• Voto:
Il terzo album dei Led Zeppelin è senza ombra di dubbio il piú bistrattato dalla critica musicale.
La cosa che colpisce di piú è che, a fronte di tanta immondizia cui viene conferita una presunta dignità di "storicità", la terza opera di questo gruppo che ha traghettato il rock dalle striature blues al fenomeno hard (partecipando inoltre in modo significativo a spostare la scena musicale dagli USA allo UK) è stata tanto male accettata all'epoca dell'uscita quanto snobbata in seguito, quasi fosse un errore di percorso della band, che si voglia includere "Houses of the Holy" tra i consigliati o meno.
La verità è che Jimmy Page, dopo tanta e tale gavetta negli Yardbirds, dopo il successo degli estenuanti tours fra i diversi continenti, dopo il clamore per i primi due album, con il secondo - diversi dischi d'oro - che addirittura è stato registrato negli intervalli di un tour statunitense con scopiazzate (pàrdon, libere reinterpretazioni artistiche) di melodie locali, Jimmy Page - dicevamo - si rinchiude con il suo gruppo in uno sperduto cottage del Galles e medita sulla propria vena artistica.
In questo contesto ha gestazione il terzo album dei Led Zeppelin, il piú complesso.
Il disco (che vuole preferibilmente essere ascoltato in vinile, a volume "realistico") apre il sipario con un pezzo, "Immigrant Song", che seppure si ricolleghi chiaramente al proprio pubblico per le sonorità dure e quella voce che segnerà la strada per ogni gruppo hard o metal a da venire, già lascia presagire qualcosa di diverso nella struttura, praticamente priva di refrain, e nel testo, sempre abbastanza riottoso, ma ben diverso dai vari "... way, way down inside, honey, you need it..." e "...squeeze me, baby, till the juice runs down my leg..." che esemplificano esaustivamente le profonde tematiche del secondo album.
Si prosegue con "Friends", un ricco miscuglio d'influenze e sonorità, prima canzone pubblicata dai Led Zeppelin con la completa rinuncia alla potente batteria di Bonham, quasi ad intendere che si volessero aprire degli spazi per una nuova formula musicale (cosa che si ripeterà più avanti nel disco). Tranquilllizzati i fans con la "classica" "Celebration Day", ci regalano pure la ballata blues di "Since I've Been Lovin' You", che con quella voce e quelle sviolinate di chitarra vai a prendere una birra in frigo e pensi alla prima storia della tua vita.
Ma, senza dilungarmi troppo, adesso io chiedo ai piú volenterosi tra voi di ascoltare "Tangerine", fino alla fine della prima metà (con la chitarra che parte dopo 1:40, fino a 2:02) e vi domando: ma è l'ultimo, struggente, singolo del gruppo metallaro di grido, oppure è uno spiraglio di luce, la piega del gomito di una scultura di Michelangelo, registrata 32 anni fa?
Un disco bello, bellissimo, cosí ricco d'inflessioni e divagazioni artistiche che non merita di essere apprezzato da chi non riesce a capirlo. Quelle morbidezza e melanconicità che vengono considerate a tutt'oggi eccessive, verosimilmente alimentavano quella stessa vena artistica da cui sta per sgorgare "Stairway to Heaven" e che, quando si esaurirà, lascierà i nostri a ricercarsi tra aridi riff e gorgheggi da cugini di campagna (con tutto il rispetto).
Elenco tracce e testi
01 Immigrant Song (02:30)
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
On we sweep with threshing oar, Our only goal will be the western shore.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
How soft your fields so green, can whisper tales of gore,
Of how we calmed the tides of war. We are your overlords.
On we sweep with threshing oar, Our only goal will be the western shore.
So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing.
02 Friends (03:50)
Bright light, almost blinding
Black night, still there shining
I can't stop, keep on climbing
Looking for what I knew
Had a friend, she once told me
"You got love, you ain't lonely"
Now she's gone and left me only
Looking for what I knew
Mmm, I'm telling you now
The greatest thing you ever can do now
Is trade a smile with someone who's blue now
It's very easy just
Met a man on the roadside crying
Without a friend there's no denying
You're incomplete, they'll be no finding
Looking for what you knew
So anytime somebody needs you
Don't let them down, although it grieves you
Someday you'll need someone like they do
Looking for what you knew
Mmm mmm, I'm telling you now
The greatest thing you ever can do now
Is trade a smile with someone who's blue now
It's very easy just
Ohh, yeah
I'm telling you now
The greatest thing you ever can do now
Is trade a smile with someone who's blue now
It's very easy
It's very easy
It's very easy
It's easy, yeah
03 Celebration Day (03:30)
Her face is cracked from smiling, all the fears that she's been hiding
And it seems pretty soon everybody's gonna know
And her voice is sore from shouting, cheering winners who are losing
And she worries if their days are few and soon they'll have to go
My my my, I'm so happy
I'm gonna join the band
We gonna dance and sing in celebration
We're in the promised land
She hears them talk of new ways to protect the home she lives in
Then she wonders what it's all about when they break down the door
Her name is Brown or White or Black, you know her very well
You hear her cries of mercy as the winners toll the bell
My my my, I'm so happy
I'm gonna join the band
We gonna dance and sing in celebration
We're in the promised land
There is a train that leaves the station, heading for your destination
But the price you pay to nowhere has increased a dollar more
Yes, it has!
And if you walk you're gonna get there, although it takes a little longer
When you see it in the distance you will wring your hands and moan
05 Out On The Tiles (04:00)
As I walk down the highway, all I do is sing this song
And a train that's passin' my way, helps the rhythm move along
There is no doubt about the words are clear
The voice is strong, is oh so strong
I'm just a simple guy, I live from day to day
A ray of sunshine melts my frown, and blows my blues away
There's nothing more that I can say, but on a day like today
I pass the time away, and walk a quiet mile with you
All I need from you, is all your love
All you got to give to me, is all your love
All I need from you, is all your love
All you got to give to me, is all your love
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
I'm so glad I'm living, and gonna tell the world I am
I got me a fine woman, and she says that I'm her man
One thing that I know for sure, gonna give her all the loving
Like nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody can
Standing in the noonday sun, trying to flag a ride
People go and people come, see my rider right by my side
It's a total disgrace, they set the pace, it must be a race
And the best thing I can do is run
All I need from you, is all your love
All you got to give to me, is all your love
All I need from you, is all your love
All you got to give to me, is all your love
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
07 Tangerine (03:10)
Measuring a summer's day
I only find it slips away to grey
The hours, they bring me pain
Tangerine, Tangerine
Living reflections from a dream
I was her love, she was my queen
And now a thousand years between
Thinking how it used to be
Does she still remember times like these?
To think of us again, and I do
Tangerine, Tangerine
Living reflections from a dream
I was her love, she was my queen
And now a thousand years between
08 That's The Way (05:40)
I don't know how I'm gonna tell you
I can't play with you no more
I don't know how I'm gonna do what mama told me
My friend, the boy next door
I can't believe what people saying
You're gonna let your hair hang down
I'm satisfied to sit here working all day long
You're in the darker side of town
And when I'm out I see you walking
Why don't your eyes see me?
Could it be you've found another game to play?
What did mama say to me?
That's the way, oh, that's the way it oughta be, yeah yeah
Mama say that's the way it oughta stay, yeah yeah
And yesterday I saw you standing by the river
And weren't those tears that filled your eyes?
And all the fish that lay in dirty water dying
Had they got you hypnotized?
And yesterday I saw you kissing tiny flowers
But all that lives is born to die
And so I say to you that nothing really matters
And all you do is stand and cry
I don't know what to say about it
When all your ears have turned away
But now's the time to look and look again at what you see
Is that the way it oughta stay?
That's the way, that's the way it oughta be, oh don't you know now
Mama said, mama said that's the way it's gonna stay, yeah
10 Hats Off To (Roy) Harper (03:40)
When I done quit hollerin' baby
I believe I'll shake 'em on down
Get me baby, won't be late
You know by that I mean seconds late
Ah, must I holler, must I shake 'em on down?
When I done quit hollerin' baby
I believe I'll shake 'em on down
Well I ain't no monkey
I can't climb no tree
No brown skin woman gonna make no monkey out of me, yeah yeah
I ain't no monkey
Sure can't climb no tree
I been mistreated babe
I believe I'll shake 'em on down
Well I've been mistreated babe
I believe I'll shake 'em on down
Listen mama, put on your mornin' gown
Put in your nightshirt mama, we gonna shake 'em on down
Must I holler?
Must I, must I, must I shake 'em on down?
Ooh well, I been mistreated baby
I believe I'll shake 'em on down
Gave my baby
Twenty dollar bill
If that don't get her
I'm sure my shot-shot-shotgun will
Yeah, I gave my baby
A twenty dollar bill
If that don't get that woman
I'm sure my shotgun will
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