Il rock progressivo spesso viene definito come quel sotto genere musicale popolare, caratterizzato da una struttura ritmica insolita che non segue le abituali regole ritmiche del Pop, del Folk, del Rock and Roll o del Blues, cioè strofa ritornello strofa. Ma piuttosto cambi di tempo repentini eseguiti in tempi dispari, il tutto supportato da un' ingente quantità di strumentazione più svariata: tastiere (Hammond), percussioni di qualsisi tipo, flauti traversi, violini, trombe, metallofoni, e chi più ne ha più ne metta. Anche se il rock progressivo cercava di portare una ventata di freschezza alla musica popolare di fine anni sessanta, amalgamando nella stessa influenze di musica Jazz, Sinfonica, Classica, d'Opera Medievale. La critica dell'epoca il più delle volte si scagliò contro le magniloquenti suite dei paladini del prog, evidenziando la troppa esuberanza tecnica talvolta fine a se stessa.
E come dargli torto? In effetti, io Vituperio, pur essendo un amante del rock progressivo non posso non ammettere che album come "Tales From Topographic Oceans", sono capaci di stracciarmi le palle (Yessini non prendetevela... lo sapete che vi adoro comunque). Forse mi sbaglierò... ma la critica musicale non prese in considerazione il fatto che sotto l'aspetto testuale, le canzoni del rock progressivo stavano riscontrando passi da gigante (gentile), preferendo temi filosofici piuttosto che sociali, la fantasia invece che il mondoreale delle cose, le opere letterarie etc. Quindi una band rock progressiva che si rispetti deve far fronte in assoluto anche a queste caratteristiche musicali. In sintesi per farla breve, (in quanto mi sono dilungato troppo) se dovessi scegliere un album, dove sono racchiuse tutte le migliori peculiarità della musica progressiva e nessun lato negativo, senza pensarci due volte scelgo Octopus dei Gentle Giant. Pietra miliare.
VOTO: 5/5, del tutto soggettivo.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 The Advent of Panurge (04:41)
There coming over Charaton Bridge
Look do you see the man who is poor
but rich.
What do you wish; and where do you go;
who are you; where are you from:
Will you tell me your name?
Rest awhile; call me your friend.
Please stay with me I'd like to help.
Then he said,
How can I speak when I'm dry and my
throat is burning. So bring me aid
and I'll answer your doubts.
Friend in need I'd like your help
Please take me home I'll stay with you.
Then he said fair Pantagruel
My name is Panurge and I have come
from Hell.
Look at my friend
Look all around you
Look at my friend
Take all round you.
Hey, Friend
(Improvised foreign words in middle section)
So brotherhood was made as their bond
Carried him home and provide for his
needs
and his shelter; this day was done
as no other the like.
Faithfully their vow was made and from
that day they were as one.
02 Raconteur Troubadour (04:01)
Gather round the village square
Come good people both wretched
and fair
See the troubadour play on the drum
Hear my songs on the lute that I strum.
I will make you laugh,
Revel, Merry-dance
Throw your pennies, then you'll hear
more of
the story-telling half
There's no other chance,
Always move on
Raconteur, troubadour
Take the face that you see for the man,
Clown and minstrel, I am what I am
All my family, not of my kin
Home, wherever, the place that I'm in
Humors give me wage,
Favors for my art
Rising, falling
Everyone struggle on
All the world's a stage
All can play their part
I have chosen
Raconteur, troubadour
Dusk is drawing my story is spun,
Dawn is falling my day's work is done
Morning, rested I set on my way
Find new faces to offer my play
I will make you laugh,
Revel, Merry-dance
Throw your pennies, then you'll hear
more of
The story-telling half
There's no other chance
Always move on
Raconteur-Troubadour
03 A Cry for Everyone (04:03)
Run, why should I run away
When at the end the only truth certain -
One day everyone dies -
If only to justify life.
Live, I've lived a thousand lives;
And anyone is the right, the just life.
If I could cry, I'd cry for everyone.
Doubts, no doubt, is all I know.
There is no fate, there's no luck,
what does
that show.
Showing is proof, but proving is nothing
but fear.
If I could cry, I'd cry then for everyone.
Hope, I've hoped two thousand years,
but
no one hears, so I've cried, crying
vain tears.
Always too late, too late to cry, cry
for everyone.
04 Knots (04:11)
All in all each man in all men
All men in each man.
He can see she can't, she can see
she can
see whatever, whatever.
You may know what I don't know,
but not that
I don't know it and I can't tell you
so you will.
To tell me all man in all men
All men in each man.
He can see she can't, she can see
she can
see whatever, whatever.
You may know what I don't know,
but not that
I don't know it and I can't tell you
so you will have to tell me all.
It hurts him to think that she is
hurting her by him being hurt to think
that she thinks he is hurt by making her
feel guilty at hurting him by her thinking
she wants him to want her. Her wants
her to
want him to get him to want him to get
him to want her she pretends.
He tries to make her afraid by not
being afraid.
You may know what I don't know, but not
that I don't know it and I can't
tell you so you will have to tell
me all.
I get what I deserve. I deserve what I
get. I have it so I deserve it. I deserve
it for I have it. I get what I deserve.
What I deserve - what I deserve what
I get.
I have it so I deserve.
He tries to make her afraid by not
being afraid.
05 The Boys in the Band (04:32)
(Instrumental)
Not to be confused with the play of the
same name - at least not the characters,
we hope. This piece is for Gentle Giant
as a whole - our engineer, Martin
Rushant, included
08 River (05:52)
Touching the last of what is past
Moving silent water fell the first
that comes
Slow and winding, flowing free
Peaceful music in its sound of distant
drums
Trust the shallow virgin stream
Danger wild, beware the deeper it
becomes
Moving highway, twisting byway
Can't turn back
Sining in the summer rain
Rain that's caught in its flow
Spreading, shining, silver lining
Gold on black
Echoes moods of the moon and sun
Sun that shines from below
Makes a soft and easy way
Left to choose its path will always be
a friend
Touch the last of what has past
Never idle river drifting to the end
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di panurge
L'estrema intricatezza non pregiudica la nobile e animalesca natura di Musica.
'The Boys in The Band' spinge in modo diverso da tutto quello che abbiamo sentito prima.
