nightwalker10

Well, let's not forget that the only one with a solid academic background is good old Rick and, as such, he also has an "orchestral" approach to music which, coincidentally, is a hallmark of the Yes sound. His contribution remains crucial because in all the works where he doesn't appear, the Yes sound is lacking, despite the brilliance of the substitutes, like Patrick Moraz. As for the revived dualism with good Emerson, I would say that for an instrument like the keyboards, Wakeman's orchestral approach remains the most natural, compared to Keith's more individualistic style, almost borrowed from guitar heroes... one could argue that Wakeman's greater depth in his solo work is proof of this. In my opinion, they are nonetheless different, just as the musical context of the trio is different from that of the band and, therefore, so is the role that the keyboards play... certainly, the gentlemen in question have a rather cumbersome EGO; )

I recently saw an excellent reinterpretation of those years about Jimmy... basically, the good Peter said that until "Comes" he was writing songs for himself and it worked, but then he started writing with the fans in mind and... puff!
Anyway, what's important is that it seems that right after this album, the market's desire shifted towards big concerts and their enormous profit reflections... the result of this process is now evident to everyone.

Maybe if you talked a bit more about the music in addition to the concept plot... Anyway, the flute is played by Latimer; as far as I know, Mel Collins is not a flautist :)

Anto', maybe I didn't explain myself well about using a pitch shifter to play fifth intervals... let's say I remember perfectly replicating the initial riff of Metal Fatigue, I think with an old Yamaha SPX90, setting it for fifth intervals. I'm skeptical about using a guitar tuning for fifths, instead, the right explanation was probably given by those who came before me... Allan's telescopic fingers have always been known.

Well, if it makes you feel better, at least this is achievable with a regular pitch shifter found in most guitar processors on the market.... :)

What can be said about Styx, beyond what has already been written... they belong to the post-great rock era when perhaps we were scraping the bottom of the barrel, but all in all, that generation of bands (Kansas, Boston...) deserves to be reevaluated considering what the video-recording demon has reduced rock to today, in terms of originality and talent.

Certainly, a discerning listener might turn up their nose at American prog, characterized by loud guitars and folk-inspired choruses, but it shouldn't be forgotten that these productions were intended for American FM radio, which has always been an ally of rock, while in Europe, and in Italy in particular, rock has fundamentally remained a niche genre, perhaps due to a basic cultural estrangement from the roots of the genre, blues and rock'n'roll.

Someone rightly pointed out how Italy made the fortune of English prog bands... that's true, but perhaps precisely because the neoclassical matrix of the genre had greater affinities with our cultural traditions, essentially tied to classical and Neapolitan music.

Of course, "The Best of Times" remains a great piece...

I imagine "shine on you crazy diamond" as the sleep that has guaranteed you.... ;)

Well, it's true about Tolo, then 18 (!!)... but he became famous in a blues sphere light-years away from the pop of smogmagica, of which I share the catastrophism... sure, embarrassing episodes... city lovers, the little piano, but besides those mentioned, I would also save laserium floyd.

I dare myself the liberty to intervene... first of all, the pop period of Black Cars was tied, as Gino later revealed, to serious difficulties with the label, which, once resolved, gifted us the fine acoustic jazz of Yonder Trees.
And then about Canto, which is indeed a bit disconcerting, I would tend to be more tolerant considering the courage and vocal performances of the proposal...
I fully agree on These Are The Days; the compilation section is truly incomprehensible. I had at least hoped it would feature different takes or some of the splendid live versions... it’s infuriating.
I really like the title track.

I do not intervene in the "Division Bell" dispute as, on one hand, there are sacred monsters sometimes protected by critical immunity, while on the other hand, there remains the subjectivity of judgments... Anyway... I don't know the album, but I am fairly familiar with Steve's production. Certainly, he is a cultured and eclectic musician in the realm of guitar heroes, not confined to rock blues clichés, which already makes him noteworthy... however, he shares a common limitation with many good instrumentalists who struggle on the compositional front, which remains an art in its own right. It deserves a respectful listen but not a frantic search.