SALMACIS

Really a record from another planet. I've literally worn out the vinyl. I can’t count the joints I've rolled to it. It's truly music for smoking, or rather for the herb: LIGHT, DECADENT, MELANCHOLIC, INTROSPECTIVE, GENIUS. There are no fillers or low points, but the peaks are there, and here, dear BrunoDP, you've forgotten to mention one of the highest, namely "Oh you pretty things," a true gem of the album along with "Life on Mars" (the magnificent Wakeman on grand piano), Quicksilver and the morbid and toxic (...and the dust would always end up in our veins...) "Bewlay Brothers," an unsettling tale of perdition and deviance that gives us one of the most beautiful and musical lyrics in the entire Bowian collection; the memorable alliterative line "He's Camelian, Comedian, Corinthian and Caricature.."

I don’t understand the widespread hostility towards this masterpiece. It’s the album where Sabbath dares the most, stepping partially out of the leaden courtyard that had protected them until Master of Reality. Vol. IV has a few more weak points compared to its predecessor, but it also features higher peaks, like Wheels of Confusion and Under the Sun, which are objectively stunning and more intricate, expanded songs compared to the Sabbath standard. The review is really awful...and it was already there! WHAT THE FUCK...

..eh eh my dear Crow, this time you've really messed up.. they're right.. the race sucks... and come on.. more Image and Words. Instead, I agree with Mayhem's opinion that: "The album is objectively NOT the absolute masterpiece that everyone praises, because there are others, like 'Awake' and 'Metropolis Pt-2...', which are far better." Gospel, or rather, no.. Veda..

Great album, good review. "Serenade to a Cuckoo" is truly magical and revisits themes dear to the great unorthodox jazzman Roland Kirk. Both "My Sunday Feeling" and "Beggar's Farm" are little masterpieces, on which you could have spent a bit more time. They are the most typical tracks of the distinctive sound of this album, especially the latter with its great groove, which is impactful and well-crafted. I agree with you about "Dharma for One": it is the most prog track... I point out the stunning live version present in "Living in the Past." "Song for Jeffrey," on the other hand, seems overrated to me, primarily by Anderson himself.
In conclusion, it's worth mentioning that this album showcases the clash between two overly strong and distant artistic personalities (and not) that cannot coexist; I am, of course, talking about Ian Anderson, who will prevail and become the deus ex machina of the band, and the excellent blues guitarist Mick Abrahams. The strict adherence to blues conventions will be the point of contention. Good Mick will go on to express his Mayall-like tendencies in Bloodwyn Pig with decent results but will marginalize himself from the history of music; in his place, starting with "Stand Up," will come the "loyal squire" Martin Barre, who from then on will be Anderson's true alter ego and most loyal companion.

Guys, if you don't know Mad River and their fantastic self-titled album, you're really missing out on one of the brightest examples of California lysergic psychedelia... I’ll have to write a review about it.

Great Mars, while it's true that over time I've learned to appreciate those tracks (the last two in particular) that initially raised some doubts, which is why the stars - I repeat - would now be 5. I am comforted by your opinion on the production, I wasn't wrong in "listening" back then!! Thank you again.
p.s. I completely agree with the extremely positive judgment for "My Arms, Your Hearse." They say Akerfeldt had a cold, but the devastating and effective growl as in that album, low and powerful at the same time, I haven't heard again... not all bad things evidently come to harm... moreover, I consider "April Ethereal" to be the best song by Opeth.

WHAT A GREAT ALBUM THIS IS...the final track "reaching happiness touching pain" is truly sublime..after the gloomy and unsettling vocal litany that makes up the structure of the song, a cold and icy organ sound comes in. The harmonic shift at 8'30" is orgasmic...sublime..capable of captivating your attention no matter what you're doing...this is true Doom...on February 18th I’ll be in Sesto Fiorentino at the Zero Circus..unmissable!!

So... I agree with Ale about the quality of "from twilight to starlight," but not to the extent of equaling or, worse yet, even surpassing the unattainable "Down to Dusk," which remains the best album that the Pumpkins have created. I also agree with Easycure when he states: "for me this is one of those sacred albums that requires a great understanding in order to be reviewed"...
Such a strange band indeed, that of Corgan. In its best moments, it has demonstrated such creative power that it finds comparisons only with the Beatles. And it seems to me that this latter point is the greatest legacy of the Pumpkins... Beatles + Black Sabbath, as the good Billy has lucidly and honestly admitted... then they dimmed, or rather... he dimmed.
As for their works, I think the only truly overrated album was Siamese Dream, which I find overly sugary and quite banal... sure, there are some gems... but not too many, just Disarm, Soma, and Mayonnaise... and you can feel that the band is missing behind the pumpkin... completely different music in Gish... a memorable debut... how many times have I had a completely different conversation about Gish: what a sensational debut... how many times have I listened to Rhinoceros and Siva... not to mention the triad of gems embedded: crush-snail-suffer... and what to say then about the ending of "My Daydream"!?! I was long uncertain about which to consider the best, this one or the first part of Mellon Collie... the freshness or the maturity... although in this case, the latter won. Pisces Iscariot is much more than a collection of B-sides.

This is a quick overview of the early albums by Jethro
- This Was. Rock-Blues with some folk and jazz (Roland Kirk) touches. Excellent the setup of "purist" blues Mick Abrahms, whose personality, however, was too much in contrast with that of Ian Anderson, strongly egocentric although creative.
- Stand-Up. The first masterpiece. Strong hard-blues influences (A new day yesterday, Nothing is easy) are complemented by a lyrically folk vein (Look into the sun). The two gems are the classic Bourée and "We used to know," elevated by a sensational solo from the newly joined Martin Barre on electric guitar.
- Benefit. A very good album that some consider "transitional" and others the group's masterpiece. Blues echoes remain (To cry you a song) and beautiful acoustic ballads like "Sossity you're a Woman," but the best results come when these two strands intertwine, as in the beautiful "With you’re there to help me" and "Nothing to say."
- Aqualung. A sudden turn towards prog, the sound benefits from the permanent contribution of pianist John Evans. Two concepts in one, the first on side A of the vinyl, dedicated to the adventures of a mysterious homeless man, indeed Aqualung, the true Alter Ego of Anderson, and the critique of organized religion found in the track "God," which constitutes the masterpiece within the masterpiece, with at least three canonical Rock tracks: "My God," "Locomotive Breath," and "Wind-Up."
- Thick as a Brick, where the prog shift is complete. A great suite full of sensational moments and fresh overall, but, in my opinion, it is inferior to Aqualung in terms of creativity, theme richness, and inventiveness.

Yes, there are some, but not actually that many... on Progarchives, which I consider one of the best authorities in the prog field, "Thick as a Brick" ranks fourth after Close To the Edge by Yes, Selling England, and Dark Side of the Moon, so there's little to narrow down... Personally, I find Aqualung superior to TAAB, but it's also true that the latter should be considered the quintessential prog work of Ian Anderson's band. I also agree that such a masterpiece deserves a few more lines. The album, meticulously crafted both in terms of musical arrangements and lyrics, features the stunning debut of the great drummer Barriemore Barlowe, author of a famous solo, alongside the definitive maturation of the genius of the Gibson Les Paul, Martin Barre... the flute is less ubiquitous than usual, while especially in the second part, some acoustic inserts stand out for their clear Victorian beauty, offering great suggestion and charm. Above all, the genius of Ian Anderson. A must for all lovers of great music!!