Glastonbury. Terra di allineamenti esoterici e leggende. Ma anche terra che respira musica. Il festival che tiene luogo in questa città dai primi anni 70 è tra i più famosi d’Inghilterra. Ora sto divagando. In realtà nel caso specifico Glastonbury è solo la città che ha dato i natali alla band che mi appresto a recensire.
I Reef sono quattro ragazzi che suonano rock, quello sanguigno, di strada. Quel rock’n’roll chitarristico che affonda le proprie radici nel blues più inquieto. Lo si potrebbe intuire per assonanza alla parola chiave del genere: “riff”. Oppure perché il monicker può essere visto come l’anagramma della parola “free”, rimando ad un altro gruppo seminale del rock. Ma queste sono semplici congetture, mentre la musica della band non lascia niente al caso.
Chitarre taglienti, ritmiche esplosive e pochi fronzoli. Una spruzzatina di organo qua e là, qualche intervento pianistico ed ecco pronta la ricetta. Quella della nonna, la più semplice, ma anche la più genuina. Non c’è niente di nuovo nella musica dei Reef, i rimandi sono chiari: Rolling Stones e Faces su tutti. A partire dalla voce del cantante Gary Stringer, che risulta essere un riuscito incrocio tra Mick Jagger e Rod Stewart. Una voce ruvida, graffiante, anima e passione ad ogni intonazione.
Devono la propria fortuna all'ex Style Council Paul Weller, che li scopre e decide di portarli con sé in tour. “Glow” esce nel 1997 ed è il secondo disco del gruppo, dopo il buon esordio “Replenish” che già aveva piazzato qualche singolo nelle classifiche britanniche.
“Place your hands” è invece l’hit apripista di quest’album, una sezione ritmica che pompa ritmo e potenza e un ispirato riff che ricorda il Keith Richard dei tempi migliori. La canzone entra nella top ten inglese e dopo breve tempo il disco raggiunge addirittura la vetta.
“Glow” è un concentrato di energia fresca, un vero e proprio attentato ai tendini, con le chitarre granitiche di “I would have left you” o il wah-wah della funkeggiante “Lately stomping”.
Ma non mancano i momenti più morbidi, con le venature soul della splendida ballad “Consideration” o la bucolica “Lullaby”.
La rivista “Kerrang” ha recentemente messo questo disco al 26esimo posto nella classifica dei “100 album da aver ascoltato prima di morire”. Un esagerazione, sicuramente. E personalmente non è un disco che riesco ad ascoltare in ogni momento. Ma quando ho bisogno di scaricare l’adrenalina che ho in corpo, o semplicemente di una botta di vitalità, non c’è niente di meglio. O quasi.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Place Your Hands (03:38)
Oh place your hands, on my hope,
Run your fingers through my soul, (all right yes)
And the way that I feel right now,
Oh Lord it may go.
So place your hands, on my hope,
Run your fingers through my soul, (all right yes)
And the way that we feel right now,
Oh Lord it may go.
Put your hands on, put your hands on. (x4)
You know you cannot hide, from what's inside,
You know you cannot hide, from what's inside.
So I ask of you to help me through,
I ask of you this thing to do.
Put your hands on, put your hands on. (x2)
So lay me down, for a while,
Join my body with my mind, (all right now)
And I cried at the Common One,
For weeks aft' he died.
Put your hands on, put your hands on. (x6)
And the way that we feel right now,
Oh Lord it may go.
put your hands on, put your hands on. (x4)
04 Lately Stomping (02:46)
Lately, I have not been treated gently by myself.
I have been over used, ripped off and abused,
Stomping in my shoes, well no more!
Think of your family, home is the place to be,
Think of your family once more.
Lately, all my clothes have been so dirty and threadbare.
They have been over used, my heart battered and bruised,
Thankless for my views, well no more.
Think of your family, home is the place to be,
Think of your family once more.
Been around the world, and there is nothing that I wouldn't do,
Just to see the smile upon your face.
Think of your family, home is the place to be,
Think of your family once more.
05 Consideration (05:45)
I don't think that kindness is a weakness.
I don't have a problem with compassion
Tell me what you're thinking?
would you like to be so high?
could you give consideration to something
that you did not release?
would you close your ears to
the things you did not believe?
tell me would you be strong?
would you be the one to carry on? (x2)
half dont come here (x3)
So do i.
it's gonna be alright...
*~*~Reef rockszz *~*~
07 Come Back Brighter (03:33)
Been down, but I've come back brighter,
Sun hurts me, if I try to fight her,
I won't be sat here waiting,
I won't be sat here waiting,
I won't be sat here waiting for it,
So come and take me on.
Sometimes, the black hole's inside ya,
But if you can just lighten up yourself,
It will make you stronger,
I won't be sat here waiting,
I won't be sat here waiting,
I won't be sat here waiting for it,
So come and take me on.
Get up...
I've been down, but I've come back brighter,
Sun hurts me, if I try to fight her,
I won't be sat here waiting, (x3)
For you, so come and take me,
So come and take me on and on and on...
I've been down...
08 Higher Vibration (03:53)
Hey - I won't grab your energy,
So - won't you do the same for me,
So give it up, give it up, give it up, give it up, give it up,
Hey - I won't grab your energy,
Because I'm looking for a higher vibration.
Hey - don't you tell me you can't feel this,
When the rain came down but it was warm,
You could see it in the green.
Because I'm looking for a higher vibration,
So won't you give it to me.
10 Robot Riff (07:16)
Look at all the life on the earth,
Look at all the life on the earth,
You got yours and I got mine at birth,
Look at all the life on the earth,
Is that all you thought you were worth?
Is that all you thought you were worth?
Wake up now for you're alive tonight,
Loosen up, you're holding on too tight,
Look at all the murder,
Look at, look at, look at, look at, look at,
Look at all the murder,
Brother we can make it but we won't make it alone.
11 Yer Old (03:21)
Hide away boys you're no longer in favour,
You're yesterdays news and no longer the flavour,
You're washing my mouth, now you shining my shoes,
Don't need me the paper, to read me the news.
Yer old.
Speak ill of my boys and I'll take you to pieces,
So come face to face if you think I don't mean it,
You're swanning about like you're nobody's fool,
You've shown me the place but I don't want to go,
Yer old.
So what you gonna do?
I wish you would come and tell me.
So what you gonna do?
You're the problem, now you solve it,
So what you gonna do?
I'm the judge and your opinion,
So what you gonna do?
Hide away boys you're no longer in favour,
You're yesterdays news and no longer the flavour,
Yer old.
Now hear me it was the easiest day of my life,
It was the easiest day of my life.
12 Lullaby (03:15)
for your lady something sweet,
a lullaby before she sleeps,
and if your lady should awake,
you'll hold her in your arms again x3
for your children something sweet,
a lullaby before they sleep,
and if your children should awake,
you'll hold them in your arms again x3
it soon will be morning x3
again
for your good self somehting sweet,
a lullaby before you sleep,
and if you still should be awake,
then you will see the break of dayagain x4
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