fusillo

Hey Marco, what about a less blurry cover? And wasn't Zappa's "Freak Out" (1965) the first double album in history?

But you know, Dante, that thinking about it, the comparison with Gershwin isn't so far-fetched. Well, musically they are very different (we all know that Frank's model was Edgard Varèse), but besides what you said, they are also united by their contemporary interest in popular music (jazz for Gershwin, rock and the like for Frank) and symphonic music. As for the interest generated by Zappa's orchestral music among critics and composers, and his intentions in this regard, I've already addressed that in my previous response, and I wouldn't want to start a quarrel over it. ;)) Regarding the limited number of publications I mentioned, you have to consider that the archives located in the basement of his house in Los Angeles are still a territory that is at least partially unexplored. Zappa spoke several times about an enormous amount of manuscript paper written during breaks from tours or recording sessions. Only a small part of that music has been performed and recorded by an orchestra due to the issues also mentioned by K. Another part has been recorded with the Synclavier. The remaining music has taken shape in his head, transferred onto paper, and there it has stayed. Who knows, maybe one day...

I would like to add a note to what Dante Cruciani said. That Frank always wanted to be considered a "serious" composer, even if I'm not sure whether in the Gershwin sense, is a well-established fact. This is evidenced by the various orchestral compositions written by him, which have also been performed and recorded. We can mention the music for the film "200 Motels," the records made with the London Symphony Orchestra, and "Perfect Stranger." I don't know what official critics think, but great conductors have performed his music: a young Zubin Mehta conducted "200 Motels" (even if he doesn't appear on the record), Pierre Boulez commissioned and conducted "The Perfect Stranger," and the Ensemble Modern represented him on "Yellow Shark." I also want to point out the album "Orchestral Favourites," which definitely belongs on the list... Finally, I add that the first thing Frank Zappa wrote was the soundtrack for a film that, if I remember correctly, is titled "Run Home Slow." This too is an orchestral work. As a post scriptum, I would like to mention Frank's autobiography written with Peter Occhiogrosso, which contains extensive accounts of the problems Zappa faced in his dealings with symphony orchestras, as well as a speech made in front of, I don’t know which group of American composers, in which he states that he started playing the guitar only because he thought he would starve with his instrumental music. Bye...

The whole album is extraordinary, but the finale of waka-jawaka with the theme revisited after the improvisations, with the brass in the background providing a counterpoint, is one of the heights of Zappa's art, in my opinion. Well done. But, damn it, I wanted to do this... ;)

Yes, Marco, but following your argument without any polemical intentions: how can you give a 5 to Ligabue's first album and a 1 to this one by Queen?

"It was better to die young..."

It's nice to see you've finally moved on from the review of Mameli, Linus. I was starting to think it held the same importance for you as a certain blanket does for your namesake.;)))
And then there's Morrissey, who is always Morrissey.

I thank everyone. Few but great, I would say, messer sfascia. I thank those who read and commented, those who just read, and those who read but not all the way through. Hello to everyone.

Yes, you struggle to get to the end, but a bit of interpretative effort increases the enjoyment.

In my opinion, in both the review and the comments, you have somewhat twisted the facts regarding the arrangements. First of all, not all of Bennato's songs are just made up of guitar, harmonica, and kazoo. Take "Tutti insieme noi lo denunciam" and "Dotti medici e sapienti," and you'll find lyrical arrangements for the former and baroque ones for the latter. If you listen to De André's "Re Carlo tornava dalla guerra" from "Vol 1," you'll discover other baroque arrangements that didn't need to be "modernized" by PFM, as you claim. In fact, even Branduardi, whom you cite as the main arranger in Italian song, well, he also makes baroque arrangements (see for example "La pulce d'acqua"). So if you like Branduardi's arrangements, why don't you like those of Bennato and De André? You have ten seconds to answer me... ;)