Socrates

I don’t agree with the idea of “nothingness.” The need to write solo albums wouldn’t make sense otherwise. Nor can this be attributed to a purely commercial intent, considering the artist and the timing and manner in which these works are released. I believe that some of the reasons driving Fagen to compose them can be found in his "narrative" attitude. Let’s not forget that the first two are concept albums, and the latest one has a clearly perceivable thread running through it. By translating patiently and with some effort, not being exactly an expert, I have become convinced that these lyrics hold much more importance than we tend to attribute to them, caught up as we are in his unmistakable music.

Thank you again to all the recent commentators, especially to Black for the heartfelt wish that I reciprocate. I renew the appeal to the kind editors to see about remedying the usual errors and various typos. "In più di un trentennio" at the beginning should be changed to "in più di un ventennio"; the highlighted word almost at the end "app(a)rentemente" needs to be corrected. Thank you.

Not only for convenience, I copy and paste gabbox's comment. An album to which I am very attached, as I am to all the 4AD productions of those years.

I took on the challenge "ob torto collo," always hoping that someone would beat me to it. But that wasn’t the case. The opinions of the fans can, understandably, upset some, but I hope I haven't crossed the line of decency. I’ll tell you that it was the repeated listens that made me decide. An album that, in my opinion, needs time to be properly evaluated. After all, if he took more than ten years to give birth to it, one can spend a few more hours listening to it properly. I'm glad you agree on the evaluation of the Brazilian technical choices. Sometimes I wonder, given my salary, why I didn't study to become a coach... ;-)

Sure, Sylvian, in "in just over two decades": mathematics is not an opinion. Thinking about the '80s - '90s - 2000s, I made the mistake. Should the kind editors wish to intervene, I note another typo: an "apperentemente" from Bari in the last highlighted sentence. As for the rating of the album, if I had rushed to write it after the first listens, I would have agreed with you. Now I believe it deserves a rounded 4.5 for excess. The work on the lyrics is also quite noteworthy. Thank you all, anyway, for the attention and for the comments. P.S. Sylvian, Brazil has a reckless game: even they can't afford two "tourists" like Ronaldo and Adriano are right now. The players I like the most, besides Kakà, whom I discovered before Galliani :-), are Zé Roberto and Juninho, who I would always have play. Lucky for them they have central defenders up to our standards.

I shouldn't say it, but I confess I haven't listened to the album, even though a close friend of mine is a real expert and practically owns everything by Banco. I take progressive music in small doses... ;-) Rece, as usual, flawless.

You need to be cautious with these discs. There's a serious risk of distorting everything through the lens of your memories of being a "vitellone" in the disco. :-) In hindsight, I would say calling them "little masterpieces" seems excessive. I would settle for saving them from the unjust stoning they seemed destined for. Your review makes an important contribution to this aim.

You would have convinced me anyway, even if you hadn’t mentioned, cheap shot, the beloved Cezanne. I'm looking for it immediately.

I confess that I had some doubts about the 69 love songs (there's no need to bring in Pythagoras to say that numbers always hide meanings... ;-)) and I believe I haven't even listened to half of them. Let's just say they didn't excite me. These perhaps even less.

I will definitely listen to it. The first one, as you know, I didn't mind at all.