• Voto:
Quando si parla di padri del rock, il nome di Bo Diddley è sempre messo un pò in secondo piano. Elvis era The Pelvis, Chuck Berry il primo dei guitar heroes, Buddy Holly il nerd sensibile e romantico mentre Little Richard fu il primo a giocare con l'ambiguità e la trasgressione. Non a caso lo stesso Diddley una volta disse: "Sono io che ho aperto un sacco di porte, ma sono rimasto con il pomello in mano".
Diddley paga forse il non aver mai avuto epocali sucessi in classifica a parte il memorabile singolo "Bo Diddley/i'm the man" del 1955 (del resto era compagno di etichetta dell'ingombrante e popolarissimo Berry), ma -nonostante non avesse forse qualcosa di riconoscibile a prima vista per le masse come i nomi che ho citato- i suoi classici hanno avuto un'influenza straordinaria e forse ben più profonda nella storia del rock. Pensiamo soltanto alla rilettura di "Who Do You Love" e "Mona" da parte dei Quicksilver nel capolavoro psichedelico "Happy Trails" o all'influenza su gente come Pretty Things, Kinks, Animals, Yardbirds e Sonics. Senza contare che gli Stones e Hendrix furono tra i suoi più grandi estimatori: non può essere un caso, dato che il nativo del Missisipi aveva codificato l'electric Chicago blues assieme a Waters, Dixon e Wolf.
Quali erano i tratti distintivi dell'opera di Diddley? Anzitutto il favoloso beat sincopato, autentico cuore del rock and roll, con inserti tribali che arrivavano a citare le radici africane e valorizzato dalle maracas di Jerome Green. "Who Do You Love" è in questo senso un pezzo insuperabile, riassunto del suo stile tra il blues e il nascente rock and roll. E poi tutti gli effetti chitarristici: Bo usava una chitarra rettangolare di costruzione Gretsch, deta "Twang Machine", e da essa faceva partire tutta una serie di distorsioni, tremoli ed effetti che arricchivano i suoi riff blues (immortale quello di "i'm a man") che ne fanno un ispiratore del grande Jimi (i presunti sacerdoti unici del chitarrista di Seattle concorderanno...). Il suo stile chitarristico era stordente, gradasso, fuzzy ed espandeva la potenza dello strumento verso destinazioni ignote. E infine la sua voce, diretta e selvaggia, che illumina pezzi come "Bo Diddley", "Pretty Thing", "Road Runner", "Before You Accuse Me" e l'amara profetica "You can't judge a book by it's cover".
Signori, sono i classici immortali nel repertorio dell'unico, autentico "Originator".
Elenco tracce e testi
01 Bo Diddley (02:46)
Bo Diddley bought his baby a diamond ring
If that diamond ring don't shine
He gonna take it to a private eye
If that private eye can't see
He better not take the ring from me
Bo Diddley bought a nanny goat
To make his pretty baby a Sunday coat
Bo Diddley bought a bear-a-cat
To make his pretty baby a Sunday hat
Mojo come to my house, a black cat bone
And take my baby away from home
Ugly ole Mojo where's he been
Up to your house and gone again
Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley have you heard?
My pretty baby said she was a bird
02 I'm a Man (02:59)
(Ellas McDaniel) 1955
Now when I was a little boy,
At the age of five,
I had somethin' in my pocket,
Keep a lot of folks alive.
Now I'm a man,
Made twenty-one,
You know baby,
We can have a lot of fun.
I'm a man,
I spell M-A-N...man.
All you pretty women,
Stand in line,
I can make love to you baby,
In an hour's time.
I'm a man,
I spell M-A-N...man.
I goin' back down,
To Kansas to
Bring back the second cousin,
Little John the conqueroo.
I'm a man,
I spell M-A-N...man.
The line I shoot,
Will never miss,
The way I make love to 'em,
They can't resist.
I'm a man,
I spell M-A-N...man.
05 Pretty Thing (02:50)
(Ellas McDaniel) 1956
You pretty thing,
Let me buy you a wedding ring,
Let me hear the choir sing,
Oh you pretty thing.
You pretty thing,
Let me walk you down the aisle,
Darling, it's where our love is found,
Oh you pretty thing.
Let me kiss you gentle,
Squeeze and hold you tight,
Let me give all my love,
The rest of my life.
You pretty thing,
Let me hold you by my side,
And become my blushing bride,
You pretty thing,
Pretty thing,
Let me dedicate my life,
You will always be my wife,
Oh you pretty thing.
07 Bring It to Jerome (02:29)
(jerome green) 1956
(bo diddley): well, every day I work,
Bringing home my pay,
Come to find out baby,
You've bin giving my money away.
Tell me baby,
What you tryin' to do?
You ain't seen me hummin',
Like you used to do.
Tell me mama,
What's wrong with you?
You know pretty baby,
I'm so crazy 'bout you.
(jerome green): all you pretty women,
Bring it to my home,
You don't have to worry,
I won't do you no wrong.
Bring it on home,
Bring it to jerome,
Bring it on home,
Bring it to jerome.
Look here pretty baby,
This mess I won't stand,
All the other women,
Say you got another man.
Bring it on home,
Bring it to jerome,
Bring it on home,
Bring it to jerome.
08 Diddy Wah Diddy (02:33)
(Diddy Wah)
(A-diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
I gotta gal down in Diddy Wah Diddy
(Diddy Wah)
Ain't no town an it ain't no city
(Diddy Wah)
She loves her man, just is a pity
Crazy 'bout my gal in Diddy Wah Diddy
(Diddy Wah)
This little girl is sweet as she could be
(Diddy Wah)
I know she's in love with me
(Diddy Wah)
A lovely face, she's so pretty
(Diddy Wah)
But she's still way down in Diddy Wah Diddy
(Diddy Wah, Diddy Wah, Diddy)
(Diddy Wah, Diddy Wah, Diddy)
(Diddy Wah, Diddy Wah, Diddy)
Ain't no town, an it ain't no city
But oh, how they love in Diddy Wah Diddy)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
She kissed me all the time
(Diddy Wah)
She gonna turn me outta my mind
(Diddy Wah)
Anything, she says she's ready
(Diddy Wah)
Run right back to Diddy Wah Diddy
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
Ain't no town, ain't no city
Lord, how they love in Diddy Wah Diddy)
(Diddy Wah)
(Diddy Wah)
FADES-
Diddy Wah
09 I'm Looking for a Woman (02:33)
(Ellas McDaniel) 1956
I'm looking for a woman,
That will work to set me down,
I'm looking for a woman,
That will work to set me down,
I've bin looking all night long,
She can't be found.
Well I met one last night,
And I told her what I liked,
Well I met one last night,
And I told her what I liked,
She said get away from here country boy,
Go back to your countryside.
Well tell me baby,
What you see wrong with me,
Well tell me baby,
What you see wrong with me,
Well if I had you baby,
You wouldn't be lookin' back at me.
Well so long mama,
Baby bye-bye you bye,
Well so long mama,
Baby bye-bye you bye,
Well now bye-bye baby,
With a tear in your eye.
11 Down Home Special (03:13)
<train whistle intro & between verses>
'All Aboard!'
Bo Spoken w/engineer responding)
Let me get in here and get me a ticket.
Say man, look here, is this the Down Home Special?
(Yes!)
Well, gimme a ticket then, man.
(What ticket, man?)
A ticket to McComb, Mississippi.
(McComb?)
Yeah, McComb.
(I thought you was goin' to Appaloosa)
Ha, ha, ha, Yeah, I'm goin' to Appaloosa, alright.
The train goin' through there but I ain't gettin' off!
(<beep-beep, toot-toot>
Sings:
I'm goin' home to see my babe, fair
I'm goin' home, see my baby
I'm goin' home, see my baby
And I don't, doggone, mean maybe
Been workin' like I never did before
Just made a lot of money
To get to my baby's door
Been through Appaloosa
Been to Tennessee
Been up in a airplane
Even out on the sea
I can't find a woman
To satis-satisfy me
Got a woman in the country
One in the city, too
I have got to find a woman
That thrill me through and through
I'm goin' home, see my baby
I'm goin' home to see my baby
I'm goin' home to see my baby
And I don't, don't, mean maybe
(McComb!)
Travel two days
And two nights long
Snow, storm, rainy weather
Get back in yo' arms
I'm goin' home to see my baby
I'm goin' home to see my baby
(All arrive for McComb!)
(McComb!)
FADES-
(All arrive for McComb).
15 Before You Accuse Me (03:06)
Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself
Before you accuse me, take a look at yourself
You say I've been spending my money on other women
You've been taking money from someone else
I called your mama 'bout three or four nights ago
I called your mama 'bout three or four nights ago
Well your mother said "Son"
"Don't call my daughter no more"
Chorus
Come back home baby, try my love one more time
Come back home baby, try my love one more time
If I don't go on and quit you
I'm gonna lose my mind
Chorus
20 Crackin' Up (02:06)
You're always hollering
Bout where I been
You're always screaming
Bout the money I spend
What's bugging you
(Yeah, yeah, you're cracking up)
I do your laundry
And your cooking too
What more, woman
Can a man like me do
What's bugging me
(Yeah, yeah, you're cracking up)
I spoiled you, woman
A long time ago
I used to cook your meals
And bring 'em to your door
I'm all fed up
(Yeah, yeah, you're bugging me)
22 I'm Sorry (02:26)
(Ellas McDaniel/Harvey Fuqua/Alan Freed) 1958
I'm sorry,
Oh, I'm sorry,
Oh baby, I'm sorry,
For the things I said to you.
You know I love you,
You know I care,
With you, my new heart I want to share,
Darling I need you,
With all your heart and soul,
To know that I want you, and I'll never let you go,
But forgive me,
Please forgive me,
Please forgive me,
For I knew not what I was sayin'.
Come on little baby,
Come on darling,
Give me another chance,
To make up on my wrong,
You know that I love you,
You know I'll put nobody else above you,
Come on, come on,
Say that you'll love me.
I'm sorry,
Oh yes I'm sorry,
Oh I'm sorry,
For the things I said t' you.
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