Mike76

Maybe that's what Battiato meant by "free jazz punk inglese"? A challenging yet stimulating work resulting from hours of jam sessions; I prefer "Thirst," which heads towards the song format while remaining oblique. I managed to get a CD version printed by Contempo, then I sold it for double the price to an American, trusting that Newton would soon release reissues of the entire catalog, but still nothing. I made money but I'm left without a CD....

A record I've always appreciated, even though recently listening to "Quiet Life" made me instinctively reassess its dimensions. The Duran have taken a lot from those Japan, perhaps too much. Nonetheless, this work still remains a pleasant listen.

Yes, Robert is actually a "man from the south," a Bavarian terun. Anyway, yes, they formed in Düsseldorf, the city of Kraftwerk, and at least at the beginning, they really were a sextet.

I haven't listened to it in a while; I have the one with a signed cover by Gabi after a Venetian concert in 2009: Live - Fucina Controvento - Malcontenta (VE) 14.03.09 - Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft - Recensione di Mike76 Bought when it came out, it was a pleasant surprise after 21 years of absence ("1st Step to Heaven" I've never counted); they managed to do a nice update of their style (which are also the most successful moments of the album, "Kinderzimmer" above all) and reinterpret new musical genres that emerged in the meantime, thanks also to their insights (like the little anti-Bush techno tune "Der Sheriff" which I find passable but not exciting). On the other hand, the grotesque trashy Spanish of "Mira Como Se Menea" is hilarious, a masterpiece of bad taste. A talkative and friendly review, but "sestetto di Berlino Est," where did that come from?

Everyone is celebrating the first two, but "All Fall Down" is an equally great album and "Party of My Mind" a pop gem that Moody's and Standard & Poor's would rate AAA. And "Shock of Daylight" and "Heads and Hearts" are excellent too. Why didn't they succeed back then? Perhaps because they had little image appeal (Borland looked like the kind of chubby guy who spends more time in the pub than at home), or maybe because the manager and record label weren't skilled enough to promote them. Those who argue that if Borland had made the extreme gesture fifteen years earlier, they would now be as famous as Joy Division, are probably (and sadly) right.

A good album that may not make waves or write indelible pages in the history of music but is pleasant and contemporary. It could even seem like a Coldplay album in a state of grace. Last year, I also had the pleasure of seeing them live in Rovereto (of the original Bunnymen, only McCulloch and Sergeant are left), really in shape despite their 55 years! Video Rai.TV - Sentiero di Pace - Echo & The Bunnymen - Lips Like Sugar - Sentiero di Pace 2014 - Rovereto

Flat songs that are vainly attempted to be invigorated with a powerful but ultimately ordinary sound. A rather ugly record or at least one that has aged poorly.

I was struck by Bono's profound reflection: "Power should belong to the people, not politicians."

This dictionary is almost certainly the updated edition of the one that first hit the shelves in 1999 (or 2000) which I have at home, featuring a preface by Jovanotti (who evidently is quite liked by Gentile and Tonti) and a cover with photos of Elvis, the Beatles, Springsteen, Madonna, Vasco, U2, and Bjork. Back then, I paid a high price for it and it was of some use to me; occasionally, even if rarely, I still leaf through it. I'm not sure it was the first "music dictionary" on the market, but surely at the time of its first release, there weren't many products of that sort, so the self-promotion in the presentation isn't as far-fetched as it might seem reading it now (they should definitely change it; 1999 is quite a while ago).
What are the flaws? First of all, there will be around fifteen reviewers, some knowledgeable (including Stefano Isidoro Bianchi) and others less so, meaning each individual's judgment is different (in my edition, there's even one album reviewed twice by two different reviewers with two different ratings....), in short, the "minestrone effect" is guaranteed.
Another flaw is the "italocentrism," with many insignificant national "artists" present and many historic foreign artists absent (I think Neu! and D.a.f. were missing among others, but maybe they corrected that). All things considered, it's a book with a thousand flaws but useful at the time because it was one of the first; now I find it strange that they are re-publishing it, today I would never buy it.

I have never listened to "Live at Witch," but I know some tracks through the Peel Sessions. Moreover, I read in the reviews that they also mention earlier singles I'm familiar with, like "Bingo Master" and "Psycho Mafia" (which were never part of the album but I assume were included as bonuses in the reissue), so I’ll add my two cents as well. The review is written very well, although it alternates masterful, clear analyses with sensationalist remarks (in fact, as far as I'm concerned, the Fall not only didn’t invent New Wave, but neither did they create sloppy punk with kraut influences; the latter had already been reached by at least P.I.L. and Swell Maps). These are the Falls I prefer: repetitive, yes, but concise and frantic, better than when in the early 80s they started stretching their tracks from three to six minutes, "lengthening the broth" not always with ideas sufficient to justify it, only to transform by the mid-decade into a sort of out-of-time B52's.