Tornare sulla scena dopo due anni in cui il debutto di un gruppo ha raggiunto un notevole successo non solo in Europa, ma anche negli Stati Uniti, con un album decoroso, non è facile per nessuno. La tensione è a mille, la stampa e il pubblico sono pronti a mandarti all’inferno oppure nell’olimpo della musica di quel decennio. Invece i Darkness sono pronti a prendere entrambe le strade contemporaneamente con un album che s’intitola “One Way Ticket To Hell… And Back” migliorando il loro suono aggiungendo archi e togliendo qualche chitarra di troppo, che li aveva caratterizzati nel primo album, e confezionando 10 tracce buone. Anche il reparto della produzione è migliorato. Infatti è stato ingaggiato Roy Thomas Baker, leggendario produttore dei Queen. Inoltre c’è da segnalare un cambiamento nella line-up: infatti il bassista Frankie Poullain, licenziato dalla band e sostituito da Richard Edwards. Ma veniamo alla musica.
Il cd si apre con “One Way Ticket”, anticipata da un’introduzione di circa un minuto, in cui il gruppo sembra voler dire che si sta affrontando qualche cosa di maestoso. Invece la canzone è ciò che di più commerciale non si potesse ascoltare questo gruppo. Una traccia che non sfigurerebbe se fosse stata inserita nel lavoro precedente. Anche “Knockers” non è il massimo, ma qualche cosa di diverso si nota. Con “Is It Just Me?” invece la band sperimenta rock anni ottanta in stile Van Halen, con un risultato discreto. Anche “Dinner Lady Arms” mantiene l’orecchiabilità delle tracce precedenti, che non saranno dei capolavori, ma che si lasciano ascoltare volentieri. “Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time” è il primo lento del gruppo, in cui si notano le vere grandi differenze del suono: l’inserimento degli archi. Ma l’evoluzione non si ferma qui. Già all’inizio di “Hazel Eyes” si nota il lavoro di Roy Thomas Baker. Il chitarrista sembra Brian May, anche se Dan Hawkins non è certo al suo livello ma, a parte questo tratto, il pezzo è il peggiore dell’ album. “Bald” è il pezzo rock che ti trascina per tutta la sua durata, con un’ esplosione di suoni nel ritornello, in cui si notano i cori, migliorati notevolmente rispetto al debutto. “Girlfriend” è invece una canzone in puro stile Darkness, non impegnata e ironica come piace fare a loro. “English Country Garden” è una sorta d’ opera rock, neanche riuscita male. Il ritmo è incalzante e i cori non sono fatti assolutamente male, con il solo di chitarra e il falsetto di Justin Hawkins. La traccia di chiusura “Blind Man” è aperta da piano e seguita da archi, un ritornello con dei cori magnifici e la voce del cantante che interpreta al meglio il pezzo. 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.
Il produttore ha sicuramente influito sul miglioramento tecnico del gruppo: grandissimi cori, chitarre più dosate e introduzione d’archi, tutte caratteristiche che hanno reso famosi i Queen nel mondo. Se questo deve essere un album di transizione tra il primo ed il terzo, aspettiamoci un vero capolavoro da questo gruppo in futuro.
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!
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
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 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 Filippo Guzzardi
Se il rock’n’roll è musicalmente morto, non lo è nell’anima, nella forza evocativa: e non lo sarà mai!
Altrimenti mi tengo stretto i miei bei albums d’annata e lascio tranquillo il mio portafoglio.
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."
