Search - Dino Valente :: Dino Valente

In The Heart Of The Sixties

J. Holcombe | 03/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's been scientifically proven that "Get Together", written by Dino Valenti (not on this CD) is the emotional center of that golden, innocent era. This CD is a musical and lyrical brother to that great song.



There is an innocence and naivete to Valenti that some may find silly... but personally I find it refreshing and life affirming to briefly escape back into the warm days of my youth.



The melodies and guitars are shimmering and beautiful, Valenti's voice is a perfect echo of 1969...warm and earnest and sometimes strident.



I briefly owned the 8-track tape 35 years ago, and debated over whether I would be dissapointed in the music if I purchased it now. In fact, I like it far more now than I did when I was 18.



If you like Valenti's more melodic work in Quicksilver, "Everybody's Been Burned" by David Crosby, "On The Way Home" by Neil Young... or if you just want to recapture "The Bright Elusive Butterfly of Love" (I'm laughing as I type this), I think you'll like this CD."

Definitely not a classic, but not an embarrassment either

Elliot Knapp | Seattle, Washington United States | 11/16/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This single eponymous, solo release from Valente of Quicksilver Messenger Service fame is, like the other reviewers have noted, definitely a relic. With that label comes certain connotations--it is a piece trapped in a specific time period, but it is also somewhat of a buried treasure. I've found both of these observations to be at least partially, but not completely true.



Dino's definitely representing a spaced-out hippie mentality with his style and romance-obsessed lyrics. That's true, but his sound on this particular record is pretty cool, with some sweet reverbed horns, 12-string, and a voice that sounds (at its best) a lot to me like Johnny Rivers. Unfortunately, this same production/arrangement sound gets a little bit bland once you realize that the entire album sounds basically the same, so the second half isn't too memorable. This isn't really helped by his spacey, second person lyrics, that leave some to be desired. In the end, it's kind of like a more amateurly-played "Astral Weeks" without strong songs. I can't really recommend any of the songs over others, since they are mostly about the same things and sound the same, except for "Me and My Uncle," which is actually a surprisingly good, dark folk-style ballad. Nonetheless, I do enjoy the atmosphere of this record, and would probably still buy it if I had a second chance.



In the liner notes, Dino is called the "underground Dylan." He may have played in folk clubs (but who didn't?), but aside from that and attempted hairstyle, Valente has little resemblance to Dylan's songwriting skills. Unfortunately, this isn't the missing link or keystone for your obscure record collection (but hey, you can't win them all), but like I said, I still do listen to it sometimes and don't regret buying it. You may enjoy it more than I did, but it may at least be worth owning regardless."