strangler

In those parts, no one ever knows anything: ask about the Flor? NOTHING, maybe they've seen them in concert dozens of times but they don't sing their praises, they certainly won't tell you what happened to them or where you can find them... ;-)

x bogusman: exactly, arrangements are like a suit; sometimes listening to "naked" music is a beautiful thing we should do more often. I think of some things by Pussy Galore where the arrangements were comparable to what you can find in the subway, and yet the music that comes out is thrilling. Ah, it seems to me that was punk, but look at that stuff...

Yes, yes, it’s them. They used to be called what you’re saying, but I didn’t really like them that much. They made a significant leap when they became FLOR. I’ve seen them live a couple of times and the singer was a true stage animal with a beautiful voice. I once read an interview with M Stipe where, speaking of Italian bands, he had great things to say about them. Okay, now you might be thinking, what the hell do we care about M Stipe? Neither do I, but just to give you an idea of how promising this group was... If you get a chance, check out "aria" and then let me know...

Listen to "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" by Lennon—how can one say that he wasn't looking ahead? I don't like the Bitols, but they certainly made history for being ahead of their time...

x bogusman: "arrangements are a side dish" as far as I'm concerned, of course, not absolutely. It's true, in most rock music they are "essential" and that's exactly why they are often chosen by people who have nothing to do with the musicians in question. I completely agree that SGT. Pepper is still capable of saying something; it's likely that forty years from now it will still be listened to, despite what those who say that "Lennon thought about his present" claim... who knows what he would have done if he had thought about the future...!

Thank you, Odradrek, you really understand me and I will be eternally grateful for your moral support in moments like these. From now on, you will have in me not just a shoulder for your statements (even the more experimental ones), but I will be much more: a true megaphone through which Odradrek can spread his thoughts all over the planet! I will be Odradrek's Bondi, his Emilio, or even more: I will be your brother! ;-)

x eneathedevil: what I mean is that in my opinion there is no "objective" genius, but everything is filtered through our tastes, our experiences, our moods at the moment, etc. That's why comparisons become something that diminishes the value of certain figures who, each in their own way, have influenced entire generations (and in the case of Lennon, continues to do so). That said, I much prefer listening to a Syd album than a John one, but as you say, that’s a whole different matter... in the sense that if from tomorrow they banned listening to Lennon’s songs, it wouldn't change anything for me, absolutely nothing...

...little head, arrangements are just a side thing; the essence comes from the music you put into it. Arrangements depend on the tastes of the moment, technology, context, the target audience, and similar things; most of the time they aren't even decided by the musicians. A melody doesn't depend on anything; it's eternal. I have records at home that have arrangements that suck (almost as much as you when you write), yet they play wonderful music...the proof is that even today some songs by the Bitols are sung by very young people, and I’ll stop here because you’ve already bored me by talking about trivial and obvious things...let's change the record, shall we...

Even saying that Albini was one of the few thinking heads of that period... doesn’t seem like a fair assessment to me. Do you think I'm nitpicking? Am I being rigid, huh? Damn, it must be the August heat that’s getting to me...

Well, what's so strange about it: if x michi is the best, I see nothing wrong with that. Moreover, it's beautiful to see this unconditional love that makes one say "I don't need objects of comparison": it's an absolute love, I've experienced it only a few times, but when I felt this sensation for some musicians, it was amazing. Why be so rational in front of something that animates our instincts (music)? It's a bit like someone trying to convince us to fall out of love with a person; it seems absurd to me.
I don't really know her, other than what I've heard by chance, but for the little I know, I definitely prefer her to a Gazzè who only inspires me with boredom.
And since people from her land have written here, I wanted to ask if you know what happened to a band from Catania called "Flor." I have their CD titled "ARIA," and it's one of the most beautiful Italian albums to date (it was from the early '90s). More than anything, I was interested in knowing what their leader is up to now....