Immaginate di prendere dai vostri scaffali uno svariato numero di album, possibilmente alcuni lavori rock, metal, funky, hip-hop, jazz-pop, e di gettarli in un pentolone... cosa ne uscirebbe fuori? La risposta è THE REAL THING. Probabilmente non c’è miglior modo di descrivere questo capolavoro targato Faith No More, 1989. The Real Thing è il terzo Studio Album dei nostri, che vede per la prima volta alla voce il giovanissimo, ma già promettente Mike Patton.

Si parte subito alla grande con From Out of Nowhere, un pezzo dall’impostazione decisamente epic, che non rinuncia comunque, nel ritornello, a soluzioni maggiormente melodiche e scanzonate; neanche il tempo di ascoltare la prima traccia che ci troviamo subito di fronte alla canzone-simbolo dell’album, la favolosa Epic, il brano che sicuramente meglio rappresenta le attitudini musicali dei nostri: parti rappate che si intrecciano a sfuriate epic metal e ad una tastiera da viaggio, che ci incanta nel finale con un epilogo da musica classica. Si passa poi alla spensierataggine di Falling To Pieces (che potrebbe essere stata scritta dai red hot...) per arrivare alla traccia più violenta dell’album: Surprise! You’re Dead!, che personalmente metterei nella pagina numero 1 del manuale del crossover: batteria punkeggiante - basso compresso - riff thrash - cantato che muove dal rap all’hardcore.
Arriviamo dunque a Zombie Eaters, dove la struggente parte tastieristica iniziale lascia poi spazio alla rabbia di Mike e Co. La title track The Real Thing ci fa capire quanto la voce di Patton sia divina; si passa poi ad Underwater Love e a The Morning After, l’ennesima dimostrazione di come i Faith No More siano bravi nel fondere il funky-rock chilipepperiano al metal anni ’80.
Woodpecker from Mars si apre con un’intro classica accompagnata da riecheggianti cornamuse che spianano la strada alle poderose slappate di zio Billy; la successiva cover della Sabbathiana War Pigs è a dir poco impeccabile!
Si conclude infine con la simpatica Edge of the World, in stile jazz-pop.

Cosa dire di questi musicisti? Billy Gould al basso regala una prestazione da incoronare, non solo perché tecnicamente è ineccepibile, ma considerando il fatto che col suo strumento riesce a creare un perfetto amalgama jazz, rock, funky, metal... e non è facile! Mike Bordin dietro le pelli è una garanzia; Jim Martin alla chitarra costruisce interessanti trame che vanno dall’epic–thrash-metal al rock più funkeggiante e scanzonato (anticipando gli schemi del nu-metal), senza però rinunciare di tanto in tanto a qualche assolo.
Cosa dire di Bottum (tastiera)… se non che è il cugino di primo grado dell’ LSD… DA VIAGGIO! Mike Patton compie autentici miracoli con la voce, fa proprio di tutto: canta, urla, gorgheggia (ride addirittura nella quarta traccia). Tuttavia la sua maturazione tecnica arriverà con i lavori successivi. Basterebbe forse un solo aggettivo per descrivere questi personaggi… CAMALEONTICI!

Giungiamo dunque alle considerazioni finali. Questo lavoro viene considerato da molti il manifesto del Crossover, inteso come fusione di differenti tendenze musicali; secondo altri è l’album rock per antonomasia; di sicuro i Faith No More hanno contribuito a far diventare il metal un fenomeno di massa, ma non per questo sono da considerare una band commerciale.
Aldilà di ogni possibile catalogazione, che sinceramente può interessare relativamente, sono sufficienti poche parole per riassumere “The Real Thing”… eclettico, divertente, FAVOLOSO!
Se non ce lo avete ancora accattatevelo immediatamente!!

Elenco tracce testi samples e video

01   From Out of Nowhere (03:22)

Tossed into my mind, stirring the calm
You splash me with beauty and pull me down

Cause you come from out of nowhere
My glance turns to a stare

Obsession rules me-I'm yours from the start
I know you see me-Our eyes interlock

Cause you come from out of nowhere
My glance turns to a stare

One minute here and one minute there
Don't know if I'll laugh or cry
One minute here and one minute there
And then you wave good-bye...

Sifting to the bottom, every day for two
All energy funnels, all becomes you

Cause you come from out of nowhere
My glance turns to a stare

One minute here and one minute there
Don't know if I'll laugh or cry
One minute here and one minute there
And it hurts inside

One minute here and one minute there
And then you wave good-bye...

02   Epic (04:53)

Can you feel it, see it, hear it today?
If you can't, then it doesn't matter anyway
You will never understand it cuz it happens too fast
And it feels so good, it's like walking on glass
It's so cool, it's so hip, it's alright
It's so groovy, it's outta sight
You can touch it, smell it, taste it so sweet
But it makes no difference cuz it knocks you off your feet

You want it all but you can't have it

It's cryin', bleedin', lying on the floor
So you lay down on it and you do it some more
You've got to share it, so you dare it
Then you bare it and you tear it

You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it

It's alive, afraid, a lie, a sin
It's magic, it's tragic, it's a loss, it's a win
It's dark, it's moist, it's a bitter pain
It's sad it happened and it's a shame

You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it

What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?

What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?

You want it all but you can't have it
It's in your face but you can't grab it

It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?
It's it
What is it?

03   Falling to Pieces (05:15)

Back and forth, I sway with the wind
Resolution slips away again
Right through my fingers, back into my heart
Where it's out of reach and it's in the dark
Sometimes I think I'm blind
Or I may be just paralyzed

Because the plot thickens every day
And the pieces of my puzzle keep crumblin' away
But I know, there's a picture beneath

Indecision clouds my vision
No one listens...
Because I'm somewhere in between
My love and my agony
You see, I'm somewhere in between
My life is falling to pieces
Somebody put me together

Layin' face down on the ground
My fingers in my ears to block the sound
My eyes shut tight to avoid the sight
Anticipating the end, losing the will to fight
Droplets of "yes" and "no"
In an ocean of "maybe"

From the bottom, it looks like a steep incline
From the top, another downhill slope of mine
But I know, the equilibrium's there

Indecision clouds my vision
No one listens
Because I'm somewhere in between
My love and my agony
You see, I'm somewhere in between
My life is falling to pieces
Somebody put me together

Back and forth, I sway with the wind
Resolution slips away again
Right through my fingers, back into my heart
Where it's out of reach and it's in the dark
Sometimes I think I'm blind
Or I may be just paralyzed

Because the plot thickens every day
And the pieces of my puzzle keep crumblin' away
But I know, there's a picture beneath

Indecision clouds my vision
No one listens...
Because I'm somewhere in between
My love and my agony
You see, I'm somewhere in between
My life is falling to pieces
Somebody put me together

04   Surprise! You’re Dead! (02:27)

05   Zombie Eaters (05:58)

You're everything
Thats why I cling to you
When I emerge my thoughts converge to you
(To you)
The world is so small, compared to you
And everybody's wrong compared to you
(To you)
I begin to see through your eyes
All the former mysteries
are no suprise
So now you listen
'Cause I'm omniscient
Hey look at me lady
I'm just a little baby
You're lucky to have me
I'm cute and sweet as candy
As charming as a fable
I'm innocent and disabled
So hug me, and kiss me
Then wipe my butt and piss me
I hope you never leave
'Cause who would hear me scream?
Nobody understands
Except the toys in my hands
So now you listen
'Cause I'm omniscient
Hey look at me lady
I'm just a little baby
If I smile, then you smile
Then I'll get mad for awhile
I melt in your mouth
And in you hands whenever I can
But I really do nothing
Except kickin' and fussin'
I like to make a mess
I laugh at your distress
i sit all day in my crib
Absorbing all you give
I'm helpless
I'm flawless
I'm a machine
Give me, I need my toys...

Keep me hot, keep me strong
Keep me ever everlong (x4)

So now you listen
'Cause I'm omniscient

06   The Real Thing (08:13)

I know the feeling
It is the real thing
The essence of the truth

The perfect moment
That golden moment
I know you feel it too

I know the feeling
It is the real thing
You can't refuse the embrace
No

It's like the pattern below the skin
You gotta reach out and pull it all in
And you feel like you're too close
But you swallow another dose

The pinnacle of happiness
Filling up your soul
You don't think you can take any more
You never wanna let go

To touch the roots of experience
The most basic ingredients
To see the unseen glitter of life
And feel the dirt, grief, anger and strife

Cherish the certainly of now
It kills you a bit at a time
Cradle the inspiration
It will leave you writhing on the floor

This is so unreal, what I feel
This nourishment, life is bent
Into a shape I can hold
A twist of fate, all my own
Just grit your teeth, make no sound
Take a step away and look around
Just clench your fist and close your eyes
Look deep inside, hypnotize
The whisper is but a shout
That's what it is all about
Yes, the ecstasy, you can pray
You will never let it slip away

Like the sacred song that someone sings through you, through you
Like the flesh so warm that the thorn sticks into, into
Like the dream you know one day will come to life
Try to hold on just a little longer, stronger, stronger

It's the jewel of victory
The chasm of misery
And once you have bitten the core
You will always know the flavor

The split second of divinity
You drink up the sky
All of heaven is in your arms
You know the reason why

It's right there, all by itself
And what you are, there is nothing else
You're growing a life within a life
The lips of wonder kiss you inside

And when it's over the feeling remains
It all comes down to this
The smoke clears, I see what it is
That made me feel this way

I know the feeling
It is the real thing
The essence of the truth

The perfect moment
That golden moment
I know you feel it too

I know the feeling
It is the real thing
You can't refuse the embrace

This is so unreal, what I feel
Flood, sell your soul, feel the blood
Pump through your veins, can't explain
The element that's everything
Just clench your fist and close your eyes
Look deep inside, hypnotize
Yes, the ecstasy, you can pray
You will never let it slip away
Yes, the ecstasy, you can pray
You will never let it slip away
You will never let it slip away
You will never let it slip away

Like the echoes of your childhood laughter, ever after
Like the first time love urged you to take it's guidance, in silence
Like your heartbeat when you realize you're dying, but you're trying
Like the way you cry for a happy ending, ending
I know
I know
I know
I know

07   Underwater Love (03:51)

08   The Morning After (03:43)

09   Woodpecker From Mars (05:40)

(Instrumental)

10   War Pigs (07:46)

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death's construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds

Oh lord yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor

Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait 'till their judgement day comes, yeah!

Now in darkness, world stops turning
Ashes where their bodies burning
No more war pigs of the power
Hand of god has sturck the hour
Day of judgement, god is calling
On their knees, the war pigs crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan, laughing, spreads his wings

Oh Lord Yeah!

11   Edge of the World (04:11)

Come here, my love
I'll tell you a secret
Come closer, now
I want you to believe it

I'll tell you all the things
You want to hear
Don't worry, baby
There's nothing to fear

Hey, little girl
Would you like some candy?

Look into my eyes
I've seen it all
Hand in hand
Together we fall

We'll sing and dance
And we'll find romance
And we'll stroll to the edge of the world

Come sit right down
Lay your head on my shoulder
It's not the point
That I'm forty years older

You can trust me
I'm no criminal
But I'd kill my mother
To be with you, be with you, be with you, be with you

We'll sing and dance
And we'll find romance
And we'll stroll to the edge of the world

Give me a smile
Let me see those pearlies
I'll do anything
For the little girlies

Carico i commenti...  con calma

Altre recensioni

Di  joe strummer

 "L’entrata di Mike Patton nel gruppo rivoluzionò gli equilibri del gruppo."

 "The Real Thing è un lavoro più accessibile del suo predecessore, con brani che sanno affascinare immediatamente."