Posts by Fabrizio

  • King Crimson

    Quote from Backdrifter

    Yes I've seen them a couple of times in recent years and they did that pairing both times. I'm not too fond of The Letters on the album but it's really come to life on the recent tours. But Sailors Tale is superb with the current band. One of Fripp's 'rules' for the tour is "All the music is new, regardless of when it was written." It's a smart approach, and it really shows.


    I'm impatiently looking forward to the two gigs I'm treating myself to in November, Glasgow and Edinburgh. And booked it so I get a whole extra day in Edinburgh, always a pleasure.

    A question for the KC fans, I like them and all but I feel sometimes Fripp is a bit overrated as guitarist and songwriter. Your take on that?

  • King Crimson

    Quote from Witchwood

    While there at least five KC albums I would rank ahead of it, I always think of Islands as being one of my favourites.

    I agree and I think therein lies the problem, there are in fact 4-5 ''better'' KC albums and it is easy to underrate Islands. Still a good one though.

  • King Crimson

    No Islands on the 70s list? I used to love that song, I have to go back and listen to it, it's been too long.

  • What movie have you watched?

    Quote from Backdrifter

    Footnote to the Bond film discussion, I was sorry to learn Danny Boyle has left the new 007 project. I'd have been intrigued to see what he and his writing partner John Hodge would have brought to it. They were apparently planning a very different type of script but the Broccoli team thought it was too un-Bond-like. But the official reports are that he clashed with Daniel Craig over the casting of the Russian villain (I gather it's a modern cold-war type story).

    I was about to post about the same topic, I read more or less the same, frictions with Craig over casting. Let's see what happens now.

  • What movie have you watched?

    Well, we definitely going to have to leave it at that ;) It's just a bit difficult to understand, as debate dynamics go.

    One makes a statement, backs it up and again, I am fully aware the backing it up doesn't prove the point or makes it right. The other simply replies I don't see it and I don't agree, without touching or addressing any of the point or providing a counterargument. It's more stonewalling than discussing imo but I can live with that and your chuckling. Not being ironic here, I think we are talking past each other, I can see that when you believe I am asking you to back up something you don't believe it exists which is really not the case but it might very well be my fault and I don't believe it can be fixed in writing :) Let's just enjoy Bond, can't wait for Nov.2019.

  • What movie have you watched?

    We can leave it at that but we don't have to, perhaps you can back it up, the way I did, right or wrong. It doesn't feel Mooreish because Craig can never be Moore and I understand you don't agree but I think I provided enough examples to support my case. The fight and subsequent love scene on the train are just an example. Think about the fight in the Hotel in Haiti in Quantum. Cuts, bruises, he has to cover himself to conceal the wounds. In Spectre his Tuxedo remains immaculate….After fighting Batista!!?? And what's best than sex after someone double your size beat the crap out of you and you escaped death by the skin of your teeth? Did you see Craig in any similar situation in the previous movies? You don't think the tone was lighter than Casino, Quantum or Skyfall? Seems fairly clear to me and it was also reviewed in that way. Could in your opinion the fall on the couch scene have been in Casino? I doubt it. You don't think the car chase in Rome with him talking to Moneypenny on the phone and pushing a Fiat 500 with an old geezer inside was Mooreish? Wasn't it again a nod to For your eyes only and the Renault chase?

    No, I don't take Bond seriously and I'm not being picky with Bond's plot, there's a lot to tear apart in any of his movies and if I would look for some logic and coherence I'd be lost and couldn't possibly enjoy it but as I said, there was a conscious effort to hold back a little in the first three films, in Spectre it's all over the place. The reference was Bourne and we can't take that seriously either, can we? Take his interaction with the Ladies. In Casino he seduces the bad guy's girlfriend which makes sense since she wants to get back to him. Doesn't complete the thing to run errands and one could say it's very Un-Bondlike but it makes sense. In Spectre he finds the time. What's the difference? Both hot, both Italian...I would venture the difference is the tone. Then there's Vesper and she is somewhat believable in a Bond sort of way. BTW wonderful repartee on the train scene. In Quantum apart from the interlude with Gemma which serves the plot and subsequent nod to Goldfinger when she dies, he shares a brief, desperate quite asexual kiss with the babe in the end. Again, total sense. In Skyfall, he might have or less seduced Moneypenny or the other way around which makes sense but it's not for us to know and then of course again the bad guy's girl, everything sort of lows organically….In a Bond sort of way. Btw I thought Barden was excellent. In Spectre EVERYTHING is far-fetched, even for Bond. I am not saying I don't like it though, my wife always says Bond brings out mi inner child but I wish they had remained on course they laid down with the previous films. They had done a terrific job and with Spectre they sort of slipped a little imo.


    Oh yeah…..Monica..Nuff' Said!!

  • What movie have you watched?

    Quote from Backdrifter

    Good heavens.


    You'll have to explain this one for me. It sounds like you're saying Spectre was too much like a Moore Bond, which I find absolutely baffling in every possible way!

    Well, I don't know how much time you got but here it goes: visually there's more than a nod to Moore, the promotional posters for instance where Craig wears either a black, turtle-neck sweater or a white-jacket tuxedo, neither of which were fashion items when the film was released and they were clearly channeling Roger Moore and his era. With the initial scene, the mask Bond wears is clearly reminiscent of Live and let die and then there's the general tone of the film. Gone is the gritty, somber atmosphere of the first movies, the tone is much lighter and there are some humorous bits like Bond falling on a couch when the whole building is collapsing, quite the departure again from the original intention of Craig's Bond. He was hailed as the new, contemporary Bond in tune with the times, heavily influenced by the first Jason Bourne and they were very careful in keeping the Kissy-Kissy, Bang-Bang element in check but not here. Connery said the Craig gets the danger element very well and I would agree but humor isn't exactly his forte. He is not smooth, sophisticated and debonnaire like Moore but I think people liked him for that. Of course the Ladies must love Bond must he must also look like someone who can kick your ass and Craig fits the part.

    Several scenes are a bit disconcerting: I obviously salute him for bedding Monica Bellucci but in recap, this woman went to her husband's funeral, fears for her life, just survived an assassination attempt and she is horny? Only Domino was this careless. I understand we are talking about Bond but they were really careful avoiding stuff like this on the previous 3 movies, here it is just gratuitous. He takes a brutal beating from a ginormous henchman, again, the fight is not without humor and no blood, no bruises something we saw in the other movies and after that he fancies a shag? It screams Moore all over. Final scene, he shoots down a helicopter in the middle of London? We know you want to nail the bad guy James but have you thought this through? It's an action movie and it's Bond but some things which were again held in check in the previous films are really loose here and they strain credulity, even for Bond and that's because Craig ruined us for sloppy plots, cheap jokes and gratuitous sex scenes. Also this movie has the least believable Villain of all Craig's films. I guess we all drooled when we heard Spectre and Blofeld were back and played by Waltz on top of that but boy does it fall flat! He is not scarier than Scaramanga and it's really heard to see his motivation. All the other had reasons and in Skyfall a valid point but here? Daddy jealousy issues? I kill my father and set up a worldwide evil organization….Come on….Bond is only as good as his opponent, it's pretty much a rule of thumb. I could go on but I think I made my point. In the end a good movie, a good Bond, the entertainment value is for my money still there but I definitely like the other three movies better even Quantum which as I said provides some closure to the superb Casino Royale

  • What movie have you watched?

    Quote from Noni

    I suppose over time we can critize which Bond is better. I've watched every movie, apart from 2 early Connery Bond movies, mainly because I was too young to watch them in the cinema .


    I'm sure whoever replaces Craig will have have a lot to live up to. And if he becomes a better Bond, then I'm sure the knives will be out too .^^ I do miss those simple gadgets and the humour of Q..:D


    Hopefully the next one will be a white British bloke. ;). Unless Craig decides after the next movie that he wants to carry on. :)

    It's unlikely Craig will go on after te next one, a tentative schedule would put him in his mid-50s, I think he is done. I have the feeling the next one, after Craig's stellar delivery will be sort of a ''rebound'' Bond.

  • What movie have you watched?

    Quote from Backdrifter

    I now find I just can't watch any of them apart from the Craig ones. I liked how they effectively re-booted the franchise with him and stripped away most of the lame jokes and gadgetry and gave it a grittier, gloomier feel. That said, Quantum isn't very good, despite the presence of the luscious Gemma Arterton. Also, on a good day I can stomach the Dalton ones, Licence To Kill in particular, and maybe one or two Connery ones. The Moores are a no-go area for me!

    Quantum, although a bit weak at places works for me as closure to Casino Royale. I have more issues with Spectre to be honest, after having worked hard as you said, to strip always most of the nonsense, I think they fell a bit too much in the Roger Moore era atmosphere. Not a fan of Dalton but License to Kill is imo the best Bond song ever.

  • Trespass

    Quote from Backdrifter

    I quite like the presence of 'buddha' and 'mumbo-jumbo' and the overall feel of that lyric with its sense of dislocation and frustration. I much prefer that, and wanting to sit down and wash out filth from guts, to flowery stuff about angels and dogs.HE

    He is certainly aiming at conveying the feeling of frustration in those lyrics but personally I find they were very forcibly squeezed in. Like he had them floating around in his head and couldn't wait to incorporate them in some lyrics or when you learn a new fancy word in a foreign language and you use it all the time, sometimes inappropriately. A feeling I know :)

  • Trespass

    Quote from DecomposingMan

    I never cared for the lyrics to "White Mountain," but hearing a live version with Phil singing made me realize what a lovely melody it has.

    There are several dodgy lyrics on the album imo. I chalk it up to youth and inexperience but as I said, someone listening to it could really hear beyond the flaws and realize the potential. White Mountain has a beautiful melodies and I love Looking for Someone, when Peter sings the intro, I find it simply arresting but then again some lyrics are questionable, you can hear he wanted to squeeze in stuff like: ''Buddha'' and ''Mumbo-Jumbo'' and quite frankly they are a bit ridiculous, fortunately there is plenty on the album that makes you sit up and take notice.

  • Trespass

    Quote from slowdancer

    Trespass was the first Gabriel-era Genesis album, I had. Right from the start I was haunted by the particular atmosphere on the album, which is basically created by the mellow and slightly moody guitar sounds on Stagnation and Dusk. I also think, that John Mayhew did a great job. I still consider Trespass as one of my top five Genesis albums. Listening to it, is always uplifting. Although I usually put the album out in the middle of The Knife, because the way, they ruined this song, which starts so great and ends so dreadfully is hard to bear.

    Strange how music impacts people differently, to you it has an uplifting effect, to me I would say it is more soothing. What stood out for me, apart from the songs was the voice, definitely one of the first elements that got me hooked on Genesis. Peter's voice was so different and had such character that it drew me immediately in. Ant's and Mike's guitar work and of course the keyboards. The rhythm section didn't do much for me, I found that Mayhew followed the music more than driving it, the way Phil did immediately and Mike's bass at the time was actually quite negligible. Oh, honorable mention for the cover art, still one of my Genesis favorites.

  • Trespass

    I 'm a big fan of this album. I can totally understand why people would have a hard time getting into it, it sounds so dated after all but in terms of material and songwriting I still find it incredibly cohesive and solid. Great atmosphere.

  • Phil: I’m Open to Genesis Reunion With Son on Drums -- Rolling Stone article

    Quote from StillCan'tDance

    According to Phil, in an interview with the late Geoff Parkyn for the Genesis fanclub magazine, We Can't Dance was the first album for which he had written the vocal lines for all the songs, not just the ones he wrote. Mike and Tony wrote vocal lines that were, on occasion, notoriously difficult to sing (Squonk and Watcher Of The Skies come immediately to mind). Home By The Sea is an interesting one because it was Phil who came up with the line "home by the sea" during rehearsals for the Mama album. The line inspired Tony to write the classic lyric which we all know and love.


    Oh, and I like what Mike did on CAS too! As I've mentioned elsewhere on this forum, I love the album now :thumbup:

    Hard to draw an exact line when things are so collaborative and dynamic but I believe, despite the fact, that Phil did come up with Home by Sea line that it is pretty much Tony's baby. Surprising, considering the similarity to Silent Running.

  • Phil: I’m Open to Genesis Reunion With Son on Drums -- Rolling Stone article

    Quote from Backdrifter

    I also heard that Paul Carrack knocked on the door but his Mechanics history made him too close a connection.

    I am glad they didn't go that way. Excellent singer and I truly love his voice but imo not a good fit for Genesis. I was quite OK with Ray until I heard that it came down to him and David Longdon. Listening to Big Big Train I think, David would have been just perfect.

  • Phil: I’m Open to Genesis Reunion With Son on Drums -- Rolling Stone article

    Quote from StillCan'tDance

    It was ever thus. We Can't Dance was the only Genesis album where the vocalist wrote all the own vocal lines, not just the vocal lines for the lyrics they wrote.


    As for the guitar sound, I think it was far too clean to ever be compared to grunge. And I don't know if it's the remix, but the music seems much more layered than I ever before realised. I actually think that both Mike and Tony tried their very best with the arrangements and some of their best musical moments can be found on Calling All Stations.

    It was a mix of both, depending on the songs. Sometimes it was Phil singing gibberish on whatever Mike and in particular Tony threw at him in terms of chords or melodies and then they would see what stood out or start digging for gold listening to the session. Form that vocal lines developed and then lyrics. Sometimes, again Tony in particular, would come in with the whole thing ready, lyrics and all like with Home by The Sea. As for the guitar sound on CAS, obviously we can't ask a Grunge sound for Mike, as you point out his playing is far too clean for that but it is a bit reminiscent and for my money I truly like what Mike did on the record.