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"Everybody's a dreamer, and everybody's a star
And everybody's in showbiz, it doesn't matter who you are"
Un film. Da qualche tempo nella mente di Ray Davies, creativo leader dei Kinks, si faceva sempre più largo l'idea di un progetto ambizioso: la realizzazione di una pellicola che avesse per oggetto la vita on the road della band. Avrebbero filmato tutto: dalle cene in albergo ai viaggi, facendo culminare il tutto con le riprese dei loro show. A raccontare il tutto in musica ci avrebbero pensato una manciata di nuove canzoni, composte appositamente per l'occasione.
Quando Ray agli inizi del '72 si presentò ai manager della RCA, la nuova casa discografica per la quale il gruppo aveva firmato appena un anno prima, mai si sarebbe aspettato di ricevere un secco diniego: i dirigenti anzi spingevano per nuove composizioni da mettere in un nuovo Lp da lanciare sul mercato. Il precedente "Muswell Hillbillies", primo disco registrato per la nuova etichetta, pur avendo ottenuto il consenso della critica, non aveva riscosso successo in termini commerciali, mettendo in allarme la compagnia che, al momento dell'ingaggio del gruppo (reduce da una lunga serie di lavori riuscitissimi), era convinta di aver fatto l'affare del secolo.
Ray comunque non abbandona del tutto il progetto, concentrandosi solo sulla parte musicale dell'opera: nasce così "Everybody's In Showbiz", pubblicato nel settembre dello stesso anno. L'opera è in realtà un doppio album, metà registrato in studio e metà dal vivo, che narra dei diversi aspetti della vita in tour. Il primo disco ne racconta infatti il lato più oscuro, dallo stress degli spostamenti per raggiungere le varie tappe dei concerti alla solitudine, passando per la monotonia delle giornate (è infine curioso notare come ben tre canzoni dell'album parlino di cibo, un altro aspetto spesso trascurato in tour). Il secondo Lp, sottointitolato "Everybody's A Star", segna un netto contrasto con la prima parte dell'opera, mettendo in luce il lato più divertente ed appagante per un gruppo: suonare dal vivo. Così viene riportato su disco un mix dei due concerti registrati a New York per l'occasione, con l'aggiunta di due bonus tracks nella versione rimasterizzata.
Il disco in studio inizia in sordina coi primi brani, per poi decollare con "Hot Potatoes" e non fermarsi più. Musicalmente compaiono nuove influenze nelle composizioni dei Kinks: accanto all'inconfondibile pop rock tipico della band inglese troviamo forti tinte country che caratterizzano un pò tutto il lavoro, conferendo ai brani un carattere allegro e dinamico, eccezion fatta per le due splendide ballate qui presenti. E' il caso della triste "Sitting In My Hotel", degna del miglior Davies, e della sognante "Celluloid Heroes", vera gemma dell'opera. Il gruppo avrebbe voluto che la canzone figurasse come singolo apripista dell'album, ma fu rifiutata dalle radio perchè troppo lunga, facendo così ricadere la scelta sulla divertente filastrocca di "Supersonic Rocket Ship", che ottenne un discreto successo discografico conquistando la sedicesima posizione tra i singoli più venduti del periodo.
Di contro il secondo Lp cattura l'energia che accompagnava gli show della band capitanata dai fratelli Davies, mettendone in luce anche un suono diverso. Se il primo Lp abbraccia melodie più pop e country, nella seconda parte "Everybody's In Showbiz" risulta essere più rock e (in parte) blues con qualche sfumatura jazz, anche per l'aggiunta di un trio di fiati alla line-up originale che da nuova linfa ai brani in repertorio. A risentirne è in particolar modo la chitarra di Dave Davies, accompagnato da una piccola crisi personale, che stavolta non graffia come in passato. A testimonianza di un certo cambio di rotta, in scaletta figurano (sugli undici brani inclusi) ben tre pezzi tradizionali piuttosto ironici, come "Banana Boat Song", "Baby Face" e "Mr. Wonderful", che mettono in luce le doti da showman del leader. Il resto della proposta attinge a piene mani da "Musweell Hillbillies", rappresentato da ben cinque canzoni tra le quali spicca una "Alcohol" interpretata goliardicamente da Ray, e ai due album immediatamente precedenti, dai cui vengono estratte "Top Of The Pops" qui in una versione quasi hard rock, "Brainwashed", meno incisiva dell'originale, e "Lola" cantata dal pubblico e posta in chiusura.
Accompagnato da una copertina che ben rappresenta la pressione che gravava attorno al gruppo al periodo (compaiono, tra le altre citazioni, le figure di Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy e Marilyn Monroe), "Everybody's In Showbiz" è un disco ingiustamente escluso dalla lista dei classici della band.
Il buon Ray e la sua band sono pronti a farvi cambiare idea...
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
02 Maximum Consumption (04:04)
I'll have some clam chowder, followed by beef steak on rye
Pumpkin pie, whipped cream and coffee,
I wanna green salad on the side,
Don't forget the french fries,
Pizza pie, garlic and anchovie.
I keep burning up calories as fast as I keep putting them down,
Eat food, put it in my mouth,
Chew it up, swallow it down,
I'll have two eggs, over light, home made apple pie
Cole slaw as a side order.
I gotta stay fit, stay alive, eat food to sustain a non-stop high-grade performer.
The pace is continual, sure keeps running me down
Don't you know that you gotta eat food,
Don't you know that you gotta refuel.
I'm a Maximum Consumption, super-grade performer.
High powered machine,
Go steady on my clutch, go easy on the hills
And you'll get a lot of mileage out of me.
I'm so easy to drive, and I'm an excellent ride,
Excessive living sure keeps running me down
You've got to learn to use the Maximum Juice
That's how you get the maximum use.
Life keeps using me, keeps on abusing me, mentally and physically.
I gotta stay fit, stay alive, need fuel inside, eat food to survive
Maximum Consumption sure keeps running me down
Don't you know that you gotta eat food
Don't you know that it's good for you.
I'm a Maximum Consumption,
Non-stop machine
Total automation perpetual motion.
03 Unreal Reality (03:32)
All that I see, seems so unreal to me,
Is it the truth or is it only fantasy,
Is it a dream or is it unreal reality?
All around me is such unreality,
Optical illusions as far as my eyes can see,
Is the whole thing a fake, or the ultimate reality?
That house is so big that it reaches right up to the clouds
It's got hundreds of windows, so the people inside can look out,
And they look down below and wonder what it's all about.
Look at that lady she got silver all over her face,
Is she a human being or a creature from outer space,
Is she authentic or phoney, I guess it's just a matter of taste.
Oh because they can feel it, it's gotta be the real thing,
Because they can touch it, it's gotta be reality.
If they say it's real, it's gotta be the real thing.
See that fella, looking all spick and span,
Is he a tailor's dummy or is he a real man,
Is he genuine, or straight off the assembly line.
All round me is such unreality,
Optical illusions as far as my eyes can see,
Is the whole thing a fake or the ultimate reality?
Is it a dream, or is it the real reality?
04 Hot Potatoes (03:25)
My baby woke me up this mornin'
She said get down that labour exchange,
And if you don't come home with a job son,
You'll get no dinner to-day.
You gotta secure me a weekly workin' wage.
You'll get no more fancy cookin',
You'll get no more apple pie,
You'll just get those plain hot potatoes
To satisfy your appetite.
La la la la la la Potatoes,
Boiled, French fried, any old way that you wanna decide.
Hot potatoes, yeh,
I want your lovin' every single day.
I said I don't need your fancy cooking,
I like the simple things in life,
Just give me those plain hot potatoes
And I'll be well satisfied,
They'll satisfy my appetite.
La la la la la la Potatoes,
Boiled, French fried, any old way that you wanna decide.
Hot potatoes, yeh,
I want your lovin' 60 minutes an hour,
I want your lovin' 24 hours a day,
I want your lovin' 7 days a week.
Yeh, yeh, oh yeh.
I want your love, I need your love,
But all I get is hot potatoes
When I come home late at night
To satisfy my appetite.
Don't give me no more potatoes,
Boiled, French fried, any old way you wanna decide.
Hot potatoes,
I want your lovin' every single day.
I want your lovin'
La la la la la la Potatoes,
Boiled, French fried, any old way that you wanna decide.
Hot potatoes, Hot potatoes, yeh.
06 Motorway (03:28)
Motorway food is the worst in the world,
You've never eaten food like you've eaten on the motorway.
Motorway food is the worst in the world,
The coffee tastes weak and the cakes taste stale
And gasoline fumes are the worst to inhale,
Your stomach rolls over and your face turns pale.
Oh, that motorway livin',
Ain't it a thrill to be so free, yeh.
Riding down the motorway,
Got to charge up my batteries,
Rest my seat, rest my eyes,
So tired, tired of livin', tired of livin' this motorway livin'.
Motorway tea is warm and wet,
The rain is a pouring and it's four in the morning,
And it's all I can get.
You've never seen loos like motorway loos,
Thousands of people passing through,
It's enough to put you off of your motorway food.
Oh that motorway living,
Ain't it a thrill to be so free, yeh.
Got to get away from
Cats eyes, cold meat pies,
Thousand on raft, cold French fries
So tired, tired of livin', tired of livin' this motorway livin'.
Motorway food is invariably fried,
It keeps me and feeds me and helps me survive.
Oh that motorway, ain't it a thrill to be so free, yeh,
Riding down the motorway, cats eyes, cold meat pies
Thousand on raft, cold French fries,
So tired, tired of livin', tired of livin' this motorway livin'.
Motorway food is the worst in the world,
You'll never eat food like you've eaten on the motorway.
Motorway food is the worst in the world.
My stomach's upset and I don't feel well,
Gotta get my head down, stop for a while in a motorway hotel.
Mama oh mama, my dear Suzi too,
This motorway message is sent just for you.
My headache's improved but my back really hurts,
I never thought I'd travel so far to work.
07 You Don't Know My Name (02:34)
I've been travelling on this road I get the feeling its getting on I keep moving on I keep rolling on But does anybody know my name Travelling oh so long I get the feeling thats something's wrong I keep rolling on I keep rolling on But does anybody know my name. How could you believe when you don't know my name repeat I see life is such a simple game I sit and watch it from my moving train A bumpy ride to-day I'm not alone this way Does anybody know my name. Arrested in '69 For upsetting a tourist guide Well pay the fine or jail I just smiled and said That I'm oh so glad to be alive. How could you believe when you don't know my name repeat How could you believe when you don't understand.
08 Supersonic Rocket Ship (03:29)
Let me take you on a little trip,
My supersonic ship's
At your disposal if you feel so inclined - well alright
We're gonna travel faster than light,
Do up your overcoat tight
And you'll go anywhere you want to decide - well alright
Too many people
side by side
Got no place to hide
On my supersonic rocket ship,
Nobody has to be hip
Nobody needs to be out og sight - out of site
Nobody's gonna travel second class,
There'll be equality
And no suppression of minorities
We'll take this planet
shake it round
And turn it upside down
On my supersonic rocket ship
It aint no magic
Aint no lie
Up and down,
round and round
On my supersonic rocket ship
Let me take you on a little trip,
My supersonic ship's
At your disposal if you feel so inclined - well alright
Nobody's gonna travel second class,
There'll be equality
And no suppression of minorities - well alright
Let me take you on a little trip
On my supersonic rocket ship
10 Celluloid Heroes (06:19)
Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star,
And everybody's in movies, it doesn't matter who you are.
There are stars in every city,
In every house and on every street,
And if you walk down Hollywood Boulevard
Their names are written in concrete!
Don't step on Greta Garbo as you walk down the Boulevard,
She looks so weak and fragile that's why she tried to be so hard
But they turned her into a princess
And they sat her on a throne,
But she turned her back on stardom,
Because she wanted to be alone.
You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of,
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Rudolph Valentino, looks very much alive,
And he looks up ladies' dresses as they sadly pass him by.
Avoid stepping on Bela Lugosi
'Cos he's liable to turn and bite,
But stand close by Bette Davis
Because hers was such a lonely life.
If you covered him with garbage,
George Sanders would still have style,
And if you stamped on Mickey Rooney
He would still turn round and smile,
But please don't tread on dearest Marilyn
'Cos she's not very tough,
She should have been made of iron or steel,
But she was only made of flesh and blood.
You can see all the stars as you walk down Hollywood Boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of.
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Everybody's a dreamer and everybody's a star
And everybody's in show biz, it doesn't matter who you are.
And those who are successful,
Be always on your guard,
Success walks hand in hand with failure
Along Hollywood Boulevard.
I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show,
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes,
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain
And celluloid heroes never really die.
You can see all the stars as you walk along Hollywood Boulevard,
Some that you recognise, some that you've hardly even heard of,
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain.
Oh celluloid heroes never feel any pain
Oh celluloid heroes never really die.
I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show,
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes,
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain
And celluloid heroes never really die
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