Mass-Media Stars is the second album by Acqua Fragile and was
released in 1974 on the Ricordi label with a confirmed line up
featuring Bernardo Lanzetti (vocals, guitar), Gino Campanini
(electric and acoustic guitar, vocals), Maurizio Mori (keyboards,
vocals), Franz Dondi (bass) and Pier Emilio Canavera (drums, acoustic
guitar, vocals). The album, produced by Claudio Fabi (best known for
his work with PFM), has a good sound quality and the musicians seem
more aware of their songwriting abilities. In my opinion, the tracks
on it sound more personal and mature if compared with those on their
self-titled debut. However, the final outcome is somewhat hampered by
the band's stubbornness in insisting on singing their songs in
English, against the wishes of their record company and an Italian
market that was at the time unreceptive to such a proposal. This led
to a commercial flop, despite the quality of the album...
The fine opening track, “Cosmic Mind Affair”, evokes astronomical
laws that serve as a guide for our minds, inviting us on a journey
into the depths of the cosmos while walking on the thin line of
madness. The mysteries of the universe are too profound to be
fathomed or understood by our limited human capabilities: what if we
were nothing more than strange, incredible creatures generated by the
brains of other worlds? Like the aliens that populate our dreams...
The following “Bar Gazing” is at times musically reminiscent of
Genesis while its somewhat surreal lyrics draw inspiration from the
observation of the customers of a bar located in a town square. An
unruly driver, a bee inspector, a couple of pharmacy lovers...
The instrumental intro to “Mass-Media Stars” is strongly
reminiscent of PFM. Then, the festive atmosphere is paired with
sarcastic lyrics about rock stars and their diva-like attitudes: vain
artists who bark loudly in the air, with a political touch and the
gift of the gab; frivolous Lolitas who think they can do rock'n'roll
better than Elvis while flaunting a thousand gimmicks that you have
to admire with the blessing of the media...
“Professor” is an interesting, caustic piece that paints in music
and words the portrait of an austere, know-it-all man who delights in
picking out others' mistakes and point out what an artist is lacking;
a ruthless critic who poses as an expert without truly being one.
With weary eyes and a black bow tie, he takes pleasure in denigrating
the work of others. Yet, one has to wonder: what is the point of
dwelling on trivial errors when it would be far more useful to
highlight what is actually working? The protagonist is merely a
professor who teaches nothing; his petty attitude will ultimately
lead him into oblivion, while the people he criticised go on with all
their mistakes and their enthusiasm...
The last track, “Coffee Song”, is a melancholic acoustic ballad
about the passing of time and the need to be ready for every new
opportunity - despite any despondency or sadness - because there is
nothing worse than looking back with regret at having lost the
winning path simply because one was tired...
On the whole, a very good work.
You can listen to the complete album HERE
Acqua Fragile: Mass-Media Stars (1974). Other opinions:
Conor Fynes: Like Acqua Fragile's self-titled debut, "Mass
Media Stars" shows tact and potential, but it lacks any sort of
unique personality or identity. First impressions are certainly
brighter than the album's lasting impact, as some of the album's
weaker aspects- Lanzetti's vocals especially- tend to wear down the
enjoyment before too long. They may be little more than a Genesis
clone, but they do manage to recreate the style faithfully...
(read the complete review HERE)
Michael “Aussie-Byrd-Brother”: Bernardo Lanzetti's vocals are
extremely hard to love here. His English pronunciation became
stronger and clearer on the PFM albums, but here his words often seem
to run together in an increasingly inane way, very difficulty to
understand and focus on, and attention starts to wander from the
decent music behind them. Just notice the way the album suddenly
picks up whenever the vocals calm down for a moment and the band
launch into lengthier instrumental passages. Sadly these sort of more
magical moments are few and far between... (read the complete
review HERE)
