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Ricordo la prima volta che ascoltai “Tangerine”; la lasciai in repeat per 5 ore filate: un pomeriggio intero.
Quanto vale questo disco lo si capisce dopo un solo ascolto - nella sua varietà di folk, rock e blues.
Ma non voglio parlare del disco, troppo noto, ma per parlare di come fu accolto all’epoca dal pubblico e critica.
Anzitutto, fu un relativo fallimento commerciale. Forse questo disco piacque meno alla gente perché, ascoltato globalmente, risulta più lento dei primi due (nonostante la presenza di pezzi come “Celebration Day”). Molte canzoni sono “piene di pace e riflessività” - risentendo ovviamente del luogo quasi eremitico nel quale vennero composte. Come mi dice mio fratello, ragionevole fan dei Led: “Molti di noi preferiscono cose più veloci e più dirette”.
Altri, invece, rimasero delusi forse perché il lato melodico dei Led (che furono sempre signori melodisti) venne messo forse troppo in evidenza in canzoni come “Tangerine” e “That’s the Way”; e per alcuni fanatici del rock la bella melodia in una canzone rock è come il sale nella panna.
L’accoglienza da parte dei critici meriterebbe un libro intero. Non credo che la storia sia nota a tutti, e ha degli aspetti davvero ridicoli. La realtà, a volte, può essere più comica della fantasia.
Quando uscì, ecco quello che molti “esperti” scrissero: “I Led Zep hanno tradito il rock. Sono diventati acustici”. Plant disse: “Mai piaciuta la definizione di padri del rock. È una comoda definizione di quelli che amano incasellare tutto. I Led avevano tre anime: rock, blues e folk”.
Page, invece, davanti alla superficialità dei critici, perse addirittura la sua leggendaria flemma inglese: “Mi dissi: dove hanno le orecchie questi? Si sono accorti che almeno 5 canzoni dei nostri primi due dischi sono acustiche? Allora decisi di non parlare più con questa gente, e pubblicai il quarto disco anonimamente”. Il silenzio stampa di Page durò 18 mesi e fu punito a dovere. L’anno dopo, a Led Zeppelin IV, i critici dedicarono un solo un paragrafo.
Rimani impietrito davanti a recensioni che cominciano così: “L ’album acustico dei Led”. E ti domandi: stiamo parlando dello stesso disco? “Celebration Day” , “Immigrant Song” , “Out on the Tiles”, "Since I’ve Been Loving You” sono canzoni acustiche ?
La stessa “Tangerine” è stupendamente “corretta” dalla steel guitar, e quindi neanche lei può essere definita, a rigore, acustica.
Quando lessi queste stupidaggini, cominciai a capire cosa si nascondeva dietro tanti presunti esperti che scrivono sulle riviste specialistiche e vengono pagati molto profumatamente per illuminare i gusti di noi comuni mortali. La gente ormai se n’è accorta, e forse per questo i critici, oggi, non sono più ascoltati come una volta, e di sicuro non influenzano più le scelte delle persone - come facevano fino a qualche decennio fa.
Ho assistito ad un dibattito su questo argomento, e ricordo che dopo due ore di chiacchiere e di ipocrisie, un critico onesto disse che, nei fatti, molti critici scrivono per soldi, senza vera passione e quindi vera attenzione per ciò che recensiscono; altri invece, aggiungo io, recensiscono come recensirebbe un fan. Anche per questo nascono siti come Deb; di certo io ho voluto farne parte anche per questo.
Una nota finale per sorridere. Ci sono cose ancora più ridicole della storia di “Led Zeppelin III”. Uno dei critici musicali più famosi e celebrati del mondo come Robert Christagu ha messo A (capolavoro) ad “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” e A meno a “War”. Non è uno scherzo; andate sul suo sito e verificherete.
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Immigrant Song (02:24)
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 (03:52)
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 (03:25)
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 (04:01)
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
06 Gallows Pole (04:51)
Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while
Think I see my friends coming, riding a many mile
Friends, did you get some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me, my dear friends, to keep me from the gallows pole?
What did you bring me, to keep me from the gallows pole?
I couldn't get no silver, I couldn't get no gold
You know that we're too damn poor to keep you from the gallows pole
Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while
I think I see my brother coming, riding a many mile
Brother, did you get me some silver?
Did you get a little gold?
What did you bring me, my brother, to keep me from the gallows pole?
Brother, I brought you some silver, yeah, I brought a little gold
I brought a little of everything to keep you from the gallows pole
Yes, I brought you, to keep you from the gallows pole
Hangman, hangman, turn your head awhile
I think I see my sister coming, riding a many mile, mile, mile, mile
Sister, I implore you, take him by the hand
Take him to some shady bower, save me from the wrath of this man
Please take him, save me from the wrath of this man, man
Hangman, hangman, upon your face a smile
Tell me that I'm free to ride
And ride for many mile, mile, mile
Oh, yes, you got a fine sister, she warmed my blood from cold
She brought my blood to boiling hot to keep you from the gallows pole
Your brother brought me silver, and your sister warmed my soul
But now I laugh and pull so hard, see you swinging on the gallows pole, yeah
But now I laugh and pull so hard, see you swinging on the gallows pole, pole, pole
Swingin' on the gallows pole
Swingin' on the gallows pole
Swingin' on the gallows pole
Swingin' on the gallows pole, pole, pole, pole, pole, pole, pole
07 Tangerine (03:09)
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 (05:36)
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
09 Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (04:17)
I caught you smiling at me,
That's the way it should be,
Like a leaf is to a tree so fine.
Ah all the good times we had,
I sang love songs so glad,
Always smiling never sad so fine.
As we walk down a country lane,
I'll be singing a song,
Hear me calling your name.
Hear the whisper in the trees,
Telling mother nature bout you and me.
Well, if the sunshines so bright,
Or on our way it's darkest night,
The road we choose is always right so fine.
Ah can your love be so strong,
When so many loves go wrong,
Will our love go on and on and on and on and on and on.
As we walk down a country lane,
I'll be singing a song,
Hear me calling your name.
Hear the whisper in the trees,
Telling mother nature bout you and me.
My my, la de la, come on now it ain't too far,
Tell your friends all around the world,
Ain't no companion like a blue eyed merle.
Come on now well let me tell you,
What you're missing missing round them brick walls.
So, of one thing I am sure,
It's a friendship so pure,
Angels singing all around my door so fine.
Yeah, ain't but one thing to do
Spend my natural life with you,
You're the finest dog I knew so fine.
When you're old and your eyes are dim,
There ain't no old Shep gonna happen again.
We'll still go walking down country lanes,
I'll sing the same old songs,
Hear me call your name.
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
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di ROCKER88
La prima traccia "Immigrant Song" è una delle tante grazie alla quale Page realizzò il suo sogno: fare in modo che l'ascoltatore paragoni il suono della chitarra all'imperterrito avanzare di un esercito.
"Tangerine"... una vera e propria poesia musicata come solo i Led sanno fare.
Di Alchimista
"L'album più controverso della storia dei Led Zeppelin, nato tra i seni della campagna gaelica."
"'Since I've Been Loving You' è un pezzo da novanta della discografia del Dirigibile. Altre parole non servono."
Di macciopiccio
Immigrant Song con tutto il suo vigore del riff, basato su fondamentale ed ottava, apre l’album per conto mio più sottovalutato della formazione del dirigibile.
Since I’ve Been Loving You è un pezzo di cui innamorarsi, come invaghirsi di una donna o d’un uomo e restarvi indissolubilmente legati per l’eternità.
Di claudio carpentieri
Led Zeppelin III è un’ostinata dichiarazione di crescita, resa possibile soltanto dal rigoglio di ispirazione.
Immigrant Song, un macigno musicale in cui le urla di espugnazione di Plant fanno viaggiare un’invincibile onda d’urto.
Di James Patrick
"Immigrant Song è un'indescrivibile bomba che darà ispirazione a mezzo e più Heavy Metal."
"Quell’insieme di emozioni, note e parole che fanno vibrare l’anima ad ogni ascolto, come gli Zep ci hanno abituato."
