primiballi

@djmushroom: and where do we put Pino Daniele?

@ales: Pivano likes Giovanotti too... so I wouldn't take her as an example (she seems nice, but in my opinion, she's a limited person who has lived off the backs of the greats, simply an ugly groupie... I know it's a harsh opinion, but that's what I think). @stoney: the fact that "gli spari sopra" is an awful song is undeniable: that's Vasco when he's relaxed and not really in the mood. Look at the previous lyrics (for example, those from the first album "ma cosa vuoi che sia una canzone"). You criticized "Silvia" with an unforgivable (for me) 19th-century puritanism. If you view it from a different perspective, one that's not tied to historical singer-songwriter traditions, you'll see that Vasco is someone who has turned the page (even compared to the same historical singer-songwriter tradition). Whether the new page is better or worse is up for discussion: but it is new, and it must be acknowledged.

@stoney: I continue to express my opinion. Not distinguishing between Vasco before "va bene va bene così" and the one after is an objective mistake, in my opinion, that you seem to make with great ease, perhaps blinded by an excessive hatred that prevents your judgment from being calm and reasoned. Written this way, your intervention sounds like that of a resurrected Manzoni, hysterical and vulgar… Try to reflect on the journey of Italian singer-songwriter, true, between Buscaglione and Modugno up to Capossela. You will see that some of Vasco's albums have their place, and not even in the background. If you don’t think so, amen. But don’t confuse Vasco with his audience, and don’t evaluate him only under the "stupefacente" effect of your unrestrained hatreds.

@valeriorivoli: if you're joking, fine, and who doesn't want to have a laugh about the Dalla tattoos on the neck... But if you're serious, I'd gladly ask you what the hell artistic level has to do with personal level (who are you, Maria Teresa???). If we were to erase all the great artists who are personally assholes, maybe 3 or 4 would be left... Here, more than anything, we should evaluate whether Dalla is, or is still, an artist. Kisses.

But don't you find that the position "w i police e abbasso sting" is, at the very least, a bit snobby...? Don't you think that the simple fact that without Sting the Police would have never existed can't really be considered an irrelevant variable...? (I wouldn't want to go back to the points of chic radicalism of those who think Gaetano is superior to De Gregori......). Anyway, as always: kisses.

@flinstone: basically you’re right, but I’ve pointed out quite a few records during my long time with DeB (go take a look, if you feel like it, of course…). Now and then, however, I also think it's fair to indicate to listeners/fans the possible mistakes they might make when buying… or not? Anyway, thank you all and kisses (the album, listening to it again, isn't exactly all crap… but, I reiterate, the disparity between talent and result is frustrating…)

@nero: "no one cares about it anymore." And who tells you that? Your judgment elevated to universal judgment? I assure you that for those who listened to and played that music when they were twenty or thirty years old (and not 2 or 3), this album remains among the essential "live" recordings of so-called light music. It may not appeal to everyone, but the album and tour were triumphant, and Sting's solo career has delivered, alongside trivial and useless things, and a few too many sponsored bits, also very interesting works (or is the live album with Gil Evans something nobody cares about anymore...? By the way, I refer you to my review if you're interested). The other two police officers have disappeared from the public eye (@cavalli), but they have created beautiful things, which are certainly not measured "by the piece" in terms of audience, or am I mistaken...?

@cavalli: Summers has made a handful of absolutely top-notch jazz records (especially one on Monk). I wouldn't say it's "a complete dud".... @nero: total disagreement. I consider this record extremely important as a great meeting point between so-called light music and the jazz of that time (the only example, at this level, after Mitchell's "shadows and light"). Your criticisms could be "better applied" to "the dream of blue turtles," which, in my opinion, you clearly know much more about (hating it) than you do this live album. Not a word about the skills of Kirkland, Marsalis, or Hakim (of whom you demonstrate the utmost ignorance... anyway, I assure you he wasn't just some guy passing by). Of course: if you reduce it to just a "drumming" discussion, Copeland's is simply incomparable to anyone else's, both in terms of technique and personality. But he's not a jazz drummer, whereas Hakim is. And this, like it or not, is a jazz record. Kisses.

I’ve been a bit absent from DeB... but it all became so (arguments between two, maybe three, not related, almost never, the reviewed album...)? I don’t know...

Absolutely agree on the value of the compilation (although I’m convinced it could easily be a triple/quadruple, with everything they’ve got in the vaults...), not so much on the unanimous disdain for the latest album of unreleased tracks which (someone spoke poorly of Undercover... crazy...) all in all is still better than 80% of the young upstarts trying - through radio - to ruin our ears with their poorly imitating rubbish of the Rolling Stones (and a thousand others)...