Viste le 3 precedenti recensioni ed i relativi commenti, non posso esimermi dal farne una quarta. Con i Darkness il classic rock ed il glam, in particolare, torna alla ribalta nel terzo millennio in attesa che una nuova generazione faccia risorgere il rock‘n’roll (imprescindibile l’uso delle nuove tecnologie che non possono essere ignorate), se mai lo farà.

I Darkness sono Justin Hawkins (Vocals, Guitars, Synths), il fratello Dan Hawkins (Guitars), Ed Grahams (Drums) e l’ ultimo arrivato Richie Edwards (Bassguitar) recentemente subentrato a Francis Poullain. I fratelli Hawkins provengono da una città marinara, Lowesoft, nel Suffolk (Nord-Est della Gran Bretagna) e crescono sognando e suonando il rock‘n’roll. Dan ci prova veramente, trasferendosi a Londra dove incontra Francis (un vero e proprio esule scozzese) con cui stringe una solida amicizia, mentre Justin va a studiare all’ Haddersfield University. La svolta avviene allorquando Justin partecipa per gioco ad una competizione di Karaoke ed esibisce una spettacolare esecuzione di “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

Il primo a rimanere strabiliato è il fratello Dan che convince Justin a seguirlo per mettere su la band: Francis (nel frattempo traferitosi in Venezuela) ed Ed (ex compagno di scuola dei fratelli) rispondono subito all’appello. Il gruppo azzecca subito il colpo con un’ etichetta indipendente che promuove quella che diventerà una popolarissima hit: “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”, cui seguirà un contratto con una major (l’Atlantic) e l’uscita di 'Permission To Land' (2003) che grazie a brani come “Friday Night” (la preferita di Justin e Francis), “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” (la preferita di Dan) e “Stuck In A Rat” (la preferita di Ed) rimarrà nelle zone alte delle classifiche anglosassoni per un biennio.

Nel rock di meteore ce ne sono state tante, il dubbio che ciò riguardasse anche i Darkness l’ho avuto anch’io. Ed invece no: la scelta di recensire questo secondo lavoro ne è la prova. Innanzitutto, se il rock‘n’roll è musicalmente morto, non lo è nell’anima, nella forza evocativa: e non lo sarà mai! Questa seconda fatica dei Darkness è un fulgido esempio. A dispetto del loro nome, essi non oscurano le loro fonti, anzi le manifestano palesemente: i primi AC/DC (quelli con Bon Scott) ed i Queen (nell’album Jazz, in particolare) fra tutti. A ciò aggiungerei un accostamento naturale (non so se voluto o meno) ai primi Toto (quelli con Bobby Kimball) e, soprattutto, tutta la letteratura musicale Glam degli anni ’70 (David Bowie e Marc Bolan in testa) viene letteralmente viscerata. Per molti, questo non è e non può essere un motivo di vanto e do atto ad una tale obiezione meritevole della dovuta considerazione. Ma, siccome quando c’è da spendere 1 euro a prevalere sono i gusti, allora nel marasma rock attuale, se devo spendere qualcosina, lo faccio per questo cd, altrimenti mi tengo stretto i miei bei albums d’annata e lascio tranquillo il mio portafoglio.

Le scelte musicali dei due fratelli vincono le resistenze di Francis, più propenso invece ad un rock più impegnato (alla Tom Wait per intenderci): il bassista lascia e Justin recluta Richie Edwards a cui è legato dall’insana passione per i Queen. La title-track “One Way Ticket To Hell. . . And Back” (e primo singolo) è stranamente il pezzo meno interessante, almeno per quel che mi riguarda, salvandosi solo per il suo divertente refrain. Le cose decisamente cambiano con la successiva “Knockers” che considero il miglior pezzo dell’album: non aggiungerei altro. In “Is It Just Me” e “Dinner Lady Arms” è evidente il richiamo agli AC/DC di Powerage e Highway To Hell, ai Toto di Hidra e Turn Back ed a quel «basic rock» (The Knack e The Cult, in particolare) tanto caro, peraltro, ad Ed (e si sente). La splendida ballata con tanto di archi, “Seemed Like A Good Idea” comincia a mostrare la devozione di Justin ai Queen, mentre nella medievale “Hazel Eyes”, il singer dà il meglio di sé. Il pezzo più duro è “Bald” in cui Dan sfodera tutto il suo amore per i fratelli Young che «costringe» Justin ad intervenire sul piano delle liriche, onde evitare una perfetta emulazione.

La band inglese strizza l’occhio addirittura alla Disco/Dance di fine anni ’70 nell’accattivante “Girlfriends”, prima di tornare nei ranghi con “English Country Garden” in cui ritroviamo Justin fare il verso a Mercury, Dan a Lukather e Richie muoversi perfettamente a suo agio. A chiudere questa formidabile rivisitazione del rock anni ’70, ci pensa “Blindman”: chiaro omaggio ai Queen ed alla memoria del suo indimenticabile front-man. Come dire (ironicamente): alla faccia dei morti viventi!
Filippo Guzzardi

Elenco tracce testi samples e video

01   One Way Ticket (04:26)

*snorting*

It was a dusty old night

and I'm the first to admit it

I'm sure I upset someone

But my memory has chosen to omit it



A tiny voice was telling me

I should cool it

Chewing my face off

Talking absolute rubbish



The first line hit me like a kick in the face

Thought I better have another one, just in case

Next thing I knew my heart was under attack

Bought a one way ticket to hell....



And Back!

One way ticket to hell and back

Bought a one way ticket to hell and back

One way ticket to hell and back

Bought a one way ticket to hell and back



I've always tried to keep my vices under wraps

But a coach load of mutes would appear talkative chaps

They seemed fit to join me for a couple of hits

But now my septum is in tatters

And I've still got the runs



It burned for a moment then it kicked like a mule

The strangers all agreed that it was rocket fuel

Several lines are chocking like a glorious game

Bought a one way ticket to hell...



And back!

One way ticket to hell and back

Bought a one way ticket to hell and back

One way ticket to hell and back

Bought a one way ticket to hell and back



[Sitar/effects]

Stick it up your fucking nose! Woohoo!

[Solo]



Holy coke, repeating myself, except I'm getting slightly louder

Pausing just long enough to snort that white powder

Wheels came off but I'm still on track

Bought a one way ticket to hell



And back!

One way ticket to hell and back(yeah)

Bought a one way ticket to hell and back(ooh yeah)

One way ticket to hell and back,

Bought a one way ticket to hell (oooh yeaah)



One way ticket to hell and back(woo!)

Bought a one way ticket to hell and back

One way ticket to hell and back,

Bought a one way ticket to hell...

02   Knockers (02:43)

Oh lord, I'm so bored
Living on my own
You're devilish and dirty
They say your pushing thirty
Well pushing thirty stone

Oh Christ, I'm enticed
I want you in my sack
Your potty mouth is pushy
You're anything but classy
I've just got to get you back

It's been a while,
Since I've seen that smile
Is the old magic still there?

[CHORUS]
I just love what you've done with your hair...oh yeah!
I just love what you've done with your hair...oh yeah!
Oh!

Oh crumbs, I'm all thumbs
Lying here with you
You're beautiful and busty
But I'm a little rusty
I've forgotten what to do

It's been a while
Since I made you smile
Is the old magic still there?

[CHORUS]
I just love what you've done with your hair...oh yeah!
I just love what you've done with your hair...oh yeah!
Oh yeah!

[PIANO & GUITAR SOLOS]

I love what you've done with your hair...oh yeah!
I really love what you've done with your hair...oh yeah!
I love what you've done with your hair...oh yeah!
I really love what you've done with your hair...oh yeah!

03   Is It Just Me? (03:05)

04   Dinner Lady Arms (03:16)

We had a good thing, it was a blast
That was a long time in the past
You went through changes & I walked away
And I have regretted that to this day

I may not always have quite so much hair
But what you saw in me will hopefully always be there
I'll never hurt you again, I swear.

Chorus

So put your arrrrrms around me, your dinner lady arms
Put your arrrrrms around me, your dinner lady arms
I couldn't figure out where your figure'd gone
I thought that I could live without you, baby I was so wrong
Put your arrrrrms around me, your dinner lady arms dinner lady arms

Forgive and forget I caused you some pain
And find it in your heart to start again
Now I may not ever be your Mister Right
But I'm happy to be your mister that will do for tonight
I'll never let you out of my sight

So put your arrrrrms around me, your dinner lady arms
Put your arrrrrms around me, your dinner lady arms
I couldn't figure out where your figure'd gone
I thought that I could live without you, baby I was so wrong
Put your arrrrrms around me, your dinner lady arms

Solo

I may be light-years past on my sell-by date
But there's life in the old dog yet, honey, it's not too late
Put your arrrrrms around me, your dinner lady arms

05   Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (03:34)

06   Hazel Eyes (03:25)

I hail from the flatlands of East Anglia
A town that once could boast prosperity
She had trekked for many moons from a land afar
But the cruel nets had emptied the northen sea

And she said "hoots, I cannae get back tae
me hoos in bonny Scotland"

Girl with the hazel eyes - Aaaaah!
Girl with the hazel eyes - Aaaaah!

The elements had taken their toll on her
Her face was weather beaten and her hair greasy
I had never seen a set of eyes more hazelerer
And a tear did fall as she looked up at me

And she said "hoots, I cannae get back tae
me hoos in bonny Scotland"

Girl with the hazel eyes - Aaaaah!
Girl with the hazel eyes - Aaaaah!

I shall travel with thee
For to see your folks in Scotland
With their blessing, on one knee
I shall ask for your left hand

Girl with the hazel eyes - Aaaaah! [x4]

I shall travel with thee
For to see your folks in Scotland
With their blessing, on one knee
I shall ask for your left hand

07   Bald (05:31)

It would appear that male pattern
baldness has set in
his hair, at an alarming pace
running away from his face
he's losing his virility
and now his masculinity
has been compromised
and his libido down-sized

Not for me, not for me, not for me, uh-uh
not for me, not for me, heaven forbid
it's not for me you understand

Bald, slap headed and hairless
bald he is destined to be
bald, well tonight thank God it's him instead of me.

From what I have been reading
his scalp needs kneading
to stimulate each follicle
and reverse this diabolical
condition that's afflicted he
for years and has cruelly
repulsed each potential mate
and left him with a balding pate

Not for me, not for me, not for me, uh-uh
not for me, not for me, heaven forbid
it's not for me you understand

Bald, slap headed and hairless
bald he is destined to be
bald, well tonight thank God it's him instead of me.

Sock it to me baby, yeah!

Not for me, not for me, not for me, uh-uh
not for me, not for me, heaven forbid
it's not for me you understand

Not for me, not for me, not for me, uh-uh
not for me, not for me, heaven forbid
it's not for me you understand

Bald, slap headed and hairless
bald he is destined to be
bald, well tonight thank God it's him instead of me.
Thank God!

Bald, slap headed and hairless
bald he is destined to be
bald, well tonight thank God it's him instead of me.
How?

08   Girlfriend (02:33)

Girl, I know I've got a funny way
Of showing it
Yes, I thought our love was here to stay
and blowing it
Was never on my agenda
She meant nothing to me, I meant nothing to her
And now i realise it's over
I've just got to tell yer

Girlfriend, I love you, I love you, I love you so much
I love you, I love you, I love you so much
I love you, I love you, I love you so much so much

Girl I know I ripped your heart right out
so why pretend
that there is even a shadow of doubt
that it's the end
Why the hell are we breaking our necks
Where there's absolutely no affection, hardly any sex
To simplify something that extremely complex
You were my girlfriend, now you're my ex...

Girlfriend, I love you, I love you, I love you so much
I love you, I love you, I love you so much
I love you, I love you, I love you so much so much
Listen to my synthesizer

Girlfriend, I love you, I love you, I love you so much
I love you, I love you, I love you so much
I love you, I love you, I love you so much so much
Girlfriend, I love you, I love you, I love you so much
I love you, I love you, I love you so much
I love you, I love you, I love you so much so much

09   English Country Garden (03:06)

Well we sat on the bank and I was pissed
When I saw him pushing to play with your garden
She said have you got a match? and I said yes!

Listen, Fuck off! gonna call the cops, we're not married
fly on the heels on fields of wheat
Felt the heat, would you like me?

I carved "You for me" in the bark of a tree in an English Country Garden
Larked around, pissing on the ground in an English Country Garden
We both took a chance as you sank into my arms in an English Country Garden
Beneath the stars above we fell in love in a English Country Garden

Jardin Jardin Jardin Jardin!

Took the quiz at the village fete, we came last
Everybody laughed at the two of us
Never seen a biro pen, move so fast
She was a bonefide fucking genius
You're the one that always feels for me
On the trampoline, you tumbled into me

when they all found out, we were rocking out in an English Country Garden
You ruled the roost and gave my heart a boost in an English Country Garden
Took me under your wing when we had our fling in an English Country Garden!
I felt fruity and you got booty in an English Country Garden'

[SOLO and lengthy "KeyTar" medley section]

'Pulling all the stops I was in the crops in an English Country Garden
A ground force ringer, you were bored and single in an English Country Garden
Seeds we scattered, never really mattered in a English Country Garden
We had a day of fun where it all goes on in a English Country Garden.

Jardin Jardin Jardin Jardin whoo!

10   Blind Man (03:25)

Tell me why the blind man cries
Oh, he sheds a tear because he just can't hear the children singing
How he used to fantasize
Of standing next to some children who are doing singing
Ah!
Amd the shoulders get colder and colder
And his tears
And his tears fall on deaf ears
Ooh!

Falling apart
At the seams and no-one seems to care
You can't cry forever
Eileen wouldn't want you to, I swear

Now he's just an empty shell
Oh, since Eileen died the other side seems so appealing
Compared to this living hell
Oh, she haunts his sleep, his wounds too deep for any healing
Ah!
With his arteries starting to harden
She is gone
She is gone and it's all wrong

Falling apart
At the seams and no-one seems to care
You can't cry forever
Eileen would want you to, I swear
So there.

Carico i commenti...  con calma

Altre recensioni

Di  Torre Ste

 Il produttore ha sicuramente influito sul miglioramento tecnico del gruppo: grandissimi cori, chitarre più dosate e introduzione d’archi.

 Questo chiude è la migliore canzone dell’album e lo chiude lasciandolo sospeso nell’aria, quasi ad indicare che vogliono comporre un terzo album da applausi.


Di  Adil

 La produzione... ha levigato più del dovuto il suono 'cafone' dei Darkness, togliendo così forza a canzoni formalmente impeccabili ma prive d'anima.

 Il primo singolo estratto 'One Way Ticket' non convince, mentre le successive 'Knockers' e 'Is It Just Me?' sono semplicemente repliche sbiadite di quanto già sentito nell’album precedente.


Di  Spike Joe

 I Darkness sembrano non aver centrato il bersaglio presentando un album davvero piatto, con poche idee e un sound decisamente più soft.

 L'album si rivela noioso e lontano dal sound hard rock sperimentato in precedenza; il futuro sembra sempre più nero e sovrastato dalla sete di denaro.


Di  Starblazer

 "Hell is frozen over... ma per fortuna sono arrivati i The Darkness a riaccendere la fiamma del rock."

 "One Way Ticket To Hell... è l'antidepressivo definitivo, un album che fa bene alla salute, punto e basta."