“ Let me take you on a trip/ Round the world and back/ And you won’t
have to move/ Just sit still ”
La frase che apre questo piccolo capolavoro della musica elettronica,
all’inizio degli anni novanta, riesce a riassumere bene quali fossero
le intenzioni dei Depeche Mode rivolte verso gli ascoltatori: far
viaggiare la gente ad occhi chiusi, con un paio di cuffie, attraverso
le loro canzoni, senza farle uscire dalla propria camera.
Violator esce nel 1990, dopo che le sue canzoni sono passate nelle sale
di missaggio di mezzo mondo (tra cui anche Milano) .
Tutte le canzoni sono scritte da Martin Gore.
La voce di Dave Gahan appare precisa in tutta l’opera, così
nera, cupa, anche se la vera perfezione, per quel particolare timbro,
si sentirà solo tre anni dopo, con Songs Of Faith And Devotion.
Certo, ascoltando il disco oggi, mettendolo a confronto con la nuova
musica elettronica, il tutto ci
appare un po’ sbiadito, o forse un po' meno suggestivo, ma si sente che
questo disco ha un’anima profonda.
“Personal Jesus” con il suo riff molto Roadhouse Blues cattura ancora e
“Enjoy The Silence” ha nel testo un minimalismo sconcertante, quasi mai
più raggiunto dai DM in futuro.
Melodie e sonorità fortemente legate agli anni ottanta, ma anche
molta voglia di innovazione e una concezione del rock molto dark ma,
anche qui, allo stesso tempo, legata ad una sfrenata energia, al
divertimento, al sudore (vedere molti live trascinanti).
Siamo ancora lontani dal successo mondiale ma anche dalla quasi morte
di Gahan, dall’abbandono di Alan Wilder, dalla voglia sfrenata di
Martin Gore di fare un disco solista e piombare nell’anonimato
più vertiginoso.
Ogni canzone di questo album (fatta eccezione per Sweetest Perfection
che sembra una ballad di Marilyn Manson senza troppi effetti) poteva
essere un potenziale singolo, tanto belle sono le idee sonore che lo
sorreggono.
Un suono curatissimo, rumori
industrial in sottofondo, loop psichedelici non troppo complicati, ma
è soprattutto a livelli di testi e di voce (e di cuore) che
l'album stupisce.
Oggi molte band si ispirano ai DM rubacchiando qua e la, ma nessuno ha
ancora raccolto la loro eredità, forse proprio perché
non basta copiare la musica: è un fatto di anima e, in quella di
Martin Gore c’era parecchia roba da tirar fuori.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 World in My Eyes (04:22)
Let me take you on a trip
Arround the world and back
And you won't have to move
You just sit still
Now let your mind do the walking
Let my body do the talking
Let me show you the world in my eyes
I'll take you to the highest mountain
To the depths of the deepest sea
And we won't need a map, believe me
Now let my body do the moving
Let my hands do the soothing
Let me show you the world in my eyes
That's all there is
Nothing more than you can feel now
That's all there is
Let me put you on a ship
On a long, long trip
Your lips close to my lips
All the islands in the ocean
All the heavens in the motion
Let me show you the world in my eyes
That's all there is
Nothing more than you can touch now
That's all there is
Let me show you the world in my eyes
(repeat 6x)
03 Personal Jesus (04:52)
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who's there
Feeling unknown
And you're all alone
Flesh and bone
By the telephone
Lift up the receiver
I'll make you a believer
Take second best
Put me to the test
Things on your chest
You need to confess
I will deliver
You know I'm a forgiver
Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares
Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who's there
Feeling unknown
And you're all alone
Flesh and bone
By the telephone
Lift up the receiver
I'll make you a believer
I will deliver
You know I'm a forgiver
Reach out and touch faith
Your own personal Jesus
Reach out and touch faith
04 Halo (04:25)
You wear guilt
Like shackles on your feet
Like a halo in reverse
I can feel
The discomfort in your seat
And in your head it's worse
There's a pain
A famine in your heart
An aching to be free
Can't you see
All love's luxuries
Are here for you and me
And when our worlds they fall apart
When the walls come tumbling in
Though we may deserve it
It will be worth it
Bring your chains
Your lips of tragedy
And fall into my arms
And when our worlds they fall apart
When the walls come tumbling in
Though we may deserve it
It will be worth it
06 Enjoy the Silence (06:12)
Words like violence
Break the silence
Come crashing in
Into my little world
Painful to me
Pierce right through me
Can't you understand
Oh my little girl
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
Vows are spoken
To be broken
Feelings are intense
Words are trivial
Pleasures remain
So does the pain
Words are meaningless
And forgettable
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
Enjoy the silence...
07 Policy of Truth (04:52)
You had something to hide
You should have hidden it, shouldn't you
Now you're not satisfied
With what you've being put through
It's just time to pay the price
For not listening to advice
And deciding in your youth
On the policy of truth
Things could be so different now
It used to be so civilized
You will always wonder how
It could have been if you'd only lied
It's too late to change events
It's time to face the consequence
For delivering the proof
To the policy of truth
Never again is what you swore, the time before
Never again is what you swore, the time before
Now you're standing there tongue tied
You'd better learn your lesson well
Hide what you have to hide
And tell what you have to tell
You'll see your problems multiplied
If you continually decide
To faithfully pursue
The policy of truth
Never again is what you swore, the time before
09 Clean (05:23)
Clean
The cleanest I've been
An end to the tears
And the in-between years
And the troubles I've seen
Now that I'm clean
You know what I mean
I've broken my fall
Put an end to it all
I've changed my routine
Now I'm clean
I don't understand
What destiny's planned
I'm starting to grasp
What is in my own hands
I don't claim to know
Where my holiness goes
I just know that I like
What is starting to show
Sometimes
Clean
The cleanest I've been
An end to the tears
And the in-between years
And the troubles I've seen
Now that I'm clean
You know what I mean
I've broken my fall
Put an end to it all
I've changed my routine
Now I'm clean
As years go by
All the feelings inside
Twist and they turn
As they ride with the tide
I don't advise
And I don't criticise
I just know what I like
With my own eyes
Sometimes
Clean
The cleanest I've been
An end to the tears
And the in-between years
And the troubles I've seen
Now that I'm clean
Sometimes
You know what I mean
I've broken my fall
Put an end to it all
I've changed my routine
Now I'm clean
Sometimes
Now I'm clean
The cleanest I've been
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di Kobe-Bryant
O mio Dio ragazzi che emozione ogni volta che sento questo album !!!!
Chi se ne sta sul divano a sentire un po di tv dopo una giornata lavorativa stancante viene catturata da un'atmosfera ballerina dei DM e si ritrova a ballare con le figlie.
Di myork
Recensire un disco di nome 'Violator' vuol dire recensire i Depeche Mode.
"Personal Jesus" ci trasmette il calore del rock’n'roll con la freddezza di un’elettronica che a partire dal minuto 3.22 si autocelebra.
Di Darius
I Depeche Mode possono essere credo unanimemente considerati i pioneri della musica elettronica in senso stretto.
Violator rappresenta un mattone importante del «Palazzo della Musica», un’opera coesa, compatta e ricca.
