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Terzo album degli Swervedriver e siamo già nel 1995. I Jesus and Mary Chain hanno chiuso baracca da cinque anni e il loro "Automatic" del 1989 è un ricordo. I "Catherine Wheel" sono anche loro arrivati al terzo album ma mostrano segni di stanchezza. I Swervedriver, da parte loro, con questo "Ejector Seat Reservation" abbandonano ogni influenza hard del precedente "Mezcal Head" e puntano decisi, senza alcuna incertezza, verso la psicadelia. Ed è il loro terzo grande album, lasciando così un segno indelebile nella storia del Rock.
Il gruppo paga volontariamente dazio verso la psicadelia più classica, ossia quella di "The Byrds", ma lo fa alla luce del sole, come naturale evoluzione del talento dei fratelli Franklin e intitolano anche un pezzo semplicemente "The Byrds".
La miscela che ne verrà fuori, tra shoegaze e psicadelia, risulta quasi epica nella sua bellezza. Alcuni cercheranno di avvicinarsi allo splendore di questo album negli anni successivi. Brian Jonestown Massacre, ad esempio, ma questo avverrà solo a rari sprazzi e comunque mai con la lucidità e continuità degli Swervedriver. L'album. si apre con "Singe Finger Salute", breve pezzo strumentale con tanto di fiati di sottofondo, che dichiara subito il cambio di rotta rispetto ai precedenti albums. Secondo pezzo ed è subito quel capolavoro di "Bring Me The Head", sono sempre loro ma le chitarre elettriche sono ora meno in evidenza, mentre si sente sotto molto di più la chitarra acustica nel rispetto della psicadelia sixties. E anche quando la chitarra elettrica deve essere doverosamente presente è spesso distorta.
Terzo "The Other Jesus" e la correzione di rotta diventa lampante. La chitarra è sempre più distorta, mancano i muri di chitarra tipici dello shoe. Siamo quindi in piena psicadelia. Il pezzo diverrà un loro classico. Quarto "Son of Jaguar E" e gli Swervedriver omaggiano lo shoegaze ipnotico degli Slowdive. Quando a metà arriva l'assolo di lead guitar il pezzo sale di quota. Gli Swervedriver sanno fare bene tutto. Quinto "I Am A Superman" e gli Swervedriver si mettono a scherzare con il sound dei primi The Who, quelli di "Sell Out" per intenderci. Uno scherzo fatto con ottimo gusto. Sesto "Bubbling Up" e il gruppo getta la maschera. Il brano è acustico e bellissimo. Siamo su una spiaggia e la gente fa il surf.
Settimo e arriva "Ejector Seat Reservation", altro capolavoro assoluto della band, il ritmo è senza dubbio sixties, e ora che sono arrivato a metà album sono pronto per apprezzarlo come devo. Lo riascolterò qualche centinaio di volte. Ottavo e il gruppo non molla arriva "How Does It Feel To Look Like Candy?". Pezzo ironico, ed è un altro pezzo da collezione. Il gruppo riprende in mano il wha wha (segno di capolavoro nell'aria) e il gioco è fatto. Porca miseria! Ma ci sono anche i fiati! Cosa mi aspetta ancora?. Nono "Last Day On Earth" e ci diamo una calmata. Una ballata bellissima che sembrerebbe scritta da John Lennon. Devo dirlo che è un altro capolavoro? Dieci e arriva "The Byrds", l'omaggio dovuto e palese.
Ormai mi mancano le parole. Devo solo ascoltare e stare muto. Qui finisce l'album ufficiale. Poi usciranno edizioni con pezzi in "bonus track" come l'edizione del 2008. Che consiglio vivamente a chi si vuole un pò di bene.
Alex
Elenco tracce testi e samples
03 The Other Jesus (03:09)
You rise and fall before me I close my eyes
When all these schemes devour me I'll apologize
You send the truth straight by me I fall right in
These sins you've laid before me are seeping in
I saw the other Jesus walk down my street
Sit tight they try to teach us
The twain shall never meet
But I saw the other Jesus
Walk down my street
In dreams I've tried to twist it
But I never bleed
And something way more sinister
Is plain to see
I saw the other Jesus walk down my street
You rise and fall before me I close my eyes
When all these schemes devour me I'll apologize
You send the truth straight by me I fall right in
These sins you've laid before me are seeping in
I saw the other Jesus walk down my street
05 I Am Superman (03:34)
See me fly over your rooftops
Throwing change to your outstretched palms
On my way back from Israel, Nobel Peace Prize underarm
I've heard they want me in India
I've got cures for any plague anytime
And if you catch up with the ice cream man
Make mine a ninety-nine
'Cause I am Superman La la la la la la la la la la
'Cause I am Superman La la la la la la la la la la
You'll see me down at the bookies
I got a crystal ball inside of my head
You'll find more wealth than you could ever dream
If you just follow what I said
I'm very good for the business
I got the connection, the right man the right time
And if you wanna be number one
Then make mine the long line
'Cause I am Superman La la la la la la la la la la
All the girls cry, who's their honey in hotpants?
To the boys I'm just good with the ball
For the grandparents and little children
I sacrifice myself for them all
You'll see me walk on the tightrope and never fall
And that's 'Cause I am Superman La la la la la la la la
I am Superman
06 Bubbling Up (04:12)
Bubbling up and not buckling under
I walked for miles tonight
In the rain, all the way home from Camden Town
But when I got home to Tottenham
I could spin carousels in the park, in the dark
And I can hear you say
What's the point in romanticizing everything?
So what's the point in romanticizing everything?
Bubbling up and not buckling under
I walked for miles and it still feels real 1972
Rocketman on the moon
And all I can hear you say
Is what's the point in romanticizing everything?
But when I get home here
I can feel London, North Europe here
You say What's the point in romanticizing everything?
So I'm gonna do whatever I do
Don't show me the way home yet
I don't wanna go I'm happy here
Don't show me the way home yet
I'm bubbling up and not buckling under
Bubbling up and not buckling under
Bubbling up and not buckling under
Bubbling up and not buckling under
07 Ejector Seat Reservation (05:56)
Not going down in a ball of fire
Just 'cause the wings won't reach any higher
And I'm the psychotic tripping in the aisles
Sheet rain on the window pain
Now at the bar, gnashing and gurning
And never quite turning
As the hostess turns to me and jokes:
At least you've always got a good tale to tell
When you die well
I keep crashing out and dreaming about
Black African goddesses in white western underwear
So there
And when you say everybody is a star in the end
Then the greatest starfucker's your boyfriend who says
I've always loved the smell of your blood
Don't ask me why, I don't try
We're so earthbound in every town
And everybody's got a right to a will to want to live
And a right to want to die
Please help us back on to our feet
Escort us to the ejector seats
And I'm alive! I can't seem to hide it
Got people calling out my name and everything
Death by chandelier
She says Death by chandelier!
It falls on my head and I'm dead
And that's how I want to die
Don't ask me why, I don't try
But if my lights are gonna blow
Then that's the end of the show
The fuzzy end of the lollipop's yours to suck
I don't wanna here anymore
And just don't tell me the Fulham score
Please help me back on to my feet
Reserve me the ejector seat
Go away Go away
Take me to Nirvana or Shangri-la
And somewhere on my journey I saw everything
Not going down in a ball of fire
A little man sitting on my shoulder
Top hat and tails and he carries a folder
And written within is a list of the men
Who went down before me
Am I not going down?
It's like Carry On Through The Clouds
It's like flying with Satan sharing the navigation
And he keeps grabbin' hold of the controls
Please help me back on to my feet
Reserve me the ejector seat
Go away Go away
Fly me to Nirvana or Shangri-la
Somewhere on my journey I saw everything
Where the songs do grow
And the flowers can sing
10 Last Day on Earth (05:45)
As I collapsed to watch the movie
A hand reached out and pulled me through the screen
Angels descending from the rooftops
They wanna take me to all these places I've never seen
But I'm gonna live forever
I'm gonna cause a diversion
And head 'em off at the pass
And this is my last day on earth
This is my last day
Listening to when Ann cries and swears
And kisses all her lover's ex-lover's lips
She's only known the flights of ecstasy (and agony)
And she's never felt lost throughout all of this
But she's really had it this time
She's had it so much it's starting to make her sick
She says lets exit quick
And this is her last day on earth
This is her last day
This is our last day
The is my last day on earth
Now I'm burning for somewhere
I'm gonna tape on these paper wings and fly high
And maybe close and maybe burn but high
This is my last day on earth
Last day on earth
11 The Birds (03:42)
In a moment of weakness I embodied the sickness
And when everyone winds me up I just can't wind down
And the April rain soaks my jokes to a pulp
The sun makes my eyes burn
And it must be my turn
To fly with the birds this time
Saturday's nation is rife with anticipation
Of the ticket that buys you out of the real world
But I don't mind the rain
'Cause I was born on an aeroplane
Balloon ride over landslides
It's April, I'm 18
And flying with the birds in a dream
Make an electric connection as lightning strikes
Angels' wings not once but twice
Point blank refusal, the earth moves I turn her head
Plant life gone wild over British monuments
Something is burning
Somebody's learning
To fly with the birds tonight
Solomon flies tonight
Cape to coast, wings in full flight
He's flying home with the birds tonight
In a moment of weakness I embodied the sickness
And I just can't wind down
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