• Voto:
Giudicata da critici e fans come la peggior prova discografica di Bowie, "Never let me down" è stato a volte definito come la prova che anche i grandi possano compiere delle rovinose cadute.
Perché recensirlo? Intanto non amo i doppioni (che nel caso di Bowie sarebbero triploni e quadriploni), e se gli altri hanno fatto razzia dell'arrosto a me non rimangono che gli ossi del brodo; inoltre mi piace cercare, masochisticamente, degli aspetti positivi anche in opere scadenti come queste.
Premetto che solo i completisti potrebbero sentire il bisogno di acquistare questo disco tra i 26 ufficiali della discografia del Duca Bianco, ma chi lo farà, a mio parere, non avrà tra le mani un disco infame.
Intanto il rinnovato impegno come autore: dopo l'ignavia di "Let's dance" e "Tonight", qui c'è l'impressione che il nostro si sia seduto a tavolino a spremersi le meningi per dieci nuovi brani (più una cover, tanto per cambiare di Iggy Pop), e un paio di B-side (per i completisti, Julie e Girls) di livello superiore all'album ma inesplicabilmente escluse dalla tracklist. Il risultato è purtroppo omogeneamente mediocre: se nei due dischi precedenti i singoli si stagliavano nettamente sugli altri brani-riempitivo, qui manca un guizzo, un colpo di scrittura, un brano degno di rientrare stabilmente nel canzoniere bowieano (forse si salvano "Time will crawl" e soprattutto "Glass spider", pezzo teatrale, scelto come apertura dei successivi concerti), e non a caso dopo il 1987 nessun brano verrà riproposto dal vivo, e uno dei pezzi verrà addirittura omesso nelle successive ristampe.
La produzione è anche qui sovraccarica, ma almeno si abbandona l'eccesso di sintetizzatori a favore di un suono più rock e guitar oriented. Vocalmente l'album è variegato, non prevale più il monocorde tono baritonale e compiaciuto, ma in ogni canzone c'è un approccio differente e, al di là degli esiti, convinto; inoltre l'autore torna a sporcarsi le mani suonando i vari strumenti. Il parco musicisti si rinnova con il recupero della vecchia gloria Peter Frampton alla chitarra, e con l'ingresso di tale Erdal Zizilcay, dotato polistrumentista di origine turca (non esattamente Brian Eno, ma questo passava il convento).
Tutto considerato, si è di fronte a un disco più sincero e meno modaiolo dei due precedenti, ma con brani assolutamente dimenticabili e meno ispirati, e c'è l'impressione che l'autore abbia voluto, invano, riacquistare una centralità di musicista, abbandonando il ruolo di uomo di spettacolo globale: la sincerità di questo approccio è provata dal fatto che, nonostante il flop, il tentativo verrà riproposto e radicalizzato con l'esperienza dei Tin Machine.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
03 Beat of Your Drum (05:03)
Photograph king, watches you go
Now fashions may change, heaven knows, but you
still leave a stain on me
Only to go colours may fade
The seasons may change, weather blows, but you still leave a mark on me
Wrong-negative fades-never the twain, reckless and tame
I like the beat of your drum
I like to look in your eyes
I like to look thru your things
I'd like to beat on your drum
I like the smell of your flesh
I like the dirt that you dish
I like the clothes that you wear
I'd like to beat on your drum
I beat it I beat I beat it
I feel it
Disco brat-follow the pack
Watching you peel, heaven knows, prison can't hold all this greedy intention
Only to go-I picture you now
Music may change-hi-di-ho keen to follow your nose
Wrong-love out of tune
Sweet is the night, bright light destroys me
I like the beat of your drum
I like to look in your eyes
I like to look thru your things
I'd like to beat on your drum
I like the smell of your flesh
I like the dirt that you dish
I like the clothes that you wear
I'd like to beat on your drum
I beat it I beat Can't beat it
I feel it
I like to beat on your drum
I like to beat on your drum
I like your face in the crowd
I like to beat on your drum
I beat it I beat Can't beat it
I feel it
Can't beat it
I feel it
Ho beat it
I beat it
Oh yeah
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like to yell it out loud
I'd like to beat on your drum
Can't beat it can't beat it
I feel it I feel it
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like your face in the crowd
I'd like to beat on your drum
Yeah yeah yeah
Can't beat it
Can't beat it
I be there
Baet it all out
Beat it all in the crowd
Beat it beat it beat it beat it
I feel it I feel it
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like to beat on your drum
I'd like to blow your horne
I'd like to beat on your drum
Yeah yeah yeah
Ahhhhhh
05 Zeroes (05:44)
[Ladies and Gentlemen]
[Tonight, yes, the Zeroes will be singing for you!]
Yeah Yeah (x4)
You've arrived in the land of a thousand different names
And the fabulous sons have crashed their planes in flames
Now tomorrow's back claiming redemption is on your heels
And a toothless past is asking you how it feels
And me my little red Corvette has driven by
My fair weather heart has fallen in
My rainy day girl is feeling down
And she tells me that the world is spinning round
I say the dream was all for you
You're nobody else
Tonight the Zeroes were singing for you
Yeah Yeah
Yeah
Hi, can I walk you home again today
Gotta get forgive and forget hey-hey
Something good is happening I don't know what it is
Don't you know we're back on trial again today
And it's breaking wine for you
Hell it's only 'cause you're true
Someone outtimed my heart
Stopping and preaching and letting love in
You are my moon, you are my sun
Heaven knows what you are
Tonight the Zeroes are singing for you
Yes they were
Tonight the Zeroes were singing for you
Tonight the Zeroes were singing for you
Doesn't matter what you try to do
Doesn't matter what you try to do
Doesn't matter where you try to go
Doesn't matter who we really are
Doesn't matter (repeat ad lib)
Doesn't matter, doesn't matter
09 '87 and Cry (04:18)
It's just a one dollar secret A lover's secrets in the UK Torn apart in the UK In the dribble of May-Day '87 and Cry '87 and Cry And there's nothing inside And there's nothing in mind no And only you Rocket on thru the sky Well it couldn't be done without dogs Yeah it couldn't be once without us '87 and Cry '87 and Cry When the days were the days boys When blue ties were for the bigg guys Frannie dressing down for the enemy You saw him hangin' on the enemy And there's no one in love And there's nowhere to scream no And only you Race on to wonder where Well it couldn't be done without dogs It couldn't be once without us '87 and Cry '87 and Cry You can't make love with money You can't make mistakes with babies Nothing looked good on you That's how I liked you best Now you're ready for the real McCoy Deep in the heart of Cupid Murder on the heels of love Just a ghost of a story Just a one dollar secret Baby these were the sounds Baby these were the sounds And only you Whisper these things aren't true Well it couldn't be done with dogs Well it couldn't be once without us '87 and Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry Cry Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry Cry Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry Cry Cry Cry Cry '87 and Cry Cry Cry Cry Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry '87 and Cry Hey Hey '87 and Cry
10 Too Dizzy (03:59)
There's too much talking for a night drive
Too much mist in front of my eyes
I'm not trying to lose control
But you're just pushin' pushin' pushin'for a fight
You look trapped, turn the radio on
Too much smoke, air conditioning gone
But I'm helpless in love with you
But you're just looking looking looking for a break
Is it love or is it what
Who's this guy I'm gonna blow away hey
What kind of love is he giving you
I'm-a-dizzy's what I'm trying to say
I said
Too Dizzy-You can't have a lover
I'm too Dizzy-It's me and no other
I'm a bad loser-I'm-a-shakin' in anger
I'm a too Dizzy-you can't have no lover
You can go on dreaming every night
But I'm not letting you out of my sight
I'm-a-ten times the man than any guy around
But you're just itchin'-twitchin'-itchin' for a break
There's too much talking for a night drive
And too much mist in front of my eyes
But I'm helpless in love with you
But you're just looking looking looking for a break
Is it love or is it what
Who's this guy I'm gonna blow away
What kind of love is he giving you
I'm-a-dizzy's what I'm trying to say
I said
I'm too Dizzy-You can't have a lover
I'm too Dizzy-It's me and no other
And I'm a bad loser-I'm-a-shakin' in anger
I said too Dizzy-you can't have no lover
I said Too Dizzy
Don't come any harder
I said I'm Too Dizzy
Don't come any closer
I said I'm Too Dizzy
I said too Dizzy
Too Dizzy
Too Dizzy
Too Dizzy you can't have no lover
Too Dizzy
Too Dizzy
I'm Too Dizzy
11 Bang Bang (04:29)
Wow, this ain't the right thing to do
So, so let, so let's go
Young girls they know what they're after
Young girls don't kiss me goodbye
Rockets shooting up into space
Buildings they rise to the skies
Bang Bang I got mine
Bang Bang reach for the sky
I keep a good friend on videotape
He'll drive his sports car until it's too late
But we'll have a hot time on the town tonight
Cause love is my bet and it's the best yet
Bang Bang I got mine
Bang Bang sun don't shine
Bang Bang you all angels
Bang Bang now you all ought to be in pictures
Oh girl
Oh girl my problems can't follow me
Phone calls I take my machine
I wander lonely to the sea
Lonely-Ha Ha Ha-what does it mean
Bang Bang I got mine
Bang Bang and you are next in line
Bang Bang reach for the sky
Bang Bang sun don't shine
Rise buildings
Rise to the sky
Well young girls they know what they're after
I said, young girls don't kiss me goodbye
Bang bang
Then you close, then you should close, then you close down
You big man
Bang Bang
Spot the brack
Just come in first
Bang Bang
If praise had wings
Bang Bang
And you next in line
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Altre recensioni
Di Il castigatore
Un "alienante" ritornello si levò dagli altoparlanti urlando "Day in day out".
Quel concerto non fu un concerto qualsiasi, ma l’esplorazione di due decenni di metamorfosi.
