Audio CD review:
Gino Vannelli - The Gist of the Gemini

Gino Vannelli - The Gist of the Gemini

Band: Gino Vannelli Title: The Gist of the Gemini Rating: Release Date: 1990-10-25 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Love of My Life 2: Ugly Man 3: A New Fix for '76 4: Omens of Love 5: Fly into This Night 6: War Suite: Prelude to the War 7: The Battle Cry 8: To the War 9: Carnal Question 10: After the Last Battle 11: To the War (Reflection) 12: Summers of My Life

I Salute You, my 5-star friends! My mother was a DJ in 1975-76 and that is how I got to hear this Vanelli. I was only 8 years old when I heard his music and then (even then) my heart was into his groove and my eyes were filled with tears! He had me like the other legends like Barry White, Stevie Wonder, Billy Preston, Yes, Wes Montgomery, Lalo Schriffin, and many others in a lot of genres. The single 45 that she brought out was "Summers Of My Life" and I thought it was Stevie Wonder playing for an Italien! Gino just wanted me to be just like him and others to be able to created great music like this. There's a story to all of Vanelli's music and I was intrigued by his diffrent styles but you will know it's all Vanelli through classic rock, classical, jazz, soul, r&b, and fusion. Another great master along with his brother Joe and his devoted patrons that just make his music expand as if to say, "hey! has anybody ever felt like this?" The war suite is amazing to me and it gives me wonderful reflections of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer as well as Yes with Anderson's spiritual lyrics like the epic "Close To The Edge". It hurts me that real good musicians and composers are pushed to the back burner while there are so many so-called artists of today that has little talents are noticed and in the front line. Not trying to dissed today's musicians at all (there are a few real ones like John Mayer and Vanessa Carlton), but I know a lot of us can agree that the way music is created today is no effort to it like is was 30 years ago and beyond! Lyrics back then in Vanelli and others in that era had meaning. . GINO ROCKS!! This CD was one of his best, if you're a true Gino fan, you'll love it!!. Gino can do no wrong where I'm concerned. Musical Greatness At A Crossroads It has nothing to do with the overall sound being any different from Powerful People and Storm at Sunup-it isn't. As if his previous two releases were't already shocking and amazing this recording is one of Gino Vanelli's most overwelming and ambitous recordings. A lot of it may have to do with the final seven cuts on this recording,what I can only describe as an almost genre defying orchestral electronic funk opus that jumps up and down in musical intensity as the lyrical content about the insecurities of a returing veteran and his conflicting views on the war he's faught. This is the kind of thing I understand Stevie Wonder was looking to record for his Songs in the Key of Life but was somewhat held back by Motown's commercial reputation. Apparently Gino had no such constrictions at all and just let it all loose. Aside from the this album in general tends to be funkier and more R&B oriented and less reliant on ballads as before although the reflective "Ugly Man" and "Omens Of Love" are two of the most softly haunting contributions he's made to that style. Otherwise there is the joyous "Love Of My Life","Fly Into The Night" and (my favorite) "A New Fix For 76" in which Gino "raps" some funny rhymes about the changing face of fasion and personal taste during this centenial year. As with most of Gino's mid 70's releases this album never developed much more then a cult following;his music could be sometimes overpowering (some not in the know might say pretentious),his lyrics very cosmic and spacious and while contemporary in instrumentation his musical style and orchestration was out of the mainstream even for this most self indulgant musical eras. And even if this album has a lot of drama self indulgant is something this album is not. It's the forth album of career thus far and should probably be one of the first few you hear (the first being Powerful People of course)and no matter when or where you encounter this in the development of your musical collection this is more then a worthy addition. This man and his band are just incredible!. No as good as "Powerful People"... But interesting! Some obscure songs, overpowered sound of keyboards and synthesizers, made this album a not-so-good sequence to "Powerful. Gino Vannelli was certainly unable to obtain the same level of popularity he got with "Powerful People" with this "The Gist Of The Gemini". . . " However two tunes deserve to be listened: "Love Of My Life" and "Summers Of My Life". . Still my favorite album by Gino V. After hearing the first track, "Love Of My Life," as well as the rest of this excellently produced album, I've been hooked ever since. Maybe it's because this was the first album I purchased by Gino that it still remains my favorite. I especially love the beautiful song, "Summers Of My Life. " I knew from that moment on that I would be a truly devoted Gino Vannelli fan, and have followed his career and music to this day. I was so honored to have met him and shaken his hand at the Addison Jazz Festival in Dallas, Texas, back in 1998 (sponsored by The Oasis Jazz radio station 107. 5 FM). As usual, his performance at the concert venue that summer evening went flawlessly. He is a true musical genius. You can see a complete list of all Gino Vannelli discography, or go back to the Gino Vannelli tabs