mozart61

Definitely not an anthology Zeppelin... but Achilles and Nobody's fault are worth the price by themselves... maybe in a budget edition!

Great, very great... and so underrated (in our parts) Focus! When I think about how I struggled back in 1979 to find a vinyl copy of this album, then even out of print in Italy... I truly believe that Moving Waves perfectly embodies all the potential of this group, still led today by the incredibly skilled and imaginative van Leer. Here’s the point: it’s not just about creativity... Thijs van Leer has a solid harmonic background: just listen to the central riffs of Focus II to believe it. His classical culture blends perfectly with jazzy flavors, a nice dose of humor (it’s not easy to pull off a piece like Hocus Pocus!), and if we combine all of this with Akkerman's virtuosity and a solid rhythm section... voilà, the masterpiece! Sorry for rambling, green... to make it up to you, but also because you truly deserve it, I give a solid 5 to your review as well. Long live Focus!

I understand all the frustration that a true Zep fan might feel listening to this latest (unfortunately in every sense) studio product... but... come on... we were in 1979... do we really want to compare this rather unexciting Zep with all the junk produced by the infamous record industry in the years that followed?? Who knows... if only the good Bonzo had remained with us, maybe the airship would have raised its bow again... who knows... anyway, a 3 out of respect for the album and the reviewer.

PS...sorry, but 20 minutes later the name of another immense talent comes to mind: Dave Stewart (nothing to do with the namesake from the Eurythmics): keyboardist for bands like Hatfield & The North, National Health, and the solo albums of Bill Bruford. In my humble opinion, he is the only one capable of competing with Emerson... if we can even call it competition!

...of course, dear Pibroch, it goes without saying, and I reiterate it further, that I fully respect your tastes and those of everyone who loves the music of the good old blonde! However, I would like to recommend listening to some albums by keyboardists who belong to a generation after Rick and Keith and who, in my opinion, have nothing to envy to the aforementioned giants: try Jordan Rudess and Christopher Buzby, the keyboardist of Echolyn (I don't think he has ever released anything solo, but most of the band's pieces are his...). Phenomenal!

Well... I always dedicate repeated initial listens to the evergreen Joni's albums because they certainly don't hit you the first time... and after 5-6 therapeutic sessions, this Shine doesn’t seem so bad after all... Naturally, the times of "Shadows" will never return (unfortunately, neither will the two people who made that live a wonderful gem).. but.. come on.. in times when we are presented with supposedly unmissable masterpieces from all the new works of Robbie Williams, Britney Spears & co.... should we really complain about a product that is at least well-crafted and elegant like this? Joni is a pioneer; I think that even if the compositional material is not quite a masterpiece, we shouldn't overlook the class and expertise in the arrangements... Naturally, as always, the review, even if it disagrees with my opinion, is impeccable... let's call it 4 & 4, okay?

I almost forgot a nice "closing parenthesis" after Foschi's name... otherwise, poor guy, it seems like he's the one getting the vote deducted!

To the review, the highest marks for passion and competence...well done! To the album, which features some of my Genoese friends as "reinforcements" of undeniable skill (Cabrera and Foschi, for example), one mark less...just because my taste really doesn’t quite align with those baroque embellishments that evoke so much "rondò veneziano"...however, the ballads are splendid and Vittorio's voice is still spine-tingling...more than a true "concert," I would say it’s a suite in a pop key, which will surely make an impact. Well done, Trolls...

Damn... I discovered this band two days ago... and frankly, I’m thrilled! The influences are clearly from Area, especially in the vocals reminiscent of Stratos, but the style is less jazz-oriented and more focused on prog, at least in this CD... when it comes to "accessibility," I find that this "De republica" is more approachable than "Equilibrismo da insofferenza," which I believe is from '98, so more recent. In some instrumental sections, it seems to evoke the great Brand X of "Unhortodox Behaviour"... but I think the winning card of this group is precisely its stylistic indefinability... nice review, excellent product... what more could you want? Not even a bitter...

P.S... I almost forgot two amazing bands, just as underrated at the time (1972-73): the Milanese Maxophone and the Romans Alphataurus... if you really struggle to find them for sale (recommended option, of course...) the mule always gives us a hand...