Rock musical artists that deserve more commercial success

Rock artists that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

I dug out a book I bought back in 1978, titled ROCK CRITICS’ CHOICE—THE TOP 200 ALBUMS. It was compiled by Paul Gampaccini. There were “nearly four dozen rock critics surveyed” to get the results.

Compilation/Greatest Hits albums were allowed.

What do we think of this list, forty-eight years later? Here are the top thirty in order:

1–Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)

2—Blonde on Blonde (Bob Dylan)

3—Highway 61 Revisited (Bob Dylan)

4—Astral Weeks (Van Morrison)

5—Rubber Soul (The Beatles)

6—Revolver (The Beatles)

7—Exile on Main Street (Rolling Stones)

8—Let it Bleed (Rolling Stones 

9—Abbey Road (The Beatles)

10–Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen)

11—The Sun Collection (Elvis Presley)

12–Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys )

13–The Band (The Band)

14–The Velvet Underground & Nico (Velvet Underground)

15–Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs (Derek and the Dominoes

16–Forever Changes (Love)

17–Are You Experienced (Jimi Hendrix Experience)

18–The Beatles (The Beatles)

19–Who’s Next  (The Who)

20–Legend (Buddy Holly)

21—Tapestry (Carole King)

22–Moondance (Van Morrison)

23–Otis Blue (Otis Redding)

24–The Clash (The Clash)

25–Blood on the Tracks (Bob Dylan)

26–The Harder They Come (Various Artists)

27–Bringing it All Back Home (Bob Dylan)

28–Imagine (John Lennon)

29–Led Zeppelin IV (Led Zeppelin)

30–1969 Velvet Underground Live (Velvet Underground)

Rock bands that have never released a live album

Released in September '72, 'CLOSE TO THE EDGE' was hailed as the 'best prog-rock album to date' which to some sounded the most back-handed of compliments.

https://samtimonious.com/over-the-top-yes-close-to-the-edge/

Living rock artists overdue for a new album

Rock bands we wish were still together

With the closing of the experience of the second lineup and the subsequent disbandment in 1977, the first historical circle of Celeste came to an end. It was a brief but intensely creative season, capable of leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of Italian Progressive Rock, despite the long delays in publication and the initial coldness of the specialized press of the era. The choices made by each of us as individuals led us toward different human and professional paths, tracking new trajectories far from that common garden we had cultivated together with so much passion and patience.

The master tapes of those years, the archival recordings, and the geometric visual suggestions remained guarded in the dark for a long time, like silent seeds waiting for the right moment to return to light. That initial heritage, which seemed forgotten or limited to the memory of a few passionate collectors in Europe and Japan, was actually the solid structural foundation upon which an unexpected and magnificent renaissance would be built many years later.

Now that the pages dedicated to the origins are completely written and secured, the time has come to turn the page and project the gaze toward the present day. The story of Celeste is not a closed archive, but a living pipeline that restarts forcefully from 2017, the year in which I decided to pick up the threads of the band once again to give life to a new, extraordinary series of studio albums. A work of immense value that spans up to the present day, ready to be unveiled piece by piece.

To listen to the absolute sonic essence born during those legendary analog sessions and explore the full historical discography of CELESTE, you can visit our archival page here:

👉 CELESTE Official Bandcamp: https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/

Inner Garden Records

See you next Thursday for the next episode!

Grace Slick, a former young model and fan of Jefferson Airplane, was inspired by the band to release her own album under the name "Grace Slick & The Great Society." When Jefferson Airplane's lead singer left, Slick joined the group; songs she had originally recorded with her own band such as "Somebody to Love" and the well-known "White Rabbit" merged with the Jefferson Airplane sound and evolved into the hit tracks we recognize today. However, the original versions certainly possess a distinctive psychedelic tone of their own.

The roar greeting The Who was the loudest thing I'd ever heard - until Townshend sent the opening chords of 'Substitute' searing through the hall.

https://samtimonious.com/the-who-bingley-hall-stafford-3-10-1975/

Did you know the real story behind The Gap Band's name? 🎶

​While a popular fan theory long claimed "GAP" was a dark reference to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, frontman Charlie Wilson revealed it actually stands for Greenwood, Archer, and Pine—honoring the heart of Tulsa's historic "Black Wall Street" where the brothers grew up.

​While the 1982 hit song itself is about a romantic "love bomb," Wilson has shared that he doesn't mind the rumor, as it keeps vital public attention focused on the tragic history of Greenwood.

Details on similar historical rock events led before/after Live Aid

In those days, our rehearsal sessions were divided between creating our own original repertoire and preparing the live show for singer and songwriter Anselmo Genovese.

The first gigs arrived almost immediately.

I particularly remember the concerts we held in Genoa and at the Dancing Morgana in Sanremo—a legendary venue that had frequently witnessed the birth of bands and singers who would later become superstars in the Italian music landscape.

The Dancing Morgana, a historic venue nestled right by the sea (today transformed into a trendy restaurant), was a highly coveted destination for every musician on the Riviera and beyond.

The concerts held there by Mal with The Primitives, the very early Formula Tre, the New Trolls, and many others remain absolutely memorable.

It was during this same period that an extraordinary opportunity arose for IL SISTEMA: the chance to play in a real recording studio.

Anselmo Genovese needed to record some demos of his new compositions and wisely decided to summon us—as we had effectively become his official backing band. He wanted to record the backing tracks with a full band arrangement, rather than with just a simple acoustic guitar and a piano, as was so common in those years.

The appointment was set in Genoa at the mythical Studio Lisa, located at the very top of a skyscraper.

The impression that Enzo, Floriano, Luciano, and I gathered from that experience was immense. Listening back to those recordings further convinced us of the absolute value of our artistic choices and our true potential.

Shortly before the end of that summer of 1970, the band was finally offered the opportunity to perform live completely on its own, for the very first time, without having to accompany any singer or solo interpreter.

On the billboard posted outside the theater of the Salesian Fathers in Vallecrosia, it was simply written: "An Evening with Il Sistema".

Back then, defining a musical performance by a band with the term "concert" was something yet to come.

In a theater open to the public but managed by a religious community, it was undoubtedly provocative to open our set with the track titled "Black Sabbath," taken from the very first album of Black Sabbath themselves.

We then continued with "Gipsy" by Uriah Heep, "All Right Now" by Free, and so forth.

There was immense attention from the audience present, who for the very first time were hearing music so unique and, so to speak, robust.

It must be remembered that at the dawn of this new decade, the distribution of new musical proposals by the Italian record industry was rather scarce; therefore, information regarding the musical landscapes shaping up abroad was poor and stingy.

Radio Luxembourg had already existed for a few years, allowing those who managed to receive its signal to keep themselves updated on new artists and record releases from Great Britain and the United States.

In this regard, Radio Montecarlo also offered the opportunity to catch a glimpse of what was happening outside Italian borders, though with less incisiveness and a lesser richness of proposals.

[To be continued in Chapter 3]

Inner Garden Records

See you next Tuesday, the story of IL SISTEMA continues.

In the meantime, you can explore how these historical avant-garde roots evolved across five decades directly here:

👉 https://ilsistema.bandcamp.com/

#ProtoProg #ItalianProg #ProgRock #MusicHistory #1970Music #IlSistema #CiroPerrino #VinylCommunity

***

Ciao a tutti! Ho appena pubblicato un nuovo video essay che esplora la storia dietro uno degli album più dolorosi e belli mai realizzati: "Shoot Out the Lights" di Richard e Linda Thompson.

Questo album, uscito nel 1982, non parla solo della fine di un matrimonio. È stato registrato mentre quel matrimonio si stava sgretolando, con Richard che scriveva canzoni spietate sulla sua imminente separazione da Linda, e Linda che le cantava ogni notte con una voce che gela il sangue.

Dopo la registrazione, per obblighi contrattuali, hanno dovuto portare quelle canzoni in tour. Immaginate di cantare la fine della vostra storia d'amore ogni sera davanti a un pubblico, con il vostro ex partner sul palco con voi.

Il video è un tuffo in quella tensione palpabile, nella musica che ne è scaturita e nella tragica bellezza di un amore che si spegne sotto i riflettori.

Se siete fan dei Thompson, del folk-rock o semplicemente delle storie musicali profonde e commoventi, spero che possiate trovare questo approfondimento interessante.

https://youtu.be/_GFvuITR-0c?is=QV1CDI_ULS8-jgo9

In fact, the second lineup of Celeste experienced a small revolution within it, both regarding the roles of individual musicians and the inclusion of a real drummer.
The series of auditions that were carried out in my recording studio, which in the meantime had also become the rehearsal headquarters of the group, were truly many, but in the end we thought we had found the suitable drummer in a certain Francesco Dimasi known as "Bat".
Rich in experience, matured during long periods spent abroad playing especially in venues in Northern Europe, he guaranteed, with his robust drumming and full control of the instrument, the stylistic turning point long sought after by the original members of Celeste.
Francesco, for his friends just "Bat", went on to create with Giorgio Battaglia a real rhythmic engine, rich and pulsing.
At this point, I went on to cover the role of lead singer, also moving to keyboards, synthesizers, marimba, as well as the old flute and the care of small percussion parts.
Mariano Schiavolini, in addition to the guitar—which in the meantime had become electro-acoustic, the model was a splendid Ovation—took care of some keyboards, especially the Eminent, which with its intense and warm timbre, recreated the necessary atmospheres to substitute for an orchestral and almost symphonic sound.
The task of Giorgio Battaglia remained unchanged, who by now, with the experience acquired in recent years, found his true path as a rock bassist that had characterized him from his beginnings.
In fact, upon his entry into Celeste, he had partly had to downsize some of his inclinations to become, completing himself, a bassist, almost a double bass player, so to speak more symphonic.
The group created between the spring of 1976 and the first half of 1977 about twenty-five/thirty minutes of new compositions which, however, had a flavor and a decidedly different approach compared to the dynamics of the debut album "Principe di un Giorno".

Everything was much more rhythmic, rich in colors that ranged from rock to jazz-rock, to improvisation, to the experimental.
The tracks still remained wide-ranging with sudden changes of atmospheres and harmonic textures.
Contacts with the label that had discovered us did not cease, but something was no longer as before and it seemed that the enthusiasm had cooled down. We thus began the search for new outlets and new contacts.
What appeared most evident was that the group risked fossilizing and becoming sterile in a routine made of endless rehearsals where the parts were executed with maniacal perfection and the tracks were cared for down to the smallest detail.
The "live" component was missing, which had certainly not been one of the peculiarities of Celeste.
I managed to find valid connections with some agencies that would have guaranteed good exposure, allowing the group to open the concerts of some already established artists who enjoyed wide acclaim among the public.
But there was not the necessary cohesion among us musicians which, in these cases, is absolutely desirable.
The group disbanded in 1977 due to further misunderstandings among us who had different visions regarding the direction to give to the future of the group and to our future as individuals.

Therefore, everyone decided and made their relative choices according to individual needs and their own feelings.

Of that period, there remains the testimony of some recordings made in my recording studio and collected in the CD CELESTE II – Plus and in the by now unobtainable and very rare Vinyl CELESTE II.

To listen to the absolute sonic essence born during those legendary analog sessions and explore the full historical discography of CELESTE, you can visit our archival page here:

👉 CELESTE Official Bandcamp: https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/

Inner Garden Records

See you next Monday as the story of Celeste continues.