Il miglior pregio dei Gomez? Penso che siano imbattibili in materia di dare, come dire, senso compiuto a qualsiasi frammento sonoro. La loro musica nasce da tante piccole schegge organizzate come un personalissimo microcosmo, riunite, coordinate e rese organo insostituibile di quegli "insiemi" compiuti che risultano essere i loro lavori.
Eccezione che ne conferma la regola, è questa raccolta atipica datata anno 2000: in tal caso, il frammento nudo, sconvolto e improvvisato viene privato della propria libertà per creare un'osmosi che, personalmente, ritengo posseggano solamente le grandi band. Non è difficile intendere come una raccolta di B-sides, rarità e cover rifatte, sia una tremenda arma a doppio taglio in quanto ci presenta un'espressione musicale più genuina, privata del luccichio delle grandi produzioni: allora permettetemi di dire che i Gomez, in questa veste più "Indie", superano alla grande l'esame del faccia a faccia con la loro musica, con la scorza nuda (scusate il gioco di parole), ma mai scontata o alquanto ripetitiva.
Parlando di queste quindici "follie", preferisco cominciare dalle cover, Flavors e Getting Better: non potendo discutere la bellezza della prima, ci terrei a sottolineare come la seconda, con marchio di fabbrica Lennon-McCartney, sia stata estrapolata, manipolata e ridataci in pasto come una canzone proprio dei Gomez.
Poi, proprio non potendone fare a meno (è il turbinio sonoro che sconvolge l'appassionato), devo passare all'esame dei rifacimenti eccellenti: la famosa 78 Stone Stubble diventa Shuffle, con un'impeccabile esecuzione dal vivo per la BBC; alzare il volume per credere, l'effetto è da swing che ti capotta il locale sotto casa. L'altra, la famosa e bellissima We Haven't Turned Around, torna nuda e cruda privata della sua orchestralità, ma decisamente viva, pulsante e sentita.
Se il disco finisse qui, credo che i fan più accaniti si potrebbero ritenere già soddisfatti anche se manca ancora la sezione dei "segati" eccellenti, ovvero quelle perle che ti fanno innamorare proprio perchè dimenticate e scoperte per caso. Una su tutte? Buena Vista. Otto minuti strabilianti, dei quali la metà strumentali in una sorta di revival psichedelico registrato su un quattro tracce nel box dietro casa.
Grande, ma non vorrei dimenticare Wharf Me o Rosemary, talmente struggente da risultare atipica nella produzione dei Gomez e così ora mi sorge un dubbio: quale sarebbe la vera produzione dei nostri eroi? Risposta difficile... meglio continuare nell'ascolto e scoprire altri gioielli come le due Shitbag, venate di Blues, Bring Your Lovin'Back Here o le malate Hit On The Head, The Cowboy Song.
Sono sicuro di una cosa: con una produzione mirata, si sarebbe potuto spacciarlo come l'ottimo predecessore di In Our Gun. Viva l'onestà allora...
Elenco tracce e testi
05 Flavors (03:12)
There was a red light coughin' up a room of blood
And there were forecast seven inches of snow
And there were two tunes playing in my head at once
Arguing guitar and drums
There was a lover standing by her bed
With a cigarette burning on her hand
And there were moonbeams playing on her porcelain flesh
A capi ero alousca
Company cars and shoes were never meant to play the blues
You were the only fool I ever wanted to make love to
Even within my youth I denied I wanted to
You were the only fool I ever wanted to make love to
There was a red Mayan parrot pulling chicken legs
And there were weak spots only she could detect
And as I rolled over to block the last ray of sun
In emergency all over the show
There was a blue light the other side of the globe
And there were four cats stretching out their claws
And there were two lovers separated by the telephone
Company cars and shoes were never meant to play the blues
You were the only fool I ever wanted to make love to
Even within my youth I denied I wanted to
'Cause you were the only fool I ever wanted to make love to
Your flavors are getting to me
Your flavors are getting to me
Your flavors are getting to me
Your flavors are getting to me
Your flavors
Your flavors
Your flavors
Your flavors
09 Shitbag (01:03)
Well, everybody's got their own destination
But, I don't have one at all
Well, everybody favours their particular situation
But, I don't favour much at all
So I'm rolling 'long with a fine-looking country girl
Boy, I tell you she's got it all
Don't come around here trying to sell me your messed-up bitchin'
I got my old beat-up ball
10 Steve McCroski (04:33)
Since I was a child I was chased like a demon out of town
Gonna see the child of a leg, leg, legless hound
And I am gonna follow you around
And I am gonna follow you around
Yeah, I..
I'm eagerly adopted by the darkest atmosphere
Playin' in the playground with all the, all the others, yeah
And I am gonna follow you around
And I am gonna follow you around
Yeah, I..
And I am gonna follow you around
And I am gonna follow you around
And I am gonna follow you around
And I am gonna follow you around
Yeah, I..
13 Rosemary (05:50)
Rosemary's the kind of girl
Don't need no reason
She's the kind that just won't settle
Down
Clothes are out of season
She'll be done for treason
She'll be hanging from a tree upside
Down
Fever
Fever
Where you trying to run?
Fever
Diva
Rosemary's not done
Well Rosemary's the kind of girl
Tired of her beauty
She has taken all her mirrors
Down
So you best believe her
The girl will give you fever
She's the kind to heat you up and cool you
Down
Fever
Fever
Where you trying to run?
Fever
Diva
Rosemary
She's not done
Not done
14 The Cowboy Song (01:16)
One of these days,
One of these fine old days
I'm gonna be through.
Keep on trucking now, smiling,
Waving your hand, goodbye
She's just fucking around now
Saying those things that she doesn't really need to say
She's got guns to her hip
He's a-cracking his whip
Yeah he's a cowboy.
When he sees her walk by
Got that look in her eye
She's so fine, she's so fine,
He's a cowboy
Yeah!
15 Getting Better (03:38)
It's getting better all the time
I used to get mad at my school
The teachers who taught me weren't cool
Holding me down
Turning me round
Filling me up with your rules.
I've got to admit it's getting better,
It's getting better all the time
I've got to admit it's getting better,
It's getting better since you've been mine.
Me used to be angry young man
Me hiding me head in the sand
You gave me the word
I finally heard
I'm doing the best that I can
I admit it's getting better,
It's getting better all the time
I've got to admit it's getting better,
It's getting better since you've been mine.
Getting so much better all the time
It' getting better all the time, Better Better, Better
It' getting better all the time, Better Better, Better
I used to be cruel to my woman I beat her and
kept her apart from the things that she loved
Man, i was mean, but I'm changing my scene and I'm doing the best that I can.
I admit it's getting better,
It's getting better all the time
I've got to admit it's getting better,
It's getting better since you've been mine.
Getting so much better all the time
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