DARWIN (1991 VERSION)

After their extremely poor output of the eighties, what could "Banco" proposed in the early nineties ? Well, why not trying a remake of their best album : "Darwin" ? Almost twenty years later. Why not if you have nothing else to offer. This shows anyway the dead end in which "Banco" was heading to.

After so many incredibly dull albums, this one could only be better of course. If you start from a very good original, you could hardly screwed it up. This version is longer than the original one (this will fit on a CD, right ?). But the idea as such does not please me very much. Sounds as if they needed to make money at all costs (especially the fan's one).

Yet again, the highlight is "L'Evoluzione", no wonder. "La Conquista" sounds more pompous here. Even if the original was not really my fave of the album, Franceso was much more emotive than on this version. Each song is more extended in this new release (some just a bit like the jazzy "Danza Dei Grandi Rettili" and some more like the great "750,000 Anni Fa ... L'Amore". This one is my second fave. Fantastic vocals again (Giacomo is really the one who holds things here).

But frankly, what's the use of getting another version of a great album. Would "Floyd" release a b-copy of "WYWH", "Genesis" another "SIBTP" ot "Tull" another "TAAB"? Pointless.

This album is good of course. Songs are well reworked, sound is much more polished but also harder than the original; and Giacomo always sounds magnificent. Musically this album deserves three stars because if it weren't for Giacomo, this might have been as a good cover effort. But I have a lot of concern about their marketing startegy (zero to one star for this). But I guess that it was the only way to get a good "Banco" album.

Three stars (but with the restriction I have outlined). This only shows a band that are completely out of their creative period (but this has lasted for over a decade...). If each band out of inspiraration would recreate an old album, the amounts of releases available for review on PA would double. Is this what we would praise ? Not me.