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Tra tanti gruppi in preda ad algide sperimentazioni elettroniche o a prepotenti incursioni nel funk più tirato, gli Echo & The Bunnymen, da Liverpool, rappresentarono l'ala più melodica, con uno sguardo rivolto al passato, in particolar modo verso la psichedelia più soffice. Ovviamente, il tutto era aggiornato alla spirito della new-wave, pervaso sempre da un sottile filo di tensione.
Crocodiles, datato 1980 (prodotto da Ian Broudie e dai mitici Chameleons), li lanciò tra le band emergenti in grande stile, definendo da subito la loro personalità. Un mix ben assortito di vecchi e nuovi stilemi, sicuramente uno spiraglio di luce nel clima claustrofobico del periodo. Chitarre ascensionali e "drogate", ritmo sempre abbastanza incostante, ed un cantato autistico leggermente nevrotico, in linea con le tendenze del tempo.
Si parte subito con un "Going Up", tra echi epici di chitarre e sferzanti colpi di batteria. Subito dopo cominciano a piovere grappoli di note minori, introduzione e "Stars Are Stars", dove sono sempre le chitarre a farla da padrone. Sono loro le vere protagoniste del disco, ora scintillanti ora liquide, artefici indiscusse dell'atmosfera generale delle composizioni.
La poderosa intro di "Pride" restituisce al basso un ruolo di primo piano, sempre accompagnato da chitarre impertinenti. La struttura del brano è più complessa del solito, e si snoda su un continuo alternarsi di prepotenti rullate di batteria, ed enigmatici colpi di xilofono.
Il nervosismo della title-track, mostra parentele più strette con i Sound di Adrian Borland, mentre le note piangenti di piano dell'altrettanto irrequieta "Villiers Terrace" portano una ventata di malinconia nel quadro generale del disco.
"Pictures On My Wall" è un inno epico e crepuscolare percorso da un ritmo incalzante e da inquietanti strati di tastiere, che ricorda dei Chameleons meno disperati.
L'album si chiude con l'incubo raga-psichedelico di "Happy Death Men", tra violenti colpi sordi di cassa a ritmo tribale, riverberi di tastiere e chitarre, ed un tamburello ipnotico. L'andamento si fa via via più tempestoso, per convogliare nel finale in un'orgia strumentale di grande effetto, congedo di un disco fresco, non particolarmente innovativo, ma senza dubbio ottimo rappresentante della corrente del "revival-sound" in epoca new-wave.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Going Up (03:59)
If they're watching my film
Analysing me
Rusty junker squawker
Shaking up it say
If we should pull
The plugs out, out of our history
And all of history
Yeah
Things that shouldn't be
Things that couldn't be
No, things that had to be
Don't you see?
Don't you see?
It's going up up up
It's going up
It's going up up up
It's going up
Let's get the hell out of here
Let's get the hell out of here
Going up
Going down
D'you want to know what's wrong with the world?
Everywhere there's people with no flowers in their hair
Flowers in their hair
Flowers
D'you want to know what's wrong with the world?
Everywhere there's people with no flowers in their hair
Flowers in their hair
Flowers
02 Stars Are Stars (02:47)
The sky seems full
When you're in the cradle
The rain will fall
And wash your dreams
Stars are stars
And they shine so hard
Now you spit out the sky
Because it's empty and hollow
All your dreams
Are hanging out to dry
Stars are stars
And they shine so cold
I saw you climb
Shadows on the trees
We lost some time
After things that never matter
I caught that falling star
It cut my hands to pieces
Where did I put that box
That had my name in it
I saw you climb
Shadows on the trees
We lost some time
After things that never matter
Cards are played
And the clock's real heavy
Say you're numb
Make another day
You came here late
You've gone home early
Who'll remember now
You've gone away
Gone away
Gone away
03 Pride (02:41)
Mother says
Sister says
Would you mind if we laugh at you
Do you mind if we sing with you
Daddy says
Brother says
Make us proud of you
Do something we can't do
Do it, do it
Do it, do it
Do it
John waits
Barry hates
I think I'm heading for a fall
They hope I'm heading for a fall
Peter says
Julie says
I think it's time you stopped stalling
We think it's time you start falling
Fall
Mother says
Sister says
D'you mind if we laugh at you
Mind if we sing with you
Daddy says
Brother says
Make us proud of you
Do something we can't do
Do it, do it, do it, do it
Do it, do it, do it, do it
Do it, do it
04 Monkeys (02:49)
I bagsy yours
If you'll bagsy mine
I'll take a chance
If you'll take the blame
Forget it
Forget it
Keymon
Keymon
Boys are the same
Brains in their pockets
Girls are the same
Knock it and rock it
Remember
Remember
Keymon
Keymon
I'm not a holy man
I'm too lowly for that
I'm not a praying man
I'm not ready for that
Keymon
Keymon
I bagsy yours
If you'll bagsy mine
I'll take a chance
If you'll take the blame
Forget it
Forget it
Keymon
Keymon Keymon
Keymon
05 Crocodiles (02:40)
I read it in a magazine
I don't wanna see it again
I threw away the magazine
And looked for someone to explain
I don't wanna look back
I can't look around
I don't wanna see it coming round
Listen to the ups and downs
Listen to the sound they make
Don't be scared when it gets loud
When you're skin begins to shake
'Cause you don't wanna look back
You gotta look tall
You gotta see those creeps crawl
I know you know
I know you know
I can see you've got the blues
In your alligator shoes
Me, I'm all smiles
I got my crocodiles
I don't wanna look back
I can't turn around
I don't want to see it coming down
Met someone just the other day
Said wait until tomorrow
I said, hey what you doing today
He said, I'm going to do it tomorrow
Met someone just the other day
Said wait until tomorrow
I said, hey, what you doing today
I'm going to do it tomorrow
06 Rescue (04:28)
If I said I'd lost my way
Would you sympathise
Could you sympathise?
I'm jumbled up
Maybe I'm losing my touch
I'm jumbled up
Maybe I'm losing my touch
But you know I didn't have it anyway
Won't you come on down to my
Won't you come on down to my rescue
Things are wrong
Things are going wrong
Can you tell that in a song
I don't know what I want anymore
First I want a kiss and then I want it all
Won't you come on down to my
Won't you come on down to my rescue
Rescue, rescue, rescue
Things are wrong
Things are going wrong
Can you tell that in a song
Losing sense of those harder things
Is this the blues I'm singing?
Is this the blues I'm singing?
Is this the blues I'm singing?
Is this the blues I'm singing?
Won't you come on down to my
Won't you come on down to my rescue
Is this the blues I'm singing
Won't you come on down to my rescue
Won't you come on down to my
Won't you come on down to my
Won't you come on down to my
Won't you come on down to my
(Is this the blues I'm singing?)
Won't you come on down to my
(Rescue)
Won't you come on down to my
(Is this the blues I'm singing?)
(Rescue)
Won't you come on down to my
(Is this the blues I'm singing?)
(Rescue)
Won't you come on down to my
(Is this the blues I'm singing?)
(Rescue)
Won't you come on down to my
(Is this the, I'm singing)
Won't you come on down to my
(Is this the, I'm singing)
07 Villiers Terrace (02:46)
I've been up to Villiers Terrace
To see what's a-happening
There's people rolling 'round on the carpet
Mixing up the medicine
I've been up to Villiers Terrace
I saw what's a-happening
People rolling 'round on the carpet
Biting wool and pulling string
You said people rolled on carpet
But I never thought they'd do those things
I've been up to Villiers Terrace
I've been in a daze for days
I drank some of the medici-i-i-ine
And I didn't like the taste
I've been up to Villiers Terrace
I've been in a daze for days
People rolling 'round on your carpet
Biting wool and pulling string
You said people rolled on carpet
But I never thought they'd do those things
Been up to Villiers Terrace
To see what's a-happening
People rolling 'round on the carpet
Passing 'round the medicine
Been up to Villiers Terrace
I saw what's a-happening
There's people rolling 'round on my carpet
Biting wool and pulling string
You said people rolled on carpet, boys
But I never thought they'd do those things
Bopsie waddy waddy
Shake your money
(Been down to Villiers Terrace.
Bopsie waddy waddy
Shake your money
(Been down to Villiers Terrace)...
Bopsie waddy waddy
Shake your money
(Been down to Villiers Terrace)...
Bopsie waddy waddy
Save your money
(Been down to Villiers Terrace)...
09 All That Jazz (02:49)
Where the hell have you been
We've been waiting with our best suits on
Hair slicked back and all that jazz
Rolling down the Union Jack
See you at the barricades babe
See you when the lights go low, Joe
Hear you when the wheels turn round
Someday when the sky turns black
It appears because it's what I feel
I know I don't understand
If you ask you know I don't mind kneeling
But when my knees hurt I like to stand
Instinct is the common lawyer
A million years won't erase
Strike the chord I'm searching for
Call it a committed race
No matter how I shake my fist
I know I can't resist it
No matter how you shake your fist
You know you can't resist it
See you at the barricades babe
See you when the lights go low, Joe
Hear you when the wheels turn round
Someday when the sky turns black
10 Happy Death Men (04:57)
Happy death men stand in line
Happy death men
Happy death men polish and shine
Happy death men
Happy death men
The last breath man
Happy death men
Take them to your heart
Happy death men
No regret men Happy death men
Like to keep things dark
Happy death men stand in lines
Happy death men
Happy death men polish and shine
Happy death men
Happy death men
The last breath men
Happy death men
Take them to your heart
Happy death men
No regret men
Happy death men
Like to keep things dark
Okay
Happy death men stand in lines
Happy death men
Happy death men polish and shine
Happy death men
Happy death men
The last breath man
Happy death men
Take them to your heart
Happy death men
No regret man
Happy death men
Like to keep things dark
Here we go
Mmm, ooh
Mmm, ooh
Mmm, ooh
Mmm, ooh
Mmm, ooh
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