Viva Lì

It’s not the worst Celentano ever; in fact, it might be one of the best. He brings along the usual commercial hit ("C'è sempre un motivo"), but he’s also capable of solemn outbursts of artistry, as in the case of the beautiful "Lunfardia." Charming and boisterous as always, a second-rate preacher and a low-cost infomercial salesman, but undeniably engaging. In forty years of a most honorable career, he has sometimes gone off the rails dramatically, but here, all things considered, he maintains a dignified level. Marco Poletti Dixit.

A somewhat forced western fantasy. Elton John counts on the fans (who buy the album en masse), but he concedes a little compared to the previous "Elton John" (1970), and he will do worse with the subsequent "Friends" (1971). It's pop, but it's a slightly strange pop (or maybe it would be better to say, a bit original). Anyway, nothing exciting. Marco Poletti Dixit.

Sorry, Debaser fans, what are you doing, sleeping? Napping? You’ve been insulting me for months because I rated "Così com'è" (1995) by Articolo 31 a 5, and now you’re being purists if someone rates "The Fox" by Elton John a 5? I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but "The Fox," along with "Victim of love" (1979), is the ugliest and most despicable album by Elton John. Well, if you like it, that’s your problem, but what terrible taste you have! Elton John was the one who gave us "Candle in the Wind," "Crocodile Rock," "Rocket Man," not this. Alright, if every review has to be a 5, then fine, what does it matter: so 5 for Anna Oxa, 5 for Luca Dirisio, 5 for Dolcenera, 5 for Dj Francesco, 5 for Raffaella Carrà when she sang "Ma che musica maestro," 5 for Povia, 5 for Coldplay, 5 for Blue, 5 for Hilary Duff, 5 for Shakira, 5 for Celine Dion, 5 for Laura Pausini, 5 for Zero Assoluto. Do me a favor... Marco Poletti Dixit.

Unstoppable and volcanic, he doubles the dose and even triples the amount. He writes and composes masterpieces that come out wonderfully ("Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "And the Jets", "Candle in the Wind"), and he is forgiven for a few somewhat idiotic long-winded passages (the last 11 minutes of "Funeral for a Friend", although flashy and tedious, still manage to earn half a round of applause in the end. However, this is where Elton John's artistic trajectory comes to an end. After this, only low-quality stuff will follow (excluding, of course, "A Single Man" (1978), and his songwriting talent will forever be out to lunch. What a shame, he had such promise. Marco Poletti Dixit.

I don't know if the Punisher works in a law firm or if he's a gravedigger (which, by the way, I think he would be great at), but completely shutting down that nonsense of Oxa deserves a round of applause and a note of merit. Well done, well done, well done, well done. Marco Poletti Dixit.

I listened to it. Nothing exceptional, but nothing scandalous either. Far inferior to "The Rising" (that one was a masterpiece worth 5), slightly better than "Devils & Dust" (his worst ever). Very beautiful music, but lyrics that are quite uninteresting. All in all, a decent middle ground; we are at the level of "Lucky Town" (1992), just to be clear. Marco Poletti Dixit.

Springsteen sets aside the political themes of class struggle and the like, diving headfirst into an album where love is the central theme. Of course, Bruce had just divorced, and Patti Scialfa, his new partner, had softened him up a bit. Much less tough than usual, more romantic, more charming (the Playboy-style cover photo says a lot about how Springsteen loved to be idolized), but he still has the ability to sound great and write a couple of top-notch lyrics ("Tougher than the Rest" and "Brilliant Disguise"). And love always triumphs over everything (cliché? Maybe...). Marco Poletti Dixit.

Second album of the Boss. Not much to write home about. There's "Rosalita," which later became a classic, but Springsteen still struggles with a somewhat blunt poetic flair and is still a bit too unripe to write masterpieces. Then comes "Born to Run" (1975), his magnum opus (rating 5 without hesitation), but for now, he’s still a bit of a youngster. However, he already sounds very good. Marco Poletti Dixit.

No, if you allow me, it’s not an immense record. It’s very beautiful, that’s for sure, but not immense. It’s certainly a fascinating and rewarding double LP, packed with beautiful music and beautiful words. Between rock, folk, blues, in short, between the New and the Old Continent. About twenty excellent tracks, far superior to the American quality standard of the early Eighties, but also a certain fragmentation and a rhetorical weight that, over time, somewhat tarnishes the beauty of the record. Of course, these are flaws I could easily call minor flaws. And among the beauties of the album, there are two masterpieces: "The River" and "Hungry Heart." Marco Poletti Dixit.

On September 11th it happened, and it happened for Springsteen too. Bruce does it his own way, awakening in listeners dramas and pains that even faith and hope cannot soothe. Among the rubble and smoke of an America relentlessly struck at its heart, Springsteen delivers, since the days of "Darkness on the edge of the town" (1978), his most complex masterpiece. Long and captivating, it will remain in collective memory for the drama and the everyday epic with which it tackles scorching and dramatically fascinating themes. Coherent and brave, beyond any pseudo-musical prejudice. Poetry is always around the corner, and the moral tension never yields for a second. A great advertising campaign, but for once, an outstanding technical artistic output. Those who don’t love Bruce better stay carefully away; those who love him and say this record is nice but not a masterpiece can go to hell and listen again to "Lucky Town" (1992), which is indeed one of the less convincing Bruce Springsteen albums (but I could also mention "Human Touch" (1992)). Masterpiece, masterpiece, masterpiece, masterpiece. Marco Poletti Dixit.