Capita quasi ogni giorno - se non altro molto spesso - di imbattersi nell'ultima voce della verità musicale annunciante l'incredibile rivoluzione operata da questo o quell'altro gruppo, nel tale o talaltro genere. E anche se troppe volte la puntualità di questi irruenti giudizi è - alla luce dei fatti - da smentire, non è certo un crimine averci provato: in un mondo che - anche nella sfera musicale - sprofonda sempre più nell'indiscriminato e tristemente piatto non-sense della mercificazione, è meglio non atteggiarsi ad apologeti del purismo perduto e donare riconoscimenti a chi di tale piattume si proclama manifesto oppositore.
No, davvero non c'è niente di male nel concedersi un po' di sano relativismo nei nostri giudizi, nel lasciarsi trasportare dai sensi anche laddove questi ti conducano verso lidi musicali inediti e da te stesso inaspettati. A conti fatti, "rivoluzione" è una parola inflazionata e distorta, muffosa: dischi che non hanno cambiato un bel fico secco girano ininterrottamente nel mio lettore, riscaldano le mie serate, nutrono i miei sogni; opere acclamate ed epocali, nobel della musica leggera di tutti i tempi camminano a miglia di distanza dalla mia anima.
Bella pretesa vedere i due poli del gusto personale e dell'oggettivo giudizio di rilevanza storica, del cuore e della "mente", riuniti sincreticamente in un'unica confezione regalo.
Bella pretesa volerne anche tanti, di regali, cercare ogni anno sotto l'albero un nuovo "Revolver", una manciatina di "Astral Weeks", di "Hejira", di "Steve McQueen"…Dovrei forse scendere per strada, prendere il primo mezzo utile e raggiungere quel simpatico vecchietto di nome Brian Wilson - redivivo, vigile, acuto scrutatore delle molteplici sfaccettature dell'animo umano - per chiedergli di non accontentarsi, di non fermarsi, di far finta di niente e mettersi di nuovo al lavoro?
Fingere di non sapere che brutto scherzo quel tipo dal volto intensamente rugoso ha giocato al mondo pubblicando - quarant'anni fa (?!) - il testo sacro del pop di tutti i tempi, "Pet Sounds"? Fingere di non essermi accorto che tutto o quasi è partito ed è finito lì, tra le pagine di quella Bibbia indiscutibile e sconvolgente? Dal pop tout-court ("Sloop John B.": una delle cantilene più geniali e gioiosamente appiccicose di sempre) al pop con venature prog (il ralenti centrale e i cambi di tempo in "Wouldn't It Be Nice" - che poco ha da invidiare al successivo tormentone di "Good Vibrations" -; la breve, superba, infinita "Caroline, No"), dalle commoventi partiture cameristiche di "Don't Talk (Put Your Hand On My Shoulder)" e "You Still Believe In Me" all'ispirata (e solo apparentemente brillante) rimeditazione delle armonie doo-wop ("That's Not Me": apogeo e declino del surf-rock), dagli straordinari e inauditi esperimenti di jazz-pop sinfonico degli strumentali (la title-track, "Let's Go Away For Awhile") alla pietra filosofale di qualsiasi torch-song o power-ballad a venire (l'immensa "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times"), fino al capolavoro dei Beatles senza i Beatles ("God Only Knows": cos'altro chiedere?) - tutto quello che la canzone leggera ha sempre voluto, cercato, sperimentato, desiderato nasce e muore in questi solchi, in quest'opera che stordisce chi ne capta la sottile e umile grandezza, in questo disco, che dal giorno della sua nascita scalda i sensi e rigenera la mente.
Davvero c'è poco da dire su album come questo. "Pet Sounds" brilla di una luce molto particolare: quella, abbagliante e imperitura, di un'ispirazione che è la culla di tre quarti della musica moderna.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Wouldn't It Be Nice (02:26)
Wouldn't it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldn't have to wait so long
And wouldn't it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong
You know its gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together
Wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through
Happy times together we've been spending
I wish that every kiss was neverending
Oh Wouldn't it be nice
Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true
Baby then there wouldn't be a single thing we couldn't do
We could be married (we could be married)
And then we'd be happy (then we'd be happy)
Wouldn't it be nice
You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But lets talk about it
Wouldn't it be nice
good night
sleep tight
good night
sleep tight
good night
sleep tight
02 You Still Believe in Me (02:35)
I know perfectly well
I'm not where I should be
I've been very aware
You've been patient with me
Every time we break up
You bring back your love to me
And after all I've done to you
How can it be
You still believe in me
I try hard to be more
What you want me to be
But I can't help how I act
When you're not here with me
I try hard to be strong
But sometimes I fail myself
And after all I've promised you
So faithfully
You still believe in me
I wanna cry...
03 That's Not Me (02:30)
I had to prove that I could make it alone
But that's not me
I wanted to show how independent I'd grown now
But that's not me
I could try to be big in the eyes of the world
What matters to me is what I could be to just one girl
I'm a little bit scared
Cause I haven't been home in a long time
You needed my love
And I know that I left at the wrong time
My folks when I wrote them
Told 'em what I was up to said that's not me
I went through all kinds of changes
Took a look at myself and said that's not me
I miss my pad and the places I've known
And every night as I lay there alone I will dream
I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
I'm glad I went now I'm that much more sure that we're ready
I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
I once had a dream
So I packed up and split for the city
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty
04 Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder) (02:54)
I can hear so much in your sighs
And I can see so much in your eyes
There are words we both could say
But don't talk, put your head on my shoulder
Come close, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, take my hand and let me hear your heart beat
Being here with you feels so right
We could live forever tonight
Lets not think about tomorrow
And don't talk put your head on my shoulder
Come close, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, take my hand and listen to my heart beat
Listen, listen, listen.
Don't talk, put your head on my shoulder
Don't talk, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, put your head on my shoulder
Don't talk, close your eyes and be still
Don't talk, put your head on my shoulder
07 Sloop John B (03:00)
We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well I feel so broke up
I want to go home
So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up
I wanna go home
The first mate he got drunk
And broke in the Cap'n's trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don't you leave me alone, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up I wanna go home
So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why don't you let me go home
(Hoist up the John B's sail)
Hoist up the John B
I feel so broke up I wanna go home
Let me go home
The poor cook he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don't they let me go home
This is the worst trip I've ever been on
So hoist up the John B's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, let me go home
Why don't you let me go home
08 God Only Knows (02:53)
I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me?
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Well life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me?
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
10 Here Today (02:55)
It starts with just a little glance now
Right away you're thinkin' 'bout romance now
You know you ought to take it slower
But you just can't wait to get to know her
A brand new love affair is such a beautiful thing
But if you're not careful think about the pain it can bring
It makes you feel so bad
It makes your heart feel sad
It makes your days go wrong
It makes your nights so long
You've got to keep in mind love is here today
And it's gone tomorrow
It's here and gone so fast
Right now you think that she's perfection
This time is really an exception
Well you know I hate to be a downer
But I'm the guy she left before you found her
Well I'm not saying you won't have a good love with her
But I keep on remembering things like they were
She made me feel so bad
She made my heart feel sad
She made my days go wrong
And made my nights so long
You've got to keep in mind love is here today
And it's gone tomorrow
It's here and gone so fast
Keep in mind love is here today
And it's gone tomorrow
It's here and gone so fast
Love is here today
And it's gone tomorrow
It's here and gone so fast
11 I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (03:16)
I keep looking for a place to fit
Where I can speak my mind
I've been trying hard to find the people
That I won't leave behind
They say I got brains
But they ain't doing me no good
I wish they could
Each time things start to happen again
I think I got something good goin' for myself
But what goes wrong
Sometimes I feel very sad
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can't find nothin' I can put my heart and soul into)
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can't find nothin' I can put my heart and soul into)
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
Every time I get the inspiration
To go change things around
No one wants to help me look for places
Where new things might be found
Where can I turn when my fair weather friends cop out
What's it all about
Each time things start to happen again
I think I got something good goin' for myself
But what goes wrong
Sometimes I feel very sad
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can't find nothin' I can put my heart and soul into)
Sometimes I feel very sad
(Can't find nothin' I can put my heart and soul into)
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
I guess I just wasn't made for these times
13 Caroline, No (02:54)
Where did your long hair go
Where is the girl I used to know
How could you lose that happy glow
Oh, Caroline no
Who took that look away
I remember how you used to say
You'd never change, but that's not true
Oh, Caroline you
Break my heart
I want to go and cry
It's so sad to watch a sweet thing die
Oh, Caroline why
Could I ever find in you again
Things that made me love you so much then
Could we ever bring 'em back once they have gone
Oh, Caroline no
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Altre recensioni
Di f.factor
Qui c'è il pop che vuol diventare grande, e di fatto ci riesce, pur mantenendo le proprie caratteristiche di musica di pronta presa.
Questo è album da ascoltare più volte, per scoprirne le sfaccettature e la notevole complessità di arrangiamento, che però lascia la musica lieve e, appunto, cantabile.
Di JohnWinston
"Se Dio avesse inciso un album sarebbe stato il Pet Sounds."
"Una melodia così raffinata fece sentenziare a Sir McCartney la migliore canzone di sempre."
