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Accidenti che titolone! Il giovane Jason è davvero preoccupato! Siamo nel 1993 quando la Sony Music pubblica il primo lavoro dei Jamiroquai, gruppetto di discreti musicisti con il sangue caldo e la voglia di gridare contro il mondo che non gira come dovrebbe. La chiave di lettura è il funky ed una musica contaminata da strumenti lontani dalla classica concezione pop europea: il digeridoo per esempio, viene usato in diversi pezzi nei primi album, ed è lo strumento creato e storicamente utilizzato dagli aborigeni australiani. E' un suono profondo e gracchiante, continuo e ondeggiante, cupo ed oscuro. Eppure ben collocato. Da ascoltare.
La formazione iniziale del gruppo: Toby Smith alle tastiere, Nick Van Gelder alla batteria e Stuart Zender al basso. Completano il sound Kofi Kari e Maurizio Ravalio alle percussioni, infine Simon Bartholomew e Glenn Nightingale alle chitarre. Un gruppone insomma, ad accompagnare la vocina esile e delicata di questo curioso personaggio che si fa confezionare da mamma i pazzi cappelli che lui stesso disegna, il cui lugubre passato è fatto di accattonaggio, notti sotto i ponti e droghe che ne velocizzarono le stanche sinapsi.
Ma il succo è la musica. La sua musica, o quella del gruppo se volete, così fresca e finemente contaminata, capita faticosamente, perchè troppo particolare e distante da quello che nei primi anni novanta veniva gustato dai giovani, attratti da un pop rock sempre più "popolare". Ed ecco dunuque una musica, un sound nuovo, per quelle minoranze scazzate e ribelli. Primi concerti semivuoti e gente sdraiata a lasciarsi increpuscolire dalla droga, nel tiepido marasma, col sottofondo della J-band. E quei balletti, così elastici e inimitabili, evocanti lo sballo e l'instabilità, omaggio all'alcool e alla perdizione. Il mondo si scompone ed io protesto "fondendomi col mondo". Insomma, amici, si parla di origini, di freschezza, di musica per pochi, e quei pochi rifiutano un po' tutto, e sono un po' rifiutati da tutti…
Acid Jazz, suoni lontani, recupero di sonorità nere, soul, schitarrate piene di undicesime e tredicesime, note aperte… ma che diavolo succede? è il sound dei Jamiroquai, amici, ed è un sound davvero gustoso. Non sarà il primo ascolto a gratificarvi, ma via via sarete assorbiti dalla qualità di questa musica. NON acquistate questo cd se vi piace la musica di JK da Syncronized in poi. Già in Travelling without moving c'è un influenza di suoni elettronici e influenze (inutili) reggae che sfalsano un po' la riga originaria (ed originale) del gruppo. Per non parlare del decadimento dei testi…
Non c'è musica riempitiva in questo primo album. Emegency on planet earth ha davvero qualcosa da dire, sia a livello musicale che di testi . When you gonna learn è di una freschezza e di una morbidezza serafica insospettabile, visto il groviglio di personaggi che la suonano. Forse è presto, forse no, ma questo è un sound British trip pop, e il suono del violino è quanto mai inaspettato. Too young to die è se vogliamo un piccolo grande successo, la vocina di Jason dichiara la fragilità e l'intento anti guerra del pezzo. In Hooked up si parla di droghe, bisogno di estraniarsi? In I like to do it si espone contro le leggi ed il senso di soffocamento. E poi soffermatevi su Emergency on planet earth, o Revolution 1993 (addirittura?) o ancora Blow your mind, dove il suono travolgente ed accattivante vi coinvolgerà certamente. Il senso di rabbia e ribellione giovanile si percepisce in ogni testo, in ogni nota. L'emozione di esporre le proprie idee con coraggio ha una dignità simbolica, e diventa simbolo per qualcuno. Non è rap, non è black, non è pop, non è jazz, è il sound di Jamiroquai. Musica forte e piena di idee. Musica nuova.
Cosa è rimasto oggi dei primi Jamiroquai? Niente. Un giovane ribelle ed incazzato si è trasformato in un arrichito e scazzato ballerino, che bada alla qualità del suono e non più alla freschezza della musica (che rappresentava per lui, in effetti, la via della salvezza), quella freschezza che viene, ebbene si signori, dall'umido garage dove faceva le prove nel 1990, spinto dal desiderio di esprimersi, comunicare il proprio disagio, la voglia di cambiamento, attraverso un'espressione artistica. La sua musica si è involuta, troppe contaminazioni forzate, troppa elettronica, troppa fretta nello sfornare pezzi senza anima, per la serie "umm, adesso di cosa posso scrivere? della mia enorme villa o del vino da 1000 sterline che sbevazzo mentre mi gratto? ah no, della mia ferrari numero 21, o semmai del rombo del suo motore" mentre una volta si badava a revolution, destiny, mind, earth, anarchia ed educazione e lo space cowboy doveva far la parte del guerriero. E ora? Solo un bel ricordo.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 When You Gonna Learn (Digeridoo) (03:49)
Didgeridoo version written by Jay Kay
Have you heard the news today?
People right across the world are pledging they will play the game
Victims of a modern world, circumstance has brought us here,
Armaggedon's come too near, too too near yeah
Now foresight is the key to save our children's destiny
The consequences are so grave the hipocrites we are their slaves
So my friend to stop the end on each other we depend,
Mountain high and river deep, stop it going on,
We gotta wake this world up from its sleep,
People, stop it going on
Have you heard the news today?
Money's on the menu in my favorite restaurant,
Now don't talk about quantity, cos there's no fish left in the sea.
Greedy men been killing all the life there ever was,
So you better play it nature's way or she will take it all away,
And don't try tell me you know more than her about right or wrong,
Now you've upset the balance man, done the only thing you can,
Now my life is in your hands
Mountain high and river deep, stop it going on,
We gotta wake this world up from its sleep,
Oh people, stop it going on
Ahahahaha, hehehehehe...
Mountain high and river deep, stop it going on,
We gotta wake this world up from its sleep,
People, stop it going on
Greedy men will fade away, oh they will fade away when we stop it going on,
I know it's got to be that way, oh people stop it going on!
I'm asking, when you gonna learn to stop it going on?
When you gonna learn to stop it going on?
02 Too Young to Die (06:05)
Everybody,
Don't want no war, no, no no no,
'Cuz we're too young to die,
Too young to die.
So many people,
All around the world yeah,
All around the world,
Seen their brothers fry,
You seen your brother fry?
What's the motive,
In your madness?
Oh, I wish I knew,
You made my people cry,
You made my people cry.
So politicians, this time,
I think you better keep your distance,
Say, sing it loud:
We're too young to doo-doo-do-do-do-dah-do-do-do-do-dooo,
Do-do-do-do-da-do-do-do-do-do (etc.)
What's the answer?
I wish I knew,
To our problems.
I think we've gone too high,
I think we've gone too high.
Little children, never said a word now,
You know they never said a word,
Still they have to die,
Well I'm asking why.
It won't be long, no no no,
Dancing like we do yeah,
Oh, like we do now,
To put this sad world right.
I gotta put it right.
So don't you worry,
People we won't have to suffer no more,
'Cuz we're too young to...
All gone when they drop the bomb
Can the politicians reassure?
'Cuz here I am assuming that
Nobody wants a war.
There's so many people praying
Just to find out if they're staying,
But lately stately governments
And disillusioned leaders,
So full of empty promises,
But rarely do they feed us,
Put our backs against the wall,
Or don't we count at all?
Can you decide? Are you mesmerised?
Do you know which side you're standing?
'Cuz when it falls gonna take us all,
Gotta know what we're demanding.
I'll never lie can't you hear me cry
Coming from on high,
We're too young to die (doo-doo-do etc. to fade)
03 Hooked Up (04:35)
Im so glad I got you hooked up on my drugs,
Everybody sings to the music,
Ha,
Are you feeling well now you've caught this bug,
Everyboydy dance to the music,
I think last time i took an overdose,
Come on dance to the music,
Hey, well It made me realise that I came too close.
Now im gonna dance to the music, music, music, yeah come on.
It can seem to have no relevance,
Bet you wish you'd danced to the music,
What you'll want to do is kill yourself,
So you dont dance to the music,
I can look at you and hear you scream,
Come on dance to the music,
And you'll tell me that your needle's clean,
Ahh..
Come on dance, dance
Come on now, dance to the music,
You know I need it, need it, need it,
Come on now, dance to the music,
Ow, I need it, need it, need it,
Yeah
Come on now, dance to the music.
07 Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop (04:07)
Written by Jay Kay and Toby Smith
If I pick it up I can put it down,
Whatever it is I just can't stop,
For only 20 seconds at a time it's all mine.
I got, too much, pressure,
Got me under it's thumb
And it's no fun, you can lose
Now I got a choice but I can't choose
Insistent as you are, is no guarantee that you'll go far
Rock steady if you can
But I've never been a steady man,
People, wanna shoot you down,
If you can't swim then you will drown
In sorrow, can't get any medical attention till tomorow,
Sadlands, are where I live,
But that's none of your business,
You keep asking, and soon enough
The kids gonna have to get rough,
Maybe I'm a speed king
Push with the foot and I'm smiling,
I can glide on the love inside,
And there was you thinking that my hands were tied
All along I saw you hoping
I would slip and I'm not joking
The evidence in these events
Is still your lack of commonsense
Did you really think that I would sink
Because I like another drink
Have to get up to get down
The remedy is the sound
Absurdity of your suggestion, leaves me asking just one question,
If you're my friend today?
Why do you wanna hear me say?
If I pick it up, can I put it down?
Whatever it is, I just can't stop. (repeat)
08 Blow Your Mind (08:32)
Oooh yeah don't you know that you blow my mind!
Honey you're sweeter than anything,I need you
Want to get closer to you,to you,to you
I want to get closer to you now.
Love ya,I need ya,I think i wanna squeeze ya
Nightly,so tightly,girl you know you really blow my mind
Say it again, Just one more time I've got to know
How you came to blow my mind- Closer
Pleasure, passion- Tonite's the night I'm
looking for your action- I want to hold you
Don't you know that now you blow my mind
Say it again just one more time i've got to know
How you came to blow my mind- Closer
Fever, hot now, help me wipe the sweat
away from my brow- Sexy- oh Lady,
Don't you know this time you blow my mind
Oh don't you know yeah, Don't you know by now
that now you blow my mind (Yeah)
Oh yes you do, yes you do, yes you blow my mind
.....
trumpet
.....
Instrumental part
09 Revolution 1993 (10:16)
Yes you've got to stand up, stay strong, start moving in the right direction,
Don't wait too long, for people promising divine intervention
Nineteen nine three, now I'm taking matters into my own hands
So fast, I can't see
A revolution is the only way we can change, change, change
I wanna fight the power!
Well it's hard times, white lines,kids of nine getting down with gun crime
War zones, no homes, ain't it the time we gave the dog a bone
Say brothers, sisters, get up and put yourself in the picture
This time you know a revolution is the only way we can change, change, change
I want to fight the power!
Question, answer, shake your hand and smile for the camera
But it's no good you should spend time in your neighbourhood
Where black kids, white kids
Now you're working overtime to be a crack kid
No job, no cash,
A revolution is the only way we can change, change, change
I wanna fight the power!
Still we don't seem to understand we need a Revolution,
Everubody wants a Revolution
Now who is this man, I'm having trouble knowing where I'm coming from
Pre-conceptions, it's eternal human infection
One chance, learn how you're gonna change the habit of a lifetime my soul, concerned,
That Revolution is the only way that we can change, change, change
I wanna fight the power!
Higher, higher, now we're gonna learn how to fight the power
Sunshine, new day, I only know how to go to the right way
Faster, stronger I help my brother and my soul lives longer
Blinded I can't see
A Revolution is the only way that we can change, change, change
I wanna fight the power!
No doubt in time, everything is sweet sunshine but in the
Meantime, mankind is having trouble where to draw the line
We still don't, respect, and yet I thought we had intellect
Sometimes I think the music is the only hope we have for Revolution
Still we don't seem to understand we need a Revolution
Everybody needs a Revolution!
10 Didgin' Out (02:38)
Composed by jay kay and wallis buchanan
This song looks like to the instrumental songs of twm. and personnaly I don't like it a lot, I find as boring as didjeradama and didjital vibes.
Carico i commenti... con calma
