Monday 27 February 2017

Sage's Emancipated released Italy 1972




A simply stunning album when taken on its own terms, a vinyl obtained from my friend and shared with the kindness of an open heart-- made all the more generous by the price at which it's sold sometimes...

Despite the crazy, perhaps a teeny bit childish cover, the contents actually reveal soul-pop with some slight progressive moves here and there, a diminished arpeggio here, an odd chord combination there.  There is some information in the database already, and you can see it's relatively popular on RYM.  The high rating is well deserved but oddly enough no one has yet reviewed it, though I am sure someone will soon after today.

So let's go all out with a warm Motown soul embrace on Did you ever wonder:





Of course we're reminded of those oldsters like Jackson Five, Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the earliest Diana Ross, etc.  Note the exceptionally attractive orchestration and the beauty of the harmony vocals.  Then, the end uses a minor second chord switch and bass solo to wrap it all up.  Surprisingly good songwriting on a super-rarity.  That track by George Chandler, who grew up in Alabama, presumably with Charlie Cannon, the other principal songwriter represented here, and together with another yank called Stanley Evans they wrote all the great music for this LP-- which was recorded in Italy.  Odd?

Now let's go to the Garden of Boom:





The best track by Charlie.  And you'll agree it is really a nice song indeed.

Again, check the price of the copy for sale.  Admittedly, it's from Italy, a country in which all records are sold at a markup of at least 500 percent, but don't usually arrive if sent by mail, where the mafia usually builds buildings, and does the garbage pickup for you, or doesn't, fittingly, and the president has orgies every weekend with teenaged hookers (does that even make sense?) ...  and at one time 2000 years ago, they ruled the entire Mediterranean rim like a bathtub's uncleanable scum line but now are reduced to stealing cents from tourists by secretly short-changing them at cafes.  So it's not the usual kind of nation we are accustomed to.

Two in a row straight outta Italy this week. And next week, we're moving on to the former soviet area, where it's even less likely you'll receive in the mail that scratchy overpriced record you bought...


13 comments:

  1. http://www18.zippyshare.com/v/87xOPFf4/file.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been called many things but "uncleanable scum line" is new! And yet, the only times I've dealt with foreigners was either to give them indications to get to some place or a friendly chat. Either you like to generalize too much or I live a second life I don't remember of.

    Also, a little correction; the gangbang president has not been president in a while. There have been a turbo capitalist Merkel acolyte who liked the wallets of the middle class and below(Monti), a flavourless one(Letta), a narrative loving somewhat bully hipster with an iPhone always in hand(Renzi), and another flavourless one who is just the hipster's puppet(the current one, Gentiloni).

    I am sorry if you have been fleeced(as you mention in your Giovanni Ullu post) in my country, there is still a lot of decent people here and if you have the chance you should be guided by those if you want to be a tourist.

    I apologize if I made any mistakes, I'm still learning your language and I always will be.

    Thank you for both records and greetings from Italy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so sorry Marco, I got carried away with my exposition, it's too easy to make fun of countries with easy generalizations!
      And thanks for the political description I liked it

      Delete
    2. Don't worry, it happens.

      Don't quote me on the political description though, I'm just a silly guy who loves progressive music...

      Thank you for this blog.

      Delete
  3. ok, i agree with marco, here ! ;-)
    sorry for my country :-( :-D
    enjoy the right side of italy !
    and thanx for your blog (how many unknown gems i've found here!)

    greetings from here

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But can I add that the creep Berlusconi is now back who Marco said was gone!! ;)

      Delete
    2. Let me clarify on the "gone" part. I didn't say that he was gone for good, "just" not president anymore. That's something! ;)

      Also, let's contextualize a bit; 10 years ago, when he won his last elections, his party got 37% of the total votes and the coalition it was part of got 46%.

      At the last elections (March 4th) his party reached 14% and the coalition(less united than the previous) it is part of reached 37%. If that is not enough then let's add that his party is not the biggest one in the coalition anymore.

      So yes, he is back, but on a pony(although a bigger one than the usual) instead of a standard horse. At least for now! ;)

      Delete
    3. On a pony? You mean, a teenaged pony right?

      Delete
    4. Of course, a teenaged pony with a ponytail horsin' around.

      This remainded me that in the 70's Berlusconi hired a guy, Vittorio Mangano, who was a Cosa Nostra member, as a...wait for it...stable keeper! See? Berlusconi has always been tied to horses!

      Delete
    5. A horse! a horse!
      my kingdom for a horse! :-D

      mafia+80's commercial tv = brain death

      .....really history of italy over the last 30 years will have to be written by a psychiatrist :-<

      Delete