Lou Reed - "Live in Italy": il maestro, l'icona, la storia del rock n' roll e del rock in generale che si esibisce in Italia nell'Arena di Verona prima, e all'Olimpico di Roma poi, e che decide di registrare tutto e farne il suo quarto live album ufficiale. Questa la breve introduzione per raccontare e descrivere quello che successe in quelle storiche date del 7 e 10 settembre del 1983, giusto a coronare il tour successivo a "The Blue Mask", album che aveva riportato Lou ad un prepotente successo di critica, non pienamente corrisposto però dal pubblico in termini di vendite.
Ci sarebbe molto da dire su di lui, e in particolare sul periodo che stava attraversando in quel periodo, tra il rapporto sempre in contrasto con le etichette, a quello di amore/odio con Robert Quine. Ma forse è meglio passare subito al disco in questione senza troppe storie.
Parlare di un disco live di Lou Reed non è mai facile e si rischia sempre di essere poco originali e scontati, allora partiamo col dire che la scaletta è quella che è: d'altronde se uno si permette di piazzare al primo posto un pezzo leggendario come "Sweet Jane" (abitudine storica del vecchio Lou, stavolta nella sua versione più breve e leggera), vuol dire che ci sarà da divertirsi... I classici che hanno scolpito la sua mitica carriera ci sono tutti: dai suoi pezzi solisti come "Satellite Of Love", "Waves Of Fear", "Walk In The Wild Side"; ai velvetiani come "I'm Waiting For My Man", "White Light White Heat", fino a "Heroin" e "Rock N' Roll" che chiudono il disco. L'apice si tocca manco a dirlo con la storica "Sister Ray", nel quale però risulta un gran peccato il medley con "Some Kinda Love", senza nulla togliere a quest'ultima, da sola e integrale il classico del secondo album Velvet sarebbe stato ancora meglio e più eccitante.
Questo il breve racconto del disco, perchè in effetti non si tratta di un disco che si segnala per qualcosa in particolare, ovvero, è un disco che scivola proverbialmente liscio come l'olio, senza cedimenti ma anche senza particolari sussulti degni dei migliori episodi del Lou live. Se nei precedenti c'è sempre stato qualcosa che ne sancisse lo status di album storico, come ad esempio le lunghe cavalcate strumentali di "Rock N' Roll Animal", o ancor più l'incontenibile aspetto polemico e sarcastico dell'artista, manifestatosi al suo apice nell'ancor più epocale "Live Take No Prisoners" di qualche anno prima; quì non ci sono aspetti in particolare da segnalare.
Insomma quì ci troviamo di fronte ad un Lou che mette semplicemente in scena la sua musica, che ovviamente parla da sola, ma che in assenza di altri particolari fattori come i precedenti elencati, rende questo "Live In Italy" la testimonianza di un concerto normale, se così si può chiamare un concerto di un tipo come Lou Reed che ha letteralmente scritto di mano sua la storia del rock. La testimonianza di un live come un altro, eccezionale per la qualità fuori dal comune dell'artista e della sua band ( a proposito, il sempre acclamato Quine anche quì da dimostrazione della sua classe, ma senza strafare), ma senza niente di particolare che renda questo disco epocale come successo ai precedenti.
Insomma un disco consigliato più ai fan dell'artista, ricordando che molti altri dei live così comunque se li sognano. Come detto non era facilissimo descrivere al meglio questo disco, spero di esserci riuscito al meglio in questa mia prima recensione.
Trevor Reznik
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Sweet Jane (04:05)
Standing on the corner, suitcase in my hand
Jack is in his corset, jane is in her vest
And me, I'm in a rock'n'roll band
Ridin'a stutz bearcat, jim
You know, those were different times
Oh, all the poets, they studied rules of verse
And those ladies, they rolled their eyes
Sweet jane, sweet jane, sweet jane
jack, he is a banker
And jane, she is a clerk
And both of them save their monies
when they come home from work
Ooh, they be sittin' down by the fire
Oh, the radio does play
The classical music, said jim, the `march of the wooden soldiers`
All you protest kids, you can hear jack say, get ready
Sweet jane, come on, baby
Sweet jane, sweet jane
Some people, they like to go out dancing
Other peoples, they have to work
Just watch me now
And there's some evil mothers
Well they're gonna tell you that everything is just dirt
You know, that women never really faint
And that villains always blink their eyes
And that, you know, children are the only ones who blush
And that life is just to die
But anyone who ever had a heart
Oh, they wouldn't turn around and break it
And anyone who's ever played a part
Oh, they wouldn't turn around and hate it
Sweet jane, sweet jane, sweet jane ...
03 Martial Law (04:09)
I've declared a truce, so stop your fighting
the marshall is in town
I won't put up with no big mouth yapping
at least not while I'm around
This is my friend Ace, he's from the 8th precinct
nothing goes on that he don't know
And we've been send cause your arguments
have been going on for too long
And before one of you hurts the other one of you
I'm declaring martial law
I came, I saw, I declared martial law
I'm the marshall in the city
The jails are filled with people like you
you oughta listen to your diddy-wah-diddy
What's a girl like you doing with that lamp
you better drop it down on the floor
And son, that isn't very smart
kicking a hole in that door
Hey, Ace will you take a look at this place
and get those neighbors out of the hall
I'm declaring martial law
I came, I saw, I declared martial law
'cause I'm the marshall in the city
And if you stand away, I've got something to say
that I might even help you
Keep your hands to yourself and keep your big mouth shut
don't you touch nobody with hate-hate-hate-hate
And if all you've got is poison in your mouth
make sure that you don't speak
It's 3:30 in the early morning
don't punch, don't scratch, don't bite
Try not to take the garbage of the day
any place but outside
Now me and Mr. Ace are gonna leave this place
and this fighting's gonna end
And if we're called back, I'm gonna knock you flat
and stack you end to end
Ah, I came, I saw, I declared martial law
I'm the marshall in the city
I came, I saw, I declared martial law
I'm the marshall in the city, ooohhh
I came, I saw, I declared martial law
I'm the marshall in the city
I came, I saw, I declared martial law
'cause I'm the marshall in the city
04 Satellite of Love (06:45)
Satellite's gone up to the skies
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while
I like to watch things on TV
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
Satellite of
Satellite's gone way up to Mars
Soon it'll be filled with parkin' cars
I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
Satellite of
I've been told that you've been bold
With Harry, Mark, and John
Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday through Thursday
With Harry, Mark, and John
Satellite's gone up to the skies
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
*BUM BUM BUM* Satellite of love
Satellite of
Satellite of love
05 Kill Your Sons (05:43)
All your two-bit psychiatrists
are giving you electroshock
They said, they'd let you live at home with mom and dad
instead of mental hospitals
But every time you tried to read a book
you couldn't get to page 17
'Cause you forgot where you were
so you couldn't even read
Don't you know they're gonna kill your sons
don't you know gonna kill, kill your sons
They're gonna kill, kill your sons
until they run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run away
Mom informed me on the phone
she didn't know what to do about dad
Took an axe and broke the table
aren't you glad you're married
And sister, she got married on the island
and her husband takes the train
He's big and he's fat
and he doesn't even have a brain
They're gonna kill your sons
don't you know they're gonna kill, kill your sons
Don't you know they're gonna kill, kill your sons
until they run away
Creedmore treated me very good
but Paine Whitney was even better
And when I flipped out on PHC
I was so sad, I didn't even get a letter
All of the drugs, that we took
it really was lots of fun
But when they shoot you up with thorizene on crystal smoke
you choke like a son of a gun
Don't you know they're gonna kill your sons
don't you know they're gonna kill, kill your sons
Don't you know they're gonna kill, kill your sons
until they run, run, run, run, run, run, run away
06 Betrayed (03:05)
Betrayed by the one who says she loves you
by the one who says she needs you
above all other men
Betrayed by her fragile, vicious beauty
her father did his duty
and I lie down betrayed
Justice taught her confidence
her mother was like steel
her cousins, they're all convicts
she alone rose above that wheel
But a motorcyclist no matter how good
is slave to the oncoming truck
and the poison of her father was
her most pitiless luck
Betrayed by the one who says she loves you
by the one who says she needs you
above all other men
Betrayed by her fragile, vicious beauty
her father did his duty
and I lie down betrayed
Three of us lie in this bed
night of infamy
one of us lies on our back
her father's in her head
And quick she turns and slaps my face
and with her eyes open wide she screams
I hate you, I hate you, I hate you
but she's looking right past me
Betrayed by the one who says she loves you
by the one who says that she needs you
above all other men
Betrayed by her fragile, vicious beauty
her father did his duty
and I lie down betrayed
And I lie down betrayed
I lie down betrayed
07 Sally Can't Dance (03:32)
Sally dances on the floor
she says that she can't do it anymore
She walks down St. Marks Place
and eats natural food at my place
Now Sally can't dance no more
she can't get off of the floor
Sally can't dance no more
they found her in the trunk of a Ford
ooohhh, she can't dance no more
Sally is loosing her face
she lives on St. Marks Place
In a rent-controlled apartment, eighty dollars a month
she has lots of fun, she has lots of fun, but
Sally can't dance no more, ooohhh
Sally can't dance no more
She took too much meth and can't get off the floor
now Sally, she can't dance no more
She was the first girl in the neighborhood
to wear tied-dyed pants, ah, like she should
She was the first girl that I ever seen
that had flowers painted on her jeans
She was the first girl in her neighborhood
who got raped on Tompkins Square, real good
Now she wears a sword, like Napoleon
and she kills the boys and acts like a son
Sally can't dance no more, ooohhh, now
Sally can't dance no more
She can't get herself off the floor, ah, huh
Sally, ooohhh, she can't dance no more
Watch this, now
Sally became a big model
she moved up to eighties and park
She had a studio apartment
and that's where she used to ball, folk singers
and that's where she used to ball, folk singers, but
Sally, she can't dance no more
Sally, she can't dance no more
Sally can't get herself off of the floor
now, Sally, she can't dance no more
(Sally can't dance)
(Sally can't dance)
She knew all the really right people
she went to Le Jardin
She danced with Picasso's illegitimate mistress
and wore Kenneth Lane jewels, really it's trash, but
Sally can't dance no more, ooohhh
Sally can't dance no more
She can't get herself off of the floor
now, Sally, ooohhh, she can't dance no more, no more
Dance, no more can't ...
(Sally can't dance, Sally can't dance)
(Sally can't dance, Sally can't dance)
(Sally can't dance, Sally can't dance)
(Sally can't dance, Sally can't dance)
... repeat and fade out
08 Waves of Fear (03:18)
Waves of fear, attack in the night
waves if revulsion, sickening sights
My heart's nearly bursting, my chest's choking tight
Waves of fear, waves of fear
Waves of fear, squat on the floor
looking for some pill, the liquor is gone
Blood trips from my nose, I can barely breathe
waves of fear, I'm too scared to leave
Waves of fear, waves of fear
waves of fear, waves of fear
I'm too afraid to use the phone
I'm too afraid to put the light on
I'm so afraid I've lost control
I'm suffocating without a word
Crazy with sweat, spittle on my jaw
what's that funny noise, what's that on the floor
Waves of fear, pulsing with death
I curse my tremors, I jump at my own step
I cringe at my terror, I hate my own smell
I know where I must be, I must be in hell
Waves of fear, waves of fear
waves of fear, waves of fear
09 Average Guy (02:46)
I ain't no Christian or no born again saint
I ain't no cowboy or Marxist D.A.
I ain't no criminal or Reverend Cripple from the right
I am just your average guy, trying to do what's right
I'm just your average guy
an average guy
I am just your average guy
I'm just an average guy
Average guy, I'm just your average guy
I'm average looking and I'm average inside
I'm an average lover and I live in an average place
you wouldn't know me if you met me face to face
I'm just your average guy
average guy
Average guy
I'm just an average guy
I worry about money and taxes and such
I worry that my liver's big and it hurts to the touch
I worry about my health and bowels
and the crime waves in the street
I'm really just your average guy
trying to stand on his own two feet
I'm just your average guy
I'm just your average guy
I'm just your average guy
average guy
Average looks, average taste
average height, an average waist
Average in everything I do
my temperature is 98.2
I'm just your average guy
an average guy
Average guy
I'm just an average guy
Average guy
I'm just your average guy
I'm just your average guy
I'm just your average guy
Average
10 White Light/White Heat (03:22)
White light goin' messin' up my mind
don't you know, it's gonna make me go blind
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
White light goin' down to my brain
hey, don't you know it's gonna make me insane
White heat, down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
forget it
White light
Ooohhh, white light
Ahhh, white heat
Ooohhh, yeah, white light
White light goin' messin' up my mind
don't you know, it's gonna make me go blind
White light, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
White light goin' messin' up my brain
don't you know it's gonna make me insane
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
forget it
Ooohhh, white light
Yeah, aaah, white light
White heat
Oh, baby, white light
white light, now, now, now
White light goin' messin' up my mind
don't you know, it's gonna make me go blind
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
White light goin' down to my brain, ooohhh
Oh, don't you know it's gonna make me insane
White heat, goin' down to my toes
Lord have mercy, white light had it, goodness knows
forget it
White light
Ooohhh, white light
Ooohhh, baby, white heat
Yeah, white light
12 Walk on the Wild Side (04:31)
Holly came from Miami, FLA
Hitch-hiked her way across the USA
Plucked her eyebrows on the way
Shaved her legs and then he was a she
She says, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
She said, "Hey honey,
Take a walk on the wild side."
Candy came from out on the Island
In the backroom she was everybody's darlin'
But she never lost her head
Even when she was giving head
She says, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
Said, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
And the colored girls go:
"Doo do doo do doo do do doo, ...."
Little Joe never once gave it away
Everybody had to pay and pay
A hussle here and a hussle there
New York City's the place where they said, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
I said, "Hey Joe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
Sugar Plum Fairy came and hit the streets
Lookin' for soul food and a place to eat
Went to the Apollo
You should've seen 'em go, go, go
They said, "Hey sugar,
Take a walk on the wild side."
I said, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
All right, huh
Jackie is just speeding away
Thought she was James Dean for a day
Then I guess she had to crash
Valium would have helped that bash
Said, "Hey babe,
Take a walk on the wild side."
I said, "Hey honey,
Take a walk on the wild side."
And the colored girls say:
"Doo do doo do doo do do doo, ...."
13 Heroin (08:29)
I don't know just where I'm going
But I'm goin' to try for the kingdom if I can
'Cause it makes me feel like I'm a man
When I put a spike into my vein
Then I tell you things aren't quite the same
When I'm rushing on my run
And I feel just like Jesus' son
And I guess I just don't know
And I guess that I just don't know
I have made very big decision
I'm goin' to try to nullify my life
'Cause when the blood begins to flow
When it shoots up the dropper's neck
When I'm closing in on death
You can't help me not you guys
All you sweet girls with all your sweet talk
You can all go take a walk
And I guess I just don't know
And I guess I just don't know
I wish that I was born a thousand years ago
I wish that I'd sailed the darkened seas
On a great big clipper ship
Going from this land here to that
I put on a sailor's suit and cap
Away from the big city
Where a man cannot be free
Of all the evils in this town
And of himself and those around
Oh, and I guess I just don't know
Oh, and I guess I just don't know
Heroin, be the death of me
Heroin, it's my wife and it's my life
Because a mainer to my vein
Leads to a center in my head
And then I'm better off than dead
When the smack begins to flow
Then I really don't care anymore
About all the Jim-Jims in this town
And everybody putting everybody else down
And all of the politicians makin' crazy sounds
All the dead bodies piled up in mounds, yeah
Wow, that heroin is in my blood
And the blood is in my head
Yeah, thank God that I'm good as dead
Ooohhh, thank your God that I'm not aware
And thank God that I just don't care
And I guess I just don't know
And I guess I just don't know
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