gbrunoro

@YC
sorry for Y but I wrote it in a hurry and it slipped out... as for the permission to love me, I don't think it works to your advantage :D

@vellutogrigio (especially)
I believe that in many cases the Queen simply limited themselves to anticipating trends, not riding them... or at any rate, they reinterpreted in an extremely creative way the most recent stimuli coming from the music of the moment, which is incredibly difficult to do in any field (I think of D'Annunzio, who published "Il Piacere" just 5 years after "À Rebours" by Huysmans...)

"Reviewing a live performance is like reviewing a compilation": honestly, this phrase seems like nonsense to me. It's a bit exaggerated to say that no one in Italy cared about Queen, but they certainly weren't a fashionable band like they became after Freddie's death. The thing itself is neither good nor bad; it's just a fact.
I honestly don't understand all this bitterness towards a band that produced excellent albums, which almost always blew audiences away live, and that always did whatever they wanted. And it has always been this defiance that baffled critics, who never really understood them (at least not while Freddie was alive; after his death, it doesn’t count because everyone quickly jumped on the winner's bandwagon): Queen always disregarded genres and the rules of the music business and played their music, which has never been easily defined by a simple genre or cliché. Of course, I can understand that an ultra-popular band might annoy many purists, but in this case, I think we can talk quite comfortably about shortsightedness and prejudice.
About Paul Rodgers: he might be liked more or less than Mercury (and that's a personal opinion), but from the standpoint of vocal range, interpretation, musical knowledge, compositional creativity, international popularity, significance in music history, and on-stage performance, he’s light-years away from Freddie Mercury (and that’s a fact too).
And yes, this album is indeed half-baked: things like that happen.

live fucking awesome for one of the most badass bands of all time.

Absolutely right. The classic example of how everyone in life has to do a little hustle.

I found it incredibly boring and self-congratulatory, definitely the worst of Burton (of course I don't even consider Planet of the Apes...). Without a doubt, Disney's version of the Sleepy Hollow legend is a thousand times better, a true forgotten gem.
As for Burton, to say that he died after '96 is blasphemy: Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are two genuine masterpieces; the fact is that they have levels of interpretation that are too different and personal to be universal. Finally, regarding Burton, it's worth noting that his greatest strengths are also his greatest flaws, which is why he divides opinions so much. And that's why he is one of the last great geniuses of cinema.

:D

@holdsworth
He he he... I didn't see this coming... let me clarify a couple of things: I discovered Miguel Bosé with his latest duet album, I saw him live and I really enjoyed the concert (the hair-raising guitarist was excellent, by the way, Tolo Pueyo). Satriani, on the other hand, is one of the great loves of my life: I can still perfectly recall the first time I was blown away listening to Surfing With The Alien...

@Contemplation
After your last comment, I understood what you meant, and I completely agree. What makes Satriani great, in my opinion, is precisely his "normality," his being, before a musician, a man, with all the virtues and flaws that any man can have. Plus, I’m in love with his music and sound, so I might be a bit biased...

Well, first of all, thanks again for the positive comments. Now, some random thoughts: it's absolutely understandable that not everyone likes Satriani, but to say that "he's not that great"... well, that seems like an unfortunate expression.
Then I wanted to share a reflection: my impression is that Satriani, precisely because of a rather linear and bright compositional choice, is one of the few guitar heroes who appeals even to those who understand little or nothing about the guitar. Let me explain: Satriani is perhaps loved more for his musicality and his songs than for his technical choices (which remain at a very high level, nonetheless). Finally, I want to emphasize the very human side of Satch, which has made him consistently appreciated and respected even by those who have little affinity with his musical choices (and it seems that the comments above confirm this).