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Esistono band che danno il meglio di sé in formato LP (si pensi ai Pink Floyd con "Wish You Were Here" o a "Hounds Of Love" e "Aerial" di Kate Bush) ed altre, invece, che esprimono il massimo della loro creatività artistica su supporti, per così dire, meno “impegnativi”. E’ il caso dei Cocteau Twins, band di cui tutti più o meno conosciamo la storia e, soprattutto, i diversi passaggi di stile in stile.
"Lullabies To Violaine" è un quadruplo disco che ci consente di gustare la loro storia in formato Extended dal 1982 al 1996: dalle claustrofobiche nenie estratte da "Lullabies" e "Peppermint Pig" fino alle pacatezze pop/rock delle b-sides tratte dai singoli di "Tishbite" e "Violaine", passando, ovviamente, per quei capolavori dark che fecero la storia del sound à la Cocteaux (gli indimenticabili "Aikea-Guinea" e "Echoes In A Shallow Bay"). Il sound è praticamente del tutto rimasterizzato da Robin Guthrie, il quale, nonostante l’impegno e la devozione che gli dobbiamo per aver fatto tornare in vita canzoni eccezionali che sarebbero altrimenti andate dimenticate, a volte esagera un po’ coi suoi “metodi di correzione”, dando ora troppa aria a certi pezzi (la versione 12” di "Sugar Hiccup", ad esempio, ma anche, e soprattutto, "Hazel" che con quello strano effetto surround della batteria perde molto del suo originario carattere claustrofobico), ora aggiungendo qualche effetto eco di troppo ("Pink Orange Red", "Quisquose"), oppure portando un po’ troppo“ avanti” la sua chitarra (rendendo quasi impercettibile il basso) e un po’ troppo “dietro” la voce di Elizabeth Fraser in altri pezzi: piccole cose che si notano se si posseggono anche gli EP originali…
"Lullabies To Violaine" non è solo un item per collezionisti: consente a chiunque e, soprattutto, a chi ha scoperto di recente la musica dei Cocteau Twins di avvicinarsi al loro mondo a 7”. La raccolta è stata anche pubblicata separatamente in due doppi volumi, ma, sfortunatamente per gli amanti del vinile, solo in CD. Personalmente consiglio il cofanetto originale, sebbene il prezzo non sia proprio bassissimo. Ma vale la pena, soprattutto per la lunga sezione acoustic presente nel terzo disco e per la alternate version di "Aikea-Guinea", ancora più dolce e ariosa dell’originale.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Feathers-Oar-Blades (04:26)
Their fate
And hot
Their face
They're haters
Then they form, then hands
Then they form, then hands
Crestfallen
Weaken
Here comes the oppressors
Oppress, fallen, weaken
Feathers-oar blades
Spitting their feathers
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Crestfallen
Weaken
Here come those oppressors
Oppress, fallen, weaken
Ordered
To attention
The choice of this party
Use your hands, he talked to him
Use your hands, he talked to him
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out oar blades
Spitting out
Spitting out
02 Alas Dies Laughing (03:38)
Flaxen, the dress is born
Crush a crushing stone
Tie a starching walls
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Flaxen, the dress is old
Fingers, this dress is tied
Tie a starching walls
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a mumbling form
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
Wake takes a
03 It's All but an Ark Lark (08:04)
It's all for my
All for my
All of my
All of my
Charisma
Charisma
Charisma
Charisma
It's all for my
All for my
All of my
All of my
Charisma
Charisma
Charisma
Charisma
Barking, bighting at monster sails
Barking, bighting at monster sails
Barking, bighting at monster sails
Barking, bighting at monster sails
It's all but an, all but an ark lark
It's all for my
All for my
All of my
All of my
Charisma
Charisma
Charisma
Charisma
It's all for my
All for my
All of my
All of my
Charisma
Charisma
Charisma
Charisma
Is mocking bird my lullabies?
Is mocking bird my lullabies?
Is mocking bird my lullabies?
Is mocking bird my lullabies?
It's all but an ark lark
It's all but an ark lark
It's all but an ark lark
Off in my
Off in my
Off in my
Off in my
06 Hazel (02:49)
Oh, on the phone
No, not grapevine
Ti- tinted
Ta- tattletale
And on the phone
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball
Oh, on the phone
No, not grapevine
Ti- tinted
Ta- tattletale
And on the phone
Julie outside
Julie outside
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball
Oh, on the phone
No, not grapevine
Ti- tinted
Ta- tattletale
And on the phone
Julie outside
It's a scuttle
I'm a cheater
Julie outside
Oh, I slammed sleighs to him
No, not grapevine
Ti- tinted
I slammed the sleighs down
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Tinted
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball
Eight ball
Oh, I slammed sleighs to him
No, not grapevine
Ti- tinted
I slammed the sleighs down
Julie outside
As a scuttle
Your playground
Across you
Julie outside
In vagrance
Playground
Julie outside
I won't need you
Julie outside
08 From the Flagstones (03:38)
At times I've seen you from the armyard
At times I've seen you from the flagstones
At times I've seen you from the balustrade
At times I've seen you from the flagstones
And you can't cajole
And you can't cajole
And you can't cajole
And can't cajole
At times I've seen you from the aureole
At times I've seen you from the flagstones
Like another goalstone
You may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
You may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
You may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
And you may cajole
And make a joke
At times I've seen you from the balustrade
At times I've seen you from the flagstones
At times I've seen you from the balustrade
09 Hitherto (03:52)
Hidden to your heavy side
I couldn't tell your head is so deep
Hidden to her own hidden account
I must have let her dame holes
Hidden to your heavy side
I couldn't tell your head is so deep
Hidden to her own hidden account
I must have let her dame holes
Hidden to your heavy side
I couldn't tell your head is so deep
Hidden to her own hidden account
I must have let her dame holes
Hidden to your heavy side
I couldn't tell your head is so deep
Hidden to her own hidden account
I must have let her dame holes
Hidden to your heavy side
I couldn't tell your head is so deep
Hidden to her own hidden account
I must have let her dame holes
10 Because of Whirl-Jack (03:26)
Fly, won't you fly?
It comes overreaching
It's that whirly-gig
It's also for jack...
Whoever comes clean or a hullaballoo
For whip-stitching
Please won't you fly?
Please won't you, please won't you, please won't you fly?
13 Pepper-Tree (03:58)
Gotta, gotta, gotta gain his voice
On pepper tree
Harden, harden, harden dont's and wont's
My easel she
You gotta, gotta, gotta gain his voice
On purple scotch
Harden, harden, harden dont's and wont's
My easel touch
Gain his voice
On pepper tree
Heart's been swallowed whole
Who's real muse and she
You gotta, gotta, gotta gain his voice
On purple scotch
Harden, harden, harden dont's and wont's
My easel touch
Gain his voice
On pepper tree
Heart's been swallowed whole
Who's real muse and she
Heart's been swallowed whole
Who's real muse and she
You gotta, gotta, gotta gain his voice
On purple scotch
Harden, harden, harden dont's and wont's
My easel touch
15 Kookaburra (03:18)
To a girl who you mind
A starry sky memory
When Eros spurns Rococo
Rouge thus far
- chorus -
She's spark run away for you
Do you know what we call the moon
There is no end
Ca candle blown, she'll doubt
Faced with past losing
chorus
And you my god
Can't give show
Can't give
Til you go dancing
Forgive my love
Ca candle blown
she will not
And you my god
Can't give show
Can't give
Til you go dancing
-chorus(slightly different)-
So she'll decide
To marry can we come to be
16 Quisquose (04:10)
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
what polite
Jesus Jenny Gemini
Has all of it criss-crossed
High electron power failing
Hit by degree
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
cheerfully
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
what polite
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
cheerfully
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
Quise qualledo qualledo quallido quallido do do do do au
a Rococo au oahoo
hurt polite
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
cheerfully
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
Jesus, seasonal, his name, comical
what polite
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
cheerfully
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
what polite
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
cheerfully
You da dao ao surround
Where what why how how how how
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Altre recensioni
Di alaindelon
La duplice voce di Elizabeth Fraser, come una scia di luce si leva, all'inizio fluorescente e cristallina...
In ognuno dei 4 splendidi cd di "Lullabies To Violaine" sfido io a trovare una canzone che non sia una perla.
