Grendel

Aside from the fact that short reviews can also be filled with outrageous nonsense... your attempt at essentiality is nothing but carelessness! You're right, the review doesn’t have to please me: and you are saying exactly what I criticized you for. It should interest those who don’t know them (I quote you directly: "...those who disparage them without even knowing them or don’t really know who they are..."). If you explain it to them with this masterpiece you’ve written... I think it’s a waste of time. Look, you don’t have to write a thesis, you know? And while it’s true that some texts can be depressing, that’s another topic worth discussing. Just like the iron will to appear as a prog band (specialized press articles and fanzines exist to be read too!) and the mastery of the instrumental parts (just to stay in the Fish era, those in "Misplaced Childhood" are out of this world!). Well, take my advice: if you’re afraid of writing nonsense by making a longer review, just forget it, okay?

I beg your pardon, you weren't the one I had "scolded," but Vinsex for "Misplaced Childhood"! For the rest of the speech, however, I'm not apologizing, actually...

If for the other Marillion album I had "scolded" you, for this one I'm going to tear you apart: reading your words, anyone unfamiliar with the album really understands very little. Mostly because, I think, before writing a review, one should have a minimum of knowledge about the subject. Regardless of whether the product in question is rubbish (even more so) or a masterpiece. I've been following them since their inception (like others in the realm of progressive music, both from the decade in question and from the previous and subsequent ones), and seeing a band that has been "on the scene" for 24 years reviewed like this... well, quite frankly, it makes me want to throw my balls on the floor! I don't like duplicates, but this review "calls for revenge": it may be a few years from now (hoping that DeBaser still exists!), but if it must remain the only one, I will rewrite it!

Just to add that "It's for You" was used as a track in the soundtrack of the film "Fandango," which, if I'm not mistaken, was Kevin Costner's debut as a lead actor: it's featured in the most romantic moment of the film in question, perhaps quite immature but still charming...

I didn't expect this group to be reviewed; even less that it would be done by a "novice." After so many glowing reviews about this group in industry publications (there was a whiff of advertising), reading a much more objective judgment is a pleasure. That prog isn't dead, that's for sure; the thing is, I don't know whether to say fortunately or unfortunately, it thrives in the crowded channels of the underground and independent labels most of the time (this applies to prog that harks back to the golden years of the early '70s). From what I understand, you're also quite young, which makes me doubly happy. Based solely on trust for the album, I would give it a 5, in light of what you say, but I won’t do that just because, to be honest, I haven't bought it yet. However, I think that, thanks to your words, you've convinced me a bit more and brought me closer to the record store.

I didn't understand the contradiction: are the 5 stars for bad luck or for the ugliness of the album?

The high rating for the album is precisely because of that line of yours at the end: it’s live recording. Who could afford that in 2006? Anyone claiming to have recorded an album live, 99.9% of the time is talking nonsense, believe me! I don’t agree with considering "Last Train Home" as Metheny's first: I use that definition for his ECM period.

I really like your review, beyond the album itself: I find it a great demonstration of synthesis and depth of content, going through all the tracks without frills and pompously useless considerations.

I dissent from the idea of nothing being worthwhile after these two albums. I wouldn't throw the others away: sure, I don't save the entire discography, but I still enjoy listening to "52nd Street," for example...

Even when the commitment is minimal (like in the product in question), you can see the skill of an artist whom many think they know and who, presumptuously (alas, it seems to be a common ailment of this newly begun century, I can't help but notice!), are quick to judge: very likely because they do not grasp the nuances of the dialect, which, when read in the "translation" of the booklet, loses a significant part of its meaning. Or perhaps there is some other reason that, I hope, is not linked to the usual impulsiveness that creates the know-it-alls mentioned above. I am a laghèè by adoption, I have learned the dialect and now appreciate it: even I, at first, thought it was, in the long run, boring. I believe, therefore, that I am not biased when I say that Mr. Bernasconi is an artist at 360°. Especially, outside the so-called major record circles that pollute modern music and will lead it, very soon, to its demise.