• Voto:
Quarto capitolo del "periodo storico" dei Papa' Ubu, freschi freschi di avvicendamento alla chitarra (partito Tom Herman, arriva l'icona Mayo Thompson con cui il quintetto tutto aveva appena collaborato nella sulfurea riedizione dei Red Crayola) e di contratto indipendente (la banda era stata da poco defenestrata per scarso rendimento -economico, of course- da quelli della Chrysalis).
Dal contratto indie (chez mamma Rough Trade) e contemporaneo sodalizio con Mr. "free form freak out" non poteva che derivare il loro lavoro più ostico e controverso (i recensori dell'epoca duellarono per mesi a colpi di "Masterpiece!" da un lato e "No! Monnezza!" dall'altro) della loro gloriosa carriera tutta. Tant'è... Si inizia (come sempre) all'arma bianca... trillo di chitarra e... "GO"!! Poderoso funky, retto da un riff dal vago sapor d'oriente, trafitto dalle strepitose electropernacchie dell'EML di "Genius" Ravenstine e guarnito dai volteggi dell'ugola più inquieta della storia. La forma sembra quella delle grandi occasioni.... A far trio con l'ouverture saranno, diluiti nell'ellepì, altre due simili, furiose performances ritmiche sempre di altissimo livello: "Misery Goats" con (ancora!) pregevole ostinato chitarristico e cantato più assatanato che mai e "Rounder" ovvero i Talking Heads dopo generosa assunzione di psicostimolanti... ma per il grosso del restante, ahinoi, si va un po' a zoppicare...
Cinque brani su undici (circa la metà del minutaggio, in verità un po' troppo) si muovono in territorio "free form", e, fin qui, nulla di male. Il problema è che, in quest'ambito, si rimane ben lontani dai brillanti risultati espressivi ("Sentimental Journey", "Thriller !", "A Small Dark Cloud") o dalle attraenti soluzioni strumentali ("Codex", "Voice of the Sand") del passato. Esclusa infatti la tenue e suggestiva "Rhapsody in Pink" (Thomas rilassato narratore su un ben assortito tappeto di rumori acquatici e piano espressionista) e, parzialmente, "Young Miles in the Basament" (da salvare per l'interessante esperimento vocale un po' mantra), i nostri arrivano qui ad essere (sorry!) quello che mai sono stati: noiosi ("Arabia": cinque soporiferi minuti di organetto atonale senza capo nè coda) o francamente incomprensibili ("Lost in Art" scriteriato pestaggio di rullante con Thomas che sbraita a gran voce -per quello che ho capito- reclamando le proprie scarpe (!), "Crush this Horn" disturbatissimo solo di sax semisepolto da interferenze radio d'epoca... ma per favore!!!). Classico cavolo a merenda risulta quindi la sognante "Horses", ballad elettrica, splendidamente sbilenca sul piano armonico e caracollante su quello ritmico ed in più, soavemente cantata (non da Thomas!!): insomma, la cosa più melodica registrata dagli Ubu dai tempi di "Heaven", quasi un precorrere il lontano futuro periodo Fontana. Il resto ("Birdies" e "Loop", pur, alla loro maniera, stutturate) scorre senza lasciare traccia.
Dopo quest'opera la band continuerà a perdere i pezzi per strada (Scott Krauss, in panchina per metà disco, pressochè relegato a metronomo per il resto, lascierà di lì a poco) senza che il successivo inserimento delle polirimie jazz-samba di Anton Fier, riesca a risollevarne le sorti più di tanto. Da fonte alquanto più autorevole della mia, TAOW è stato giudicato "... la loro opera più perfetta dopo "The Modern Dance" "... a me pare, al contrario, il classico vicolo cieco in cui si è infilata la loro arte, al termine di uno dei più brillanti cicli creativi della storia del rock... per fortuna, otto anni dopo arriverà "The Tenement Year"...
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Go (03:36)
Here's to the small things that give pleasure.
Here's to the everyday things that bring a smile.
My hands are complicated thoughts.
My hands are complicated,
but my feet just wanna go.
Here's to the finer points that mean everything.
Here's to the details that so often get overlooked:
the way one day fades into another;
the way simple desires get expressed
(What's the bus that goes by here?)
Here's to the best things.
Here's to the things that give God pleasure.
Here's to the things that make God smile.
The small victories are big ones.
And as one day fades to another,
as the past fills up with failure,
it all adds up.
Writers: Krauss-Maimone-Ravenstine-Thomas-Thompson.
© 1980 EMI Music (ROW),
Bug Music / Music Language (US/Can).
Lyrics by David Thomas.
02 Rhapsody in Pink (03:36)
I spent the day under the water, today.
I was a big pink ball at the bottom of the sea,
the broad green sea.
The fish came and looked at me,
looked at me at the bottom of the sea.
There I was for all the fish to see,
sitting on the yellow sand at the bottom of the sea,
the broad green sea.
The sea is a big, green lens.
The birds looked down at me,
sitting on the sand at the bottom of the sea,
the broad green sea.
And the waves rolled in,
the waves rolled in,
and I rolled in.
The waves rolled out,
and the waves rolled out.
The waves rolled out and I rolled out.
Back & forth,
and back & forth at the bottom of the sea,
the broad green sea.
I spent the day under the water.
I spent the night on the beach.
I was beached.
Beached!
Then I got bleached.
Bleached!
Washed up.
Bleached white as a bone.
So...
So, that's my story.
Sad but true.
(Let this be a lesson to you)
Writers: Krauss-Maimone-Ravenstine-Thomas-Thompson.
© 1980 EMI Music (ROW),
Bug Music / Music Language (US/Can).
Lyrics by David Thomas.
05 Misery Goats (02:41)
Don't fret now.
Don't be so tired.
No mope, mope, mope-a-dope!
No, it's not as bad as all of that.
Don't be no misery goat!
"How are ya?"
"How are ya?"
"How are ya?"
I could cry.
I could just cry.
Oh, the tears fall down.
(I've got one bright hope.)
(I've got one ride home.)
I sang three songs and marched around,
marched around,
marched around.
I sang three songs and marched around.
Looka here.
Here comes the poetry!
"I'm a cave with the wind inside."
"I'm a shell with the sound of the surf inside!"
What?!
What's the point, hunh?
Don't be no misery goat!
(I've got one bright hope.)
(I've got one ride home.)
Writers: Krauss-Maimone-Ravenstine-Thomas-Thompson.
© 1980 EMI Music (ROW),
Bug Music / Music Language (US/Can).
Lyrics by David Thomas.
07 Rounder (03:25)
I tore myself up inside.
And I ripped everything out.
It was a storm that went by.
It had the sound of the winter wind.
It had the sound of the frozen lake.
I tore myself up inside.
(Only the walls were left.)
I tore myself up.
(I'm a big success.)
I could not feel.
(I do a good job.)
I could not feel.
(I tear myself up inside.)
Dumb luck.
(Some excuse!)
It works out that way.
I heard the voice of reason.
"Don't upset yourself."
"Don't upset yourself."
"Don't upset yourself."
I heard the voice of reason.
I didn't listen.
(Yeah, I know it all.)
I heard the voice of reason.
Way far away.
I tore myself up inside.
And I ripped everything out.
Only the walls were left.
Then I looked around for something else to tear out.
I reached deep!
Writers: Krauss-Maimone-Ravenstine-Thomas-Thompson.
© 1980 EMI Music (ROW),
Bug Music / Music Language (US/Can).
Lyrics by David Thomas.
08 Birdies (02:29)
I gotta get holda myself.
I gotta pull myself up by my socks.
I gotta grab myself by the collar and shake!
The birdies are singing.
The birdies are saying what I want to say.
Now watch this close.
(Oh, I should say 'closely.')
Here we go!
The foot goes up.
And the foot goes down.
And so I move along.
And actually get somewhere,
actually get somewhere.
And when the feet,
the big feet get tangled...
Bang!
And I fall down on the ground?
Well, I get back up.
I get right back up!
A tree,
a dog,
a cat,
a house,
a car,
fireplug,
mailman.
Dumpdee dump.
Dumpdee da.
Look at me!
I've got my feet on the ground.
And my head in the air.
And I'm moving along.
The wind's going through.
And my hair's standing straight out behind.
And I'm moving along.
I'm standing up.
And I'm going Some-Where.
Writers: Krauss-Maimone-Ravenstine-Thomas-Thompson.
© 1980 EMI Music (ROW),
Bug Music / Music Language (US/Can).
Lyrics by David Thomas.
09 Lost in Art (05:13)
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
I want my shoes.
And I'm gonna walk, walk, walk!
Here I go.
Listen to me!
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
I want it all.
I want it all, now!
Okay.
Now, I'm gonna sing sweet.
Now, I'm gonna sing pretty now.
Ooaaaaaah-oooo-oo!
I want more.
I want my shoes.
(Tie 'em for me please!)
Watch me go.
I can feel it.
Uh.
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
I've sung my song.
And I've beat my drum.
I've sung my song.
And I've beat my drum.
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
Hey, where's everybody going?
Come back.
Wait!
Hey, I'm over here!
I didn't mean it.
Come back.
I didn't mean it.
Writers: Krauss-Maimone-Ravenstine-Thomas-Thompson.
© 1980 EMI Music (ROW),
Bug Music / Music Language (US/Can).
Lyrics by David Thomas.
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