nix

Never have I felt so close to disappearing, never so on the edge of the abyss (on August 31, I will lose my job due to the crisis facing the company I am part of. I’m at an age...well, things are looking really bad for me). Last month, I even wrote a long review of "A Night At The Opera" by Queen, in which I praised the free jazz masterpiece created by Queen with the visionary production of the great Gianni Sassi for the Italian label Cramps. I explained the importance of the mentioned work within the Canterbury scene, where Queen shone for years. The review was titled: "Il KrautRock di Canterbury, ovvero: "A Night At The Opera". I Queen ripercorrono la strada di Ornette Coleman!" The management at Debaser decided not to publish my review. These are things that disappoint. It's a dark time for me. When you lose your job, it brings a lot of confusion. Difficult days.

By the way. From many of you, I have often learned interesting details that I wasn’t aware of. For instance, in this case, the biblical reference of the title (thank you Lao Tze!). Another usefulness of the Debasio.

The review says little, but that little seems to be shareable. Like others, I often use Debaser to express my musical tastes, define them, and delineate them. In short, I use Debaser to position myself, to situate myself as accurately as possible within a gathering of more or less competent enthusiasts. I couldn’t explain the reason for this need. After all, who really cares what Piero from Turin, alias nix, precisely likes musically? Clearly, no one. Yet, my precise positioning in the world of pop rock and jazz is something I enjoy; it gives me satisfaction and confidence. It amuses me.
I primarily do this by refraining from intervening in most cases (all the reviews of albums I don’t appreciate or that don’t interest me). Secondly, I engage in discussions about albums I have loved. In those cases, I like to sharpen my pencil, share my thoughts, clarify, add, and correct the narrative, even at the risk of being pedantic. Or simply align myself with good opinions of others. And all this, fully aware that it doesn’t interest practically anyone. Oh well. But I have positioned myself accurately, and that pleases me. If I were to disappear, I would have at least left a small trace of myself, of what I was.
So, I will say a few words about nix concerning Jethro Tull, because Jethro Tull is a group I have appreciated. I don’t consider them a truly "epoch-making" band. They were a good band, featuring a decent flutist as a leader, undeniably charismatic artist, and a good composer of rock pieces. I find that Jethro Tull gave their best when they played rock like that found on this album, which I consider, alongside Aqualung and the first one, and also Benefit, one of their best. The guitarist Martin Barre has always seemed excellent to me.
And Stand Up, in particular, contains passages of true excellence (read Bouree, Nothing is easy, We used to know). I also find the Jethro Tull pop of Songs From The Wood quite enjoyable (though not essential). That fake folk of theirs is, after all, fun and well-made. I don’t love their progressive turn, although Thick as a Brick is not a bad album at its core. Live, they don’t seem to have particularly shone. Their official live album, the title of which I don’t even remember, is one of the worst live albums I have ever listened to.
There you go, I have positioned myself with respect to Jethro Tull. I know it doesn’t matter to anyone. Oh well. Four stars for the review, four for the album. Greetings to all.

This time I have to say I’m somewhat disappointed. The disappointment comes from reading overly enthusiastic reviews by regulars of debasio whose tastes I have come to know fairly well, and whom I generally consider cultured and balanced critics. I’m referring to hjhhjij, SydBarrett96, and ranofornace. I realize that "tastes are tastes," and if someone loves an album, you can't really argue against it: the reasons for that love can be infinite, personal, and absolutely valid. The matter changes when one goes into specifics and highlights what are deemed "points of value" or "points of disvalue." That’s where discussion can arise. As long as someone claims that an album is "beloved" or "preferred"... well... it’s pointless and ridiculous to claim the opposite, even if it's the live album of Toto Cutugno.
That said, I’m sorry to read enthusiastic judgments about such a work from individuals I consider more than competent (I'm particularly referring to those I mentioned). It saddens me, that’s all.
In my opinion, Thick As A Brick is a decent progressive album. Nothing more than decent.
Essentially, it is the album where Ian Anderson prioritized the progressive component of their musical project. The operation is undoubtedly a well-crafted one, and the album is certainly a successful work. However, I find that the very progressive component is the least interesting aspect in the case of Jethro Tull and that it is because of this that the band tended to come across as often boring, especially live. In Jethro Tull, I preferred the blues rock component (Stand Up, some parts of Aqualung, or their debut album), or simply the pop element (Songs From The Wood). However, I reiterate that this is a matter of personal taste, and I salute the enthusiasts I mentioned.
Two stars for the modest review and three and a half stars for the album.

Okay

A milestone in music? The greatest experimental album of all time?
Just grab the hundred grams of strawberry candy and step out calmly. Then let mom pay.

The greatest and most beautiful progressive album of all time, and one of the greatest in the history of modern music (I don’t think I’m exaggerating. In fact, I have measured every word carefully).
An interesting and well-crafted review. What beauty!
I loved this album so much that I can’t think of anything else to say. I’m glad others are doing it, and from what I see, many share my opinion.
Five and five.
EverardBereguad, I have put you in my will!

Perfect and impeccable review for a splendid recording.
I was fortunate, many years ago, to see Urbani play in a brewery in Turin, in front of an audience of about forty people. I was literally right in front of him and I cannot forget that torrent of fire that came from his sax. To me, it reminded me a lot of Coltrane's last style, the one after '65, when he played with Pharoah Sanders. Many years have passed. Urbani left us on a night of solitude (if I’m not mistaken, from a heroin overdose).
It's nice to remember him.
Five stars for the review and five for the record.
Let's stay in touch, Caravan!

The review seems good to me, although it's a bit too lengthy. Passion got the better of them, things happen. The album, in my opinion, is undoubtedly a great live recording, but terribly outdated. If I listen again to Kick Out The Jams by Mc5, it feels like it was recorded yesterday. It's still enjoyable to listen to them; after half a century, they still seem fresh (I'm talking about the Mc5). If I put on Live in Japan, it feels like looking at old black and white photos, like Fratelli Alinari, the picture of the Sicilian bandit posing with the trombone, the photo of Mussolini bare-chested harvesting grain, things like that. Live In Japan is a glorious old relic. A heavy, rusty contraption from a museum. An old steam locomotive that crossed Siberia a hundred years ago. Have you ever seen a picture of the organ used on that occasion? A valve box with fourteen bellows and a cooling system taken from a Japanese Zero aircraft from World War II. Nice, but rest in peace. Let's move on. Four stars for the review, four for the album. Kick out the jams motherfuckers!!!!!!

Dear SydBarrett96,
In my opinion, the album is an absolute masterpiece of Italian music and deserves 5 stars without a second thought.
Your review seems good and well-written, but it has an important shortcoming: you fail to place the album in the context of those years.
In other words, it's a good review, but too limited "within" the work.
In short, to be clear, it lacks (perhaps even just in four lines) the historical context references in which Rimmel should be framed.
Four stars for your review. Well done for bringing back such a beautiful and important album.