Prologo. Anno 1970, il più famoso gruppo di Liverpool nella storia si scioglie in seguito a varie vicissitudini (economiche e non). L'anno dopo, precisamente marzo 1971, la band che fu la principale "antagonista", negli anni Sessanta, di quel gruppo, fa uscire il suo capolavoro, "Sticky Fingers". Esattamente dieci anni dopo la storia tende a ripetersi: nel 1980 muore assassinato John Lennon, l'anima dei Beatles; agosto 1981, i Rolling sfornano il loro ultimo capolavoro, "Tattoo You". La coincidenza potrà sembrare forzata, ma forse neanche troppo.
"Tattoo You" è sicuramente il miglior lavoro degli Stones negli 80s, sia perché qui si ha del gran rock, pur inframezzato da qualche ballata, sia per il fatto che comunque i momenti migliori erano oramai alle spalle, ed i vecchi ragazzacci non lasceranno più il segno negli anni a venire.
Partenza al fulmicotone con "Start Me Up", singolo di facile presa costruito come nella migliore tradizione Stones su tre semplici accordi e con tutti gli strumenti quanto mai in evidenza, e con "Hang Fire", pezzo veloce dalla melodia semplice e al contempo azzeccatissima. Proseguendo, "Slave" è una delle hit che preferisco in assoluto. In essa sono raccolti quasi tutti gli standard che hanno fatto grande la band dei glimmer twins: il maestoso riff di chitarra, gli accordi blues, la misoginia ed i richiami sessuali di Jagger ("Do it, do it, do it..."), la grande prova dello stesso aiutato dai cori e da un grande Billy Preston all'organo e dal fido Bobby Keys al sax. Dopo "Little T + A", unica cantata da un vispo Richards, "Black Limousine", con performance jaggeriana all'armonica. "Neighbours" si fa notare soprattutto per l'intro urlato e per la grande energia che riesce a sprigionare, ma è nella parte finale del disco che i Rolling danno il meglio di sé: dolci ballate, "Worried About You", "Tops", "No Use In Crying" (scritta con Ron Wood), nelle quali risplendono i piani di Ian Stewart e di Preston, l'intermezzo semi-psichedelico di "Heaven" (davvero sembra di sentire Jagger e Richerds cantare da un altro mondo), e per finire la chiusura con la solare "Waiting On A Friend".
In sostanza, un gran bel disco, l'ultimo veramente degno di nota della quarantennale band inglese, dopo che i favolosi sixties e seventies li avevano consacrati come il miglior gruppo rock sulla terra.
Elenco tracce testi e video
01 Start Me Up (03:32)
If you start me up
If you start me up I'll never stop
If you start me up
If you start me up I'll never stop
I've been running hot
You got me ticking gonna blow my top
If you start me up
If you start me up I'll never stop, never stop, never stop, never stop
You make a grown man cry
You make a grown man cry
You make a grown man cry
Spread out the oil, the gasoline
I walk in smooth, ride in a mean, mean machine
Start it up
If you start it up
Kick on the starter give it all you got, you got, you got
I can't compete with the riders in the other heats
If you rough it up
If you like it you can slide it up, slide it up, slide it up, slide it up
Don't make a grown man cry
Don't make a grown man cry
Don't make a grown man cry
My eyes dilate, my lips go green
My hands are greasy
She's a mean, mean machine
Start it up
If you start me up
Give it all you got
You got to never, never, never stop
Slide it up
Slide it up
Slide it up
You make a grown man cry
You make a grown man cry
You make a grown man cry
Ride like the wind at double speed
I'll take you places that you've never, never seen
Start it up
Love the day when we will never stop, never stop
Never, never, never stop
Tough me up
Never stop, never stop
You, you, you make a grown man cry
You, you make a dead man cum
You, you, you make a dead man cum
03 Slave (04:58)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
Do it, do it, do it, do it
Don't wanna be your slave
Twenty four hours a day
Hey, why don't you go down to the supermarket
Get something to eat, steal something of the shelves
Pass by the liquor store
Be back about quarter to twelve
Don't want to be your slave
Baby go, baby go, baby go
Do it yeah
06 Neighbours (03:33)
Neighbors, neighbors, neighbors
Have I got neighbors?
Have I got neighbors?
All day and all night
Neighbors
Have I got neighbors?
Ringing my doorbells
All day and all night
Ladies, have I got crazies?
Screaming young babies
No piece and no quiet
I got T. V.'s, saxophone playing
Groaning and straining
With the trouble and strife
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
That we fuss and fight
Neighbors, do unto strangers
Do unto neighbors
What you do to yourself, yourself, yourself
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
Is it any wonder
That we fuss and fight
Neighbors do unto strangers
Do onto neighbors what you do to yourself
Yourself, yourself, yourself
Neighbors, neighbors, neighbors
Neighbors, neighbors, neighbors
Do yourself a favour
Don't you mess with my baby
When I'm working all night
You know that neighbors
Steal off my table
Steal off my table
And doing alright, alright, alright
Neighbors do unto strangers
Do unto strangers
What you do to yourself
07 Worried About You (05:17)
Sometime I wonder why you do these things to me
Sometime I worry girl that you ain't in love with me
Sometime I stay out late, yeah I'm having fun
Yes, I guess you know by now you ain't the only one
Baby, sweet things that you promised me babe
Seemed to go up in smoke
Yeah, vanish like a dream
I wonder why you do these things to me
'Cause I'm worried
I just can't seem to find my way, baby
Ooh, the nights I spent just waiting on the sun
Just like your burned out cigarette
You threw away my love
Why did you do that baby
I wonder why, why you do these things to me
I'm worried
Lord, I'll find out anyway
Sure going to find myself a girl someday
Till then I'm worried
Yeah, I just can't seem to find my way
Yeah, I'm a hard working man
When did I ever do you wrong?
Yeah, I get all my money baby
Bring it, bring it all home
Yeah, I'm telling the truth
Sweet things, sweet things that you promised me
Well I'm worried, I just can't seem to find my way, baby
I'm worried about you
I'm worried about you
Tell you something now
Worried 'bout you, child
Worried 'bout you, woman
Yeah, I'm worried
Lord, I'll find out anyway
Sure as Hell I'm going to find that girl someday
Till then I'm worried
Lord, I just can't seem to find my way
08 Tops (03:48)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
Hey baby
Every man is the same come on
I'll make you a star
I'll take you a million miles from all this
Put you on a pedestal
Come on, come on
Have you ever heard those opening lines
You should leave this small town way behind
I'll be your partner
Show you the steps
With me behind your tasting of the sweet wine of success
Cause I'll take you to the top, baby
Hey baby
I'll take you to the top
Step on the ladder
Toe in the pool
Your such a natural you don't need no acting school
Don't need no casting couch
Or be a star in bed
Never, never, never let success go to you pretty head
Cause I'll take you to the top, baby
I swear we'll never going to stop, baby
I'll take you to the top
Don't let the world pass you by
You better take your chance now baby
Or be sorry for the rest of your sweet loving life, baby
Oh, sugar
Hey sugar, I'll take you to the top
I'll take you to the top
I'll take you to the top, sugar
11 Waiting on a Friend (04:34)
(M. Jagger/K. Richards)
Watching girls go passing by
It ain't the latest thing
I'm just standing in a doorway
I'm just trying to make some sense
Out of these girls go passing by
The tales they tell of men
I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend
A smile relieves a heart that grieves
Remember what I said
I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend
I'm just waiting on a friend
Don't need a whore
I don't need no booze
Don't need a virgin priest
But I need someone I can cry to
I need someone to protect
Making love and breaking hearts
It is a game for youth
But I'm not waiting on a lady
I'm just waiting on a friend
Carico i commenti... con calma
