• Voto:
Se nell'esordio "Stars of CCTV" anche l'orecchio meno attento avrebbe potuto facilmente evincere una devozione assoluta e totale per il classico sound clashiano, gli Hard-Fi in questa seconda prova optano per un sound più "canonico" e, soprattutto, pesantemente radio friendly.
Non che l'opera prima non lo fosse (vedi l'ipersopravvalutata "Cash Machine", che deve il proprio successo grazie ad un videoclip geniale più che ad una melodia vincente, o "Hard To Beat", tipico esempio di come deve essere un brano da classifica), ma qua è chiara l'intenzione di costruire un disco che prosegua più su una strada di sicuro successo commerciale che di effettiva crescita musicale.
Posto in apertura d'album, il primo ottimo singolo "Suburban Knights" ribadisce il tipo di sound espresso dagli H.F. nel primo lavoro, ma già da tracce successive come la funkeggiante "I Shall Overcome" (buona) e l'accoppiata "Tonight"/"Watch Me Fall Apart" (due midtempo in cui spicca l'utilizzo, piuttosto ruffiano e superfluo nell'economia sonora dei pezzi, degli archi) si intuisce la volontà del combo britannico di dirigersi verso lidi meno tempestosi e più sicuri. Un qualche sussulto di vitalità arriva da cose come l'insolita "I Close My Eyes", che non sfigurerebbe in un lavoro qualsiasi degli ultimi Red Hot Chili Peppers, o dal nuovo singolo "Can't Get Along (Without You)", vitale e piacevole.
Per il resto si assiste a numeretti piatti e piuttosto patetici, oltreché melodicamente insapori ("Television" e "We Need Love", chiusa da un coro e un claphands francamente inutili) e ritornelli talmente ruffiani da provocare istantanee crisi diabetiche ("Little Angel", degna dei peggiori Maroon 5). "The King" chiude il cerchio (venuto storto, c'è da dire) sulla strada di un depressive britpop alla Embrace che, col resto del disco, c'entra come il cavolo a merenda.
Rimandati al terzo album, quindi, notoriamente tomba o decollo di un artista. Ma qui l'operazione rilancio (artistico, vedremo se anche commerciale) sembra francamente disperata. Di scialbi e ruffiani gruppi radio-pop ne abbiamo sin troppi, senza che saltino sul carro degli pseudo vincitori pure Richard Archer & Company.
Elenco tracce e testi
01 Suburban Knights (04:29)
Suburban days
They last so long
In shop and office
We sing our song, we all sing
We ain't got nothing
Nothing to do
A big fat nothing
Nothing for me, nothing for you
Suburban dreams
Just out of reach
Work 'till you die
That's what they teach you at school
With that in mind
What's there to lose
My friends and I
Doped up on TV fags and booze
Hear them all singing!
We're the ones that you've forgotten
But we will not be denied!
Coming out of the shadows
Yeah, we rock the satellites!
Suburban Nights
They get so hot
People get angry
We sing our song, we all sing
A global terror, they say
We are at war
But ain't got time for that, 'cos
These bills keep dropping through my door
Hear them all singing!
We're the ones that you've forgotten
Out of mind, out of sight
Coming out of the shadows
Yeah, we rock the satellites!
All these people who criticise us
Well, we're only sayin' what we're seeing with our own eyes
This one way system ain't paradise
Not everybody wants to race, wants to fight
Hear them all singing!
We're the ones that you've forgotten
But we will not be denied!
Coming out of the shadows
Yeah, we rock the satellites!
We're the ones that you've forgotten
Out of mind, out of sight
Coming out of the shadows
Coming out via satellite
02 I Shall Overcome (04:16)
New day dawning, I wonder what it holds for me,
Sun is shining, I Don't think that it will shine on me
I look around, nothing seems to have changed,
This dirty town, it hasn't some how rearranged
And I stand up, but I get knocked straight back down,
"Just give it up" they say, "We just don't want you around
Not one of us, and we don't like to share."
Mouthful of dust, but I'll get even I swear...
I hear your voice, call my name, but in my heart, It's still pouring rain,
And it ain't pretty, no it ain't pretty...
But you say "Hold on, hold on... believe me,
All the plans against you one by one, will come undone."
I shall overcome.
Through my tears, I try to see your face,
But doubt and fear come calling, and crowd my head with words of hate,
I scream out please! Don't leave me hear alone,
Down on my knees, without you and without hope...
I hear your voice, call my name, but in my heart, It's still pouring rain,
And it ain't pretty, no it ain't pretty...
But you say "Hold on, hold on... believe me,
Love is here and I won't let you down, stand your ground.
Hold on, hold on... It's easy,
All the plans against you one by one, will come undone."
I know I shall overcome.
Just in time you call my name, pull myself up, to fight again.
I'll never let you down...
"Hold on, hold on... believe me,
Love is here and I won't let you down, stand your ground.
Hold on, hold on... It's easy,
All the plans against you one by one, will come undone."
I know I shall overcome.
03 Tonight (03:55)
Tonight, tonight I'm gonna take what's mine,
tonight, tonight under that bright neon light.
And if I ever find a way right out of here,
Tonight, tonight I'm gonna disappear.
Tonight, tonight oh sweetheart you and I,
Tonight, tonight we've gotta feel alive.
Cos if we ever find a way right out of here,
Tonight, tonight we've gotta disappear.
But it ain't easy, no it ain't easy.
Darling, darling please.
I ain't got long,
So I need you,
To believe in me,
Tonight, tonight.
I can't lose you,
So come with me,
And we'll break free,
Tonight, tonight, we'll shine so bright.
Tonight, tonight we've gotta make our move,
Tonight, tonight we ain't got nothing to lose.
Cos if we ever find a way right out of here,
Tonight, tonight we gotta disappear.
But it ain't easy, no it ain't easy.
Darling, darling please.
We ain't got long,
So I need you,
To believe in me,
Tonight, tonight.
I can't lose you,
So come with me,
And we'll break free,
Tonight, tonight, we'll shine so bright.
Tonight, tonight out on that Great West Road,
I'm scared like you but we can't let it show.
Cos if we ever find a way right out of here,
Tonight, tonight...
05 I Close My Eyes (02:26)
I fall out of bed, Put my head in the sink,
Cold water on my face, Brings me back to the brink.
I've got to get to work, You know I'm always late,
The boss is on my back, The boss is in my face...
I close my eyes, I'm in your arms,
I close my eyes, I'm in your arms,
The phone keeps ringing!
My ears keep ringing!
And all these people keep singing!
Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah...
I work hard everyday, Working for a man,
Who when I'm old and grey, Will steal my pension plan,
Sometimes I ask myself, I ask myself what's the point?
Two weeks in the sun, For a lifetime in this joint....
I close my eyes, I'm in your arms,
I close my eyes, I'm in your arms,
The phone keeps ringing!
And all these people keep singing!
Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah...
I fall out of bed, Put my head in the sink,
Cold water on my face, Brings me back to the brink!
07 Help Me Please (03:12)
There's no light in the hall
There's no sound here at all
Emptiness, emptiness, rules
Why'd I wanna come home?
You ain't sat in your chair
No one calls, no ones there
Just a clock, tick, tock
Tears, so many tears
Help me please
I'm in need
Cause being alone scares the life out of me
Help me please
I'm in need
Cause being alone scares the life out of me
Being alone scares the life out of me
Breaking down on the stairs
Hello lonliness, Hello despair
All of this, all of it wrong
You won't ever come home
They can take what they please
They can take the blame
Everything, everything is free
Have it on me
Help me please
I'm in need
Cause being alone scares thee life out of me
Help me please
I'm in need
Cause being alone scares the life out of me
Being alone scares the life out of me
Being alone scares the life out of me
11 The King (03:14)
In this town, I used to be the king here,
Now I don't mean a thing here, Where did it all go wrong?
I look around, and no one knows my face here,
I feel so out of place here, Where did all go wrong?
I say your name, And I wonder where you are now,
I hope you're doing fine, Well I hope that you found love...
I hope that you found love...
CHORUS
I've been thinking of you, every waking hour,
Staring at the wall, trying to find the nerve to call...
Look at your photo and I wonder, Are you still on this number?
But In my heart I know, You changed that number long ago
We said goodbye, You begged me not to leave you,
I didn't want to leave you, but you know I had to go...
I said look for me, when the spring sun shines on the street,
Where we'd meet and plan our future, But I never made it home...
I never made it home...
I turn around, head on over to your street yeh,
Just in case you might still be there, but now they've pulled it down...
Now they've pulled it down...
CHORUS
I've been thinking of you, every waking hour,
Staring at the wall, trying to find the nerve to call...
Look at your photo and I wonder, Are you still on this number?
But In my heart I know, You changed that number long ago,
Nowhere is home, and I feel old,
My clothes are torn, My heart is cold,
With you I was The King,
But with you my heart would sing,
But now my story's done,
Now I'm no one...
But once I was The King
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