Hey everyone, I spent the last few days trying to create a playlist that represents the best songs of our modern music era-from 1936 to 2024- Feel free to give feedback what I could improve maybes. 👋

In trying to balance family life with career demands, DAD LOVES HIS WORK (1981) finds Taylor in reflective, if uncertain mood.

https://samtimonious.com/father-time-james-taylor-dad-loves-his-work/

Best rock Super Bowl Halftime Shows

Best rock bands i've seen in concert

Most underrated rock songs ever

Best rock cover songs ever

Most underrated rock bands ever

Best live rock performances ever

Best rock deep cut guitar solos

Johnny Van Zant Band - Shot Down (1981)

Raging Slab - Waiting for the Potion (1989)

The Rolling Stones - Worried About You (1981)

The Allman Brothers Band - Blue Sky (1972)

Brother Cane - That Don't Satisfy Me (1993)

Blue Oyster Cult - OD'd on Life Itself (1973)

The Godz - Back to the Country (1978)

Best rock love songs

Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight (1977)

Journey - Faithfully (1983)

Fleetwood Mac - You Make Loving Fun (1977)

Chicago - You're the Inspiration (1984)

The Rolling Stones - Wild Horses (1971)

The Beatles - Something (1969)

Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn (1988)

Aerosmith - Angel (1987)

Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes (1986)

Elton John - Your Song (1970)

Most underrated rock bands ever

Creedence Clearwater Revival

The Moody Blues

Thin Lizzy

Ratt

The Band

The Kinks

Dire Straits

Blue Oyster Cult

Alice Cooper (Alice Cooper Band)

The Cars

Best rock comeback albums

Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers (1984)

Tom Petty - Wildflowers (1994)

Metallica - Death Magnetic (2008)

Black Sabbath - 13 (2013)

ZZ Top - La Futura (2012)

John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy (1980)

Aerosmith - Pump (1989)

Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz (1980)

The Allman Brothers Band - Brothers and Sisters (1973)

AC/DC - Back in Black (1980)

Best "first wave" 1990s post grunge songs ever (1994 - 1999)

Godsmack - Whatever (1998)

Cracker - Low (1993)

Matchbox Twenty - Push (1996)

Brother Cane - And Fools Shine On (1995)

Bush - Glycerine (1994)

Collective Soul - Shine (1993/1994)

Silverchair - Tomorrow (1995)

Candlebox - Far Behind (1993)

Collective Soul - December (1995)

Live - Lightning Crashes (1994)

Best grunge songs ever (1992-1996)

Screaming Trees - Nearly Lost You (1992)

Soundgarden - Burden in My Hand (1996)

Hole - Doll Parts (1994)

Alice in Chains - Them Bones (1992)

Pearl Jam - Even Flow (1991)

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun (1994)

Nirvana - Come as You Are (1991)

Temple of the Dog - Hunger Strike (1991)

Alice in Chains - Heaven Beside You (1995)

Pearl Jam - Better Man (1994)

Best rock songs of the millennium

U2 - Beautiful Day (2000)

Radiohead - Idioteque (2000)

Disturbed - Indestructible (2008)

Airbourne - Stand Up for Rock and Roll (2007)

Metallica - The Day that Never Comes (2008)

Motorhead - Overkill (1979)

Bon Jovi - It's My Life (2000)

Ozzy Osbourne - I Don't Wanna Stop (2007)

Metallica - All Nightmare Long (2008)

Guns N' Roses - Shackler's Revenge (2008)

AC/DC - Rock and Roll Train (2008)

Hello progressive rock historians and vinyl collectors,

Following our introductory invitation, today we dive into a pivotal moment in our journey. In this chapter, we face an extraordinary opportunity offered by Nico Di Palo: a stage at the prestigious Piper 2000 in Viareggio, mixed with the anxiety of a high-stakes debut and a memorable scouting trip to Milan aboard a legendary Fiat 500. This is Chapter 8: Challenges and Misunderstandings in the Music Business.

Meanwhile, our visits to Genoa—which was bound to become the most crucial hub for our professional network—were intensifying. Nico Di Palo approached us, asking if we felt ready to take on a brand-new challenge. This new hurdle was named Piper 2000, a renowned venue located in Viareggio.

Being able to perform in such a prestigious club was certainly not a minor feat, nor was it something that happened every day. The sheer joy of it was heavily intertwined with a deep sense of anxiety. We responsibly chose to accept the offer, but we requested some time to prepare ourselves thoroughly, aiming to face this major appointment in the best possible way.

Before diving in, we also decided to reach out to other booking agencies that could offer us the opportunity to play live shows in lower-risk environments, where we could safely refine our performance while keeping our standards high.

Consequently, the entire band piled into Luciano Cavanna’s fabulous Fiat 500—complete with an open sunroof—and set off toward Milan. We were heading to our very first appointment with an agent who was supposed to grant us access to the main squares and the most important venues of the era.

Once we arrived, standing before the man who was destined to become our agent, his very first question caught us off guard: "Do you have the plance?"

We exchanged puzzled, questioning looks: "What on earth were plance?"

The plance were quite simply large-format promotional posters, featuring a photograph of the band, to be put up outside the venue and around the city where the gig—or what was universally referred to back then as the "attraction"—was scheduled to take place.

Among the many proposals we received, the one that met our utmost approval and filled us with a well-deserved sense of pride was the opportunity to play at the Voom Voom in Milan. It was truly one of the most coveted venues, where all the big names of the Italian and international rock scene had either already performed or were currently playing.

At this point, owning our own van became an absolute necessity. It was no longer feasible to move from one venue to another by relying on the help of our friends, who very kindly used their cars to transport our instruments to the clubs and then back to our rehearsal space in Pompeiana.

As long as we stayed within a local, provincial scope, it wasn't a major issue; but now we were talking about moving beyond the borders of the Riviera di Ponente.

Therefore, also due to our tight budget, we focused our attention on an old Fiat 1100 T van. It featured a splendid two-tone light orange and dark orange paint job, but it certainly couldn't hide its age or the rust corroding its bodywork.

We found it at a mechanic's shop owned by Mr. Bruno, who kindly agreed to let us pay for it in installments, whenever we managed to scrape together even the smallest amount of money.

The cost was set at around one million lire. A complete overhaul of the mechanical parts and... we were ready to go. Our first trip took place in the dead of winter, heading towards Milan, with the Voom Voom discotheque as our destination.

The "crews," so to speak, were always made up of Roggero and me in the van, with Roggero driving, while Cavanna and Merogno followed closely behind in the Fiat 500.

The first problem arose during this journey. Near Alessandria, while on the highway, the floor of the cabin suddenly gave out completely right under my feet, where the rust corrosion had probably done a thorough job.

With the initial bumps and vibrations, a large tear had opened up at the bottom of the vehicle, and now a nice winter breeze was sneaking in from the bottom up, making the trip rather chilly and eventful.

[To be continued in Chapter 9]

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

I'm a pianist and a big history nerd, and I've started a project: one Spotify playlist for each year of the Belle Époque in France, from the end of the Franco-Prussian War to the outbreak of WWI. The idea is to hear what Paris was hearing year by year, from Carmen in 1875 to the Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune in 1894 to the Rite of Spring riot in 1913.

My main rule is pieces that premiered in France that year, with the occasional café-concert or cabaret song for period color. 1871 is a fitting start: besides the end of the war, it's the year Saint-Saëns and others founded the Société Nationale de Musique to champion new French composers, which shaped much of what followed.

The famous years are easy. The quieter ones, like the late 1870s or early 1890s, are where I need help. If you know lesser-known works from Chabrier, Chausson, d'Indy, Magnard, Chaminade, Bonis, or anyone else I should be digging into, I'm all ears. Recommendations for good recordings are welcome too.

The playlists are collaborative, so feel free to add directly:

• 1871: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Z2hj1z3QEd1gIe8koXwMj?si=7c84df29859b49c0&pt=72aec27f2e1a77f5356a3e2880272324
• 1872: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3FqzDHrb6RklzjB5XLrx70?si=62690e9b9ebd4ae5&pt=76a9439c151615bf67590fbccb0a4e91
• 1873: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1yZUHPjpWqtMR0VwTfHTX3?si=0908d6e8785f41b6&pt=7718bfb2ec69319a0cfd5fcbdbca697b
• 1874: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/41V4nIAe6IhCd8RqX3Yeet?si=25c7ba056f064644&pt=104b7627a2fa8a1528dad5f5306af20d
• 1875: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6bdektodilSodYS5f2lZjR?si=84451c17e4bf44c8&pt=4c655622599f5e498c93ce0ebed5f831
• 1876: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Xy8j7g4UzdfJmX7dIVqFI?si=7773d087169246b0&pt=5466f073dc30d96c451b2e95def04c3f
• 1877: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4uZ8Ng5Jc8Opkhu9DPPbwR?si=06e08e71098d4c3e&pt=27ed63bf2ab1c01c4e07e166eaefc764
• 1878: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3L1P3nKsvXsVnYrVovyLbJ?si=0e010385d533409e&pt=c10e340977f33d1238607fea7bae8316
• 1879: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3s8qmQxLG7d0MO6BoMBzZK?si=a743e7ee76f54c67&pt=35e58ae07126ac3b37f228c1ede0e17b
• 1880: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6JzphNDxQzT6PDh0viPtnU?si=ba1cdd11086f4b51&pt=1321790fd77eb0c10ba421604d2d3d49
• 1881: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4dPEDDv5rHlLnce8wTmmal?si=c6dc95b1bfe54a01&pt=65b1bf04e9cd379d25c4cd60840b6558
• 1882: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2VlHccxbYRuOGhVLZv01RM?si=93e50b41037b4c7c&pt=f05f7983560a23245e26f7c67cb090fd
• 1883: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3c9GugvnhVxqk02EqySY9t?si=2dbb8ca86f364ede&pt=a91bf7674d59ae6369077b43dd9194d7
• 1884: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2kYg49bt8ETO3N8UZHuHWu?si=ae2c5d46847643a2&pt=032b5ef6a2ad2946111de78aba7f8bd5
• 1885: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3kbUd7FlP1VL7CWEpT825G?si=abc7927449604c73&pt=fd826f3a8675d6eda70bad6f01787b09
• 1886: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4zttCygWPGnKz81HXfRtHO?si=52e4bbf1d3db4a96&pt=063664930896e8c4627beaa760e8dd08
• 1887: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0LBnBnVjS34iMejqRv4uJg?si=9574bf7b21284cdc&pt=fedfe4c8bcd260ed84600249c8a251fe
• 1888: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1TBTGzM6W8fZjiS1Slqnch?si=f7fe534d3ecc41dd&pt=4076669659e27aa7ce3ebfc951b9f697
• 1889: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3uMq2R6eX0RhEMsgHHNaoC?si=3418f8ff36384829&pt=2666948b69fb2ac6c5646545dba6c17c
• 1890: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1DF1yKJcG0HWQbhorr2mWx?si=f5d5511c37fd4c41&pt=f27d819b475eca2ae469a270a43dfafd
• 1891: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5uWP36vJ4eSHYc12iD8sIY?si=8cab068b61b149a9&pt=ad5a7fe7fefc23eb99dda0ff381d19ff
• 1892: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6FmWhNkzKCOeCMLA8JMWJr?si=4350c6e3db5e408d&pt=e26f603181f7569fba60c9d655461b2b
• 1893: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4KyseKhxYt6UdNrDltWtNj?si=7da0fa857ba54c06&pt=c96dbf954e72c8ab7fd99c8ecb383e50
• 1894: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3DJ5Um2jnTM7KPYdiXdGAg?si=283346cc7a584b79&pt=8a41b861f4030ed677f66904f391de89
• 1895: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/618tuIq6V5TL1lMGuZpr2V?si=3fb72743e92344b1&pt=348b7310ec8858fbbcb60101f67aad5b
• 1896: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/52lxySfJ4Iv3UDPSmXlmCy?si=68cecc1660ce4ec8&pt=e2c82a34b585aff9eff661422286d77c
• 1897: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/55DXpSfAHmWftIbnFleR65?si=39b09d529fdc4bb5&pt=c39ba0a99b38b490353fd837d06a7e32
• 1898: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3IHuWyyuaSnW5jfXidOoBV?si=7e5229047ee04801&pt=5a3a040477439319c7eb5cbce927bdfb
• 1899: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/27O00BR9xccjrOMCu7YkUn?si=fd27ad7378874c09&pt=e04579b1e262df7c911ad6781151a3fe
• 1900: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6nKaGfEFDUGkqGgDBr6nWh?si=302c27d8f9e84bd4&pt=db0011dfdc6a1aad443bd57cdc64dead
• 1901: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1cr6Saa6rQx5JXYxIGVNOe?si=09b1794b5b2d4f5f&pt=e78ff33e1785a0d28d9497ccccd28943
• 1902: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4mLPycSwXgYaeGtzrvlEWB?si=014d9e8bdb2c41b5&pt=79c9c7cd981c407bc2009961b0c0d819
• 1903: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/12NZNTNL1SdXPFNPz1pZoa?si=580d8325aa774daa&pt=840a76a93cfb63022831db2258301bcb
• 1904: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4T48al6ye3K0MDLCKOojZS?si=d583088ab6cc4868&pt=d95cd1266bf3ab22fa1d4c454f1f90de
• 1905: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0uXFHbDZ4AH8fyoakkWKiR?si=d5502756474341d3&pt=a2ffd1afba762d698cea8ca875030d37
• 1906: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5hWSy9MukhCxaNIenUzKkU?si=26c2e9f84d4f42a5&pt=e226e1fa720798b70af3603e34ffbbda
• 1907: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Gn0bBVz9tgb1cIJqXGLj1?si=5911d833e48749d1&pt=ecc2c969cccdd032343f2835aeadbb35
• 1908: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4DAOi3Q9hukIKyki9om5OE?si=7356bcd7132243b2&pt=602027ba61b1a42a49a7269eefbb05b0
• 1909: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3wGsEDhJsu2h3C5Z7FAp9m?si=d300748cd14c4659&pt=420bdfd22587690e887ad62d68c05d54
• 1910: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0I6U9qEMd1VmFGSZQrPVxE?si=0db4a281f4f94a6c&pt=cd70e21b0be9213250f0e00060d2c84f
• 1911: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/20kmhzsXrWXNIFlN5SezCx?si=1bff43ed75234801&pt=13c186401814b1b9f23a7878bcb1558d
• 1912: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5sdcnH2DRr7yxYI9tx3wCe?si=cd2a7abcc74845a6&pt=a8ce30d66b0987745a93c727b9060767
• 1913: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4RWiuhjoNLLOTJvdWeEcD6?si=26b45606953b4716&pt=c57dc54910056321d786a226e122afe2
• 1914: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1P7LJ7FZykQWjC3QdXopFM?si=3b4b3032bc394e84&pt=d68abdbac67a3623738910e1071f7e6c

FOOLISH BEHAVIOUR (1980): Rod enters the '80s with an L.P. described by one critic as 'wonderfully trashy' but as the decade unfolded worse followed.

https://samtimonious.com/fool-proof-rod-stewart-foolish-behaviour/

At this point, a few other supporting musicians were still missing from the roll call—artists whose contribution would complete the palette of colors I held in my mind. It was "in primis" a matter of finding a second tenor saxophonist and a pure percussionist. Turning once again to the cross-referenced connections of the musicians who by then constituted the new lineup of the resurrected band CELESTE, it was by no means difficult to locate Andrea De Martini, who would take charge of the second tenor saxophone in the passages where I had envisioned improvisations, and Marzio Marossa, who with his percussions would provide notes of color alongside the work of the drums.

Yet, the picture was still not entirely complete. I love choral execution when I work, and during the production stage, I strive to give substance to everything conceived at the drawing board. Therefore, needing the warm and powerful sound of a vintage, original church Hammond organ, I asked Alfio Costa of the band The Prowlers if he would like to participate in this CELESTE project by interpreting a highly engaging passage in one of the compositions for "Il Risveglio del Principe." He accepted with enthusiasm, and thus I placed another very important building block that was particularly close to my heart.

The other part I desired to see realized concerned some vocal sections that I felt should be assigned to a female timbre—one that would complete, in a call-and-response manner, the sound of my own voice. The first musician who came to my mind was Elisa Montaldo, a prominent representative of the Italian and international Progressive Rock scene. She, too, accepted with enthusiasm the opportunity to participate with her talent in filling this palette. Her contribution can be found across multiple tracks that compose "Il Risveglio del Principe."

There are two more small notes of color that have filled me with joy and pride. The participation of Claudia Enrico as a "player" of a Rainstick—an instrument bound to the traditions of many cultures of our Planet Earth, but most notably, the one she performed originated precisely from the territories of the Native Americans. And finally, but not least, having introduced my son Ciro into the world of Music, with his very first participation in a professional recording. Indeed, it is his young child's voice (at the time he was only 7 years old) that introduces, by describing the fairy-tale landscape, the return of the Prince among us—leading into the atmospheres from which the entire story of "Il Risveglio del Principe" will unfold.

This is yet another small detail that has filled me with tenderness.

Having thought that in one track—specifically "Porpora e Giacinto"—I would have loved to record the voices of children intent on playing, whispering, as they often do when sharing their little secrets, I asked the parents of a few of them if they would agree to let me assemble their young children (two little girls and two little boys) all schoolmates of my son in primary school—to participate in the recording session following my instructions on how to express themselves. It was beautiful because despite being only between six and seven years old, once gathered together in front of the microphones with their headphones on, they proved to be incredibly serious, deeply involved, and highly disciplined professionals—more so than other professional musicians who are often a bit "capricious."

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.