• Voto:
Schifoso, traditore, poppettaro: di questo album potete dire quello che volete, ma resta uno dei più belli degli Helloween, da rivalutare.
Gli Helloween erano in quel periodo (1991) di un artista/band che a seguito di un grande successo di critica e pubblico (Keeper II) deve confermarsi. La band è quasi la stessa (via Kai Hansen dentro Roland Grapow) il suono no. E qui i giudizi si possono discutere, il mio è alto perché giudico solo il disco in sè, senza prendere in considerazione quello che è avvenuto prima o dopo. Inoltre considero che un cambiamento di rotta da parte di un artista/gruppo ogni tanto è giusto, se non consigliabile. Le canzoni rispetto ai dischi precedenti non sono solo power-metal, sono presenti due ballate, qualche canzone heavy, insomma per i puristi del power capisco il loro dissenso nel giudizio di questo disco che è visto come il black album dei metallica dai fan del trash per capirci meglio. È il primo passo verso il pop da parte del discusso Michael Kiske. Ribadisco che nonostante il mescolamento di generi le canzoni sono quasi tutte belle e il risultato finale è di qualità e fa di questo disco uno dei più sottovalutati del panorama metal. Sulla qualità non si può discutere, la formazione è una di quelle più ricordate dai metallari di oggi: Michael Kiske - cantante (con una voce a dir poco miracolosa), Michael Weikath - chitarra (oggi leader del gruppo) e gli "storici": Roland Grapow - chitarra, Markus Grosskopf - basso, Ingo Schwichtenberg - Batteria.
Un gruppo dicevo "storico" e forse per questo molti fan si sono sentiti ancora più traditi dal cambio di rotta. Discorso a parte per la copertina giudicata da molti: 'la più brutta del mondo' io la salvo per l'originalità và...
Ora veniamo nel dettaglio alle canzoni:
1./ 2. Pink Bubbles Go Ape/ Kids Of The Century
L'intro è una cosa che si ricorda sempre volentieri, Pink Bubbles Go Ape inizia con una canzoncina stile per bambini (ricordate: "Happy, happy halloween..." di 'Walls Of Jericho'?), ma un momento il volume è troppo basso alziamo un po'... Questo scherzo delle zucche si risolve con l'inizio di Kids Of The Century che parte a mille e col volume registrato apposta più alto rispetto all'intro per dare un effetto di potenza. Molto originale il tutto. Kids Of The Century è il primo singolo tratto dall'album, non un granchè come canzone, ma si lascia ascoltare nonostante sia eccessivamente 'power' vista la band in questione. Grande prova vocale di Kiske (vedi ritornello), ma le perle dell'album hanno da venire..
3. Back On The Street
Più una canzone rock che altro, molto orecchiabile e senza pretese. Si ricorda facilmente.
4. Number One
Secondo e ultimo singolo tratto dall'album. Ballata con qualche punta heavy con un risultato originale, ha un ritornello bellissimo e una melodia stile-helloween 100%. Una delle mie preferite in assoluto delle zucche. "Now it's time for happiness..."
5. Heavy Metal Hamsters
Stile "Metal Invaders" di Walls Of Jericho, inno heavy metal da antologia con tanto di coro, veloce al punto giusto. Belli gli assoli.
6. Going Home
Un'altra perla nascosta del repertorio Helloween incredibilmente mai ripresa in concerto. Veloce, power, tutto in questa canzone è da ricordare. Bellissima. Con "Rise And Fall" di Keeper II la mia preferita degli Helloween. Assoli da paura. Favolosa.
7. Someone's Crying / 9. I'm Doin' Fine, Crazy Man
Forse le canzoni più sottotono che non fanno dare 5 al giudizio finale. Bei riempitivi, ma pur sempre tali.
8. Mankind
L'inizio cupo e in crescendo, strumentalmente parlando siamo ad alti livelli, Kiske qui da vero fenomeno, così la può cantare solo lui. Canzone molto bella, dalle strofe al ritornello, "cacchio che voce!!!" mi verrebbe da dire.
10. The Chance
Qui anche i più critici di questo album si ricredono, la canzone è un vero capolavoro. Unica di questo album ad essere ripresa nei concerti e nell'antologia "Treasure Chest". Si giudica da sè.
11. Your Turn
Una delle più belle ballate delle zucche in assoluto come degna conclusione a questo bell'album. Parte la chitarra, la malinconia e la meraigliosa voce di quel grande di Kiske, seconda strofa si sente un'altra chitarra e la batteria, nel pre-ritornello ci sono anche le chitarre elettriche, e ritornello è bellissimo. Continua fino alla fine la magia di questa canzone, una vera perla.
Per finire ripeto quanto detto all'inizio, un disco da rivalutare a tutti i costi. Bellissimo in molti punti, non da 5 perchè i capolavori delle zucche sono i tre dischi prima, ma comunque un onestissimo e godibilissimo album. Tralaltro il mio primo disco metal mai ascoltato e come si dice il primo amore....
DA RIVALUTARE
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Pink Bubbles Go Ape (00:37)
Some people are much too smart
They know everything before it starts
Eating wisdom with the pail
No wonder when it sticks
In your darkest hour I will sing this song for you
Cry and tell
And slander
Yell and grumble well
So loud for heaven's sake
Pink bubbles go ape!
02 Kids of the Century (03:52)
We poison our hearts
We poison our seas
We burn down the paradise
We're stoppin' good waves
We're losin' our trees
The future looks bright ahead
I don't wonder we'll go under in this river of lies
We're lost in this time
We create so fine
The future we already fear
Seems like no way out, seems like there's no doubt
The future looks bright ahead
We're the kids of the century
We're lost in our games
No time for the memories we look in the haze
We're the kids of the century it wasn't our fault
Ev'rything's done mum, we fall
Let's keep on crying
But sometimes I don't wanna fall
Ev'rytime when you look around things will smile at you
Ev'rytime when you turn around you smell the truth
But you run away from the lies you can't say
Don't run away from the lies you can't say
We're the kids ...
03 Back on the Streets (03:23)
I've been told in the name of something
I've got to know what it means to play the game
Too many faces around they're talking
They play their parts oh, so well but who's to blame
Back on the streets, that's where we are
Building a fortress of power, yeah! We're coming
You know better than me the rules are:
Getting better or fat in the mania
It's good to know who is who in our game
The speed is faster, it's harder to see where we are
Back on the streets ...
Please Mister Know-how just bring me the news
I'm waiting so long for you telling me all you can tell
There's one thing about you, you're dying to prove
The master plan is yours and living with knowledge is hell
Back on the streets ...
04 Number One (05:13)
(M&L - Weikath)
Each time when one more year was over
You refused to hear heaven's bell sounds
And the hapiness in your heart's been set lower
You're searching for friends
But no one seemed to be 'round
You merely should think of the good times
'Cos there are so many ways you can go
Take a look at yourself
You're still very young
And big aims always take very long
Now it's time for happiness
Stay hard and trust your fate
Don't forget you're something else
You'll never be to late
Trust your father's mighty spell
You'll never be alone
Fate will always turn out well
And you'll be number one
Shout at the world don't care what they say
'Cos your life is now, here and today
Luck is there, ev'rywhere
Go on reap it's goods, that's the way
You wanna have truth relief from your pain
But life takes its tool again and again
Don't fear the night
Your future is pay
And the tracks to your aims are laid
Now it's time for happiness
Stay hard and trust your fate
Don't forget you're something else
You'll never be to late
Trust your father's mighty spell
You'll never be alone
Fate will always turn out well
And you'll be number one
Now it's time for happiness
Don't forget you're something else
Trust your father's mighty spell
Fate will always turn out well
06 Goin' Home (03:51)
You think I could be the one to look inside your mind
I don't think we'll have the time, so let us get in line
Another town another bed, another thing to go
By now I learned to take it cool, but I don't wanna know
My head is empty, all the stories that I've known I've told
The situation I escaped from, now it looks like gold
Anyway and anyhow we did it, it was good
But now I take the time to think 'bout ev'rything I should
'Cause after this I'm gone, the show is done
No other town or bed that lies ahead
I'll go home to what I know
I'll go home, home to you
By the time that you think 'bout it twice no spotlight makes you stay
By the time that you feel you don't know, you have to go
[solo]
The plane is ready in my head, so many things to do
A few more hours till it's over I reach out for you
A kind of peace inside is growing, thinking 'bout the shows
Until the next time I'll be so much better, yes I know
Now this is it I'm gone, the show is done
No other town or bed that lies ahead
I'll go home to what I know
I'll go home, home to you
I'll go home. . .
08 Mankind (06:18)
Here is all mankind so proud of their achievements
There is a stone that is warmer than you
Look how we stand in the stream of illusions
No one says a word
Here you laugh and there you cry
All that makes you move
There's no fear for anything
Anything but you
Animals dying for our vanity
Our world is a beautiful place to be free
Drinking the blood of the weak, it's so easy
No one hears them cry
Here you cheat and there you lie
All that makes you gain
One day we will face His throne
There's nothin� we can say
Prosperity, luxury, fast food is rising
It's the rainforest that dies
Here you laugh and there you cry
All that makes you move
Here you cheat and there you lie
All that makes you gain
10 The Chance (03:47)
We're living in a constant fight
Too much pressure everywhere
And all around
Don't let it pull you down
Hold on tight
Cling to your dreams
Don't you depend on someone else
Think for yourself and win the race
The chance you got comes never twice
Do your best, and do it right
Time will come but don't you hide
You are on your way
You're led by God but you're not a pawn
Should live your life, don't care 'bout any scorn
Just let them fool around
No need to cry
Don't give up
Try to be as smart as you can be
I know you own so much ability
The chance you got comes never twice
Do your best, and do it right
Time will come but don't you hide
You are on your way
SOLO
The chance you got comes never twice
Do your best, and do it right
Time will come but don't you hide
You are on your way
The chance you got comes never twice
Do your best, and do it right
Time will come but don't you hide
You are on your way
11 Your Turn (05:38)
Now there is this day, a lot of things are changing
Can't just kick it away, got to get things right
Sometimes it happens fast and nothin' seems to last
The thing that I once started isn't mine anymore
I guess now it's my turn
You've got a face like a child, got a mind like a woman
Your smile is warm and tender
I hear the people say that I should stay away
From you and all the problems you might bring
They'll never know--you
Nobody ever knows what to do
They'll never see you cry
They'll never know why
Now it's your turn to break free
When you want it all you've got to see
Now it's your turn to break free
Don't you know when you want the life,
you've got to see what it means
See the little boy holding mama's hand
His eyes can see the things we've long forgotten
The world is easy now--and somehow
He's right
Until there is this day when Mickey Mouse must go away
Now it's your turn to break free
When you want it all you've got to see
Now it's your turn to break free
Don't you know when you want the life,
you've got to see what it means
SOLO
This world is crying to be free
This world is dying can't you see
We need a turn to do it right
We need a mind-revolution
To get away from this selfishness
Stop playing blind, break free
Now it's your turn to break free
When you want it all you've got to see
Now it's your turn to break free
Don't you know when you want the life,
you've got to see what it means
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