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Nella seconda metà degli anni ottanta nascevano, dalle ceneri di un defunto gruppo di nome Shemps, i Soundgarden. Il resto della storia la sappiamo. Dopo avere raggiunto l'apice del successo con "Superunknown", nel 1994, anche per loro come per tutti inizia il declino e inesorabile arriva lo scioglimento. E nel 1997 esce "A-Sides": la loro antologia, che più che come una semplice compilation si presenta come una testimonianza del percorso seguito dal gruppo, della loro evoluzione.
Le prime cinque tracce appartengono al periodo ancora "acerbo" dei Soundgarden, nei quali ancora militava Hiro Yamamoto al basso. "Nothing To Say", proveniente dall'EP "Screaming Life", è oscura, marziale, chiaro esempio delle influenze dei Sabbath. "Flower" è presa invece dall'album "Ultramega OK", il primo della band, del 1988. Violenta e cadenzata, è sicuramente l'apice del primo periodo della loro carriera, insieme a "Loud Love" (dell'album "Louder Than Love"), caratterizzata da una componente musicale strepitosa e da una grande prestazione vocale di Cornell: un capolavoro. Da "Louder Than Love" provengono anche "Hands All Over", simile come struttura a "Loud Love", con un riff di chitarra spettacolare, e "Get On The Snake", particolare per il suo insolito tempo (9/4).
Le successive tre canzoni sono i tre singoli di "Badmotorfinger", del 1991; siamo ancora ancorati a sound tipici dell'heavy metal. "Jesus Christ Pose", pesante e psichedelica, è caratterizzata dagli incredibili acuti di Cornell; "Rusty Cage", che si apre con un riff ottenuto usando un pedale wah-wah come filtro, è concitata e travolgente dall'inizio alla fine; "Outshined" è un pezzo con sonorità un poco più "doom", per poi abbandonarsi in un ritornello più leggero e orecchiabile.
Nel 1994 esce "Superunknown": il loro capolavoro, a detta di molti uno dei migliori album rock degli anni 90. Lo stile dei Soundgarden, allontanandosi dal metal e arricchendosi di una buona dose di psichedelia, diventa quello unico che poi verrà ricordato nel passare del tempo. "Spoonman", suonata in collaborazione con Artist the Spoonman, artista di strada celebre per suonare i cucchiai (lo sentiamo in particolare nell'interludio), è un pezzo cazzuto, hard-rock, con un riff azzeccatissimo; "The Day I Tried To Live" è una ballata infarcita di psichedelia, con acuti paurosi di Cornell (una delle sue migliori prestazioni) e una base di basso meravigliosa. Molto melodiche e più "pop" "Fell On Black Days" e "Black Hole Sun"; la seconda etichettata da molti come la canzone più rappresentativa dei Soungarden, anche se, pur essendo una bella canzone, resta a mio avviso troppo commerciale e sdolcinata.
Dall'ultimo album, "Down On The Upside", l'album del declino, sono stati selezionati i quattro singoli: "Pretty Noose", interpretata interamente in falsetto da Cornell; "Burden In My Hand", ballata molto bella in particolare per la splendida base di batteria; "Blow Up The Outside World", pezzo dalla strofa piuttosto cupa e psichedelica, che finisce per incazzarsi nel ritornello e "Ty Cobb" (primo singolo interamente scritto dal bassista Ben Shepherd, dimostratosi ottimo songwriter a partire da "Superunknown"), canzone completamente fuori di testa, ma non per questo assolutamente geniale. A chiudere questa compilation troviamo "Bleed Together", pezzo inedito, carino ma niente di spettacolare, forse sarebbe servito un pezzo più bello per chiudere la loro gloriosa carriera.
E con questo si chiude "A-Sides", un disco che secondo me è più di una semplice compilation. Con una tracklist scelta magistralmente, è il modo migliore per ripercorrere l'intera carriera dei Soundgarden, magari facendosi prendere da una forte malincona: non avevano davvero più niente da dire nel mondo della musica? Consigliato a tutti (tranne quelli che hanno gli altri album dei Soundgarden): un meraviglioso viaggio psichedelico all'interno della musica rock che fu.
Elenco tracce e testi
01 Nothing to Say (03:57)
Nothing, nothing, nothing but the one thing
Someone said my words are out of balance
Nothing to say, you've got nothing to say
Dying words I bury everyday
Nothing to say, I've got nothing to say
Nothing but the one thing
You've got nothing, nothing to say
Nothing but the one thing
Big bad word spell it with four letters
Nothing to say, you've got nothing to say
Oh my God, your words are out of balance
Nothing to say, you've got nothing to say
Nothing but the one thing
Nothing, nothing
You've got nothing, nothing to say
Nothing but the one thing
Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing
02 Flower (03:28)
All of seventeen
Eyes a purple green
Treated like a Queen, she was
On borrowed self esteem
She would do a dance
A painful masquerade
Spinning you into her web
Along her vain parade
In her uniform
Studded brass and steel
Kissing napkin, lipstick stains
And smearing sincerity
Along her vain parade
Along her veins
Time crept up on her
She's early gray
Her reflection looks concerned
As flowers hit her grave
03 Loud Love (04:57)
There's no time to keep it low
I've been deaf and now I want noise
You stay down
But I won't be quiet
I'll hammer on until you fight
Loud love
Loud love
Loud love
Loud love
Hammer on, till you fly
If you've got some time to kill
Slow resistance wins the war
Well I know
Yea, but that's no way to go
You can't resist the louder pull
Loud love
Loud love
Loud love
Loud love
Cant resist, Loud love
All right
Well that's right
I want something to explode
I've been deaf
Now I want noise
Loud love
Loud love
Loud love
Loud love
04 Hands All Over (06:02)
CAN'T TOUCH ME
Hands all over the Eastern border
You know what I think we're falling
From composure
Hands all over Western culture
Ruffling feathers and turning eagles into vultures
Yeah, Into vultures
Got my arms around baby brother
Put your hands away
You're gonna kill your mother, gunna kill your mother
And I love her
Yeah, and I love her
Hands all over the coastal waters
The crew men thank her
Then lay down their oily blanket
Hands all over the inland forest
In a striking motion trees fall down
Like dying soldiers
Yeah, like dying soldiers
Got my arms around baby brother
Put your hands away
You're gonna kill your mother, gunna kill your mother
And I love her
Yeah, and I love her
Hands all over the peasant's daughter
She's our bride
She'll never make it out alive
Hands all over the words I utter
Change them into what you want to
Like balls of clay
Put your hands away
You're gonna kill your mother
And I love her
(she loves me)
05 Get on the Snake (03:45)
Get on the snake
With a swarm of motor flys
Get on the snake
Under the cola colored sky
Don't worry, everything's clean
Road worthy, hungry and mean
Get on the snake
Where the metal river bleeds
Get on the snake
Where you never will believe
Hey baby, what's your disease
My hearts bleeding
I'm dying to leave
Get on the snake
Where the water turns to steam
Get on the snake
With a suicide machine
Don't worry, everything's clean
Road worthy, hungry and mean
Hungry and mean...
Hungry and mean...
06 Jesus Christ Pose (05:52)
And you stare at me
In your Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out
Like you've been carrying a load
And you swear to me
You don't wanna be my slave
But you're staring at me
Like I...
Like I need to be saved
Arms held out
In your Jesus Christ pose
Thorns and shroud
Like it's the coming of the Lord
And I swear to you
That I would never feed you pain
But you're staring at me
Like I...
Like I'm driving the nails
In your Jesus Christ pose
Arms held out
In your Jesus Christ pose
Thorns and shroud
Like it's the coming of the lord
Would it pay you more to walk on water
Than to wear a crown of thorns
It wouldn't pain me more to bury you rich
Than to bury you poor
In your Jesus Christ pose
07 Outshined (05:12)
I got up feeling so down
I got off being sold out
I've kept the movie rolling
But the story's getting old now
Oh yeah
I just looked in the mirror
Things aren't looking so good
I'm looking California
And feeling Minnesota
Oh yeah
So now you know
Who gets mystified
So now you know
Who gets mystified
Show me the power child, I'd like to say
That I'm down on my knees today
Yeah it gives me the butterflies, gives me away
'til I'm up on my feet again
I'm feeling
Oh I'm feeling
outshined, outshined, outshined, outshined
Oh yeah
Someone let the dogs out
They'll show you where the truth is
The grass is always greener
Where the dogs are shedding
Oh yeah
I'm feeling that I'm sober
Even though I'm drinking
I can't get any lower
Still I feel I'm sinking
So now you know
Who gets mystified
So now you know
Who gets mystified
Show me the power child, I'd like to say
That i'm down on my knees today
yeah it gives me the butterflies, gives me away
'til I'm up on my feet again
I'm feeling
Oh I'm feeling
outshined, outshined, outshined, outshined
Ooh yeah!
Outshined
So now you know
Who gets mystified
Show me the power child, I'd like to say
That I'm down on my knees today
It gives me the butterflies, gives me away
'til I'm up on my feet again
Oh I'm feeling
Oh i'm feeling
Show me the power child, I'd like to say
That I'm down on my knees today
Yeah it gives me the butterflies, gives me away
'til I'm up on my feet again
Oh I'm feeling
Oh I'm feeling
outshined, outshined, outshined, outshined
08 Rusty Cage (04:27)
You wired me awake
and hit me with a hand of broken nails
you tied my lead and pulled my chain
to watch my blood begin to boil
But I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run
Yeah, I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
I'm gonna break my rusty cage
And run
Too cold to start a fire
I'm burning diesel burning dinosaur bones
I'll take the river down to still water
And ride a pack of dogs
But I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run
Yeah, I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
I'm gonna break my rusty cage
And run
Hits like a Phillips head into my brain
It's gonna be too dark to sleep again
Cutting my teeth on bars and rusty chains
I'm gonna break my rusty cage
And run
When the forest burns along the road
Like God's eyes in my headlights
And when the dogs are looking for their bones
And it's raining ice picks on your steel shore
But I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run
Yeah, I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
I'm gonna break my rusty cage
And run
09 Spoonman (04:08)
Feel the rhythm with your hands
Steal the rhythm while you can, Spoonman
Speak the rhythm on your own
Speak the rhythm all alone, Spoonman
Spoonman, come together with your hands
Save me, I'm together with your plan
Save me
All my friends are Indians
All my friends are brown and red, Spoonman
All my friends are skeletons
They beat the rhythm with their bones,
Spoonman
Feel the rhythm with your hands
Steal the rhythm while you can, Spoonman
Come on when I get off
Thank you, good night people.
11 Black Hole Sun (05:20)
In my eyes
Indisposed
In disguise as no one knows
Hides the face
Lies the snake
The sun in my disgrace
Boiling heat
Summer stench
'Neath the black the sky looks dead
Call my name through the cream
And I'll hear you scream again
Black hole sun
Won't you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won't you come
Won't you come
Won't you come
Stuttering
Cold and damp
Steal the warm wind tired friend
Times are gone for honest men
Sometimes far too long for snakes
In my shoes
Walking sleep
In my youth I pray to keep
Heaven send hell away
No one sings like you anymore
Black hole sun
Won't you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won't you come
Won't you come
Black hole sun
Won't you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won't you come
Won't you come (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won't you come (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won't you come (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won't you come (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Hang my head
Drown my fear
Till you all just disappear
Black hole sun
Won't you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won't you come
Won't you come
Black hole sun
Won't you come
And wash away the rain
Black hole sun
Won't you come
Won't you come (Black hole sun, Black hole sun)
Won't you come (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won't you come (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won't you come (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won't you come (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won't you come (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
Won't you come (Black hole sun, black hole sun)
13 Pretty Noose (04:13)
I caught the moon today
Pick it up
And throw it away all right
I got the perfect steal
A cleaner love
With a dirty feel all right
Fall out and take the bait
Eat the fruit
And kiss the snake goodnight
Common ruse dirty face
Pretty noose is pretty hate
And I don't like what you got me hanging from
Let your motor race
Pick it up
And get this mother gone
Out from and far away
The wooden stake
This thing has got me on
Diamond rope silver chain
Pretty noose is pretty pain
And I don't like what you got me hanging from
Common ruse dirty face
Pretty noose is pretty hate
And I don't care what you got
I don't care what you need
I don't want anything
And I don't like what you got me hanging from
15 Blow Up the Outside World (05:47)
Nothing seems to kill me
No matter how hard I try
Nothing is closing my eyes
Nothing can beat me down
For your pain or delight, no
And nothing seems to break me
No matter how far I fall
Nothing can break me at all
Not one for giving up
Though not invincible, I know
I've given everything I need
I'd give you everything I own
I'd give in if it could at least be ours alone
I've given everything I could
To blow it to hell and gone
Burrow down in and
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside world
Someone tried to tell me something
Don't let the world bring you down
Nothing can do me in before I do myself
So save it for your own and the ones you can help, no
I've given everything I need
I'd give you everything I own
I'd give in if it could at least be ours alone
I've given everything I could
To blow it to hell and gone
Burrow down in and
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside world
Want to make it understood
Wanting though I never would
Trying though I know it's wrong
Blowing it to hell and gone
Wishing though I never could
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside world
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
Blow up the outside
16 Ty Cobb (02:30)
I'm sittin in a magic hat
with smoke and mirrors
and tire rubber fires
watch me disappear
What made it slow you down
sucking on a ball and chain
another motherfucker goes down the drain
hardheaded fuck you all
Just add it up to the hot rod death toll
Sick in the head
sick in the mouth
and I can't hear a word you say
Not a bit, don't give a shit
I got the glass,I got the steel
I got the love to hate
All I need is your head on a stake
hardheaded fuck you all
Just add it to the hot rod death toll
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