pier_paolo_farina

Edit to the review: "As usual, the syntax has improved and a couple of spelling errors have been corrected." See the old version Near the Beginning - Vanilla Fudge - Recensione di pier_paolo_farina Versione 1

Revision of the review: "Careful proofreading with syntactic improvements here and there and the correction of a couple of spelling mistakes." See the old version Live! - Robin Trower - Recensione di pier_paolo_farina Versione 1

Edit to the review: "I improved the syntax here and there, that’s all." See the old version Celebration Day - Led Zeppelin - Recensione di pier_paolo_farina Versione 1

The Floyd locked themselves away for a week in the Pye Studios in London, not Abbey Road. Schroeder gave them six hundred pounds, and they "trotted happily into the Studios" (from an interview with Gilmour). Six hundred pounds all at once they probably had never seen before (aside from Mason, who was wealthy beyond belief from his family), despite the modest success they had achieved so far with their first two works.

Good review.
I only dissent on your judgment of 'Something About You': I don't really see it as a pseudo-sentimental ballad, but rather as a fantastic, well-rhythmed and arranged pop-funk.
Besides the outstanding King with his disarming talent (especially in the technically challenging combination of crooner-style singing and an aggressive, forward-driving bass groove... something unique in its naturalness that seems to cost him no effort), I also want to give a shout-out to drummer Gould, a perfect rhythm machine; it's mesmerizing to watch and hear him play.

Ups and downs in this album, as always with Supertramp.
"Give a Little Bit" by Hodgson and "From Now On" by Davies are the masterpieces, always played at their concerts.
"Lover Boy" and "Downstream," both by Davies, are remarkable. The latter has everything to be excellent... just Davies sitting at the grand piano and singing (the four companions are completely absent here), intoning an ode to simple sentimental and family life. I've tried many times to make myself love it, but I haven't succeeded... the melody and harmony are nothing special, that’s all.
"Even in the Quietest Moments" is a gem: perfect arpeggio from the author Hodgson on the 12-string, beautiful arrangement... too bad it’s a bit stretched and lasts at least a minute longer than it should.
With "Babaji" and especially the finale "Fool's Ouverture," Hodgson unfortunately sharpens his whining (and tedious) vein, going off the rails. "Fools..." then gets lost in lengthiness and progressive atmosphere changes that become quite tiresome.
Hodgson was a half genius of pop, from '74 to '81. Davies, almost.
For those who play "light" piano, Supertramp is a godsend. The uplifting piano riff in "From Now On" is a blast of pop elegance.

The best '80s pop was made by them: the quality and flamboyance of the melodies and arrangements, as you write, but also the generous and powerful voice of Orzabal, the showcasing of their various influences (Beatles, Gabriel...) in just the right measure and with full respect, the attention to rhythm and percussion, even the bass lines.

My parents, on the other hand, finally separated after several years of living separately under the same roof. They sold the house since neither of them intended to let the other keep it. At the time of the move, my father threw away, or sold, all that little bit of mine that was left in the house or in the attic: music magazines, records, the stereo, posters... so much for pampering me.
This record contains two masterpieces by Simon: "Renè ecc..." and "...Johnny Ace." Simon and James Taylor are, as far as I'm concerned, the two tedious American geniuses, whose careers are dotted with albums beautifully played by the same gang of American virtuosos. Silken delicacies that delight until the sixth song on the setlist, then start to bore.
In Canada, there's a third member of theirs who shares the same traits and has the same effect: Bruce Cockburn.
The best of all in the field remains Joni Mitchell. Still alive by a miracle. Hang in there, Joni.

I never thought much of this group and this album, not even at the time of its release, even though back then I had become an AOR fan and was injecting into my ears even the third, fourth, and fifth lines of the genre, like Warp Drive, BBSteal, Bad Habit, Dare, Caught in the Act, Return to Zero, Fergie Frederiksen, Carl Dixon, FM, Don Patrol, Eyes, Triumph, Fair Warning, Glass Tiger, Honeymoon Suite, Storm, Vendetta, Just If I, TNT, Stage Dolls, Loverboy, Richard Marx, Promise, Giant, Biloxi, Fiore, Quarterflash, Shadow King, Jagged Edge, Strangeways, Tall Stories, Starship, Under Fire, Valentine, Wall of Silence... All these little records still reside in my collection, and I still spin them on my player from time to time... But back to the album in question: professional but "formulaic," conventional, solid but not memorable. The only peculiarity I find is the novelty of Jon Waite's voice (good but emphatic in a way that, for my tastes, is unpleasant and forced) inserted into the "Journey environment" set up by Schon and Cain.
In the end, in an album, whether innovative or rule-bound, spontaneous or rehashed, what matters to me is its melodic, harmonic, performative, sound, and arrangement quality... and here I find very few memorable passages from the perspective of at least one of these qualities. No guitar solo that makes my ears perk up, no anthology-worthy piano chord progressions, no emotionally stirring vocal performance. Instead, there are many cheesy '80s keyboards (aged terribly), little piano from Cain, invaluable. No memorable bass lines (unlike those found in the records featuring the esteemed Ross Valory).
There is certainly full and pure AOR made by professional virtuosos of the genre, but... there is no passion, the sounds are ugly and muddled, the songs are nice but not memorable. AOR has aged poorly (like all the rest of the stuff from the '80s, like glam metal, new wave, synth pop...) but I certainly do not deny it. I will always be grateful to Boston, Foreigner, Cutting Crew, Harem Scarem, Journey, etc., but this album feels like an artificial assembly of AOR standards, I’m sorry. The heart of this genre, and the melodic and blazing peaks of execution, lie elsewhere.

They are good. All four of them. Beyond the obvious Zeppelin-inspired sound (of all four, not just the singer: the drummer swings heavily, the bassist is warm and fluid, the guitarist pursues the same Page-like touch), there are ideas and freshness. If a song is beautiful, passionate, and intelligent, it matters little to me if it reeks of the late sixties, of Led Zeppelin, of a style that's already established.
Of course, to remain in the history of rock, they need to grow, to hit some iconic tracks, to find more depth, more strength, and lyricism.
They are twenty years old or just a bit more, there is hope. It’s easy to think that this debut phase might ultimately be the best, but that’s not set in stone, and let’s hope it isn’t.