats.

It could have been a rare live document of Fotheringay, but unfortunately the recording quality in "Asshole mode" makes it an inevitably subpar product, leaving no chance to truly enjoy the band's great repertoire. The best part is Sandy Denny joking about her terrible German; it's also the part that sounds the best, mind you. For example, you can sense some great performances of "Nothing More" or even "John the Gun," but with this audio quality, you have to take it on faith. To listen to a nice live show, with a decent recording quality, from Fotheringay, you have to go for the one in Rotterdam included in the collection "Nothing More."

Great album. It's a shame it slightly drops off with the last three tracks in my opinion, because it contains at least three of De Gregori's best songs: the title track, "Pezzi di vetro," and especially "Le storie di ieri," which is spine-chilling.

A piece of Italian history too often forgotten or overlooked, more than a film, it’s an exceptional documentary on the life of the bandit Salvatore Giuliano. There are truly powerful scenes, from the massacre of 1947 at Portella della Ginestra to the astonishing finale, not to mention the scene of the bandit's death or the trial in Pisciotta and others. An exceptional film for its realism and historical plausibility, perhaps Rosi's masterpiece.

3.5, rounded down though. It also has nice songs, but the turn (like in the previous one) entirely focused on electronics and ultra-synthetic sounds I really like very little, I just can't stand the arrangements and they really penalize the album, what a shame. Moreover, I prefer the versions of Alice for Treni di Tozeur and Chanson egocentrique, and Il re del mondo is pulverized by its excellent original version. Decent, anyway.

In (practically) perfect pop class with Franco Battiato. After his more experimental phase had folded in on itself, the Light-Pigmented Boar brought Francuzzo back to the expressive freshness of the first four albums, and "Patriots" continues on the path of inspiration, fully embracing the art of Pop with a capital P. The quartet "Up Patriots to Arms," "Venezia-Istanbul," "Prospettiva Nevski," "Passaggi a livello" alone would be enough to guarantee him the status of Great Disk (but all seven songs are beautiful, by the way, a very short record, a real gem); stunning melodies under a waterfall of synthesizers, ARP, Hammond, pianos, and Pio il Giusto's violin (and a fantastic bass from Gigi Cappellotto). For lyrics and music, this album is an excellent example of the "stylistic quintessence" of Battiato's pop in the '80s.

Well, it's definitely a great pop album, but I can barely stand it anymore; I used to like it more, but it doesn't say much to me now. 3/3.5.