sylvian1982

In this month's Mucchio, there is a short but touching review by the good Gianluca Testani on Lloyd Cole's new work. Yes, he has just released a new album. The thought that today's twenty-somethings don't even know who I am (and who they are) talking about makes me feel both outdated and a bit nostalgic. It's just a few lines, but they are so beautiful and intense that for those who have loved Lloyd Cole, they resonate with the strings of the soul.

The magazines you mentioned are all from later. At the beginning of the 70s, there was only Ciao 2001. I don't want to fixate on this, but it really seems to me that way. The ones you cited should have emerged around the mid-seventies. I'll do some research.

I wrote "altro" three times on the same line. Two are fine, but one is an involuntary mistake. Sorry.

I'm sorry that your ears perceive this work in such a dull way. I take it and thank you for the compliments, since my reviews are always for very few. @Jonh, but to ask such a question, have you read the review? Badly Drawn Boy is nothing more than the pseudonym chosen by a certain Damon Gough who, among other things, is that gentleman with the hat and the newspaper opened on the cover above. It’s just him. And then you give a 1 to the album you admit you don’t know. The song you mention is on "About A Boy."

I hope that Bisius' 1 is polemical, more in response to my 4 than for the actual quality of the work. In fact, rereading my review, I think I might have been too harsh. This album cannot be defined as ugly. It is classy, refined pop that is genuinely enjoyable. However, if you always expect a no-look pass and a bicycle kick goal from great players, then it’s possible to feel a bit disappointed. @Mopaga. If you liked Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind (which, by the way, has an initial part that even reminds one of Robbie Williams), I would say you can go in for a sure bet.

@Manticore1962 ...Hi 2001 wasn't the most acclaimed, it simply was the only Italian music magazine during the golden age of progressive. Tastes are tastes, but inaccuracies can be corrected.

I’m glad there are people who buy these books. Maybe, just to know what others think about them. Anyway, the list of participants in this ranking is extremely long, and there are quite a few musicians. Can you believe that Thriller is in the top positions, it seems to be 8th or 9th. Of course, each of us has our own personal ranking. More driven by the heart than by reason, let’s be honest. The important thing is to learn to respect others' tastes and judgments without always positioning ourselves in a narrow-minded and extremist perspective.

I don't take any ranking at face value. In fact, David Sylvian isn't even mentioned. And I do like prog, so much so that I've included two albums of that genre in my all-time 25. However, I find Bjork's commentary much more fair, sensible, and democratic than Dave's. But if I had to introduce my daughter to about 50 years of rock music, how do you think I should go about it? Then it would be up to her to choose and distinguish what she likes and what she doesn't. Are we democratic or are we Islamic fundamentalists?

My statement is by no means ridiculous. It’s a statement you can verify with any self-respecting music critic. Progressive is a genre of music that belongs in a very specific time-space context, and it has even been partially renounced by some of its own creators. That being said, I respect everyone's tastes, of course. For your information (if you wish to expand your knowledge and not consider yourselves the bearers of absolute truth), a volume has just been released, curated by the glorious (perhaps the most glorious) American music magazine Rolling Stone, titled "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time." The ranking is based on the opinions of about (roughly) 200/300 industry professionals, journalists, managers, producers, and prominent artists, each of whom provided their list of preferences, resulting in the 500 most voted albums. Well, not a single progressive album appears in these 500 records. The only one close to prog (but not really) included is Dark Side by Pink Floyd. If you’re interested, you can find it in any bookstore. If they are idiots, then everyone can hold onto their own ideas, and yours are worth as much as those of Toto Cutugno's fans.

I can't help but laugh at all this bowing down to the ELP. Not that I have anything particularly against them, but if progressive at some point imploded and if much of the criticism considers progressive a minor genre within the vast melting pot of rock, I think that a significant (de)merit should be attributed to the ELP. Honestly, if someone wanted to approach the progressive scene, I certainly wouldn't recommend starting with Keith Emerson's organ bursts.