• Voto:
...solo energia, niente fronzoli... diretti, semplici, ingenui anche, ma genuini... tra i miei grandi amori, visti in concerto 3 volte, tra il 1981 e il 1984...... perchè il loro successo sia durato così poco, me lo chiedo ancora adesso, certo è che la vena creativa si è consumata presto, ma abbozzo un ipotesi: la band non risultava “simpatica”, so che è un’ affermazione assurda, eppure la trovo credibile...
“Wheels Of Steel”, un concentrato di Heavy Metal puro, appena appena contaminato da una vena blues, che diviene più marcata nell’album successivo, il bellissimo “Strong Arm Of The Law”, sempre del 1980.... la Band aveva pubblicato un primo album omonimo nel 1979, ingenuo e immaturo, copertina compresa, ma qualcosa di buono già si intuiva... giusto un anno dopo, tuttavia, i Saxon raggiungevano vette espressive inattese, originalità e stile da vendere, tanto da venir considerati insieme agli “Iron Maiden” tra le band più rappresentative dell’ Heavy Metal inglese o NWOBHM.
L’album è diretto e sincero, scarno anche, ma solido come una roccia, senza sbavature, senza scivoloni, tutto “Heavy Metal” puro. Il leader e singer, Biff Byford, ha una voce particolare, penetrante, sofferta, oserei dire una voce “borderline” tanto da farmi temere sempre ai concerti che non ce la facesse, ma poi, arrivava sempre fino in fondo, e ci arrivava alla grande, un frontman ineguagliabile... Il disco si apre con il brano “Motorcycle Man”, che senza misteri mette subito le carte in tavola, e ci mostra come il rock dei Saxon sia si granitico, ma con un cantato sempre “melodioso” tale da non risultare mai, solo rumore... tanto da non risultare mai, senza anima... gli assoli di chitarra son sempre ben composti e perfettamente eseguiti, magari nessun componente di questa band è stato mai ritenuto un talento, eppure il loro sporco lavoro lo han sempre fatto egregiamente. Vi è poi la famosissima “747 (Strangers In The Night)”, cavallo di battaglia dei Saxon, basato sull'intuizione di un semplicissimo riff di chitarra introduttivo, che diviene la colonna portante del brano. E ancora l’acciaio puro di “Wheels Of Steel”, oppure il durissimo e poi “bluseggiante” “See The Light Shining“, brano suddiviso in due parti completamente distinte fra loro, ma perfettamente integrate. La vena blues e melodica, ancora si avverte nella semiballata “Suzie Hold On”, che ancora oggi, a quasi 25 anni di distanza, mi commuove e fa sognare...
L’ho premesso, ho recensito un album di uno dei “miei grandi amori”, è probabile che per questo, l’emozione mi abbia tradito, e che io sia stato troppo di parte, ma una cosa di innegabile posso affermarla, questo disco è una “pietra miliare” nel panorama dell’ Heavy Metal dei primi anni 80...
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Motorcycle Man (03:54)
If you see me flashing by
Do not stop me, do not try
'Cause I'm a motorcycle man
I get my kicks just when I can
Motorcycle man
Motorcycle man
I can beat your street machine
We're taking risks, that's what we mean
'Cause I'm a motorcycle man
We get our kicks just when we can
When we can
Motorcycle man
Motorcycle...
If you see me riding by
Do not stop me, do not try
'Cause I'm a motorcycle man
I get my kicks just when I can
When I can
Motorcycle man
Motorcycle man
Motorcycle, motorcycle
Motorcycle man
I can beat your street machine
I'm taking risks, that's what I mean
'Cause I'm a motorcycle man
We get our kicks just when we can
When we can
Motorcycle man
Motorcycle man
Motorcycle, motorcycle
Motorcycle man
02 Stand Up and Be Counted (03:05)
[Byford/Quinn/Oliver/Dawson/Gill]
Down, down at the bottom
Ya gotta try to get yourselves up
Ya got nothing to lose when your there
There at the bottom
Ya gotta stand up
Stand up for your rights
We can make it
You can break it
Stand up
Stand up be counted
Out, out in the spotlight
Ya gotta leave, leave your worries behind
Ya got nothing to lose when your there
You be forgotten
Well I'll be damning out lives
While the damn us in hell
We can make it
You can break it
Stand up
Stand up be counted
We can make it
We can break it
Stand up
Stand up be counted
Down, down at the bottom
Ya gotta leave all your worries behind
Ya got nothing to lose when you're there
There at the bottom
Ya gotta stand up
Stand up for your rights
We can make it
You can break it
Stand up
Stand up be counted
Stand up, stand up!
03 747 (Strangers in the Night) (04:53)
We've got a 747 coming down in the night
There's no power, there's no runway lights
Radio operator try to get a message through
Tell the flight deck New York has no lights
There's no power what do we do?
747 coming down in the night
Try to get a message through
We were strangers in the night (*)
Both on separate flights
Strangers in the night
Going nowhere
This is Scandinavian one-o-one
Flight from Hawaii coming out of the sun
Kennedy should be in sight
We can't see a thing here in the night
Navigator says we're on the flight path
There's no radio, no sign of life
This is Scandinavian one-o-one
For God's sake, get the ground lights on, because
(Repeat *)
There's a 747 going into the night
There's no power, they don't know why
They've no fuel, they've got to land soon
They can't land by the light of the moon
They're overshooting, there's no guiding lights
Set a course into the light
Scandinavian one-o-one
For God's sake get your ground lights on
(Repeat *)
04 Wheels of Steel (05:55)
When my foot's on the throttle there's no looking back
I leave my motor ticking over when she's parked on the track
I've got a sixty eight Chevvy with pipes on the side
You know she's my idea of beauty and that's what I drive
She's got wheels, wheels of steel (*)
Talkin' 'bout my wheels of steel
I don't take no jibe from no motorway pigs
When I'm cruisin' down the freeway I don't give no lifts
If you see me comin' get out of my way
You know a Transam didn't I blew it away
(Repeat *)
05 Freeway Mad (02:41)
[Byford/Quinn/Oliver/Dawson/Gill]
I'm screaming down the freeway
Gonna try and burn you out
I'm keeping in the fast lane
Top me and I'll take you out
And I know, yes I know
I want it so bad
I'm freeway mad
I'm burning down the freeway
Doing ninety miles an hour
I'm faster than a speedboat
Pulling every inch of power.
And I know, yes I know
I want it so bad
I'm freeway mad
I'm going down the freeway
Never gonna get me out
Steaming like a freight train
Gonna blow my pistons out
And I know, yes I know
I want it so bad
I need it so bad
I want it so bad
Fu-fu-fu-fucking freeway mad
06 See the Light Shining (04:50)
[Byford/Quinn/Oliver/Dawson/Gill]
When you're dyin', when you're dyin'
There ain't no use in cryin'
I'm gonna keep on livin' till the light
Shines down on you
Burnin' right in
Ya can't stop when you're winning
I'm gonna show my hand make history
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
I'm dyin', I'm dyin'
There ain't no use in tryin'
I'm gonna keep on livin' till the light's
Shining down on you
Burnin' right in
Ya can't stop when you're winning
I'm gonna show my head make history
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
Show me the way
I can see the light shining
It's shining down on me, yeah
I can see the light shining
It shines on you and me, yeah, you and me
There's a new day dawning
It's here to set me free, yeah
I can see the changes coming
It's coming over me, over me
I can see the light shining
I can see the light shining
I can see the light shining
I can see the light shining
Shine on, shine on
08 Suzie Hold On (04:29)
[Byford/Quinn/Oliver/Dawson/Gill]
I wish I had a fortune
I'd take the pain away
We could be together
That's how we need to stay
'Cause you can change the world
The world in which you live in, live in
Suzie hold on
Do everything you believe to be right
Doing it all the time
Fighting the fight you believe to be right
Doing it all the time
When we were far apart
No one could be closer
Please don't take your life
'Cause that would break my heart
Try to stop your crying
We both know you're dying, dying
Suzie hold on
Do everything you believe to be right
Doing it all the time
Fighting the fight you believe to be right
Doing it all the time
I wish I had a fortune
I'd take your pain away
We could be together
That's how we need to stay
'Cause you can change the world
The world in which we live in, live in
Suzie hold on
Don't you know that you can change the world
Don't you know that you can change the world
Change the world, you can change the world
Suzie you can change the world
I can't stop you crying
Even though you're dying
09 Machine Gun (05:17)
[Byford/Quinn/Oliver/Dawson/Gill]
Move in to the front underhanded fire
Hear the bullets flying millions every hour
Tracers in the night shooting across the sky
For God's sake cover me I don't wanna die
Machine gun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Over the top into the wire
Running like a madman into the fire
No-mans land, fighting for your life
Fighting hand to hand forced to use your knife
Machine gun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Come the wheels of terror crushing all before
Chews you to the bone to hear the monsters roar
With the clash of iron the battles never won
For the forgotten soldier it's only just begun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Machine gun
It's gonna shoot you down
Move in to the front underhanded fire
Hear the bullets flying millions every hour
Tracers in the night shooting across the sky
For God's sake cover me I don't wanna die
Machine gun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Come the wheels of terror crushing all before
Chews you to the bone to hear the monsters roar
With the clash of iron the battles never won
For the forgotten soldier it's only just begun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Machine gun
Gonna shoot you down
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