Grasshopper

N.B. This comment was intended for the review of Peter Gabriel II.

Back in September 2004, I reviewed it. I had been on debaser for a month, so my review is still a bit rough and naive, and damn short by my standards. Also, I gave it an unjustifiable 4 that I would now like to change to a 5, but somehow I did review it...

How come no one has reviewed it (the Fourth, I mean)?

How come I don't have it? I need to take action, and this excellent review gives me a nice nudge to fill the gap.

I remember "Gioco di bimba" which miraculously managed to sneak into Luttazzi's Hit Parade among Cuglini di Campagna and similar acts. Even as a child, I sensed that song belonged to a different world compared to most of the tunes on that Hit Parade. Much later, I would come to know the entire album, a masterpiece by Le Orme and therefore a testament to the often underrated Italian progressive rock. A good review, a bit "fan-like" but heartfelt.

I am too fond of the vintage Branduardi to know this album, but what I've read perfectly matches what I've always perceived in the art of this authentic musician, whom too many still consider merely a creator of children's rhymes, even if he has somewhat sought this reputation himself, especially in certain albums like "Cogli la prima mela." I still don't understand those who get excited about the very talented Enya and then snub a musician who is very akin to her, but "guilty" of being Italian.

It's not easy to fully love Felix. Words I would sign 100%. As I already mentioned in my review of the Third and Fourth, alongside a human Mendelssohn, troubled by romantic feelings, there exists also an excessively academic and "too perfect" one (the one from the String Symphonies and the Quartets, for example, but I’m not too convinced by the unsustainable lightness of the "Lieder ohne Worte" either). But fortunately, the works discussed so far in debaser, including this intense and unjustly underrated Fifth, belong to the most amiable Mendelssohn.

Dear Viva Lì aka Marco Poletti, since I have been mentioned as the only one with whom a dialogue can be established, I would like to make an observation. Your outburst, although understandable from someone who has been treated unjustly way beyond his demerits, seems exaggerated. In particular, seeing only the flaws of Debaser and depicting it as a putrid swamp where only those who make the most noise thrive is a distortion of reality. There is also a decent number of reviewers who write purely out of passion for music, exchanging their opinions peacefully about it and only about it. Then it may happen that the discussion shifts to more dangerous territory, like politics, and that is when conflicts become intense and one loses track of what they are writing. And then there are the anonymous commentators, who despite the test on belonging to the human race, continue to infest the site with their delirious posts and average-destroying remarks, as I know very well from direct experience (one such individual who signed himself as "bastardone" wiped out a dozen of my reviews with an average of 5). At first, I used to get angry too, but thanks to the valuable advice from Hal, I started ignoring the rankings altogether, as they are completely useless (only those with more luck maintain an average of 5, meaning those who don’t encounter any of these repressed anonymous commentators). So if I were you, I would disregard the posts sent with the precise and sole intent of insulting, and instead, I would try to make the most of the opportunities offered by this site, which is to discuss music and share passions and enthusiasm with people who may be a thousand kilometers away. But of course, do as you see fit...

One of the best live performances I’ve ever listened to, even though I’m not exactly a fan of James Taylor, whom, by the way, I still don’t know well enough. A good review that, for some reason, I had missed.

One shouldn’t judge the first Renato Zero based on the current one, who indeed is quite terrible. "Invenzioni" is part of the very few decent albums from a Renatone who, more than capturing fools with his spectacle and the little stories of the "sorcini," was focused on writing good songs, even if they weren’t transcendent. In my opinion, the last of these records is "Trapezio," after which there’s a gradual decline into nonsense, although interspersed with a few beautiful melodic songs, unfortunately lost amidst a lot of ridiculous stuff.