Premetto che ho conosciuto “lo scherzo che uccide” non molto tempo fa, quindi sono un neofita di Jaz Coleman e Geordie Walker.
L’ascolto della loro hit forse più famosa, tuttavia, mi penetrò dentro in un momento in cui avevo bisogno di farmi trasportare da emozioni intense e che mi facessero discostare per un attimo dai problemi della realtà quotidiana.
Disconoscevo che “Love Like Blood” fosse definita, a ragione, quasi il manifesto della new wave music e di tutta la decade ottantiana, anche per via della matrice socio - politica che traspare dal testo e che risalta ancor più dallo stupendo videoclip realizzato. Ovviamente, con le orecchie ancora pregne dell’accattivante melodia della canzone sopra citata, sono andato alla costante ricerca dei lavori dei nostri e sono rimasto davvero senza fiato all’ascolto del rabbioso e decadente omonimo debutto, o della triade di metà 80 formata da “Night Time” , “Brighter Than A Thousand Suns” e “Outside The Gate”, dischi assolutamente coinvolgenti soprattutto, forse, grazie alla scelta da parte del gruppo, in conformità con i suoni wave di allora, per il maggior inserimento della melodia nelle strutture musicali, e la conseguente sensibile perdita delle battiture acide ed apocalittiche dei primi lavori.
Degli “Eighties”, forse, il loro episodio migliore è proprio l’opera che contiene “Love Like Blood” ed, appunto, “Eighties”, altra hit famosissima, il cui incedere di riff di chitarra, a detta di molti, è stato usurpato non troppo velatamente dai Nirvana di “Come As You Are”, ossia “Night Time”. Sarebbe, ad ogni modo, un grave errore assorbire l’intero disco nelle sue due canzoni più famose, perché questo “Night Time” è un’opera che non può essere divisa o analizzata pezzo per pezzo distintamente. Deve essere trattato ed adorato come una grande opera, come quando si rimane estasiati davanti ad un quadro rinascimentale o ad una cattedrale gotica.
Ecco cosa è per me “Night Time”, uno squarcio nel buio (“Darkness Before Dawn” ), una catarsi ipnotica (“Kings and Queens”), un urlo di liberazione (“Tabazan”), un’inesorabile coinvolgimento sensoriale (“Europe”), uno stimolo mentale (“Multitudes”). Del resto da un genio come Jaz Coleman non potevano che nascere figli geniali e la notevole influenza sua e della sua creatura su miriadi di bands attuali ne è una delle prove più lampanti e inconfutabili testimonianze.
Cosa altrimenti ci si potrebbe aspettare da uno che testualmente dice:
“Non uso il telefono, non guardo la televisione, scrivo ancora lettere. Non appartengo a questo ventesimo secolo, in un certo senso. O forse é il secolo che deve ancora raggiungermi… .” .
Bè, io direi che la seconda affermazione è sicuramente la più veritiera.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Night Time (04:56)
Night time - turning out the sun
Countdown - pulsing like a machine
Conflict - cars and people, steel on flesh
Night time - desperations sweat on breath
Bloodstains - night covering the crimes
Daytime - shows the face behind the mask
Showtime - law and order life and death
Funtime - a drunken time where all can lie
Come, come with me, we'll run into the night
Come, come and see, sweet madness of night
Night time - party troops and governments
Clubtime - lovers riches promises
No time - running hiding crying tears
It's night time - and time to run from all your fears
Night time
02 Darkness Before Dawn (05:21)
The lore of elders passes judgement on this waste
And finding me or them does lack accepting fate
And as the moments pass another face arrives
We watch them come and go with speed of passing clouds
Forbidden fruits of dreams that rule our thoughts my love
Of lands untouched and ways to come always maybe
But choking on promises meant for the deal
Thinking again the darkest hour before the dawn
Confirming fears that from the dawn of time have been
Retracing footsteps in dark chambers of grey lands
And through the madness through the terror we must pass
As if awaiting sunlight that may never come
In time we face ourselves with all our faults and fears
Now that i know the final conflict is within
I recognise the faces of my friends and hear the call
"Come journey, journey with me through the darkest hour!"
03 Love Like Blood (06:51)
We must play our lives like soldiers in the field.
The life is short
I'm running faster all the time.
Strength and beauty destined to decay
so cut the rose in full bloom.
Till the fearless come and the act is done
A love like blood
a love like blood.
Till the fearless come and the act is done
A love like blood
a love like blood.
Everyday through all frustration and despair
Love and hate fight with burning hearts.
Till legends live and man is god again
And self-preservation rules the day no more.
We must dream of promised lands and fields
that's never fade in season
As we move towards no end
we leani to die.
Red tears are shed on grey.
Till the fearless come and the act is done
. . .
Till the fearless come and the act is done
. . .
05 Tabazan (04:37)
I've tried to understand the ways of men they taught me
They've lost their values as we define a wealth
Semen and blood is all i've got, investments of a future
I'm searching for a new gold yes i'm searching for a new gold
A voice is calling
Move closer to you - yeah
Virile young men run down the street in havoc singing
"I wish to build, i penetrate, i penetrate"
Restricted sexuality gives birth to worlds of terror
And all the time i'm trying to piece new schemes together - help me
Architects erect erections, monoliths are raised
I love the swollen mound i love the swollen mound
All hail the new seed breeding from our hearts and wombs
And night and day run round in circles following sex instinct
Push it between her legs and stretch the lips mother relieve me
Bodies entwined in human tangle at the point of climax
Shoot forth the new gold and at last reason makes perfect sense
I'm shooting, shooting forth
I'm shooting forth the new gold now - ha!
06 Multitudes (04:59)
The multitude excites, the flags are flown
By fireside the programme starts
And i am running through this madness
And all the time i can't relate
We sit around in rooms we talk our fears
Asking why we should go on
God i try to make ends meet the best i can
Playing rhythms out of time
Far from the multitudes a few will always stand
They don't fit in they don't belong - move on, move on this way
Within disorder i assume my role
Laugh and cry as i accept
Eternal indolence through ages
'til restless souls begin to wake
Perfection within decades of dissatisfaction and disillusion
A means to no end, a means to no end
07 Europe (04:37)
Take up your arms pick up your courage
A black sun is rising as the gods of europe sleep
Come back into your strength awaken
Catastrophes atrocities shall summon you my love
Glory glory how we wait in europe
What have they done, what are they doing?
The place i love so butchered ravaged scarred and raped
The years have passed us still we're fighting
'til once again somewhere green lands shall be in sight
Glory glory how we wait in europe
Glory glory how we watch in europe
The day humanity is over
Let nations east and west tremble at the sight
'til standard bearers' eyes are hungry
And reason dead forever - god let it be soon
08 Eighties (03:50)
Eighties - i'm living in the eighties
Eighties - i have to push, i have to struggle
Eighties - get out of my way, i'm not for sale no more
Eighties - let's kamikaze 'til we get there
And we sang
You do it this way
Eighties - by day we run by night we dance, we do
Eighties - i'm in love with the coming race
Eighties - i've got the best, i'll take all i can get
Eighties - i'm living for the eighties
Eighties - i'm living in the eighties - i push
Eighties - i'm living
Eighties - i'm living in the eighties - i struggle
Eighties - i'm living
Eighties - i'm living
Eighties - i'm living in the eighties
Eighties - i'm living in the eighties - i push
Eighties - push, push, struggle
Eighties - i'm living
Eighties - eighties - i'm living
Eighties - i'm living in the eighties - i push
Eighties - push, push, struggle
----------------------------------
(original lyrics)
Eighties - I'm living in the Eighties
Eighties - I have to push, I prostitute myself
Eighties - I saw the whole world getting anxious
Eighties - I saw the worlds begin to march
And we sang
In these Eighties
Eighties - I'm sitting on a table talking ideals
Eighties - I got the best, I'll take all I can get
Eighties - Here comes the savage day
Eighties - I saw the worlds begin to march
And we sang
In these Eighties
Eighties - I'm living in the Eighties - I push
Eighties - I saw the worlds begin to march
Eighties - I'm living in the Eighties - I struggle
Eighties - I saw the worlds begin to march
Eighties - I'm living in the Eighties - I push
Eighties - I saw the worlds begin to march
Eighties - I'm living in the Eighties - I struggle
Eighties - I saw the worlds begin to march
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di RAW
"Night Time è l'album del grande salto dei Killing Joke: band fondamentale per il panorama rock."
"Ascoltare per credere, infatti non è un mistero che i Nirvana, e molti altri, amassero i Killing Joke."
Di Algeone
I Killing Joke sono stati indubbiamente tra i padri fondatori di svariati filoni del nuovo millennio.
La voce stentorea e ruvida di Jaz Coleman non perde mai l'accento di una rabbiosa disperazione che sembra invocare la giustizia di un destino trascendente.
