antoniodeste

I have read (almost) everything above and I stand with both the supporters of "Future Days" and the tagomagists. What I didn't find is a single word referring to the next album. "Soon Over Babaluma." I mean: are you kidding? We have stories about the wonders of "Ege Bamyasi," "Monster Movie," "Tago Mago," and not a hint about "Quantum Physics" or "Chain Reaction"? I've known Can for at least thirty years and I stumbled upon this great review almost by chance. But seriously, guys, "Soon Over Babaluma" is a must-listen; after that, the group started to lose its edge, to crumble; "Saw Delight," "Flow Motion," "Landed" may be debatable or, worse, negligible, but let yourself be hypnotized by "Dizzy Dizzy" and "Come sta, la luna"!

Well, for me, the first three chapters (the fourth, frankly, I wasn't familiar with) are in the right creative-assessive sequence. The first one is really "groundbreaking" (perhaps, for some, also a pain in the ass) for those years; Neu 2, despite the canterburyan difficulties recounted by the reviewer, represents a nice way to position oneself "obliquely" on the concrete-experimental scene of the early 70s, focusing attention on rhythm. '75 (which is my favorite) manages with economy and greater armolodic confidence (maybe Ornette would have some objections...) the results already achieved. Rother & Dinger were the true tetteska alternative to Hutter & Schneider's "kraut" synthesizers. It's a shame it didn't last. In fact, now that I think about it, there must still be two nice old records by Michael Rother in circulation: "Flammende Herzen" and "Katzenmusik," if I remember correctly. I listened to them back then (late 70s). They didn't seem bad to me. byebye.

Sorry, forgot the rating!

I hadn't thought about them for a while, Jop. I followed them for a long time (even back when Motian was touring with the "quintet," alongside Ed Schuller (cb) and Billy Drewes (as)). At that time, Frisell was traveling in a green Eskimo and had only played (as far as I knew) on Weber's "Fluid Rustle," Garbarek's "Paths, Prints," and was about to release his first ECM album. Then I saw this trio live a couple of times in the '90s as Frisell's popularity was growing by leaps and bounds. Motian taught the art to Joey Baron, and it's indescribable. Lovano was the only tenor player of some renown capable of challenging Brecker's "stranglehold" during those years, although there were obviously plenty of other great names too. I have a particular fondness for their "It should've been happened a long time ago," I think it's about twenty years old (...). Thank you, John, for the usual fine review and I will try to keep it in mind. baibai.

It's great to hear you like this, guys! Hearing Blackcrow, Socrates, Alex 82, Cleo (and who knows how many others...) It's nice to feel that more than a shiver runs down your spines at the thought and memory of how (and what) these two have given us joy, distant horizons, and maybe a grain of melancholy (the right kind). How their music has the power to awaken in us smiles, astonishments, emotions. Beautiful these vibes that at least I've felt back then and still do now. I hope it's the same for you. I’m also looking forward to Steely Dan. I've loved them forever (or almost).
Peace, Love & Freedom

I thank Strangler for the very personal interpretation and the related undeserved praise. As for Morrison, I imagine you have no trouble understanding that, regarding your request, (I don’t know about Strangler, but I) might not have anything to object.... I mean, even if it were directed at me, I believe I can handle the provocations well. Nevertheless, I renew the invitation (also to myself, since I will not appear in this review again unless to talk about the music of the Zep) to everyone to avoid, if possible, endless "aftermath" of "personal grudges" that are not very relevant to the review. In truth, I sometimes tend to fall into this vice as well, but frankly, it doesn’t serve much purpose, musically speaking, of course. Then, oh, do what you want. I certainly won’t be the one to impose a "cap." Peace, Love & Freedom.

For Puntini and Morrison: your doubts, teasing, and/or compliments are very interesting, but do you have anything to add about the Zep? Or about the houses of the "Sacred"? Forgive me, but I assume you know there are other ways to exchange views on Debaser, right? Please, don’t take it the wrong way, but let’s make room for relevant posts; however, I always hold you dear. :-)

I return to this page to once again praise the excellent critical work of Mr. Blackcrow, which I have reread with great pleasure; and to thank RingoStarfish (I have the sole merit of supporting a great and professional review) and to briefly respond to alex 82. Yes, it is true that there are some similarities between the two compositions and, in my opinion, in the way the group composes, there are often references between one track and another, either overtly or subtly. I will also say that "The Working Hour" is a piece I am particularly fond of. I mentioned this to Mel Collins (he's the one on sax, former King Crimson, ex ex ex) when, by chance, I found myself sitting next to him for dinner after a concert with some local musicians. The emotion, as you can imagine, was great. It's a personal memory from nearly twenty years ago. At this point, however, I would frankly expect a response from the author of the review; I would like to hear further comments from him on what has emerged. I await with hope. :-)

Alright, I think I understand. It will be enlightenment, but more likely I suppose it is dedication and contemporaneity. I mean that back then, I was starting to "get my feet wet" in that field...and the initial "imprinting" is hard to erase. Regards.

Hats off to Blackcrow. It had been a while since I read such a well-researched and articulated analysis. Just the other day, I bought "Raoul & The Kings Of Spain." I hadn’t even given it a glance back in '95 after the disappointing effort of "Elemental." It’s not bad, but we are miles away from the seeds of love.
Orzabal & Smith had, in some ways, a somewhat strange history. They were at the tail end of the new wave movement when "The Hurting" (83) came out, and it was a beautiful surprise. "The Start Of The Breakdown" is unforgettable for me (there’s a live version on an EP, on vinyl). The charts started to take notice of the new group.
In the full swing of "Look" (remember?), they came out with their "Urlo" in "Canzoni dal Seggiolone" and... bingo! They hit it big again; everyone wants to rule the world and Orzabal & Smith are ruling the charts with high-quality "electropop" and without any easy compromises. Time passes (not a little); it seems like nothing is happening anymore and after years, their masterpiece finally emerges. Blackcrow has wisely and competently reviewed it as The Great Reviewer. The TFF are at the peak of their trajectory, but we still don’t know it. They are the natural heirs of the Beatles and perhaps even the Police, the rays of sunshine in the pop of the late century. Stop. The duo has a fierce argument and two guys, Alan Griffiths and Tim Palmer, replace Curt Smith. The magic breaks, the balance vanishes. Two "lukewarm" albums follow. Then darkness until last year, after 10 years. The two old friends have made peace. "Beautiful stories must have a happy ending..." or something like that. A somewhat sentimental, perhaps flattering and accommodating title for a work that my wife and I listened to eagerly. But the magic truly faded despite the pleasant songs. End of story. Sincere congratulations to Blackcrow; you deserve it. "Seeds of love" is the (re)discovery of love (in music).