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Il 1968 che anno, che epoca! I Rolling Stones ci danno in pasto uno dei lavori migliori : Beggars Banquet, "il banchetto dei poveri” ? Ma quali poveri ? Loro no di sicuro.
Appaiono all’interno che si strafogano di cibi, spaparanzati su panche e divani, il tavolo imbandito di piatti e liquori, un banjo fa capolino.. Sentite, i Rolling Stones sono l’emblema della strafottenza e della ribellione, chissà, forse anche oggi, scontrandosi con una vecchiaia imminente che quasi non può far nulla per l’energia e la voglia di vivere di questi.
La copertina doveva essere quella raffigurante un cesso malridotto, e il muro dietro con scritte di tutti i tipi che spesso troviamo nei cessi pubblici o vi ricordate nei cessi scolastici ? Ci sono: la carta igienica (ma che colore ha ?), simboli di pace, invocazioni all’amore, alla donna.. Ai tempi fu censurata e sostituita con una inutile ma forse azzeccata, per certi versi, cover tutta beige con soltanto il nome del disco, in caratteri eleganti, tipo da biglietto nuziale.
Fortunatamente la prima copertina è ritornata con le ristampe successive. "Sympathy For The Devil" ebbe quasi la stessa sorte per via dei suoi contenuti espliciti. Provocante e bizzarra nel suo incedere quasi tribale con le sfuriate di keith richards, è un punto molto importante nella carriera dei rolling stones, ma non solo: mick jagger si presenta come il diavolo e racconta con orgoglio le sue fattezze nel corso dei secoli. Roba alternativa, roba che fece rizzare il mondo, roba che li definì satanici, roba che sa di rivoluzione, non nei confronti della religione o cose del genere, ma contro un sistema perbene e perfettino che logicamente si sarebbe alterato.
La musica cominciò forse anche grazie a loro a caricarsi di testi più spinti, nel bene e nel male. Ecco cosa appare oltre la tela dello spettacolo “Beggars Banquet”: brani folk e country, “Dear Doctor” (che simpatica!) e la bellissima “Factory Girl” (mamma mia che sensazioni!), le cadenze blues di “Parachute Woman”, “Parachute woman, land on me tonight”, e di “Prodigal Son” (cover di Wilkins), la ballata nostalgica “No Expectations”.
Resteranno immortali, invece, le armonie della slide guitar di un capolavoro come “Jigsaw Puzzle”, il canto rabbioso di Mick nella famosa “Street Fighting Man” (me lo vedo già muoversi sul palco con le sue famose mosse..), il puro rock and roll di “Stray Cat Blues” (mi vedo adesso sfrecciare sulla mia macchinina in un sabato sera immaginario..) ed infine, intensa come non mai, "Salt of the earth", cantata da Keith e poi da Mick, (sembra che il sabato sia finito ma nulla è perduto..) termina con un coro gospel ed un’incessante pianoforte.
Un grande lavoro che, in queste ultime canzoni e nella iniziale "Sympathy For The Devil", non sembra essere invecchiato per niente e anzi con le ristampe rimasterizzate in digitale ha acquistato un suono più cristallino e profondo.
Per la storia, i Rolling Stones dovranno poi affrontare la morte (voluta o meno, è un mistero) di Brian Jones, il secondo chitarrista del gruppo, l’uscita di "Let It Bleed" (69), gli anni 70 fra grandi dischi e qualche accenno di crisi.. il resto non m’interessa, non sono un loro fan, non li amo, però l’importanza di certi lavori, penso di poterla capire.
"Beggars Banquet" è uno di quelli. Penso..
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Sympathy for the Devil (06:25)
Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for long, long years
Stole many man's soul and faith
I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
Stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah
I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
I shouted out
"Who killed the Kennedys?"
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reach Bombay
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what's confusing you
Is just the nature of my game
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails, just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint
So if you meet me, have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste, mmm yeah
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, mmm yeah
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, mmm mean it, get down
Tell me baby, what's my name?
Tell me honey, can ya guess my name?
Tell me baby, what's my name?
I tell you one time, you're to blame
What's my name?
Tell me baby, what's my name?
Tell me sweetie, what's my name?
02 No Expectations (04:00)
M. Jagger/K. Richards)
Take me to the station
And put me on a train
I've got no expectations
To pass through here again
Once I was a rich man and
Now I am so poor
But never in my sweet short life
Have I felt like this before
You heart is like a diamond
You throw your pearls at swine
And as I watch you leaving me
You pack my peace of mind
Our love was like the water
That splashes on a stone
Our love is like our music
Its here, and then its gone
So take me to the airport
And put me on a plane
I got no expectations
To pass through here again
06 Street Fighting Man (03:16)
Ev'rywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy
'Cause summer's here and the time is right for fighting in the street, boy
But a-what can a poor boy do
'Cept to sing for a rock 'n' roll band
'Cause in sleepy London town
There's just no place for a street fighting man, no
Hey, think the time is right for a palace revolution
'Cause where I live the game to play is compromise solution
Well then what can a poor boy do
'Cept to sing for a rock 'n' roll band
'Cause in sleepy London town
There's no place for a street fighting man, no
Get down!
Hey, said my name is called disturbance
I'll shout and scream, I'll kill the king, I'll rail at all his servants
And then what can a poor boy do
'Cept to sing for a rock 'n' roll band
'Cause in sleepy London town
There's no place for a street fighting man, no
Get down!
07 Prodigal Son (02:53)
(Rev. Wilkins)
Well a poor boy took his father's bread and started down the road
Started down the road
Took all he had and started down the road
Going out in this world, where God only knows
And that'll be the way to get along
Well poor boy spent all he had, famine come in the land
Famine come in the land
Spent all he had and famine come in the land
Said, "I believe I'll go and hire me to some man"
And that'll be the way I'll get along
Well, man said, "I'll give you a job for to feed my swine
For to feed my swine
I'll give you a job for to feed my swine"
Boy stood there and hung his head and cried
`Cause that is no way to get along
Said, "I believe I'll ride, believe I'll go back home
Believe I'll go back home
Believe I'll ride, believe I'll go back home
Or down the road as far as I can go"
And that'll be the way to get along
Well, father said, "See my son coming home to me
Coming home to me"
Father ran and fell down on his knees
Said, "Sing and praise, Lord have mercy on me"
Mercy
Oh poor boy stood there, hung his head and cried
Hung his head and cried
Poor boy stood and hung his head and cried
Said, "Father will you look on me as a child?"
Yeah
Well father said, "Eldest son, kill the fatted calf,
Call the family round
Kill that calf and call the family round
My son was lost but now he is found
'Cause that's the way for us to get along"
Hey
08 Stray Cat Blues (04:38)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
I hear the click-clack of your feet on the stairs
I know you're no scare-eyed honey.
There'll be a feast if you just come upstairs
But it's no hanging matter
It's no capital crime
I can see that you're fifteen years old
No I don't want your I.D.
You look so rest-less and you're so far from home
But it's no hanging matter
It's no capital crime
Oh yeah, you're a strange stray cat
Oh yeah, don'tcha scratch like that
Oh yeah, you're a strange stray cat
Bet your mama don't know you scream like that
I bet your mother don't know you can spit like that.
You look so weird and you're so far from home
But you don't really miss your mother
Don't look so scared I'm no mad-brained bear
But it's no hanging matter
It's no capital crime
Oh, yeah
Woo!
I bet your mama don't know that you scatch like that
I bet she don't know you can bite like that.
You say you got a friend, that she's wilder than you
Why don't you bring her upstairs
If she's so wild then she can join in too
It's no hanging matter
It's no capital crime
Oh yeah, you're a strange stray cat
Oh yeah, don'tcha scratch like that
Oh yeah, you're a strange stray cat
I bet you mama don't know you can bite like that
I'll bet she never saw you scratch my back
10 Salt of the Earth (04:51)
M. Jagger/K. Richards)
Let's drink to the hard working people
Let's drink to the lowly of birth
Raise your glass to the good and the evil
Let's drink to the salt of the earth
Say a prayer for the common foot soldier
Spare a thought for his back breaking work
Say a prayer for his wife and his children
Who burn the fires and who still till the earth
And when I search a faceless crowd
A swirling mass of gray and
Black and white
They don't look real to me
In fact, they look so strange
Raise your glass to the hard working people
Let's drink to the uncounted heads
Let's think of the wavering millions
Who need leaders but get gamblers instead
Spare a thought for the stay-at-home voter
His empty eyes gaze at strange beauty shows
And a parade of the gray suited grafters
A choice of cancer or polio
And when I look in the faceless crowd
A swirling mass of grays and
Black and white
They don't look real to me
Or don't they look so strange
Let's drink to the hard working people
Let's think of the lowly of birth
Spare a thought for the rag taggy people
Let's drink to the salt of the earth
Let's drink to the hard working people
Let's drink to the salt of the earth
Let's drink to the two thousand million
Let's think of the humble of birth
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di Lorenzo_1987
"Il Diavolo, impersonato da un Jagger quanto mai luciferino e sarcastico, si presenta al mondo con cortesia e presunzione."
"La copertina è un elogio del brutto, un'opera degna di figurare accanto ai grandi capolavori della pop-art."
Di Missing
Il disco era un’autentica bomba già alla data di pubblicazione.
Sympathy For The Devil, un contributo tanto epico quanto terrificante alle pagine della Storia del Rock.
