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Il clamore definitivo, culminato nel successo mondiale, scaturì da un jingle. Un impresario di Stoccolma chiese a Tempest, così come a suo tempo quelli della robiola Ivernizzi potevano chiedere a Raoul Casadei, di buttare giù un riff da riprodurre mentre gli avventori prendevano posto nel suo locale, il ‘Galaxy’.
Tempo dopo Leven, il bassista, gliela butto lì: “Joey, ma da questa cosa perché non tiri fuori una traccia ? Secondo me c’è del potenziale”. Per contro, Norum, il chitarrista originale, precisò : “Ma no, ma dai, ma vi pare…? Dobbiamo proprio ?”.
Non gli diedero retta: nacque “The Final Countdown”, il brano, ed il resto, dai, lo conoscete.
L’album omonimo, trainato dal singolo, fu un successo planetario. Spaccò ovunque, facendo breccia in un momento in cui il compromesso tra bubble-gum, pop patinato e rock raggiunse il suo culmine.
La Epic non concesse ai 5 membri la facoltà di riprendere fiato e, con ancora gli echi di “The Final Conuntdown” a far refolo nelle hit parade del globo, impose per l’anno solare 1988 la release del nuovo album.
John Norum aveva abbandonato il progetto a metà tour, nonostante il successo stratosferico.
“Ero stanco dei playback, delle tastiere che sovrastavano la chitarra. Non era più il nostro sound, non mi ci riconoscevo”.
Congedatolo con una prece, gli altri 4 reclutarono in fretta e furia Kee Marcello.
Andò di lusso: meno irruento del primo ma più tecnico e sopraffino, condusse egregiamente i nuovi compagni a conclusione del tour e diede una mano a buttar giù qualche idea per il nuovo album.
E, parere di chi vi scrive, fu una delle poche note positive.
“Out Of This World” consolida a fatica la band sui livelli del predecessore.
Non ha vette importanti, non ha slanci, non esplora nuovi territori. Ha il fiato corto, arranca. Prodotto da Ron Nevison, voluto dalla band per i precedenti incoraggianti con Kiss, Led Zeppelin e Ozzy Osbourne, si ascolta volentieri ma si ri-ascolta con l’impazienza di chi vuole arrivare al capolinea.
Proviamo a delinearne i motivi. La fretta, ce lo insegnano i nonni, è cattiva consigliera: la registrazione di un disco non fa eccezione, salvo casi particolarissimi e isolati.
L’apporto. Come nel predecessore, tutto andò a gravare sulle spalle di Tempest, eccezion fatta per una cooperazione con Marcello per ‘More Than Meets The Eye’ e ‘Just The Beginning’ che infatti hanno tratti gradevoli.
Il resto è un deja-vu malcelato, una brutta copia del predecessore, uno stanco proiettarsi al presente strizzando l’occhio al passato fino a ‘cecarselo.
A me la voce di Tempest non piace, pur essendo intonato ha un approccio al microfono che mi disturba, ma gli va dato atto di aver fatto quanto nelle sue possibilità, anche di più, anche al piano con il solo supporto della voce come in ‘Tomorrow’ che chiude candidamente l'album.
Era impensabile che il disco replicasse il successo di “The Final Countdown”, infatti non ci andò nemmeno vicino, pur facendo capolino ovunque e generando morigerati consensi.
Come spesso accade, gli appassionati del genere, anni dopo, rivalutarono il progetto. Lo stesso non si può dire per i componenti della band.
Marcello, che come detto fu colonna portante sia in studio che dal vivo, ricorda mal volentieri i rimbrotti di Ron Nevison in studio, che mai pago lo interrompeva bruscamente durante gli assoli.
“Suona troppo appiccicoso” è invece il commento postumo del batterista, Ian Haugland.
E insomma, si poteva dare di più, come precisarono un anno prima Morandi, Ruggeri e Tozzi, aggiungendo che ‘come fare non so, non lo sai neanche tu’ e di “Out Of This Word” giusto questo ci rimane, un’incompiuta che poteva essere molto di più. Più levigata, più arricchita, più approfondita e, perdio, meglio rimasterizzata dalla Hard Candy nel 2018 che ragazzi miei suona peggio che nel 1988.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Superstitious (04:35)
(chorus)
Keep on walking that road and I'll follow
Keep on calling my name I'll be there
And if a mirror should break
It's easy to take
Deep down I know that you care
Well I'm not superstitious - No
I'm not superstitious, I have no doubt
That there's a reason how things turn out
While things are changing from day to day
Well I keep this feeling with me all the way
And I want you to know that you're on my mind
Everyday and all of the time
(chorus)
It might be times of wonder when I'm on my own
Trying to find out if love is gone
It might make a difference, it might bring me down
But no superstition is gonna turn things around
And I want you to know that you're on my mind
Everyday and all of the time
(chorus)
So keep on walking, and we'll make things right
Yeah - Keep on dreaming, each and every night
We're gonna make it, that's what we'll do
Right to the end girl, we're gonna walk on walk on through
(chorus) - twice
03 Open Your Heart (04:05)
Days filled with joy and days filled with sorrow
I don't know just what to do
Am I happy today, am I lonely tomorrow
Everything depends on you
And I've been waitin'
For the angels to knock on my door
I've been hopin'
That everything could be like before
Open your heart and tell me what's wrong
Why can't you talk like you used to do before
I don't know if I'm weak, I don't know if I'm strong
Hey girl I can't cope anymore
And I've been waitin'...
Open your heart, let me hear you
Make up your mind, I want to hear you call
Open your heart, want to come near you
Make up your mind, before we lose it all
Maybe that time has its own way of healin'
Maybe it dries the tears in your eyes
But never changes the way that I'm feelin'
Only you can answer my cries
And I've been waitin'...
Open your heart, let me hear you...
05 Coast to Coast (04:01)
You look out that window
For someone you know
But it all looks the same and time and again
It hurts you so
You wonder if always
You'll stand on your own
But bear in your mind, you'll get through this time
You're not alone
When time seems so lonely
And your day seems too long
You wonder if you will ever get through
And still be strong
With eyes full of sadness
You stand on your own
It tears you apart, but you know in your heart
You're not alone
Coast to coast and land to land
We're together hand in hand
Coast to coast and land to land...
06 Ready or Not (04:04)
Ready or not but I waste no time
I'm headin' out with some friends of mine
Holdin' on to what we've got
Oh even if we're ready or not
Ready or not but they're back in town
The word is out that this time around
They'll be lettin' go with all they've got
Oh even if we're ready or not
Rock me til I hit that floor
Rock me til I take no more
Roch this hungry heart of mine
Rock me down right to the ground
Rock me like you never done before
Then rock me just a little more
Ready or not but for all I know
We'll be hangin' on til it's time to go
We're always there with all we've got
Oh even if we're ready or not
Ready or not but i waste no time...
Rock me til I hit that floor...
08 Just the Beginning (04:32)
I can walk on fire, it ain't stoppin' me
It's just showin' me the way
Come thunder, lightning all over me
I'd still be on my way
You can put me through loads of trouble
But in anyway
It's just the beginnin' and not the end
No use in pretendin' cause you can't win
It's just the beginnin', the beginnin'
Not the end
It's not a stange behavior, it's the way I am
Nothin' puts me down
And if a situation would get out of hand
I'd still be back around
You can put me through loads of trouble
But never bring me down
It's just the beginnin' and not the end...
I can walk on fire, it ain't stoppin' me...
You can put me through loads of trouble
But in any way
It's just the beginnin'
It's just the beginnin'
It's just the beginnin'
It's just the beginnin'
It's just the beginnin', and not the end...
09 Never Say Die (04:01)
Oh who took that shot
Well I couldn't say, I was already down
Oh who set me up
Well I couldn't say cause I saw no one around
Now I'm lyin' here in desperation
I had it all worked out
Everything I hear is consolation
I've got this feelin' youshould never say die
In my fantasy
There were days to come that I wanted so bad
Someone sold me out then it all was done
That dream was all that I had
Now I'm lyin' here in desperation...
Oh who took that shot...
Now I'm lyin' here in desperation...
10 Lights and Shadows (04:03)
One night she cam, in from the cold
Like a long lost friend, someone to hold
She said, don't ask me now
Cause what's in a name
But when I'm gone you'll never be the same
So won't you hold me now
Can't you see what I came here for
Save me now, cause I now
We'll keep on headin' through
Lights and shadows
We're talkin' lights and shadows
She came from far, with so much to tell
Cause when you're lookin' for love
You can walk through hell
Just like a ricochet, she might come and go
And one look can say more than you'll ever know
So won't you hold me now...
Oh lights and shadows
We're talkin' lights and shadows
So won't you hold me now...
Oh lights and shadows...
We keep on headin' through
Lights and shadows
11 Tower's Callin' (03:50)
All set ready to go, but little does he know
He ain't comin' back no more
All set ready to fly, into that deep blue sky
Like so many times before
Now the tower's callin', there's no reply
And there's nothin' they can do
Now the night is fallin' before their eyes
Still no one's comin through, callin'
Somewhere out in time, God knows what's on his mind
Is there a reason for his doubt
Somehow unaware just like he didn't care
There must be ways of gettin' out
Now the tower's callin', there's no reply...
12 Tomorrow (03:04)
Will you be there beside me if the world falls apart
And will all of our moments remain in your heart
Will you be there to guide me all the way through,
I wonder will you walk by my side and follow my dreams
And bear with my pride, as strong as it seems
Will you be there tomorrow
Will you be there beside me as time goes on by
And be there to hold me whenever I cry
Will you be there to guide me all the way through
I wonder will you walk by my side and follow my dreams
And bear with my pride, as strong as it seems
Will you be there
Will you be there
Will you be there tomorrow
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Altre recensioni
Di otrebla86
Un hard rock molto pulito, orecchiabile e addirittura confinante con melodie AOR: è proprio questo il punto forte di questo disco.
Un album che a mio parere non dovrebbe mancare nella collezione di un buon rocker.
Di cliff
E' un buon disco.
Superstitious, Let The Good Times Rock e Sign Of The Times non stancano mai.
