Dopo un anno di separazione i Queen si riuniscono e danno inizio alla seconda fase della loro storia proprio con The Works.
The Works, nonostante presenti solo 9 canzoni, dà l'idea di essere un bell'album quasi completo: non avrebbe guastato affatto l'inserimento di I Was Born To Love You, Made In Heaven o Thank God It's Christmas frutto delle medesime sedute di registrazione.
L'album è simboleggiato da 4 nuove hit fortunate entrambe a livello di classifica. In primo luogo sicuramente le storiche Radio Gaga (idea di Taylor) e I Want To Break Free (idea di Deacon) e in secondo luogo It's A Hard Life (idea di Mercury) e Hammer To Fall (idea di May). Delle ultime due la prima si distingue per l'INTRO dagli spunti tratti dal "Pagliaccio" di Leoncavalli (ancora Freddie & il mondo operistico!), la seconda per l'avversione al nucleare per la verità non troppo esplicito nel testo. Il resto NON è da meno delle hit (tanto per non cadere nella solita trappola!): la grezza e dura Tear It Up, Freddie che si "tramuta" in Elvis Presley nell'originale esperimento di Man On The Prowl, l'energia e i crescendo di Machines (Or Back To Humans) che poteva veramente divenire splendida con arrangiamenti migliori.
2 gioielli incompresi e sottovalutati sono le tracce rimanenti. Keep Passing The Open Windows (che rientra in un film ma non ricordo quale...) è un inno alla vita contro le sue difficoltà che portano al suicidio; ha una grande intro (nulla da invidiare a quella di It's A Hard Life) ed anche un motivo trascinante.
Is This The World We Created...?, nata dalla prima ed unica collaborazione tra Freddie e Brian, un brano breve ma di rara intensità, non per niente rappresenta il momento clue dei Queen al Live Aid specialmente per il problema da essa trattato, quello della fame nel mondo. Riassumendo possiamo parlare di The Works come di un "piccolo grande disco" che li porterà alla piena maturità anni '80.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Radio Ga Ga (05:49)
Radio I'd sit alone and watch your light
My only friend through teenage nights
And ev'rything I had to know
I heard it on my radio
You gave them all those old time stars
Through wars of worlds - invaded by Mars
You made 'em laugh - you made 'em cry
You made us feel like we could fly
Radio
So don't become some background noise
A backdrop for the girls and boys
Who just don't know or just don't care
And just complain when you're not there
You had your time you had the power
You've yet to have your finest hour
Radio
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio blah blah
Radio what's new?
Radio someone still loves you
We watch the shows - we watch the stars
On videos for hours and hours
We hardly need to use our ears
How music changes through the years
Let's hope you never leave old friend
Like all good things on you we depend
So stick around cos we might miss you
When we grow tired of all this visual
You had your time you had the power
You've yet to have your finest hour
Radio
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio blah blah
Radio what's new?
Someone still loves you
Radio ga ga
Radio ga ga
Radio ga ga
Radio
You had your time you had the power
You've yet to have your finest hour
Radio
02 Tear It Up (03:28)
Words and music by Brian May
Are you ready? - well are you ready?
We're gonna tear it up
Yeah yeah yeah yeah
(Hey)
Give me your mind baby give me your body
Give me some time baby let's have a party
It ain't no time for sleepin' baby
Soon it's round your street I'm creeping
You'd better be ready
We gonna Tear it up
Stir it up
Break it up - baby
You gonna Tear it up
Shake it up
Make it up - as you go along
Tear it up
Square it up
Wake it up - baby
Tear it up
Stir it up
Stake it out - and you can't go wrong
(Hey listen)
I love you 'cos you're sweet and I love you 'cos you're
naughty
I love you for your mind baby give me your body
I wanna be a toy at your birthday party
Wind me up - wind me up - wind me up - let me go
Tear it up
Stir it up
Break it up - let me go
Tear it up
Shake it up
Make it up - as you go along
Tear it up
Turn it up
Burn it up
Are you ready?(Oh yeah)
Baby baby baby are you ready for me?(Oh yeah)
Baby baby baby are you ready for love?(Oh yeah)
Are you ready - are you ready - are you ready for me?(Oh
yeah)
I love you so near I love you so far
I gotta tell you baby you're driving me Ga Ga
06 I Want to Break Free (03:21)
I want to break free
I want to break free,
I want to break free from your lies,
you're so self satisfied, I don't need you
I've got to break free
God knows, god knows I want to break free
I've fallen in love
I've fallen in love for the first time,
and this time I know it's for real
I've fallen in love
God knows, god knows I've fallen in love
It's strange but it's true,
Yeah!
I can't get over the way you love me like you do
But I have to be sure, when I walk out that door
Oh, how I want to be free, baby
Oh, how I want to be free
Oh, how I want to break free
But life still goes on
I can't get used to living without,
living without, living without you, by my side
I don't want to live alone, hey
God knows, got to make it on my own
So baby can't you see?
I've got to break free
I've got to break free
I want to break free
I want, I want, I want, I want to break free
08 Hammer to Fall (04:28)
Here we stand or here we fall
History won't care at all
Make the bed, light the light
Lady Mercy won't be home tonight
You don't waste no time at all
Don't hear the bell but you answer the call
It comes to you as to us all
We're just waiting
For the hammer to fall
Oh ev'ry night and every day
A little piece of you is falling away
But lift your face the Western Way
Build your muscles as your body decays
Toe your line and play their game
Let the anaesthetic cover it all
Till one day they call your name
You know it's time for the hammer to fall
Rich or poor or famous
For your truth it's all the same (oh no, oh no)
Lock your door the rain is pouring
Through your window pane (oh no)
Baby now your struggle's all in vain
For we who grew up tall and proud
In the shadow of the mushroom cloud
Convinced our voices can't be heard
We just wanna scream it louder and louder and louder
What the hell we fighting for?
Just surrender and it won't hurt at all
Just got time to say your prayers
While you're waiting for the hammer to hammer to fall
It's gonna fall
Hammer
You know
Hammer to fall
While you're waiting for the hammer to fall
Give it to me one more time
09 Is This the World We Created...? (02:16)
Just look at all those hungry mouths we have to feed
Take a look at all the suffering we breed
So many lonely faces scattered all around
Searching for what they need
Is this the world we created?
What did we do it for?
Is this the world we invaded
Against the law?
So it seems in the end
Is this what we're all living for today?
The world that we created
You know that every day a helpless child is born
Who needs some loving care inside a happy home
Somewhere a wealthy man is sitting on his throne
Waiting for life to go by
Is this the world we created?
We made it on our own
Is this the world we devastated
Right to the bone?
If there's a God in the sky looking down
What can he think of what we've done
To the world that He created?
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Altre recensioni
Di Viva Lì
La band più sopravvalutata della storia della musica...
Tanti argomenti di un certo peso, tutti però trattati con estrema superficialità e troppa arroganza musicale.
Di Walterstarman
"The Works è un grande album, nipote di un nonno saggio ('The Game') e figlio di un padre troppo sovversivo ('Hot Space')."
"Tutto il mondo alzò le mani al cielo, cantò 'Radio Ga Ga' e s'illuminò di immenso!"
Di claudio carpentieri
"Radio Ga Ga è figlio di quella vena creativa di carattere tecnologico... spianando la strada ad un incontenibile lirismo."
"I Want to Break Free permette a May di spaziare liberamente con un brillante assolo, facendo eccellere oltremodo l'unico brano concepito da Deacon."
