aries

An excellent album that marks a leap in quality compared to the previous ones. Gaber has immersed himself in the reality of his time, which he observes with attention and irony. Some "photos" from this album seem anything but dated; I think particularly of songs like "L'ingranaggio" and "Il mestiere del padre." The monologues, perhaps, are a bit weak, precisely due to their function as a connecting thread, but "Le noci di cocco" (also for the chorus that interacts with Gaber) and "Nixon" are certainly memorable.

The first cassette I bought (summer '89) and for a few years my favorite album by Guccini. What I appreciate most about this record are "Argentina" and "Gulliver", which best convey the idea of the futility of travel. "Shomèr Ma Mi Llailah?" is, in my opinion, one of the deepest tracks in Guccini's "existentialist" vein, while the lyrics of "Autogrill" have always fascinated me for their undefined setting (it's easy to think of the States, but with a lot of Emilia inside). "Inutile" is one of the few love songs in Guccini's repertoire and, in my opinion, one of the most successful, for its original way of describing well-known situations and for the "moral" that can be read between the lines. "Gli amici", at first glance, appears to be a pleasant divertissement, but it's less superficial than it seems (there's also here a sense of a search, of a continuous questioning that finds no sure answers).

An interesting proposal. Over time, this album proves to be significant, primarily for the Venetian group's return to more congenial themes and sounds (and Tagliapietra hasn’t lost his shine and inspiration); secondly, the good success of "Il fiume" demonstrated that Italian prog still stirred up interest. My enthusiasm for 5 at the opera has led me to round up to a solid 4.

Welcome back! An undoubtedly atypical choice, yet it inspires confidence. Mel C was the most "private" of the Spice Girls, and it's nice that she has chosen to remain that way and indeed to establish an artistic path that is in discontinuity with that experience.

"Folk Beat n. 1" contains a series of masterpieces, but in my opinion, it suffers from the poverty of the arrangements and a slightly too Dylan-esque singing; in this sense, I greatly appreciate the recovery operation that Guccini undertook in the live performance with the Nomadi. "Due anni dopo," a more intimate album, seems more influenced by the chanson singers from across the Alps, and perhaps that’s why I listened to it more (in particular, I love the unsettling "Il compleanno," "La verità," and "Due anni dopo"). However, artistic maturity would arrive shortly after: until 1990 he practically did not miss a beat, although I prefer the works from the 1970-1976 period (from "Isola" to "Via Paolo Fabbri 43"), which are the ones I resonate with the most (particularly the underrated "Stanze di vita quotidiana").

I believe that Claudio Lolli has always had a lot to say, and he has always managed to express it in an original way. However, his early albums are a bit difficult to digest, and the arrangements don't help.

A beautiful and unfortunate album (even though I believe the reimagining of his rearranged classics could have been avoided), in which the Istrian singer-songwriter addresses emotions and social themes with his usual elegance and sobriety. Endrigo had his golden period between 1965 and 1973 (when he was associated with Fonit-Cetra), the years in which he reached his artistic maturity; however, I think that his conceptually more interesting albums came later (I’m thinking particularly of "La voce dell'uomo," "Sarebbe bello," "Donna mal d'Africa," and "Mari del Sud"). All this material, despite the commendable efforts of his daughter, remains unjustly inaccessible to most.

The subversive and irreverent approach of the Residents has always intrigued me, yet listening to them always makes me quite uncomfortable.

Great review, original artist, but quite far from my tastes.

I don't know much about Johnny Winter, but what I've listened to I really liked. Reading the review, I felt transported to Texas.