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Brian May, per tutti il chitarrista dei Queen, l'uomo della Red Special, l'artefice di canzoni come "We Will Rock You" e "Who Wants To Live Forever", all'occorrenza capace di proporsi come cantante con buoni esiti, come in "'39" o "All Dead, All Dead": grandi onori ma anche grandi oneri, che forse non hanno mai permesso al riccioluto guitar hero londinese di proporsi con forza e convinzione come solista: "Back To The Light" il suo primo, vero tentativo di affrancarsi dalla casa madre Queen ebbe una gestazione lunga e travagliata, durata dal 1988 al 1992, venendo così travolto dall'onda lunga causata dalla prematura morte di Freddie Mercury; destino immeritato per un grandissimo album di un musicista a tutto tondo che dimostra, sempre con il suo inconfondibile sound, di essere in grado di reggere la scena anche da solo.
Avvalendosi di collaboratori del calibro di Cozy Powell, Neil Murray, John Deacon e Don Airey il Nostro riesce a dare vita ad un grande album rock: AOR di altissima qualità che mette definitivamente da parte le contaminazioni pop-elettroniche che avevano contraddistinto nel bene e (soprattutto) nel male il suond dei Queen durante gli anni ‘80 e restituisce alla Rossa Speciale il dominio assoluto della scena, originando un'infornata di canzoni al limite della perfezione: Brian May non ha certamente il carisma e le ineguagliabili doti canore di Freddie, ma è un performer completo, che in ogni riff, in ogni piccolo assolo della RS ed anche in ogni interpretazione vocale ci mette il cuore: lo si capisce in canzoni come l'epico arena-rock della titletrack, chiaramente debitrice al sound della Regina, e soprattutto la strabordante "Love Token", piccoli frammenti di pop-rock amalgamati in una coriacea glassa a metà tra l'heavy, con un pizzico di blues à'la Rolling Stones, che trova la sua naturale confluenza nel punto più alto dell'album, l'immensa "Resurrection", spavalda cavalcata che mette in luce il maestoso lavoro di Cozy Powell dietro le pelli e un May che riesce a dare il meglio di sé sia come chitarrista che come cantante.
A questi esempi di epico guitar-sound dai toni heavy-oriented si affiancano episodi più leggeri e radio-friendly, come il singolo di lancio "Driven By You", fresco e godibile pop-rock accostabile come atmosfera ai Queen di "A Kind Of Magic" o "The Miracle", la leggera "Let Your Heart Rule Your Head", grande pop con venature gospel e le ballate come la malinconica ed elegante "Nothin' But Blue", con i fraseggi blues della Red Special a reggere la scena e "Too Much Love Will Kill You", la canzone più nota di "Back To The Light", una power-ballad epica e struggente costruita sulle orchestrazioni, sul pianoforte e sulla chitarra acustica, che grazie all'interpretazione di May assume un pathos meno melodrammatico rispetto alla sua più famosa riedizione contenuta in "Made In Heaven" del 1995, arricchendo così un album che trova il suo definitivo coronamento, il punto di massima realizzazione del suo autore nel lento, avvolgente e dolcissimo assolo di "Last Horizon", appena accompagnato dalla batterie e dalle gentili tastiere di Mike Moran, in cui si rispecchia tutto lo stile, il talento e il gusto melodico di questo artista, entrato nel mondo della musica quasi per caso e diventato uno dei grandi nomi della storia del rock.
Anche se non ha ricevuto neanche una minima parte delle attenzioni che avrebbe meritato, "Back To The Light", appena appesantito da qualche riempitivo ("Just One Life", "I'm Scared") rimane uno strepitoso e quasi perfetto esordio solista per Mr. May, a cui purtroppo mancò il coraggio di insistere con convinzione su questa nuova carriera, che verrà abbandonata dopo il secondo album, l'altalenante "Another World" del 1998 a favore di un decisamente più remunerativo Queen revival, che produrrà certamente soldi a palate per i membri superstiti ma anche agghiaccianti cadute di stile.
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05 Too Much Love Will Kill You (04:28)
I'm just the pieces of the man I used to be
Too many bitter tears are raining down on me
I'm far away from home
And I've been facing this alone for much too long
I feel like no-one ever told the truth to me
About growing up and what a struggle it would be
In my tangled state of mind
I've been looking back to find where I went wrong
Too Much Love Will Kill You
If you can't make up your mind
Torn between the lover and the love you leave behind
You're headed for disaster 'cos you never read the signs
Too Much Love Will Kill You - every time
I'm just the shadow of the man I used to be
And it seems like there's no way out of this for me
I used to bring you sunshine
Now all I ever do is bring you down
How would it be if you were standing in my shoes
Can't you see that it's impossible to choose
No there's no making sense of it
Every way I go I have to lose
Too Much Love Will Kill You
just as sure as none at all,
It'll drain the power that's in you
Make sure you plead and scream and crawl
And the pain will make you crazy
You're the victim of your crime
Too Much Love Will Kill You - every time
Too Much Love Will Kill You
It'll make your life a lie
Yes, Too Much Love Will Kill You
And you won't understand why
You'd give your life you'd sell your soul
But here it comes again
Too Much Love Will Kill You
In the end.......
In the end.
06 Driven by You (04:11)
Oh - everything I do I do for you
Oh yeah
We touch and you're afraid of me and
We burn and now I'm at your feet
High speed,but you know you're in safe hands
In the dark we make a brighter light
From one spark to the horizon wide
We trust and together we tame the land - yeah
You'd be forgiven if you think you're dreaming
But we're working night and day to make a dream come true - yeah
Everything I do is driven by you
Oh - come on babe
Oh well it's tough to make a journey through
The right stuff is dead ahead of you and me
And you know we've still got time
Hold on tight to the driving wheel
This ride is really out of line
Raw deal, but there's no other that's worth a dime
You know I love you but you drive me crazy
Because you're saying all the things I want to say to you
You say
Everything I do is driven by you
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do is driven by you
Inner children lost their way
Now they know the price you pay
I'm holding on to life with you
Because life without you just won't do
Driven by you
You know I'm never going to know who's dreaming
But we're working night and day to make a dream come true - yeah
Everything I do is driven by you
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do
Everything we do is driven by
Driven by
Driven by you
Oh - everything I do I do for you
08 I'm Scared (04:00)
You take me to the party
You put me on the stand
You're pumping up my heart
To the beating of the band
You toss it in the air
And you don't care where it lands
You take it, you break it
You're hurting me
Because I wasn't prepared
I couldn't go where you dared
You got my whole soul bared
I never knew that you cared (No it just ain't fair)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (so scared)
I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared
You take me out to dinner
And you swallow me whole
You're nothing but a sinner
With a dark black soul
I figured I could handle you
But I'm just a toy
You're getting bolder and bolder
You're just a bad bad boy
Because I wasn't prepared (I'm scared I'm scared)
I couldn't go where you dared (I'm scared I'm scared)
You got my whole soul bared (I'm so so scared)
I never knew that you cared (yeah yeah yeah)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (so scared)
I'm scared (afraid)
I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared
What you staring at
You're such a scaredy cat
When I know that I just can't fight it
So what you staring at
You're such a scaredy cat
Because I'm only scared that maybe I might like it
I'm scared to move,I'm scared of standing still
I'm scared to change,I'm scared to stay the same
I'm so scared I want to die
I'm scared of dying
I'm scared of not being liked,not being loved
I'm scared to be alone
I'm scared of being with people
I'm scared of disapproval
I'm scared of life
I'm scared to lose what I have built
I'm scared of feeling scared
I'm scared of being ugly,being boring,being dull
I'm scared of my thoughts
I'm scared of being found out
I'm scared of Steven Berkhoff
I'm scared to dance,I'm scared to speak,to sing
I'm scared my body's awkward, the wrong shape,wrong smell
I'm scared to say what I think
I'm scared to say no,or yes too often
I'm scared of disappointing
I'm scared of losing control
I'm scared of pain
I'm scared of hurting,being hurt
I'm scared this will go on 'til I die
I'm scared of losing my home,my love,my kids,my kids,my kids
I'm scared my heart will break
I'm scared of losing myself
I'm scared of finding myself
Because there might be no-one there at all
I'm scared of the unknown future
I'm scared to make a wrong turn
I'm scared of the dark
I'm scared of failing
I'm scared it may all be for nothing
You take me to the limit
You take me to the brink
You left me with the blues
When you found me in the pink
You know just what you're saying
But your metaphors stink
I gotta lick it,or stick it
Or this is the end
Because I wasn't prepared (because)
I couldn't go where you dared (because I'm)
You got my whole soul bared (because I'm so)
I never knew that you cared (I'm scared)
(I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
So scared (I'm scared)
So scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared (I'm scared)
I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared I'm scared
I'm scared
I'm scared
I'm scared
12 Rollin' Over (04:36)
Goodbye sunshine I'm on my way
I'll be long time gone by the break of day
Tell everyone that I'm gonna find it
Ther ain't nothin' gonna stop me-
Save all your lovin' till I get home
To the sweetest lovin' sunshine that I've ever known
Tell everyone that I'm gonna find it
There ain't nothin' gonna stop me-
Rollin' over, Shak-do-way
Rollin' over, Yeah-yeah-yeah......
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di AR (Anonima Recensori)
"Back To The Light è una miscela Hard Rock pomposa di chitarra e batteria."
"La classe e la purezza senza sbavature di Brian May in questo brano e nell’intero album è stupefacente."
Di piccolojedi1991
Brian e la sua Red Special riescono a creare qualcosa che, anche se non spettacolare, può degnamente rendere onore a questa coppia uomo/strumento.
Troppo pop e non molto impegnativo, ma comunque un lavoro da apprezzare e da conoscere, soprattutto dopo le ultime.
