webzine

ENGLISH VERSION:

Giunti Editore releases a reprint featuring a new cover of an opus that was born with the aim to regroup 1,000 fundamental albums in the history of Rock updated till 2019, written by Eddy Cilia and Frederico Guglielmi, known for writing some encyclopaedias in the past decades and for being very experienced in Punk and New Wave.
So here are contained reviews of the same length regarding 1,000 meaningful records (+ 100 cult ones) and not the favourite records from the two authors, taking in side genres such as Reggae, Hip Hop, Funk, Soul, Rhythm 'n' Blues, World Music, Electronica and Jazz provided that they have a more or less developed Rock imprint. And this might be one of the limits of the book, and I'm not referring to that from a taleban purist's point of view, but starting from the consideration that the important albums in Rock from the 50s have become so many that including in a list records which have little to do with Rock means ruling out others containing Rock from the first to the last track and not only for a few seconds in one or two songs.
The categories they were divided in are as follows: 200 masterpieces, 300 unmissable albums, 500 recommended records and 100 cult platters for connoisseurs; they all come from a reworking of the previous collections composed by the two musical experts in the 90s and the beginning of the 2000s.
Besides the usual criticism about what was excluded and what was included (some bands have more than one record mentioned), we have to notice the scarce presence of Heavy Metal, which is however one of the most prolific facades of Rock, as well as the absence of acts or artists from Italy, since they were reputed not important in the panorama and history of Rock on a global scale. Very rare are the bands cited hailing from Asia or South America, and absent are the ones from Russia.
Indeed, the reading turns out to be pleasant, easy and fast thanks to effective narrating and describing mechanisms both for those who have been following the genre for a short time and the ones with a vast knowledge in the field. The book was written by competent music journalists who really know the songs they deal with and who are able in a fluent and refined way to let the reader learn about a specific combo or the detailed and fascinating story behind an album they ignore; sometimes they can even spur interest and curiosity in that the reader will listen to or even get a particular product digitally or in a physical format. Some recent Rock aficionados reading "Rock - 1.000 Dischi Fondamentali" may get to have a basic incomplete idea on the most significant albums of the bands there included, but at least they can be sure they can start approaching a band from an album of their usually ample discography with the certainty that that is a must-have album showing the group at its career's peak. Other experienced readers may
have fun seeing how many of the fundamental records they own in their collection and secondly they can enjoy the opinion and the comparisons of the authors about albums they know pretty well seeing them under a different point of view, and appreciate them after years they haven't listened to them with the new millennium's perspective.
After the success of "Grande Enciclopedia del Rock" by Riccardo Bertoncelli, the Tucsanian publishing company tries to repeat the achievement with a selection of the best that Rock musicians have been capable of putting together since the term was created omitting details and complete discographies, which are specialties of the Novara colleague.
Even though it may seem anachronistical to some to purchase a book dividing opera depending on their historical importance which won't be up-to-date soon, for others on the contrary the 500 pages of the book by Cilia and Guglielmi represent a valid investment to ample their discography with the guarantee to not ever bring home mediocre records, but only albums of elevated or maximum value.

MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - 20th December 2019

	Eddy Cilia - Federico Guglielmi '*Rock - 1.000 Dischi Fondamentali'* (Giunti Editore) MARK: 80/100



	VERSIONE ITALIANA: Esce per la Giiunti la ristampa con una nuova copertina di un'opera che è nata con lo scopo di raggruppare i 1.000 album fondamentali nella storia del Rock aggiornata al 2014, a cura di Eddy Cilia e Federico Guglielmi, noti per aver realizzato diverse enciclopedie nei decenni passati e molto specializzati in ambito Punk e New Wave. Sono quindi qui contenute recensioni di uguale lunghezza riguardanti 1.000 dischi significativi (+ 100 da culto) e non i dischi preferiti dei due autori, andando a pescare anche in generi laterali come Reggae, Hip Hop, Funk, Soul, Rhythm 'n' Blues, World Music, Elettronica, e Jazz che abbiano un'impronta Rock più o meno sviluppata. Questo può essere uno dei limiti del libro, e non dal punto di vista di un talebano purista, ma perchè i dischi importanti in ambito Rock dagli anni '50 sono diventati così tanti, che andare ad includere anche dischi che poco hanno a che fare col Rock significa escluderne altri importanti che contengono Rock dalla prima all'ultima traccia e non solo per una manciata di secondi in qualche canzone. Le categorie in cui sono stati divisi sono le seguenti: 200 capolavori, 300 imperdibili, 500 consigliati e 100 per intenditori (da culto), e provengono da una rielaborazione delle precedenti raccolte composte dai due esperti musicali negli anni 90 e all'inizio del 2000. A parte le consuete critiche su che cosa è stato escluso e che cosa è stato troppo trattato (alcune bands hanno più di un disco citato), va notata anche la bassa presenza del Metal, che è comunque una delle sfaccettature del Rock più prolifiche, come pure l'assenza di artisti o bands italiane, perchè ritenute di importanza trascurabile nel panorama e nella storia del Rock a livello mondiale. Rarissimi sono poi i casi di bands asiatiche e sudamericane citate, e nessuna dalla Russia. Molto gradevole, facile e veloce grazie a efficaci meccanismi narrativi e descrittivi è ad ogni modo la lettura sia per chi è un appassionato da poco tempo, che per chi possiede già una vasta cultura nel settore; il libro è stato scritto da giornalisti musicali competenti che conoscono davvero le canzoni di cui parlano e che riescono in modo forbito e fluido a far conoscere senza sforzo al lettore che non dovesse conoscere quella band o la dettagliata e affascinante storia dietro quell'album, ed anzi persino a stimolare l'interesse e la curiosità ad ascoltare e magari persino in certi casi a finire con l'accappararsi in forma digitale o fisica quel prodotto. Altri lettori neofiti possono avere un quadro approssimativo sulla discografia fondamentale dei gruppi qui inclusi, ma almeno possono iniziare ad ascoltare un gruppo partendo da un album della loro vasta discografia che vale sicuramente la pena possedere e che mostra la band nel suo periodo d'oro. Altri lettori esperti invece possono divertirsi vedendo quanti dei dischi fondamentali possiedono nella loro discoteca e in secondo luogo possono gustarsi l'opinione ed i paragoni degli autori su albums che conoscono bene e vederli anche sotto una luce diversa ed apprezzarli dopo anni che non li ascoltano con l'ottica della musica del nuovo millennio. Dopo il successo della "Grande Enciclopedia del Rock" di Riccardo Bertoncelli, la casa editrice toscana tenta il bis con una selezione del meglio che i musicisti Rock sono riusciti a mettere insieme da quando il termine è stato coniato tralasciando i dettagli e le discografie complete, che sono specialità del collega novarese. Se per alcuni può apparire anacronistico acquistare un libro che cataloga le opere in merito alla loro importanza storica e che fra un po' non sarà più aggiornato, per altri invece le 500 pagine del libro di Cilia e Guglielmi rappresentano un valido investimento per ampliare la propria discografia con la garanzia di non portare mai a casa dischi mediocri, ma sempre di elevato o massimo spessore.

	ENGLISH VERSION: Giunti Editore releases a reprint featuring a new cover of an opus that was born with the aim to regroup 1,000 fundamental albums in the history of Rock updated till 2019, written by Eddy Cilia and Frederico Guglielmi, known for writing some encyclopaedias in the past decades and for being very experienced in Punk and New Wave. So here are contained reviews of the same length regarding 1,000 meaningful records (+ 100 cult ones) and not the favourite records from the two authors, taking in side genres such as Reggae, Hip Hop, Funk, Soul, Rhythm 'n' Blues, World Music, Electronica and Jazz provided that they have a more or less developed Rock imprint. And this might be one of the limits of the book, and I'm not referring to that from a taleban purist's point of view, but starting from the consideration that the important albums in Rock from the 50s have become so many that including in a list records which have little to do with Rock means ruling out others containing Rock from the first to the last track and not only for a few seconds in one or two songs. The categories they were divided in are as follows: 200 masterpieces, 300 unmissable albums, 500 recommended records and 100 cult platters for connoisseurs; they all come from a reworking of the previous collections composed by the two musical experts in the 90s and the beginning of the 2000s. Besides the usual criticism about what was excluded and what was included (some bands have more than one record mentioned), we have to notice the scarce presence of Heavy Metal, which is however one of the most prolific facades of Rock, as well as the absence of acts or artists from Italy, since they were reputed not important in the panorama and history of Rock on a global scale. Very rare are the bands cited hailing from Asia or South America, and absent are the ones from Russia. Indeed, the reading turns out to be pleasant, easy and fast thanks to effective narrating and describing mechanisms both for those who have been following the genre for a short time and the ones with a vast knowledge in the field. The book was written by competent music journalists who really know the songs they deal with and who are able in a fluent and refined way to let the reader learn about a specific combo or the detailed and fascinating story behind an album they ignore; sometimes they can even spur interest and curiosity in that the reader will listen to or even get a particular product digitally or in a physical format. Some recent Rock aficionados reading "Rock - 1.000 Dischi Fondamentali" may get to have a basic incomplete idea on the most significant albums of the bands there included, but at least they can be sure they can start approaching a band from an album of their usually ample discography with the certainty that that is a must-have album showing the group at its career's peak. Other experienced readers may have fun seeing how many of the fundamental records they own in their collection and secondly they can enjoy the opinion and the comparisons of the authors about albums they know pretty well seeing them under a different point of view, and appreciate them after years they haven't listened to them with the new millennium's perspective. After the success of "Grande Enciclopedia del Rock" by Riccardo Bertoncelli, the Tucsanian publishing company tries to repeat the achievement with a selection of the best that Rock musicians have been capable of putting together since the term was created omitting details and complete discographies, which are specialties of the Novara colleague. Even though it may seem anachronistical to some to purchase a book dividing opera depending on their historical importance which won't be up-to-date soon, for others on the contrary the 500 pages of the book by Cilia and Guglielmi represent a valid investment to ample their discography with the guarantee to not ever bring home mediocre records, but only albums of elevated or maximum value. MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - 20th December 2019
	Contacts: Giunti Editore - Florence (Italy) Official site: https://www.giunti.it Eddy Cilia - Turin (Italy) Official site: https://www.facebook.com/Eddy.Cilia Federico Guglielmi - Rome (Italy) Official site: https://www.facebook.com/federico.guglielmi.37