mozart61

I'm listening to this CD right now... I found it yesterday and, fully immersed in a personal rediscovery of Italian progressive, I didn't hesitate... remarkable... remarkable... yes, okay, the flute is a bit Anderson-esque, but the originality is there... I don't want to compare this band to any of the sacred monsters... it seems to me an original, captivating, and very pleasant proposal... for those interested in both old and new Italian prog, I would also recommend bands like "Rovescio della Medaglia" (their "Contaminazione" is great), Conqueror, Deus ex Machina (lyrics in Latin!!), Acqua Fragile (who remembers their singer Bernardo Lanzetti who later joined PFM?), La Torre dell'Alchimista... all people who present themselves with their own remarkable technical skills, with taste and that touch of emotion that progressive lovers always appreciate...

Well...unfortunately I belong to the category of those who earn a thousand a month and who search for free beaches, preferably close to home to save money...but I have to say I consider Mr. Franks an excellent songwriter..after all, dreaming costs little or even nothing! I don't know this CD of his, one of the first in his career, but I appreciate Objects of Desire, Passion Fruit, and Blue Pacific..but yes, welcome to these beautiful jazzy atmospheres, refined, elegant, etc., etc., etc. In a music market now overwhelmed by garbage and the cult of image-before-music (if there is any music at all), Franks carves out his nice little spot with great dignity. Congratulations on the review...really engaging...I might just buy the CD...maybe in a budget edition, if it's available!

Ah...the grades!

It's not jazz, it's not fusion, it's not Brazil sound... it's simply Metheny music! I'd call this album essential, featuring two gems like Minuano and Third Wind... True, after this peak, Patrizio has had a moment of repetition (Letter from Home, We Live Here) or has embarked on improbable experiments with the group (Imaginary Day)... but... come on... "The Way Up" is a beautiful comeback, right?

Maybe my post is influenced by the fact that I recently caught their concert in Lucca.... but for me, Steely Dan embodies the quintessence of sophistication and musical intelligence... I immediately re-listened to "Gaucho" after years: it’s not "80s", not even 90s.... it’s simply a sound that will always be relevant... this is the result of the meticulous obsession in the studio of these two remarkable gentlemen... not a single sound that is ugly, artificial, or outdated, always intelligent lyrics, superb harmonies, and arrangements that are practically perfect... what more could I desire? Steely Dan forever!

Don't despair... for example, I, who had the fortune back in 1981 to witness a live performance by Pierre Moerlen (rest in peace!) with his new Gong, still remember it as one of the best concerts I have ever seen and heard... After the end of the Allen cycle, the good soul Pierre had the courage to carry on a name that seemed sacrilegious to desecrate, and he did so with class, at least for 3-4 albums: I'm referring, in addition to this, to "Gazeuse," "EXpresso II," and "Downwind," perhaps the best in my opinion. Moerlen was certainly not a genius in the "Zappaesque" sense of the term, but what is certain is that he was a great musician and an excellent connoisseur of rhythmic and harmonic patterns. The percussionists of Strasbourg, a great "classical" group in which he was a member, have not gone unnoticed by him.

The first album of the project, in my opinion, falls into the cliché of being repetitive and lacking any truly new ideas... okay, the debut album on Poe remains unique, unreachable, and wonderful, the following two (I Robot and Pyramid) are quite beautiful and always tied to the winning concept of the concept, but this Eve seems a bit contrived to me: it’s like desperately trying to find a theme to serve as a thread throughout an album that, apart from "Secret Garden," which is very elegant, and the concluding "If Only I Could Change Your Mind," a song of great impact, has become my first big disappointment of the Project.

Good... but yes, let’s say it, excellent review... also because it has the merit of presenting what I to this day consider not only Alan Parsons’ true masterpiece, but, in my entirely subjective opinion, one of my top 10 albums for a famous deserted island! Bought on vinyl in '77, complete with booklet and at least stunning illustrative photos, but without Orson Welles, I was blown away... it seems no one has managed to blend rock with tradition and symphonic orchestration in quite that way... and then... the atmospheres of Poe perfectly crafted with the music... what an album! And what a disappointment to listen to all the subsequent work of the Project, never again reaching this height!

Noooo... but this is the same Alan Parsons who thirty years ago released the album about E.A. Poe, one of the 10 records I would take to a desert island? Noooo... it can't be... I can't believe it... that is a masterpiece... this is simply disposable techno... what could drive a man to degrade himself in such a way?? I seem to recall that in '73 this gentleman recorded a "fairly" famous album by those Pink Floyd, with a song titled "Money"... could that be the answer to my question?

Well done Floydman...great, knowledgeable, and passionate review...if I didn’t know this album from the day (or almost) it was released, I’d grab it immediately. The album? Beautiful, truly beautiful...but... "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" remains, in my opinion, unmatchable and never equaled by Parsons, both with his Project and in his recent solo CDs. I’ve always put it on the famous list of the 10 albums for a desert island...Unfortunately, lately, it seems that old Alan is more interested in dance electronics...sigh!