Si rende necessario sgomberare in primo luogo il campo da eventuali equivoci o fraintendimenti. A mio parere, i Ramones SONO il punk.
Certo, non avranno quella carica di dissacrante provocazione dei Pistols e di altre bands inglesi, avranno un’ immagine più da metallari da strada con i loro capelli lunghi e i chiodi con le spillette in bella mostra, ma, in definitiva, ci sarà un motivo se nel mio libro di musica delle scuole elementari per spiegare brevemente cosa fosse il punk c’era la foto dei Ramones, e non quella di Sid Vicious o dei Clash.
Il punk dei Ramones fu di certo più genuino e spontaneo di quello inglese. Alle loro spalle c’erano soltanto loro stessi, con i loro strumenti acquistati con il frutto di qualche lavoretto part-time nel tentativo infruttuoso di coverizzare i Who o i Rolling Stones, e non quel lungimirante operatore commerciale che corrispondeva al nome di Malcom Mclaren.
Il fatto, inoltre, che tutto ciò avvenisse a metà degli anni 70, e, cioè, qualche tempo prima l’esplosione del punk inglese, è solo un dettaglio statistico che avvalora questa tesi. Tesi, del resto confermata, anche da Joe Strummer che affermò consapevolmente che i fratelli Ramone suonarono prima di tutti quello che si ritiene comunemente sia sorto in Inghilterra.
Dopo questa piccola ma doverosa premessa passiamo alla trattazione del disco recensito. “Mondo Bizarro” è considerato, giustamente, il disco della seconda giovinezza dei Ramones. Dopo la creazione di dischi che verranno ricordati nella storia della musica tutta come l’album omonimo di debutto, “Leave Home”, “Rocket To Russia” e il live, appunto, “It’ s Alive” infatti, gli anni 80 furono molto controversi e pregni di alti e bassi. Tra esperienze di droga e alcool che minarono la salute dei nostri, scazzottate varie e problemi con l’entourage politico americano per via delle pesanti critiche di Joey Ramone all’ex Presidente Reagan, ma anche di arene stracolme di spettatori durante i loro concerti soprattutto in Europa (sintomatico fu, in questo senso, l’ esibizione ad Amsterdam che porto a vederli quasi 250.000 spettatori), la decade ottantiana si consumò tra alti e bassi.
Sul finire del decennio, la crisi mistica di Dee Dee Ramone verso la musica rap lo portò a lasciare la band e fu scelto come suo successore C.J. Ramone. “Mondo Bizarro” è il primo lavoro dei Ramones senza il bassista fondatore (anche se dei pezzi dell’album in questione furono da lui composti) e con il suo sostituto C.J. che, tra l’altro, ci delizia della sua voce in “Main Man” e “Strength To Endure”. Si tratta di un album energico, sanguigno e punk rock all’ ennesima potenza, come tutta la musica e l’indole dei Ramones.
Come non lasciarsi travolgere dalla carica di “Censorshit”, feroce invettiva contro la censura, dalla rabbia di “The Job ate in my Brain”, dalla ossessiva “Anxiety” (I’m crazy, crazy, crazy, in a crazy world…), dalle rasoiate di “It’ s Gonna Be Alright” e “Heidi is a Headcase” ? Per non parlare di “Cabbies on Crack”, stupendo esempio di canzone che si discosta leggermente dai soliti canoni punk rock per via del riff di stampo quasi heavy, e della tiratissima e dissacrante cover dei Doors "Take it As it Comes”. Ma il picco dell’album, a mio avviso, lo si raggiunge nella coinvolgente melodia della raffinata “Poison Heart”, che non si può fare a meno di canticchiare.
In conclusione, rivolgo un accorato invito a tutti i ragazzi che credono che il punk rock sia quella sciatta e commerciale forma di pop che viene loro vomitata addosso da Mtv. Ragazzi, aprite gli occhi su cosa sia il vero punk rock. Fate come me che ho conosciuto il genere ed il gruppo proprio con questo album. Dopo esservi destati a nuova vita per la scoperta, andate a ritroso ed ascoltate i capolavori storici sia dei fratelli Ramone che del punk tutto. Quello vero.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Censorshit (03:13)
Tipper, what's that sticker sticking on my CD?
Is that some kind of warning to protect me?
Freedom of choice needs a stronger, stronger voice.
You can stamp out the source, but you
Can't stop creative thoughts.
Ah, tipper come, ain't you been getting it on?
Ask Ozzie, Zappa or me.
We'll show you what it's like to be free.
Ah, tipper come on, it's just
a smoke screen for the real problems:
S&L deficit, the homeless, the environment.
Hey, hey all you, all you senators wiwes,
Better take a good look at your own lives
Before you go preaching to me
Your definition of obscenity.
Ah, tipper come on, ain't you been getting it on?
Ask Ozzie, Zappa or me.
We'll show you what it's like to be free.
Ah, tipper come on, it's just
A smoke screen for the real problems:
S&L deficit, the homeless, the environment.
The irony it seems, it seems to me. It's un-american
policy. Yeah, we've come so far but still only to find
people like you with ignorant minds.
Ah, tipper come on, ain't you been getting it on?
Ask Ozzie, Zappa or me.
We'll show you what it's like to be free.
Ah, tipper come on, it's just
A smoke screen for the real problems:
S&L deficit, the homeless, the environment
04 Anxiety (02:04)
Anxiety, anxiety, keeps me happy.
Anxiety, anxiety, keeps me happy.
Always stiff, all day long.
Nothing's right till it's all wrong.
It makes no sense until I'm tense.
Always laughing at your expense.
Anxiety, anxiety, keeps me happy.
Anxiety, anxiety, keeps me happy.
Always biting on my nails.
Always stiff, it never fails.
Now I think I'll pick my nose,
wipe it on my sweaty clothes.
Anxiety, anxiety, keeps me happy.
Anxiety, anxiety, keeps me happy.
Always screamin' at someone.
Got a temper like a gun.
Hair trigger personality.
Anxiety, anxiety, keeps me hap-happy.
(bridge)
And I'm crazy, zrazy, crazy in a crazy world.
I'm crazy, zrazy, crazy in a crazy world.
I'm crazy, zrazy, crazy in a crazy world.
I'm crazy, zrazy, crazy in a crazy world.
A-N-X-I-E-T-Y
A-N-X-I-E-T-Y
Anxiety keeps me high, cross my heart and hope to die. ANXIETY
ANXIETY
ANXIETY
ANXIETY
05 Strength to Endure (02:59)
Walking through the cross fire heart
Feeling heavy and hopeless
Wonderin' how I ever will see through this darkness
Every drop of blood can be so beautiful
And I sure was bleedin' the drops by the bucketful
I have the strength to endure
And all the love so pure
I have the strength to endure
Because, because...
I'm not afraid to tell her
Just how things work
Ride a hurricane through the fast lane
Always looking over my shoulder
She said, "there's something about you, and neon lights always glow hot
Baby we can see this through
Just give all the strenght you've got"
I have the strength to endure
And all the love so pure
I have the strength to endure
Because, because...
I'm not afraid to tell her
Just how things work
Ride a hurricane through the fast lane
Always looking over my shoulder
She said, "there's something about you, and neon lights always glow hot
Baby we can see this through
Just give all the strenght you've got"
I have the strength to endure
And all the love so pure
I have the strength to endure
Because, because...
07 Take It As It Comes (02:08)
Time to live, time to lie.
Time to laugh, time to die
Take it easy baby.
Take it as it comes.
Don't move too fast if you want
to love to last and you've been moving
much too fast.
Time to walk, time to run.
Time to aim your arrows at the sun.
Take it easy baby.
Take it as it comes.
Don't move too fast if you want
to love to last and you've been moving
much too fast.
Glorious blow. You like it more and more.
Take it as it comes. Mission lies it anymore.
Take it easy baby.
Take it as it comes.
Don't move too fast if you want
to love to last and you've been
moving much too fast.
Moving much too fast.
Moving much too fast.
11 Cabbies on Crack (03:00)
Got into a cab, Broadway, 59 Took off like a blast
Almost lost my mind - oh, oh, oh
Cabbies on crack
It first felt like at thrill ride Excited for a while
Got pretty scary swerving at 100 miles an hour - oh, oh, oh
Cabbies on crack
I want to get out, out of this yellow shell
I want to get out, crack cabbies straight from hell
And I don't wanna die before I live
Cabbies on Cabbies on crack
Cabbies on crack Want my money back
Disco blasting out, Stomach in my mouth - oh, oh, oh
Cabbies on crack
Times Square was approaching He braked for the light
At 90 miles an hour, flashed by, I saw my life - oh, oh, oh
Cabbies on crack
I want to get out, out of this yellow shell
I want to get out, crack cabbies straight from hell
And I don't wanna die before I live
Cabbies on Cabbies on crack
And I don't wanna die before I live
Cabbies on Cabbies on crack
Cabbies on crack
12 Heidi Is a Headcase (02:47)
Headcase baby She's a cool kind of crazy
Wild and she's willing Into early Dylan
She drives me crazy, oh yeah, ooh ooh yea
When I look into her big brown eyes I'm so glad to know she's mine
My little headcase, yeah Ooh, ooh, yeah, my little headcase, yeah
Ooh, ooh, yeah
Heidi is a headcase, a rebel and a rouser Cranks up her Rickenbacker
Blasts away for hours What's she doin' now on the escalator
Snorting up some speed on the picture of or Stiv Bators
What 'cha doin'?
When I look into her big brown eyes I'm so glad to know she's mine
My little headcase, yeah Ooh, ooh, yeah, my little headcase, yeah
Ooh, ooh, yeah
Ooh, baby baby, whatever you do now Don't ever go away
Ooh, baby baby, whatever you do now Don't you ever go astray
Don't you ever go away - ooh, ooh, yea
Don't you ever go away - ooh, ooh, yea
Heidi is a headcase Heidi is a headcase
Heidi is a headcase Heidi is a headcase
13 Touring (02:52)
Well, weve been to london and weve been to l.a. spain, new zealand, and the u.s.a.
Europe, japan, and pango-pango canada, siam, oz and kamoto
The kids all come from miles around
The party gets started when the sun goes down
A holiday inns the only home I know
Rock-n-rolls alive cause we got the power baby
Crusing down the highway at 500 miles an hour baby
We got a fuel-injected tour bus, man it really flies
With a video tape deck inside
Lets go, rock-n-roll, everybody cmon
Lets go, rock-n-roll, everybody cmon now
Touring, touring, is never boring touring, touring, is never boring
Touring, touring, is never boring touring, touring, oh baby, touring
Especially with your favorite girl touring, touring, all around the world
Well weve been around this great big world
And weve met all kinds of guys and girls
From kamoto islands to rockaway beach
No, its not hard, not far to reach
American girls knock me out, ya know
Fast cars, cold beer, and rock-n-roll
America is the only home I know
Lets go lets go lets go lets go 500 miles to mexico
Lets go lets go lets go lets go 200 miles to tokyo
Lets go lets go lets go lets go
Drive, drive, drive the night away
Straight on through to the break of day
Drive, drive, drive the night away
Well, its in your blood, its in your blood
Touring, touring, is never boring touring, touring, is never boring
Touring, touring, is never boring touring, touring, oh baby, touring
Especially with your favorite girl now
Touring touring, all around the world touring touring, all around the world
Touring touring, all around the world
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