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DeRank ™: 0,32

DeAge™ : 7375 days • Here since 1 april 2006

Bob Dylan Another Side Of Bob Dylan

14 jun 06

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I see that my review is not receiving the slightest success. You say the other one was done better? Probably, it doesn’t seem that way to me. But you know, I'm biased. Ipse Dixit.

Bob Dylan The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

14 jun 06

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I repeat, and I even wrote a review, don’t you think that giving 5 to this album in some way undermines the others? Isn’t “Highway 61 Revisited” or “Blonde on Blonde” better than this? So what do we give it, 21? Aside from a six or seven songs, what does this album really have that’s astounding? The music? Pff... The lyrics? Yes, but not all tracks are on the same level. Anyway, what the hell, I didn’t quite get the review? Bold mockery or cryptic quasi-philosophical review? Enlighten me. Ipse Dixit.

Neil Young Comes A Time

14 jun 06

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To rate this album with a 2 (a 1 would be ridiculous) is an easy task, but it wouldn't be truthful. It's an album that deserves a 3, because Neil Young seems a bit down, overly influenced by country-folk vibes or thereabouts, and primarily because he believes he's a giant (and deep down he is), but aspiring to certain heights is really too much. The pretensions of grandeur are evident right from the name chosen for the band: "Gone with the Wind." Nevertheless, there are some good songs, and above all, it's nice to hear J.J. Cale's guitar in the only truly (and purely) rock piece: "Motorcycle Mama." "Goin' Back," however, deserves well-earned and warm applause. A curiosity directed at the reviewer: why did you mark this album with a date of 1963 when it's actually from 1978? Ipse Dixit.

The Beatles Please please me

14 jun 06

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First stone of an epochal legend. However, we are far from the classic Beatles works of the mid-Sixties: many covers, a bit of rock & roll, some melansaggine ("A taste of honey" above all), and a few gems sprinkled somewhat haphazardly here and there ("Please please me," "Love me do," "I saw her standing there"). Lennon and McCartney have not yet fully revealed their powerful talent: tastier opportunities will come. Ipse Dixit.

Beatles With The Beatles

14 jun 06

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Second effort by the Beatles: Lennon and McCartney start writing the first classics ("All my loving," "Hold me tight," "Please Mr. Postman"), and some ballads are delightful and pleasing. High rating because they are still the Beatles, which means high quality, but nothing compared to their later works (from "Help!" to "Abbey Road," passing through the epochal "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"). They are still four well-mannered and decent boys, clean-cut faces, love stories and all, strictly within a three-minute duration per song. In short, everything is still very beat: but a luxurious kind of beat, of course. Ipse Dixit.

James Brown Live at the Apollo

14 jun 06

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Great live performance, unforgettable James Brown. It’s worth remembering a curious anecdote that no one has mentioned: during the performance of "Please, please, please," James Brown feigned (but the audience didn’t know) collapsing to the ground, and some stagehands rushed to help him. Brown struggled to get up, then, with a swift gesture, he removed his cape and continued to sing even more fiercely than before. Even these theatrical antics help to create a myth and a legend. Let’s be honest, how many of you knew this? Ipse Dixit.

Herbie Hancock Inventions & Dimentions

14 jun 06

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Still jazz, always jazz. A musical genre that, more than being loved, is almost a philosophy of life. Overvaluation is always lurking around the corner (and there's always been a risk of that on Debaser), but this time it's not so bad, indeed: Herbie Hancock was truly a monster of genius and skill, and I must say, I regret not owning anything of his. I don't trust (and I've said it before) mail shipments via the Internet, but if this "Inventions and Dimensions" is really as beautiful as you say, I will find a way to get it somewhere. Besides, Hancock, along with Davis and Mingus, was the highest architect of the jazz genre on the international stage. Ipse Dixit.

Bob Dylan The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

13 jun 06

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I reaffirm: giving 5 to this record would mean giving 15 to others, take for example "Highway 61 Revisited". However, everyone is free to express themselves, but I, aside from a few beautiful tracks, haven’t felt such an effervescent Dylan; I much prefer the subsequent "The times they are a-changin'", which is angrier and less convoluted. Ipse Dixit.

The Beach Boys Surfin' Usa

13 jun 06

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I take pleasure in myself, actually, if you allow me, can I vote for myself? Look, to avoid exaggerating, I won't even give myself a 5, a 4 is enough for me. But, sorry, don’t tell me I’m full of myself. Ipse Dixit.

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan

13 jun 06

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Let's be clear, it's not the best Bob Dylan ever, but it's understandable. 22 years are few, but Dylan is still brilliant, playing the guitar as if he were resting under an oak tree (a bold metaphor, perhaps too much, to say he plays very genuinely), singing acidly as is his wont, and coming up with at least a couple of absolutely exhilarating songs: "Song to Woody" and "She's no good". All in all, there's plenty to savor, though at times the eagerness to prove himself (and thus to amaze) makes this young lad appear a bit presumptuous and somewhat petulant. Let's say, so to speak, 4 stars for the 50% and 2 stars for the other 50%: half and half, so-so. Ipse Dixit.