Filippo Guzzardi

Well Sigfrido, what do you want me to say: I was saying they recycle themselves, but they are always the same, the originals... in the sense that they have been copied and recopied by subsequent generations. Then I don't know what you mean by originals: do you mean originals in relation to Rock in general, that is, revolutionary? Because they have never been revolutionary, but the fact that they have managed to impose their trademark is an undisputed merit, and for me, this means being original. Decibel is a balls-out blues in the AC/DC style: that is, like only AC/DC can do in their own way and, precisely, in an original way. As for Fishman, don’t worry, I wasn't agitated at all when reading the comments: I just had fun and I even wrote that.

My assessment is obviously rushed and necessarily schematic: the album is brand new. It was not meant to be a complete and definitive judgment, but just a taste and an excuse to bring it to your attention because, in my opinion, after the first listens, I noticed some good elements. The comments are indeed ridiculous: you haven't even listened to the album. The mother of the ignorant is always pregnant. Frankly, you all made me laugh, or almost all of you. By the way: in the review, just as "Tracklist" in bold and italic introduces the individual songs, "Per i palati fini" in bold and italic leads to the concluding comment: it was not an invitation addressed to presumed connoisseurs, but a provocation aimed at many so-called know-it-alls who, as was to be expected, never miss an opportunity to showcase their pseudo-culture.

X AIMAR: your clarifications indicate, at the very least, a careful reading, and since this concerns my review, it can only please me. There are indeed two mistakes, the second of which is merely typographical: I wrote "u" instead of "a" because the vocalist in question is Lou Ann BARTON and not BURTON. The first is, however, a clear lapse: in reality, I bought this album (like others I have reviewed) in its original format, that is, the vinyl which, as is known, had a side A and a side B. Now, "Testify" closes the side A of the album. The last track of side B (and consequently of the entire work, as you rightly note) is "Lenny" (another sublime proof). Thank you and best regards to everyone.

Uriah Heep (the '70s) are a nice copy of the Mark II of Deep Purple. They had a reason to continue and a purpose in hard rock, because the Mark II broke up and Deep Purple went on to do other things. Anyway, I like the Uriah Heep of the '70s. In hard rock, the dialogue with folk and blues is not uncommon. The organ refrain in "Misty Mountain Hop" and the electric guitar in "Four Sticks" are characteristic elements, as is the bass in "When The Levee Breaks" and the drums in "Rock 'n' Roll". I define them as characteristic elements because you find them in the bands that followed and they echo in garages and pubs too. Apart from the iconic "Black Dog" and the ballad of ballads "Stairway To Heaven", the only song that is hard to categorize is "The Battle Of Evermore": a real gem.

x pretazzo: I’m sorry, but I see it quite the opposite way. Led Zeppelin II inaugurates hard rock (hard blues) and Led Zeppelin IV consolidates it. Led Zeppelin III is Jimmy Page's spirituality (the other three just follow him). Led Zeppelin I is still "New Yardbirds." The Zeppelins and the Sabs were innovative in the sense that they anticipated the trends of heavy rock: respectively Hard Rock (Hard Blues) and Metal. But the true eclectic ones were Deep Purple: the artistic background of the band members unequivocally shows this. There has been ample writing on Jon Lord and Blackmore's neoclassicism (a closer reading might suggest that among Page, Iommi, and Blackmore, the most "Hendrixian" in terms of playing technique was actually Blackmore), Glover and Gillan came from a pop band ("Episode X"), Coverdale imitated Sinatra (in his "Government"), and Hughes ("Trapeze") and Bolin ("Billy Cobham" and "James Gang") mostly leaned towards Jazz Rock. Let’s be careful with revisionism.

x Rive: If Battisti releases an album in Italy in 1975 and then in Spain or Europe in 1976, the publication that matters is the Italian one: thus Led Zeppelin II (UK) is from 1969, Machine Head (UK) is from 1971 (back then albums were not released worldwide simultaneously). Led Zeppelin are the most imitated in hard rock because etymologically Hard Rock is a historical mistake: it is actually Hard Blues. The only two Hard Rock (Hard Blues) albums by Led Zeppelin are II and IV. The discourse around Black Sabbath is very different, and Tony Iommy was the first "metal riff maker." I will elaborate on this difference in a future publication when time permits. I will just say that their influence on Metal (not hard blues) is direct. If Hard Rock and Heavy Metal have a kinship, it is evident in Deep Purple (not just mark II). Their influence is, although also indirect, devastating. Just think of the tempo changes in "Child In Time," and the influence on metal of the call-and-response guitar solos between Lord and Blackmore. The influence of Deep Purple and Wishbone Ash on a certain Steve Harris is evident. But I also refer to the purple family: from Coverdale's Whitesnake (my favorite) which deceived us into believing that hard rock could still have a future in the '90s with "1987" (then hardcore and grunge declared its death) to the Rainbow whose first three albums showed the way of epic metal. The truth is that the versions following mark IV (the one with Bolin) make no sense and are just a nostalgia trip, as the current version (with the talented Steve Morse) is forced live to play all the hits, but in the studio, they are a renewed continuation of the Ian Gillan Band (I don't know if anyone has ever listened to them). The only album branded "Deep Purple" is "Perfect Strangers" (1984). Deep Purple should have stopped as Led Zeppelin did. The post-Ozzy Black Sabbath is practically a solo project by Iommy who has collaborated with great singers like, coincidentally, former Rainbow Dio (even earlier, former Elf) and former Purple members Gillan and Hughes. Iommy's great dream remains Coverdale. It was the originality of Lord's Hammond that crystallized Deep Purple in the '70s, but their influence on heavy rock bands in the following years is undeniable. Best Regards to everyone.

errata corrige: taking instead of "I demand"

Pretazzo: I will never allow myself to call any artist "commercial." My criticism was not aimed at the musician himself (Kobain in this case) but at the "commercial bandaradàn" that has "f*cked" rock, making it incapable of attempting to renew itself, if it were still possible, by innovating. As for the ongoing diatribe, I will only intervene to highlight its absolute inconsistency/ inconclusiveness because it is devoid of any foundation: to "confront" one another about Led Zeppelin by using this album as a pretext is nothing more than rambling. So much so that there are no original arguments, and one resorts to copy-pasting.

The KANSAS have their own style: this is undeniable. You may like them or not: I’m among the former. Tessio82: when the hell are you going to write a review?

CLARIFICATION: while Robert Plant may seem to imitate Marriot (and it's true: just listen), this doesn’t take away from the fact that it is "You Need Love" by Willie Dixon that serves as the original inspiration. The version "You Need Lovin'" by the Small Faces is also a cover of Dixon's "You Need Love." Muddy Waters himself will offer his own rendition, and it’s no coincidence that Muddy Waters’ management is the first to sue the zeppelins. However, the judge will recognize Dixon's copyright, who appears in the credits of the reissues. Some have noted a certain "familiarity" with "Shake For Me" by Howlin' Wolf as well. But in reality, this track was also originally recorded by Willie Dixon, and Howlin' Wolf's version is merely a (albeit splendid) cover. In Whole Lotta Love, moreover, the reference to "Back Door Man," also by Willie Dixon, is evident. This track is thus a brutally successful mix in tribute to Willie Dixon, and in this regard, the studio work of a certain Eddie Kramer (to whom this album owes much) deserves mention.