Dragonstar

I'm disappointed. This album wins the Targa Tenco 2016. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, nothing to say about that, but in my opinion, not enough to receive such recognition. The lyrics are current, but presented with tones that have already been heard and re-heard. It's not a protest album, in the strictest sense, rather a frustrated report on today’s world. But as I was saying, the anger of the songwriter and the outpouring of the artist have now become commonplace in the Italian music scene. Nice phrases, but darn predictable. One example: "Let’s pretend that those who succeed deserve it.../ The preferential lanes have won/ We’ve lost the will to help each other..." things like that. Not to mention that musically it draws heavily from Ben Howard and Damien Rice, something the author himself stated upon release, which makes the album pleasant to listen to, but certainly not original in terms of melodic composition.

Therefore, I apologize to Vinicio for having spoken too early, but there’s no doubt that Canzoni della Cupa clearly surpasses this album from an artistic point of view. An impressive work, made of research and tradition, with original and visionary lyrics (who had ever talked about the carnival of Oristano? Or the figure of the Pumminale? Who had ever before valued the music of Matteo Salvatore?).

Of course, from a musical standpoint, there is some recycling, but how many examples exist of authors who downplay their own melodies? In short, there’s an abyss between the Cupa and this album, filled with the gaps and incompetences of the jury members who took part in this event. I feel sorry for Fabi because his is a good work, rewarded by the inexplicable lightness of a jury that failed to recognize the true masterpiece of Italian songwriting in 2016.

I’m sorry Vinicio. With all my heart.

I don't agree. Perhaps, from a musical standpoint, Capossela stands out, but for everything else, I don't think so, at least not for me.

Look, I repeat, the album is nice, but it cannot possibly be considered superior to Canzoni della Cupa. Think about it: in the end, it’s like listening to a Carboni album that merges folk pop and singer-songwriter styles. He’s left behind love songs, but in terms of content, it’s not that philosophical. Maybe they considered catchiness and the immediacy of the lyrics as a strength, but on one hand, there’s a pleasant forty-minute album that you play in the player every now and then (especially for those who are used to more sophisticated stuff. And the Tenco jury MUST be used to more sophisticated stuff), while on the other hand, we have a magnum opus of two hours of music that grows richer with each listen, splendid in its lyrics and impeccable from a conceptual standpoint. For me, there’s no contest. I might be biased, but Vinicio is the winner.

It seems to me that if we continue down this path, the times when the Award was given to products like Crueza de Ma by Faber are even further away.

The orchestral arrangements are excellent, even better in "Five Leaves Left."

I’m all for pink moon, but who cares... w nick!!!

first Nick Drake, now Nico!!!

THE IMMENSE.

As a kid, my friends and I were divided into two factions: on one side, the faithful to the Nintendo 8-bit with Mario and Duck Hunt, and on the other side, the faithful to the Sega Master System with Alex Kid. I have always been loyal to Mario, Luigi, and the turtles...

For us, there was the comparison between Super Mario and Sonic from the Sega Mega Drive. The latter had better graphics, taking advantage of the 16-bit capabilities of the console, but when it came to gameplay, Mario was the best, no doubt about it. And I'm not saying this because I'm biased. I played a lot of Sonic too (a friend of mine had it), which was nice as well, but...Mario...Mario for life!

I need to re-download the snes.

I should listen to it again; I remember that I liked it much less compared to "Milano calibro 9" and "Palepoli."

"The Rhythm of the Heat" & "The Family and the Fishing Net". Apocalypse stuff. Real World, terrifying things have come out of those studios in those lands.

I need to start trying some of Gabriel's solo work, I've heard everyone talking about it very positively... best, Fede!

You described a masterpiece... so why only 4 stars?

It's a great album, Jargon, but from my perspective, a 5-album should be homogeneous. There aren't any real drops in tone, but there are definitely some moments that are a bit flatter (it's not that kind of flattening that makes you wrinkle your nose, but still, there are some less irresistible moments).

No no Drago... You can't give 3 dots to the trilogy... Here you give it a 5 with your eyes closed. A masterpiece of cinema!

I'm sorry, but I don't share the same opinion. I repeat, it's beautiful from a visual standpoint, but it's too slow; I can't keep up with it, it devastates me, it bores me. I've watched it (in full) at least ten times, but it always has the same effect on me. I think Jackson did better with the King Kong remake (that one lasted three hours too, but it was much more fluid...)

Sorry... but if you've watched it about ten times, in full, you've spent around 110 hours?! To realize that "yes, it's beautiful but in the end, boring" weren't the first 11 enough?

You are right, but you have to consider that I’m “getting old” and I've seen them all at the cinema. I saw the first one fourteen years ago, and at the time, a good portion of the audience left the theater shocked, believing that the film had no ending (only readers or those who had properly informed themselves knew it was a trilogy, to stay true to the book); then I watched the other two simultaneously. Occasionally, I was forced to rewatch them on DVD by a friend, a genre enthusiast, and later I also saw them on TV. Many years have passed, I wanted to give them several chances (given their success), but I still hold the same opinion.

5 stars for sure, and I won't budge an inch. Not a second wasted, speed and rhythm to spare. Those who have read the book will find every moment, every twist. It is an inhumanly beautiful work.

Among the greatest and most underrated

Why does it have to be appreciated by those who 'know better than you'??

No, it was a way of saying that I'm not very familiar with the band. I've listened to their most important albums, but I've never been able to fully enjoy them. Nevertheless, they're an amazing band, but unfortunately my ears don't think the same...

Recently, I have been reevaluating this album precisely from the perspective of sound, which you rightly define as "strange," definitely strange for the standards of Pink Floyd up to that point (and even after). Initially, I found it a bit heavy due to the "rarefied" and at times oppressive/disturbing atmospheres, although they are surely functional to those evoked by the lyrics, especially when it comes to tracks like "Dogs" (some of the most ruthless and corrosive words ever penned by Waters). Currently, I can confidently say that the work done on the sound of this album is (as is customary with the Floyd, after all) incredible. For instance, the effect of Roger's shout, which extends and seamlessly merges with the sound of Rick's synthesizers in "Sheep," is one of the happiest and most effective ideas ever. And David here is simply stratospheric.

I think I like this even more than the "Minuto". Inspired, energetic, visionary, sumptuous: for me, their masterpiece of all time. Also worth noting among the peaks is "Dolcissima Maria," a ballad of extraordinary and poignant beauty.

I slightly prefer the first one, but this is also a great album. You can definitely feel Djivas' presence, especially in the longer tracks like "Via Lumière". Awesome.

also because, in addition to the well-known and heavily covered Impressioni di Settembre, E' Festa and la Carrozza di Hans, it features an amazing instrumental like "Dove...Quando... pt.2" with a stunning Premoli on keyboards.

Beautiful but not a masterpiece, moreover it's the only one I would gladly listen to again from PFM, a group that I have grown a bit tired of over time. They haven't remained "fresh" in my ears like Le Orme or Il Banco. However, this is a great album, no doubt about it.

Stunning is an understatement, but perhaps I personally prefer (by a slight margin) the next two.

oh my god, the "fresh" Orme...we'll see...

I am THE trap!!! :)

...and anyway I still want the vinyl! I hope that Tommy, my trusted "vinilista," can do something; this is meant to be listened to ONLY on vinyl!

They called him "Er Trappola."

I fully agree, wonderful...

p.s. I who have never picked up an instrument: if I were locked in a recording studio for a few days, I would probably already be able to play the record, both for the guitar and the keyboard...

the link works after a few seconds, I would like your opinion. then, of course, if you don’t like them you have every right not to listen to them, no worries :)

Hi psyco. Firstly, I’m sorry to disappoint you, knowing that you like Rammstein; my outburst came because I tried to give them a chance with this album. Unfortunately, I just can’t do it – I lost interest by the second track. Despite that, I tried to hang on until almost the end, but ended up stopping. I know I shouldn’t, in terms of a serious evaluation, but I still reported my feelings in the assessment above. At this point, I also apologize for the first sentence; maybe I exaggerated, but, as I said, I was really "scazzato..." That said, I know and like Laibach (including the piece you posted). I have Opus Dei and I always enjoy listening to it. Why them and not the others? Look, it’s the same comparison I always make between Rush and Dream Theater: the latter are just (in my opinion) a bad copy of everything the Canadians said with their albums. For me, the Laibach-Rammstein comparison works exactly like that; besides, I also find the Slovenians superior, musically speaking.

Hi there, thanks for the message :)

but there's no problem at all! You're right to say what you want, even if it's from the gut. I just replied because I think we can have a conversation with you :) see you next time

You can't compare the schwedeneisbecher with the Nordic pines... Burzum spent 17 years in "hotel," as he called it... and Quorthon miserably collapsed in the middle of the satanic marathon... can you even compare with these DDR nostalgics?

Seriously, it makes me a bit sad...

I also wrote a review :) La Vita E' Bella - Roberto Benigni - Recensione di madcat

I read it, dear, I read them all before writing this definition. It's pointless to tell you that for me the best one is yours, but not to kiss ass, but because it's true: the only user who understood the true spirit of the film.

Thank you very much, Dragonstar!

I didn't like it, but I think it's my limitation: I can't stand touching stories at the cinema.

I'm a hopeless romantic :-) these films make me cry buckets of tears, I can't help it. Masterpiece for me too!
I recommend a similar film, TRAIN DE VIE, maybe just a tad better than this one.

I saw it in 2000, very beautiful that one too. Thanks for the mention, you reminded me of a great movie!

We are beyond the limits of bearability. It's true that you are born a pyromaniac and die a firefighter (or a pump operator) so many times.

The folkloric and galloping title track is a fantastic plagiarism of a song by the Crazy Horse written by Neil Young (Dance, dance, dance).

What the hell does that have to do with anything? Even Whole Lotta Love by the Zep is a plagiarism of Willie Dixon, and yet everyone is fine with that. At least Samarcanda features different vocal lines and, above all, a different text. If you have the courage to criticize this album, I can’t help but imagine that, despite your undeniable culture, your musical preferences must be pretty limited... how sad...

Come on, as a comparison it's a bit out of place. You need love is a completely different song from whole lotta love. We can put it however we want, but the violin riff from Samarcanda is very similar. I also really love Samarcanda; it was one of my favorite songs back in elementary school.

My favorite remains 'Canzone per Sergio', with lyrics of rare beauty.

I miss this, for example. Well, I barely know 4-5 of the Prof's good albums.

I completely agree with you. TSMR is a very underrated album. In my opinion, it’s even better than "Beggar's Banquet." For many, this may seem heretical, but I would encourage taking a moment to think about it before jumping to conclusions.

You know, in fact, that I wanted to write it too; I almost prefer this. Banquet is more varied: it has the opener that encapsulates the compositional method applied in this album, there’s even a great final gospel, passing through moments of country, blues, hard blues, and rock & roll. The manifesto of the Stones, we said, and that's fine by me.

I am passionate about psychedelic rock, especially from the period of '66 to '70, which is why I found this album a pure masterpiece, perhaps even better than its predecessor, I have no problem saying it.

I also think it’s a nice album. I like Banquet less because it's too bluesy for my taste, but I recognize its greatness.

Of the golden period, it’s the only one I never listen to. Not ever. I just don’t like it because there’s this "trendy" psychedelic influence, let’s say (not that eclecticism and the echo of new trends are negative, but in my opinion, the experiment here didn’t succeed like it did in Between The Buttons, which is truly eclectic and perhaps too underrated). I’m glad they set aside certain sounds. Considering that afterwards they gave us Beggars, Let It Bleed (my favorite), Sticky Fingers, and Exile, I’d say it’s much better this way.

But the album is beautiful, that's undeniable. It's just that "Aftermath" and "Il quartetto delle meraviglie" with its blend of Blues/Rock'n roll/R&B/Soul etc. is, FOR ME, superior. I choose "Beggar's Banquet" without a second thought compared to this, but that doesn't take away from the beauty of this work. They dove into psychedelia because you can hear so, so, so much Jones here (to be honest, also in "Aftermath") and Jones was the most "psychedelic" spirit of the group.

Masterpieces are above all those records (like "Stormcock," "Astral Weeks," "Songs of Leonard Cohen"; just to give three examples) where with few means (guitar, voice, and little else, without resorting to electronics and without falling into self-indulgent experimentation) a remarkable depth and a wide range of atmospheres and different sensations are achieved. I hope to find this record somewhere because I really want to keep it on my shelf.