Già dal titolo una premonizione ed una sensazione di dolorosa amarezza.
Cosa ne sarebbe stato della musica di oggi se Hendrix non fosse morto troppo presto, se avesse continuato a risplendere oltre i "Primi Raggi Del Nuovo Sole Nascente"?
E pensare che era ad un passo dal cominciare un nuovo progetto musicale con Miles Davis... Cosa sarebbe successo se avessero unito le loro idee due tra più grandi artisti del novecento nel momento del loro maggior fermento creativo? Purtroppo non lo possiamo sapere. Ci rimane da ascoltare e riascoltare uno dei capolavori assoluti del chitarrista di Seattle, per scoprire ogni volta stupiti ed estasiati nuove sfumature, arrangiamenti e sonorità rivoluzionari, riffs che esprimono nella loro fulminea sintesi la potenza eversiva e trascinante del rock.
Questo disco uscì solo nel 1997, ma raccoglie brani in gran parte già pubblicati nella miriade di dischi fatti uscire dopo la sua scomparsa, albums che molte volte servivano solo a rimpinguare le casse di chi per anni ha speculato sull'arte di Jimi.
Al contrario, la scaletta dei "First Rays" era proprio quella voluta da Hendrix, e a raccontarcelo, è l'ingegnere del suono Eddie Kramer che ha lavorato con lui alla produzione dei brani (per capire la fruttuosa simbiosi tra artista e tecnico è imperdibile il DVD che documenta la produzione di Electric Ladyland).
Recensire questo disco non è impresa facile, bisognerebbe farne un libro, per poi accorgersi forse che scrivere di musica è un po' come ballare di architettura, come disse qualcuno.
C'è tutto in questo lavoro: ci sono scatenati ritmi funky e struggenti ballads. Ci sono assoli che fanno capire come i chitarristi vadano distinti in epoche "avanti Hendrix" e "dopo Hendrix" (a.H. e d.H.), ci sono dei brani apparentemente meno impegnati, ma che fanno riflettere su un altro aspetto importante dell'approccio alla musica e dei tempi che cambiano: "My friends" ricrea il clima di una tipica jam session, come ne avvenivano nei locali del Greenwich Village a New York, a notte fonda; quando potevi incontrare Jimi intento ad improvvisare un blues con Stephen Stills che era lì di passaggio. Oppure potevi ad esempio portarti una chitarra o delle percussioni e suonare, e se eri fortunato ti potevi ritrovare in studio ad assistere alla registrazione dell'ultimo disco di una rock-star... Io Vasco Rossi (con le dovute distinzioni, per carità, è il primo nome che mi è venuto in mente) non l'ho mai incontrato al pub sotto casa!
Ma il tema principale di "First Rays Of A New Rising Sun" è insito nel titolo stesso. Hendrix riprende in studio le sperimentazioni iniziate con Electric Ladyland e spinge la propria musica verso zone inesplorate, come si conviene ad ogni genio che si rispetti.
La ricerca timbrica frutto della già citata collaborazione con Eddie Kramer porta il blues ed il rock ad appropriarsi dei nuovi strumenti a disposizione (operazione analoga a quella che compiva Miles Davis negli stessi anni). Tuttavia lo sperimentalismo non cede mai il passo alla potenza comunicativa dell'arte.
Gli aspetti strettamente compositivi stupiscono ad oggi per la creatività vulcanica e per la capacità che, a volte, può essere definita contrappuntistica delle intuizioni del nostro.
Se è vero che l'arte, per progredire, deve superare l'universo di linguaggio comunemente assunto, è pur vero che esistono personaggi che conciliano le due tensioni apparentemente antitetiche giungendo ad un'incredibile quanto straordinaria quadratura del cerchio.
Uno di questi è stato Jimi Hendrix.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Freedom (03:28)
You got my pride
hanging outta my bed
You're messin' with my life
So I bought my lead ...
You even mess with my children
And you're screamin' at my wife, baby
Get offa my back,
if you wanna get outta here alive
Freedom, give it to me
That's what I want now
Freedom, that's what I need now
Freedom to live
Freedom, so I can give
You got my heart
speak electric water
You got my soul
screamin' and howlin'
You know you hook my girlfriend
You know the drugstore man
But I don't need it now
I was trying to slap it out of her hand
Freedom, so I can give
Freedom, yeah
Freedom, that's what I need
You don't have to say that you love me
if you don't mean it
You'd better believe
If you need me
or you just wanna bleed me
you'd better stickin' your dagger in someone else
So I can leave
Set me free
(Yeah)
Right on, straight ahead
Stay up and straight ahead
Freedom
02 Izabella (02:51)
Izabella I'm dreamin about ya every night
Hey girl you know we gotta war
Yeah, we got a war to fight
Izabella I'm fightin this war for you
Hey little girl I'm fightin this war for the children of the world and you
So I hope you hear me baby
That what I'm tryin to tell you is true
Izabella I'm fighting this war for you
Hey, girl I'm fightin this war for the chlidren and you
Yeah, you save your love for me
Then I'll know that I'll be fightin true
Izabella, hey Izabella
We've gotta fight this war against harted....
04 Angel (04:23)
Angel came down from heaven yesterday
She stayed with me just long enough to rescue me
And she told me a story yesterday,
About the sweet love between the moon and the deep blue sea
And then she spread her wings high over me
She said she's gonna come back tomorrow
And I said, "Fly on my sweet angel,
Fly on through the sky,
Fly on my sweet angel,
Tomorrow I'm gonna be by your side"
Sure enough this morning came unto me
Silver wings silhouetted against the child's sunrise
And my angel she said unto me,
"Today is the day for you to rise
Take my hand, you're gonna be my man,
You're gonna rise"
And then she took me high over yonder
And I said, "Fly on my sweet angel,
Fly on through the sky,
Fly on my sweet angel,
Forever I will be by your side"
05 Room Full of Mirrors (03:23)
I used to live in a room full of mirrors
All I could see was me
Then I take my spirit and I smash my mirrors
And now the whole world is here for me to see
Now I'm searching for my love to be, Hey!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
All right
A broken glass was solvin' my brain
Cut and screamin' crowdin' in my head
A broken glass was loud in my brain
It used to fall on my dreams and cut me in my bed
It used to fall on my dreams and cut me in my bed
I say making love was strange in my bed
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Hey, ooh
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Hey!
06 Dolly Dagger (04:45)
Here comes Dolly Dagger
Her love's so heavy, gonna make you stagger
Dolly Dagger
She drinks the blood from a jagged edge
Aw, drink up baby
Been riding broomsticks since she was fifteen
Blowin' out all the other witches on the scene
She got a bull whip just as long as your life
Her tongue can even scratch the soul out of the devil's wife
Well I seen her in action at the Player's Choice
Turn all the love men into doughnut boys
Hey, red hot mama you better step aside
This chicks gonna turn you to a block of ice
Look out!
Here comes Dolly Dagger,
Her love's so strong gonna make you stagger, baby
Dolly Dagger
She drinks her blood from a jagged edge
Uh, right on
Drink up, baby
Hey!
Yeah, look at old burnt out Superman
Tryin' to shoot his dust on the sun
Captain Karma kids, they're dead on the run
Oh the words of love, ah
Do they ever touch Dolly Brown?
Better get some highway an' clear outta town
Here comes Dolly Dagger,
Her love's so heavy gonna make you stagger
Dolly Dagger
She ain't satisfied 'til she gets what she's after
She drinks the blood from a jagged edge
Alright
Watch out Devon
You give me a little bit of that heaven
Dolly, heavy mama, get it on, get it on, get it on
Dolly, heavy mama, get it on, get it on, get it on
Dolly, heavy mama, get it on, get it on, get it on
Dolly, heavy mama, get it on, get it on, get it on
Get it on, get it on, get it on, get it on, get it on, get it on
Woo, yeah, yeah, yeah
Woo, yeah, yeah, yeah
Woo, yeah, yeah, yeah
Woo, yeah, yeah, yeah
Woo, yeah, yeah, yeah
07 Ezy Ryder (04:10)
There goes Ezy
Ezy Ryder
Ridin' down the highway of desire
He says the free wind
takes him higher
Tryin� to find his heaven above
but he's dyin' to be loved, dyin' to be loved
He's tellin' me livin'
is so magic
Something is forever
so he claims
He's talkin' 'bout lyin'
it's so tragic baby
But don't you worry 'bout today
we got freedom comin' our way, freedom comin' our way
How long
do you
think he is gonna last
carryin' on outta gas
See all the others say
"do what you please"
Gotta get the brothers together
and the right to be free
In a cloud of angel dust
I think I see me a freak
Hey motorcycle mama
you gonna marry me?
Bridge:
I'll be stone crazy
love comin' in at you
Stone crazy baby
There goes Ezy
Ezy Ryder
Ridin' down the highway of desire
He says the free wind
takes him higher
Tryin' to find his heaven above
but he's dyin' to be loved, dyin' to be loved
08 Drifting (03:50)
Drifting
On a sea of forgotten teardrops
On a lifeboat
Sailing for
Your love
Sailing home
Drifting
On a sea of old heartbreaks
On a lifeboat
Sailing for
Your love
Sailing home
11 My Friend (04:38)
Hey, look out for my glass up there, man!
That's my drink, man, that's my drink, alright...
Make it a double, or eh...
Somebody has to sing
Some body will sing?
Somebody will sing, right?
Y'all pass me that bottle,
And I'll sing you all a real song
Yeah!
Let me get my key, ahum!
Well, I'm looking through Harlem
my stomach squeal just a little more
A stagecouch full of feathers and footprints,
pulls up to soap-box door
Now a lady with a pearl-handled necktie
Tied to the driver's fence
breathes in my face,
bourbon and coke possessed words
Haven't I seen you somewhere in hell,
or was it just an accident?"
(You know how I felt then, and so)
Before I could ask "was it the East or West side?"
my feet they howled in pain
The wheels of a bandwagon cut very deep,
but not as deep in my mind as the rain
And as they pulled away I could see her words
Stagger and fall on my muddy tent
Well I picked them up, brushed them off,
to see what they say,
and you wouldn't believe:
`Come around to my room, with the tooth in the middle,
and bring along the bottle and a president'
And eh sometimes it's not so easy, baby
Especially when your only friend,
talks, sees, looks and feels like you,
and you do just the same as him
(Gets very lonely up this road, baby)
(Yeah, hmmm, yeah)
(Got more to say!)
Well I'm riding through LA,
on a bicycle built for fools
And I seen one of my old buddies
And he say, "you don't look the way you usually do"
I say, "well, some people look like a coin-box"
He say, "look like you ain't got no coins to spare"
And I laid back and I thought to myself, and I said this:
I just picked up my pride from underneath the pay phone,
and combed this breath right out of my hair
And sometimes it's not so easy
Especially when your only friend
talk, sees, looks and feels like you,
and you do just the same as him
just got out of a Scandinavian jail,
and I'm on my way straight home to you
But I feel so dizzy I take a quick look in the mirror,
to make sure my friend's here with me too
And you know good well I don't drink coffee,
so you fill my cup full of sand
And the frozen tea leaves on the bottom
Sharing lipstick around the broken edge
And my coat that you let your dog lay by the fire on
And your cat he attacked me from his pill-box ledge
And I thought you were my friend too
Man, my shadow comes in line before you
I'm finding out that it's not so easy
Specially when your only friend
Talks, looks, sees and feels like you,
and you do the same just like him
(Lord it's so lonely here, hmmm, yeah)
Yeah!
(Pass me that bottle over there...)
Yeah, yeah, okay...
12 Straight Ahead (04:44)
Hello, my friend
So happy to see you again
I was so alone
All by myself
I just couldn't make it
Have you heard, baby
What the winds blowing round
Have you heard, baby
A whole lot of peoples coming right on down
Communication, yeah
Is coming on strong
And don't give a damn, baby
If your hair is short or long, huh
I said, get out of your grave (noo)
Everybody is dancing in the street, hi!
Do what you know, don't be slow
You gotta practice what you preach
'Cause it's time for you and me
Come to face reality (it sounds like he says "fake reality")
Forget about the past, baby
Things ain't what they used to be
Keep on Straight Ahead
Keep on Straight Ahead
Straight Ahead, baby
Straight Ahead, baby
We got to stand side by side
We got to stand together and organize
They say power to the people,
That's what they're screamin'
Freedom of the soul
Pass it on, pass it on to the young and old
You got to tell the children the truth
They don't need a whole lot of lies
Because one of these days, baby
They'll be running things
So when you give them love
You better give it right
Woman and child and man and wife
The best love to have is the Love Of Life
Pass it on baby
Pushing on Straight Ahead
Straight Ahead, baby
Hello my friend
It's so good to see you again
Say now I've been all by my self
I don't think I can make it alone
I gotta keep on pushing ahead
Hi!!!
I can make it alone
I gotta keep on pushing ahead
14 Earth Blues (04:23)
Well, I see hands and attesting faces
Reachin' up but not quite touching the promised land
Well, I taste tears and a whole lot of previous years wasted
Saying 'lord please give us a helping hand'
Lord lord lord
Lord, there's got to be some changes
Lord lord lord
Gonna be a whole lot of re-arranges
Lord lord lord
You better hope love is the answer
Lord lord lord
Yeah, it better come before the summer
Well, everybody can hear the sound of freedom's beating heart
Sirens flashing with earth and rockets stoning
You better love me like it's gonna be the last time
And tell the child to bury daddy's old clothes
Love love love
Yeah, they're talking about getting together, yeah
Love love love
Together for love love love
Love love love
You better hope love is the answer baby
I think you better hope it comes before the summer
Everybody
Everybody
Everybody
Every sister
Everybody
Every mother
Everybody
To feel the light
Everybody
It's shining bright baby
Everybody
Everybody, we got to live together, oh
Right on baby
Feel those earth blues coming at you baby
Don't let your imagination take you by surprise
A queen and me i, one day, visualise
My head in the cloud, my feet on the pavement
Don't get too stoned, please remember you're a man
Love love love
Lord, there's got to be some changes
Love love love
Living together's gonna be a lot of re-arranges
Love love love
You better be ready, lord, my lord
Love love love
Just hope love comes before the summer
Everybody
Everybody,
Everybody
Got to feel the light
Everybody
You gotta feel the light, baby
Everybody,
Everybody
We gotta live together
Everybody
Keep it together,
Everybody
Right on together,
Everybody
Oh yeah
All standing together for the earrth blues coming at you baby
Love love love
Right on
Feel those earth blues coming at you
Yeah yeah
16 In From the Storm (03:43)
Well I, I just came back today
I just came back from the storm
Yeah!
I said: I just came back, baby
I just came back from the storm
Yeah, from the storm
Well, I didn't know it then
But I was sufferin', sufferin'
For my love to keep me warm
It was so cold and lonely, yeah
The wind 'n' cryin' blue rain
Were tearing me up
It was so cold and lonely
The crying blue rain was tearing me up
Oh, tearing me up. (tearing me up)
I wanna thank you my sweet darling
For digging in the mud and picking me up
(Thank you baby)
Thank you so much!
(Thank you baby)
(Thank you baby)
(Thank you baby)
It was a crying blue rain burning my eyes
The wind and lightning struck by a surprise
It was you my love who brought me in
I love you so much
I'll never stray from you again
Hey!
I just came back baby
I just came back to get my baby on her way
Yeah, yeah
17 Belly Button Window (03:36)
Well. I'm up here in this womb
I'm looking all around
Well, I'm looking out my belly button window
And I see a whole lot of frowns
And I'm wondering if they don't want me around
What seems to be the fuzz out there?
Just what seems to be the hang?
'Cause you know if ya just don't want me this time around,
yeah I'll be glad to go back to Spirit Land
And even take a longer rest,
before I'm coming down the chute again
Man, I sure remember the last time, baby
They were still hawkin' about me then
So if you don't want me now,
Make up your mind, where or when
If you don't want me now,
Give or take, you only got two hundred days
'Cause I ain't coming down this way too much more again
You know they got pills for ills and thrills and even spills
But I think you're just a little too late
So I'm coming down into this world, daddy
Regardless of love and hate
And I'm gonna sit up in your bed, mama
And just a grin right in your face
And then I'm gonna eat up all your chocolates,
and say "I hope I'm not too late"
So if there's any questions,
make up your mind
'Cause you better give or take
Questions in your mind
Give it a take,
you only got two hundered days
Way up into this womb
looking all around
Sure's dark in here
And I'm looking out my belly button window
And I swear I see nothing but a lot of frowns
And I'm wondering if they want me around
Carico i commenti... con calma
