pier_paolo_farina

Well, you didn't review it... you just announced the release of the deluxe re-edition. I hope Wilson has boosted Anderson's guitar a bit, which was frankly a bit too weak in the original mix, so much so that I've gotten into the habit of turning up the volume during the first minutes of the suite, only to lower it when the dynamic rhythm kicks in.
As for the musical content... what can I say? We are at the best of the best, at the peak, at the triumph of great seventies music. The first part of the suite, in particular, is heavenly; its five or six different themes intertwine and meet beautifully, the musicians play superbly—everyone (especially pianist and organist Evan). The flute is just there for embellishment, not much of a soloist, but Anderson sings well, composes better, and plays a lot of fantastic guitar. It's a pity that in the second part of the work the new themes aren't as ingenious and the reprise of the old themes feels a bit redundant. But it's like saying: *** for the first part + ** for the second = ***!

I take it, I take it.
Thank you for the timely review.
Last night they played at Vox in Nonantola, I would have loved to be there.
I adore the energy of the younger Hawkins (a real backbone of the band from a musical standpoint, with his "drive" worthy of great rock rhythm guitarists) and I gladly accept the quirks of the older Hawkins (a true pillar of the band in terms of uniqueness, both vocal and spectacular) because it is supported by excellent, serious instrumental preparation.
My favorite album so far is the third one, "Hot Cakes," let’s hope this one is worth it.

My favorite Rush album.
I love it a lot, but I want to make it clear that they are not my favorite Canadian band.
I have my own opinions about Rush: for example, their early phase of their career leaves me indifferent, very derivative and convoluted, with Geddy squawking all the time on frequencies that are not his natural ones.
The third phase, as you call it, is by far my favorite: the triad "Grace Under Pressure"/"Power Windows"/"Hold Your Fire" is unbeatable, in my opinion. The keyboards, used intelligently, spectacularize the sound and round out Lifeson’s rocky guitar, which, playing more restrained, only makes his contributions more precious and impactful.
After the excellent, albeit somewhat aseptic live album "Show of Hands," this band has diluted their inspiration quite a bit, continuing to compose great music, but memorable tracks have become only sporadic, while the keyboards gradually retreated in importance until they practically vanished in recent times.
Rush is a phenomenal, cohesive, generous, and brilliant band. Their output is so vast, complex, and consistent that you never tire of revisiting it, finding new things with each listen.
The only flaw I find in this band is the (relative) aseptic quality of their musical proposal, so precise and Habsburg-like that it comes off as somewhat passionless. For example, Peart is definitely a virtuoso and an instrumentalist of unparalleled technique, variety, precision, attention, and energy, but his groove is so exact that it sometimes feels like a machine. Maximum admiration, but in the end, I lean towards "warmer" drummers.
I love at least five or six of these eight songs on the album: great music.

The last anal check-up was done to me by a lovely doctor in her mid-forties, tanned and with long dark hair. After suitably gloving and lubricating her finger, she quickly reached the spot and, looking me in the eyes, said, "Can you feel it? Your prostate is right here, and it's calm!" Fabulous. I'm going to listen to "Songs for the Deaf" again, it's fabulous too.

If instead of a double album they had released a single album with the best tracks, it would have been a masterpiece. If Lennon hadn’t insisted on the constant presence of the intrusive Yoko in the studio, the general friction would have been less pronounced and their collaboration at least decent. If the great melodic genius Macca, an excellent singer and remarkable bassist, hadn’t had the habit of often chasing nursery rhymes and trivialities once left to his own devices, particularly without the effective influence of his friend John, who was so sarcastic, ironic, and intense, the White Album wouldn’t be so diluted and partially compromised by a certain number of nonsense and frivolities. If John, feeling his leadership of the band slipping away due to the volcanic energy, focus, initiative, ambition, and prolificacy of his friend Macca, hadn’t obsessed over working on any little tune that came to his mind, even the less interesting ones, and especially hadn’t unleashed the most outrageous self-indulgence with the nine-minute mess of Revolution 9, the White Album would have instantly elevated from excellent to exceptional. If Macca would stop playing the drums, an instrument he really sucks at, with a rigidity and a tendency to anticipate the accents that’s annoying, that couple or three songs on the record that aren’t rhythmically in Ringo's hands and feet would sound much better. Nevertheless, this is a Beatles album, and also from their golden era, so it’s beautiful and essential, filled as it is with great songs, boasting a dry and peculiar sound, different from the usual 100% George Martin style, more rock and 70s, less pop and 60s.
Masterpieces: Back in U.S.S.R., While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness Is a Warm Gun, Martha My Dear, Blackbird, Julia, Mother Nature's Son
Notable/Decent: Dear Prudence, Glass Onion, Obladi Obladà, I Will, Yer Blues, Sexy Sadie, Helter Skelter, Revolution 1, Long Long Long, Savoy Truffle, Good Night, I'm So Tired, Piggies
Crap: Wild Honey Pie, The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill, Rocky Raccoon, Don't Pass Me By, Why Don't We Do It on the Road?, Everybody got Something..., Honey Pie, Revolution 9

Yes, I have read the book three or four times, maybe more. Lemmy deserves this and more: he was so centered and clear-headed about his lifestyle and choices, his passions and idiosyncrasies, so light and de-dramatizing, frank and courageous. I am convinced that this balance of consciousness was the reason that allowed his body to keep functioning for seventy years, even if "poorly nourished," shall we say (I would love to take a look at any of his blood tests; it would be a unique experience). Lemmy had the best virtues (intelligence, intuition, will to live, honesty, musical passion) and the best vices (all harmless to others, certainly harmful to himself, but his body rewarded him with a special tribute to merit, as mentioned above). The book reads in a flash and is a true example of life; you just have to catch it in the right perspective. Returning to the dangerous substances that accompanied him throughout his life, let’s say that fundamentally the man chose to live in a way altered from what the human organism allows, more or less, each of us. All this, in the end, I think and say without being remotely involved in his music: I have zero Motörhead records in my collection; the great man is present on my shelves only with Doremi LaSol Fatido by Hawkind. All my admiration, Lemmy.

Best Elton John album outside the seventies. The song about Nixon is exhilarating, with a lush, exuberant piano and spine-tingling melodic twists. I’ll make sure to learn it well once my technique improves a bit more. It’s a shame about Elton’s post-2000 singing style... beyond the transition from tenor to baritone (his voice is still beautiful, and the drop in pitch actually started in the eighties), with age he has also taken to mumbling phrases, bouncing between syllables in a way that becomes tiresome over time. Maybe it helps him avoid fully holding out notes and testing the limited breath he has... but at least in the studio he could make an effort to be a bit more sonorous and poised. Still, one must be patient with these old-timers and be thankful that they’re still going strong. These Elton albums from his later years, filled with soothing and touching piano, are a delight (instrumentally).

Excellent album. A voice matured in expressiveness and emotionality. Increased pop accessibility, and that's a virtue because well-made pop is beautiful. I like how it clangs on the acoustic and how he weaves his vocal lines over it; he manages to create tension with just two chords. He was a great one, and that's the most memorable thing that remains in my heart from that hyped, not-so-unmissable grunge era. Accompanying my personal gratitude (albeit from a respectful distance) are Thayll's psychedelic guitar and Cameron's thunderous drums, along with the other excellent vocalist Eddie Vedder. Everything else I know (Nirvana, Alice, Foo Fighters) is boredom.
That this man couldn't pull himself out of his demons is a true shame (for us, who witnessed his end): handsome, talented, with two children still to raise, a suitable redemption from the difficulties of youth, and no material problems in sight. Ugh.

The Grammy for Best Album of 1987 (a terrible year for rock, but still better than 1986, the absolute nadir) should have gone to "Hold Your Fire" by Rush, or "Hysteria" by Def Leppard, or the one by Whitesnake.

Great review, interesting.
This album is terribly produced... there's very little hard rock in it, but it was a blast to make the overrated and phoney Metallica jealous that year.
I don't like anything in particular, it's all so flat, and it comes from a band that in its youth had dynamics at its core ("Thick as a Brick" is amazing in this regard).