• Voto:
"Live In Japan" è la fedele testimonianza dei concerti tenuti dall'ex Beatle durante le dodici date del suo tour giapponese nell'ormai lontano dicembre del 1991. Quei concerti unici rappresentavano le prime apparizioni dal vivo di Harrison dal 1974, anno di pubblicazione dell' incerto "Dark Horse". Per il suo ritorno sulle scene George scelse il Giappone, paese secondo solo agli Stati Uniti quanto a passione beatlesiana, che accolse il musicista inglese con affetto e rinnovato entusiasmo.
Il disco in questione rappresenta una solida e piacevolissima raccolta dei suoi più grandi successi da solo e con i Beatles. Accanto ad Harrison troviamo ad accompagnarlo l'amico Eric Clapton e la sua solida band del periodo tra cui compaiono musicisti del calibro di Chuck Levell, da anni ormai alla corte dei Rolling Stones, Steve Ferrone, attualmente batterista fisso di Tom Petty, il tastierista Greg Phillinganes, ora membro dei Toto, l'ottimo chitarrista Andy Fairweather-Low e il percussionista Ray Cooper. Gran parte del merito per il risultato positivo del lavoro va appunto all'affiatato gruppo di Clapton che, tra l'altro, si ritagliava anche un proprio e personale momento all'interno dei concerti. George Harrison, dal canto suo, appare in buona forma sebbene la voce, nel corso degli anni, abbia purtroppo perso qualcosa.
Il repertorio proposto risulta naturalmente notevole e rappresenta una sorta di greatest hits personale. La parte del leone la fanno i brani tratti dal repertorio dei Beatles. Le immortali "Something" e "Here Comes The Sun" sono presenze scontate mentre "Piggies" è un inatteso ripescaggio dal "White Album". Buone le esecuzioni delle care e belle "If I Needed Someone", "I Want To Tell You", "Old Brown Shoe" e di "Taxman", presentata con un testo leggermente riadattato alla situazione politica del periodo. Del repertorio solista spiccano i pezzi tratti dal riuscitissimo "Cloud 9", una sorta di rinascita artistica per George, "My Sweet Lord", una preghiera messa in musica sempre ben accolta dal pubblico, la dylaniana "Give Me Love" e la splendida "Isn't It A Pity". C'è spazio pure per la rara "Cheer Down" scritta con l'amico Tom Petty, per la dedica a John Lennon di "All Those Years Ago" e per la frizzante "Dark Horse". Quando poi tutti i ricordi sembrano esauriti, arrivano nel finale l'attesa "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", nobilitata da un Clapton in stato di grazia e il saluto finale scontato e un po' banale di "Roll Over Beethoven".
Al termine dell'ascolto, ci si accorge che questo disco non aggiunge o toglie nulla di nuovo alla carriera di Harrison. La vera magia di questa opera rimane racchiusa nella melodia eterna di "Isn't It A Pity" che, con la sua coda nostalgica e piena di rimpianti per un'epoca tramontata per sempre, ci rinnova ad ogni ascolto il ricordo sempre vivo di un grande compositore, di un bravo musicista e di una persona unica scomparsa troppo presto.
Elenco tracce e testi
03 Taxman (04:20)
(One, two, three, four, one two)
Let me tell you how it will be
There's one for you, nineteen for me
'Cause I'm the taxman
Yeah, I'm the taxman
Should five percent appear too small
Be thankful I don't take it all
'Cause I'm the taxman
Yeah, I'm the taxman
(If you drive a car car) I'll tax the street
(If you try to sit sit) I'll tax your seat
(If you get too cold cold) I'll tax the heat
(If you take a walk walk) I'll tax your feet
Taxman!
'Cause I'm the taxman
Yeah, I'm the taxman
Don't ask me what I want it for
(Ah, ah, Mr. Wilson)
If you don't want to pay some more
(Ah, ah, Mr. Heath)
'Cause I'm the taxman
Yeah, I'm the taxman
Now my advise for those who die
(Taxman!)
Declare the pennies on your eyes
(Taxman!)
'Cause I'm the taxman
Yeah, I'm the taxman
And you're working for no one, but me
(Taxman!)
06 Something (05:21)
Something in the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way she moves me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
Somewhere in her smile she knows
That I don't need no other lover
Something in her style that shows me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
You're asking me will my love grow
I don't know, I don't know
You stick around now it may show
I don't know, I don't know
Something in the way she knows
And all I have to do is think of her
Something in the things she shows me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
07 What Is Life (04:46)
What I feel, I can't say
But my love is there for you anytime of day
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
What I know, I can do
If I give my love now to everyone like you
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make ev'rything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
What I feel, I can't say
But my love is there for you any time of day
But if it's not love that you need
Then I'll try my best to make everything succeed
Tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
Oh tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
What is my life without your love
Tell me, who am I without you, by my side
Oh tell me, what is my life without your love
Tell me who am I without you by my side
08 Dark Horse (04:15)
You thought that you knew where I was and when
But it looks like they've been foolin' you again
You thought that you'd got me all steaked out
But baby looks like I've been breaking out
I'm a dark horse
Running on a dark race course
I'm a blue moon
Since I stepped from out of the womb
I've been a cool jerk
Looking for the source
I'm a dark horse
You thought you had got me in your grip
Baby looks like you was not so smart
And I became too slippery for you
But let me say that was nothing new
I'm a dark horse
Running on a dark race course
I'm a blue moon
Since I picked up my first spoon
I've been a cool jerk
Looking for the source
I'm a dark horse
I thought that you knew it all along
Until you started getting me not right
Seems as if you heared a little late
But I warned you when
We both were at the starting gate
I'm a dark horse
Running on a dark race course
I'm a blue moon
Since I stepped from out of the womb
I've been a cool jerk
Who's looking for his perks
I'm a dark horse
I'm a dark horse
Running on a dark race course
I'm a blue moon
Since I stepped from out of the womb
I've been a cool jerk
Cooking at the source
I'm a dark horse
09 Piggies (03:02)
Have you seen the little piggies
Crawling in the dirt
And for all the little piggies
Life is getting worse
Always having dirt to play around in.
Have you seen the bigger piggies
In their starched white shirts
You will find the bigger piggies
Stirring up the dirt
Always have clean shirts to play around in.
In their styes with all their backing
They don't care what goes on around
In their eyes there's something lacking
What they need's a damn good whacking.
Everywhere there's lots of piggies
Living piggy lives
You can see them out for dinner
With their piggy wives
Clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon.
10 Got My Mind Set on You (04:34)
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
But it's gonna take money
A whole lotta spending money
It's gonne take plenty of money
To do it right child
It's gonna take time
A whole lot of precious time
It's gonna take patience and time, ummm
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it right child
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
And this time I know it's for real
The feelings that I feel
I know if I put my mind to it
I know that I really can do it
I got my mind set on you
Set on you
I got my mind set on you
Set on you
But it's gonna take money
A whole lotta spending money
It's gonna take plenty of money
To do it right child
It's gonna take time
A whole lot of precious time
It's gonna take patience and time, ummm
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it right
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
I got my mind set on you
And this time I know it's for real
The feelings that I feel
I know if I put my mind to it
I know that I really can do it
But it's gonna take money
A whole lotta spending money
It's gonna take plenty of money
To do it right child
It's gonna take time
A whole lot of precious time
It's gonna take patience and time, ummm
To do it, to do it, to do it, to do it, to do it
To do it right
Set on you
Set on you
Carico i commenti... con calma
