Novembre 1993: "Modern Life Is Rubbish", pur essendo stato osannato dalla critica, si è rivelato un flop commerciale (durante il '93 non superò le 40000 copie). I Blur sono al verde, per cui iniziano a lavorare a un nuovo album, ancora più motivati a esaltare l'inglesità e a rifiutare il giunge, tanto da voler mettere in copertina una foto di Buckingham Palace.
A fine gennaio hanno in mano una manciata di ottimi brani, che andranno a costituire una delle pietre miliari del Britpop: "Parklife", uscito il 25 aprile 1994, fu un successone di vendite (2 milioni di copie in Inghilterra), coronato da una valanga di premi (tanto per citare, ai Brit Awards 1995, vinsero 4 premi, record tuttora imbattuto). Come mai tutto questo successo? Certo ciò è dovuto a un salto di qualità: dopo l'eccellente ma piuttosto anticommerciale "Modern Life..." i Blur rinfrescano il loro suono, dando vita a brani catchy e perfetti.
L'album è stato anticipato tre settimane dopo la mia nascita da "Girls & Boys", il brano britpop-disco per antonomasia insieme a "Common People" dei Pulp. Le radio iniziano subito a passarlo a manetta e il singolo arriva alla #5 UK. Quando agli inizi di aprile sui vari NME, Sunday Times, Select, Loaded, urlano letteralmente al miracolo, definendo il disco un capolavoro. Fine aprile: esce l'album, schizza al numero 1 della classifica UK e scalza "The Division Bell" dei Pink Floyd. Fino al 1996 non si schioderà dalla classifica inglese.
I brani contenuti sono delle vere perle, e traggono ispirazione da tutta la migliore musica degli anni ‘60/'70 e anche '80: in "Tracy Jacks", "End Of A Century", "Magic America" possiamo cogliere echi dei Kinks e dei Beatles più scanzonati; "Bank Holiday" e "Jubilee" sono dei punk al 100%, con testi demenziali e accordi velocissimi; abbiamo anche ballate, come "Badhead" e "To The End", sprazzi esotici in "Lot 105", una marcetta-waltzer ("The Debt Collector"), un po' di elettronica alla Devo in "Trouble In The Message Centre". Nell'epica "This Is A Low" possiamo cogliere echi dei Beatles più psichedelici e romantici (a tratti mi ricorda "A Day In The Life", non so perché...)
Ma una nota va fatta per alcuni brani che definiscono il suono dei Blur nel periodo 1994-1995: "Parklife", dove strofe semi-rappate con accento spudoratamente cockney dall'attore di Quadrophenia, Phil Daniels, convivono con un ritornello ultra-catchy, che si stampa in testa. "Far Out" è cantato dal bassista Alex James, ha sonorità le cui influenze non riesco a definire... il testo è composto da soli nomi di costellazioni (un po' come "Astronomy Domine" dei Pink Floyd). Ho trovato tempo fa il demo e trovo che sia un peccato l'aver cambiato l'arrangiamento così radicalmente: da punk ad acustica (infatti con la voce ci sono solo un organo e una chitarra).
Anche i brani scartati dalla scaletta sono straordinari: c'è una sorella di "The Debt Collector", intitolata "The Anniversari Waltz"; c'è la bizzarrissima "Magpie", dove cogliamo le sonorità dei primi Blur, piuttosto Baggy e un ritornello super-britpop. Il finale è a sorpresa: un casino pazzesco seguito da una parte folkeggiante. "People in Europe" è un brano disco sullo stile di "Girls & Boys", con un testo formato da frasi in varie lingue europee (tra cui l'italiano "Ciao Ciao Bella, Monaco") e un ritornello Pa Paa Pa Paa divertentissimo. Durante queste sessions i Blur scaturirono un brano jazz, "Beard", dove la bravura di ogni singolo componente del gruppo viene a galla più che in qualsiasi altro loro pezzo.
Ultima nota: nel booklet ci sono nuovamente gli accordi e i testi dei brani, questa volta però scritti a mano su fogli a quadretti, scontrini, ricevute di pagamenti di hotels, e c'è anche lo spartito di "The Debt Collector". Un motivo in più per comprarlo originale...!
Ascoltate quest'album, non ve ne pentirete.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Girls & Boys (04:50)
Street's like a jungle
So call the police
Following the herd
Down to Greece
On holiday
Love in the 90's
Is paranoid
On sunny beaches
Take your chan-ces
Looking for
Girls who want boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love
Avoiding all work
'Cuz there's none available
Low battery thinkers
Count your thoughts
On one two three four
Five fingers
Nothing is wasted
Only reproduced
You get nasty blisters
Du bist sehr schön
But we haven't been
Introduced
Girls who want boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love
Girls who want boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone to really love
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh
Looking for
Girls who want boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love
Girls who want boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love
Girls who want boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone you really love
Girls who want boys
Who like boys to be girls
Who do boys like they're girls
Who do girls like they're boys
Always should be someone to really love
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
oh oh oh oh oh
02 Tracy Jacks (04:20)
(Tracy Jacks) works in civil service
(Tracy Jacks) it's steady employment
(Tracy Jacks) it's a golfing fanatic
(Tracy Jacks) but his put is erratic
(Tracy Jacks) saw a Harley Street doctor
(Tracy Jacks) who prescribed healthy living
(Tracy Jacks) but he's getting past forty
(Tracy Jacks) and all the seams are splitting
everyday he got closer
he knew in his heart he was over
i'd love to stay here and be normal
but it's just so over rated
(Tracy Jacks) left home without warning
(Tracy Jacks) at five in the morning
(Tracy Jacks) got on the first train to Walton
(Tracy Jacks) and stood on the seafront
(Tracy Jacks) threw his clothes in the water
(Tracy Jacks) and ran around naked
(Tracy Jacks) got stopped by the police
(Tracy Jacks) and escorted back home
everyday he got closer
he knew in his heart he was over
i'd love to stay here and be normal
but then it's just so over rated
and then it happened on a Tuesday morning
Tracy Jacks bulldozed down the house he lived in
saying it's just so overrated
everyday he got closer
he knew in his heart he was over
i'd love to stay here and be normal
but it was alway over rated
03 End of a Century (02:45)
She says there's ants in the carpet
Dirty little monsters
Eating all the morsels
Picking up the rubbish
Give her effervescence
She needs a little sparkle
Good morning t.v.
You're lookin' so healthy
CHORUS:
We all say
Dont want to be alone
We wear the same clothes
'cause we feel the same
We kiss with dry lips
When we say goodnight
End of a century.. it's nothing special
Sex on the t.v.
Everybody's at it
And the mind gets dirty
As you get closer to thirty
He gives her a cuddle
Glowing in a huddle
Good night t.v.
Your all made up
You're looking like me
Chorus
Can... you... eat... her... yes... you... can...
Chorus x2
End of a century.. It's nothing specialx2
04 Parklife (03:05)
OOYY!!
Confidence is a preference
For the habitual voyeur
Of what is known as
(Parklife)
And morning soup can be avoided
If you take a route
Straight through what is known as
(Parklife)
John's got brewers droop he gets
Intimidated by the dirty pigeons
They love a bit of it
(Parklife)
Who's that gut lord marchin?
You should cut down on your porklife mate
Get some exercise
CHORUS:
All the people
So many people
And they all go hand in hand
Hand in hand through their parklife
Know what i mean?
I get up when i want except on wednesdays
When i get rudely awaken by the dustmen
(Parklife)
I put on my trousers on, have a cup of tea
And then think about leaving the house
(Parklife)
I feed the pigeons
I sometimes feed the sparrows too
It gives me a sense of enormous well being
(Parklife)
And then i'm happy for the rest of the day
Safe in the knowledge there will always
Be a bit of my heart devoted to it
CHORUS
Parklife (Parklife)
Parklife (Parklife)
Its got nothing to do with your
Vorsprung durch technique you know
And its not about you joggers
Who go round and round and round and round.....
CHORUS
05 Bank Holiday (01:42)
Grandma needs new dentures
To eat the crust on pizza
Been taken out by her daughter
Because she thought she oughta
The kids are eating Snickers
Because they're so delicious
Then there's sticky fingers
And mother loses her knickers
CHORUS:
Bank holiday comes six times a year
Days of enjoyment to which everyone cheers!
Bank holiday comes with a six pack of beer
Then it's back to work - A. G. A. I. N.
Barbecue is cooking
Sausages and chicken
The patio is buzzing
And neighbours they are looking
John is down the fun pub
Drinking lots of lager
Girls and boys are on the game
And all the high streets look the same!
CHORUS
Back to work - A! G! A-I-N!
Bank holiday!
06 Badhead (03:25)
BADHEAD
So Far
I've not really stayed in touch
Well you knew as much
It's no surprise that today
I'll get up around two from a lack of anything to do
And I might as well just grin and bear it
Because it's not worth the trouble of an argument
And you
Not really stayed in touch
Well I knew as much
It's no surprise that today
I get up around two with nothing to do
Except get a touch of flu
And I might as well just grin and bear it
Because it's not worth the trouble of an argument
And in any case I'd rather wear it
It's like a badhead in the morning
I know
And I might as well grin and bear it
Because it's not worth the trouble of an argument
And in any case I'd rather wear it
It's like a badhead in the morning
And I might as well grin and bear it
Because it's not worth the trouble of an argument
And in any case I'd rather wear it
It's like a badhead in the morning
I know
08 Far Out (01:41)
I spy in the night sky don't I
phoebe io elara leda callisto sinope
janus dione portia so many moons
quiet in the sky at night hot in the milky way
outside in
vega capella hadar rigel barnard's star
antares aldebaran altair wolf 359
betelgeuse sun sun sun...................
10 London Loves (04:15)
A malady has taken him over
Coughing tar in his japanese motor
The lights are magic
And he feels lucky
And he's got money
Shoots like an arrow - oh
London loves
The mystery of a speeding car
London loves
The misery of a speeding heart
Its love u like, and everyone's at it
And words are cheap when the mind is elastic
He loves the violence
Keeps ticking over
So sleep together
Before today is sold forever
London loves
The way people just fall apart
London loves
The way you just don't stand a chance
London loves
The mystery of a speeding car
O-oh o-oh o-oh o-oh
London loves
The mystery of a speeding car
London loves
The misery of a speeding heart
London loves
The mystery
London loves
The way people just fall apart
London loves
The way we just don't stand a chance
London loves
A speeding heart
11 Trouble in the Message Centre (04:09)
I am the message centre
Local and direct
Room to room
An operator
(No calls today, dear
They'll just have to wait, dear)
I call
And I collect
(So just strike him softly
Away from the body)
You're made up too shiny today
There's so much trouble
Your thoughts are just
Pissing away
It's so much trouble
I am a manager
And I am in control
As the local delegator
(No calls today, dear
They'll just have to wait, dear)
I offer no guarantee at all
(So don't take it lightly
You passed your sell-by date)
You're made up too shiny today
It's so much trouble
Your thoughts are just
Pissing away
It's so much trouble
A new typeface
A new day
It's so much trouble
You can't remember ten minutes ago
It's so much trouble
Too much trouble
12 Clover Over Dover (03:22)
I'm on the white cliffs of Dover
Thinking it over and over
But if I jump its all over
A cautionary tale for you
I'd like to roll in the clover
With you over and over
On the white cliffs of dover
And then I'd let you push me over
and if that is the fact then in actual fact
it's not where it's at
and it's over
and if that is the fact then in actual fact
i'm not where it's at
and it's over
yes it is
And now the bluebirds are over
Over the white cliffs of dover
So when you push me over
Don't bury me I'm not worth anything
14 Jubilee (02:47)
Jubilee slouches in his settee
He's losing all will to move
He got dippy, too much telly
He watching 24 hours of rubbish
He got butane, he got plastic bags
His eyes are going square - oh yeah
He's no raver, just anti-social
He not going to cut his hair
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how
Seventeen
He not mean enough
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how
Seventeen
He not keen on being like
Anyone else
Jubilee's dad, Billy Banker,
Thinks his son's a slob
Should get out more, stop scabbing,
He really should go and get a job
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how to do it
Seventeen
He's not mean enough
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how, where to go
But he just don't get out enough
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how, where to go
But he just don't get out enough
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how to do it, talk to girls
But he's just to spotty
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how
Seventeen
He not keen on being like
Anyone else
So he just plays on his computer game!
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how to do it
Seventeen
He's not mean enough
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how, where to go
But he just don't get out enough
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how to do it, talk to girls
But he's just too spotty
He dresses incorrectly
No one told him how to do it, where to go
He's not keen on being like anyone
He's not being like
Jubilee is not like
Anyone else.
15 This Is a Low (05:07)
And into the sea goes pretty England and me
Around the Bay of Biscay and back for tea
Hit traffic on the Dogger bank
Up the Thames to find a taxi rank
Sail on by with the tide and go asleep
And the radio says
(chorus)
This is a low
But it won't hurt you
When you are alone it will be there with you
Finding ways to stay solo
On the Tyne, Forth, and Cromarty
There's a low in the high Forties
And Saturday's locked away on the pier
Not fast enough dear
On the Malin head, Blackpool looks blue and red
And the queen, she's gone round the bend
Jumped off land's end
(chorus x 3)
16 Lot 105 (01:18)
La la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la - ha ha
La la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la - ha ha
La la la la la la la la la la
La la la la la la
Eighteen times a week, love
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di danieleerpiccoletto
Un album che presenta sfaccettature nuove in ogni sua canzone, semplicemente stupendo.
Un ritornello che ti rimane in mente sin dal primo ascolto.
Di ste84
Sti Blur non sono male, eh Ste!
Questo album mi ha costretto a fare un passo indietro ed apprezzare anche la musica dei Blur... anche un pochino più intelligente.
Di Jude93
"'Parklife' sintetizza l’essenza del britpop e ne ha contribuito la diffusione di massa anche fuori dall’Inghilterra."
"Un vero e proprio inno liberatorio alla vita all’aria aperta, libera e senza pensieri, propria degli immensi parchi inglesi."
Di 2000
Parklife oggi può essere il vero emblema del Britpop con Different Class e Morning Glory.
Mi fa piacere ricordare questa pietra miliare degli anni '90 ed una band con i controcoglioni.
