Il new prog è stato un genere più variegato di quanto, ad un'occhiata distratta, possa sembrare.
I Pendragon avevano adottato un approccio pedissequo ma affascinante, i Marillion avevano elaborato al meglio le intuizioni dei primi Genesis, i Pallas erano affascinati dal lato più "duro" del movimento. Spesso nel calderone del progressive ottantiano si sceglie di inserire (forse sbagliando) un altro gruppo: i Twelfth Night.
Il gruppo del grande Geoff Mann cercò, a differenza di quelli citati sopra, di eliminare quasi del tutto gli stereotipi del genere, essendo di fatto prog più nelle intenzioni e nelle idee che nella scelta dei suoni.
Non stupisce allora l'utilizzo essenziale (e mai invadente) delle tastiere, relegate in secondo piano rispesso al basso e alla chitarra.
In un certo senso quindi i Twelfth Night possono essere assimilati alla new wave e al dark per l'impasto sonoro, al new prog per gli ambienti musicali frequentati (gli stessi di Marillion, Pendragon ed Iq) e per la ricercatezza dei suoni.
L'album di debutto è un live (caso più unico che raro): Live at the Target, dove il gruppo ha modo di mettere in mostra le proprie qualità strumentali, basate soprattutto sulle chitarre e su un approccio oscuro e romantico.
E' però con l'ingresso dell'inusuale vocalist che i Twelfth Night spiccano il volo, viene allora pubblicato Fact and fiction, il loro capolavoro. I temi dell'album si nutrono delle paure legate alla guerra fredda, e le dilatano, i testi si inerpicano su virtuosismi lirici che racchiudono la follia, l'alienazione (a tratti si sente l'influenza di Orwell), la paura di essere soli, il rifiuto dell'ideologia capitalista.
Sintomatica è allora "We are sane" che si apre con la voce folle e cangiante di Geoff Mann, circondata da uno scenario sonoro apocalittico: un orologio scandisce il tempo, mentre s'odono echi di morte e di desolazione. Il testo è affascinante e avvince, mentre l'istrionico Mann conduce il brano su scenari cangianti, ma comunque permeati da quel pessimismo cosmico che non abbandonerà mai il gruppo.
"Human being" rincara la dose, con un cantato ancor più allucinato e "insano", mentre i musicisti sembrano ritagliarsi qualche preziosismo strumentale in più (anche se il pezzo ha una durata inferiore).
Con "This city" mantiene lo stesso spirito, ma il cantato qui è più dimesso, rassegnato (the abstracted shapes of the people's thoughts/different shops and pubs/all the cheap facades).
Il bellissimo strumentale "World without end" è un flebile motivo di sollievo: le atmosfere restano oscure, ma qui i Twelfth Night sembrano volerci ricordare di essere comunque legati al progressive, seppur fatto a modo loro. L'intermezzo contiene anche alcuni spunti delicati e sognanti, che non ritroveremo più nel corso del''album.
Il gruppo però gioca con noi, ci prende quasi in giro (nel senso più buono del termine), mischiando le carte in tavola.
Ecco quindi, dopo un accenno al prog, una virata verso la new wave (con batteria in primo piano): la title track. Il tutto però appare più stereotipato, e si distacca nettamente da quanto fatto in precedenza. Il brano è piacevole e si lascia ascoltare, ma si lascia infatuare dal morbo del pop anni '80.
"The poet sniffs a flower" è uno strumentale bello e coinvolgente, con atmosfere rilassate e interessanti. Il gruppo mantiene una compattezza encomiabile, anche quando il tutto acquista vigore, con una seconda parte più movimentata e frenetica. Le chitarre sono allora in primo piano, ma non eccedono in eccessivi virtuosismi.
Il capolavoro nel capolavoro è "Creepshow".
Apoteosi delle ideologie del leader, presenta un testo da sagra dell'imperfetto e del macabro (riprende sotto questo aspetto qualcosa da film come Freaks). I veri fenomeni da baraccone sono coloro che pagano per vedere uno spettacolo così agghiacciante, coloro che utilizzano le menomazioni umane per fare spettacolo. Mann è qui particolarmente ispirato e cattivo: ascoltate l'urlo allucinato e rabbioso a metà brano.
La seconda parte presenta anche deliziosi spunti strumentali, ma è il vocalist a dettare i tempi, a far evolvere il brano verso coraggiose intuizioni (il lungo parlato potrebbe apparire noioso, ma è fondamentale nel contesto di questo brano).
L'album si chiude con la rassegnata "Love song". Tutto è più delicato e la rabbia sembra ormai finita: il ritornello riprtuto numerose volte ci conduce alla fine del viaggio, e lo fa nel migliore dei modi.
Purtroppo il magnifico idillio creato dal gruppo si spezzerà di lì a poco: Mann abbandonerà il gruppo alla fine del tour, lasciando un vuoto incolmabile per le sorti dei Twelfth. Andy Sears (il nuovo cantante) non saprà ripetere le gesta del predecessore ed il gruppo si smembrerà di lì a poco.
La parola fine sui Twelfth Night la metterà un tragico evento: Geoff Mann muore nel 1993, stroncato da un cancro.
Elenco tracce e testi
01 We Are Sane (10:27)
(Geoff Mann)
i) te dium
ii) we are sane
iii) dictator's excuse me
i)
In upstairs rooms
The meals are eaten
The cars in the garage ready to go-go
Disco baby shed no tear
Hot light overhead
Shaking meat meet
Ho ho weekend ha ha party
Moo moo sacre
d cow
The White House somedays
on the lawn
well kept pedigree
snap over bones
surplus requirements
appetite angel going down
ii)
Meanwhile below reports flop into the in-trays in-trays
Meanwhile below reports flop into the in-trays
She stares out
of her window
Her will is still in bed
She has no memory of herself
For care has drained her head
The poster on the billboard
says she should paint her lips
like the smiles on the tv people
02 Human Being (07:50)
Tremulous and quivering such victims as there are
Contend with emotions under skin
Without wearing water wings
The strike against the stream
hopelessly believing they might swim
Here they all come rushing down again
Here they all come rushing down again
Time has hardly swallowed up the evidence
How is it they say they did not know
That history grows up like a weed
Doctrine pinned upon it
Bars across the window destroy human being
Static mind solidifies
Can no longer flow
Up against it's borders and unable to pay much
Attention to human being...
When in doubt you turn to find a scapegoat on the wall
Gaze into the mirror begging pardon
If everytime we tell a lie a little fairy dies
They must be building death-camps in the garden
Pacing back and forwards
Conscience in a box
Barred in from the sunlight getting pale
And losing every sense of human being....
The forces of oppression
Forge links around the earth
Ordering our faces to the floor
The wilful non-involvement
By hirelings of the crimes
Is futile and inhuman as before
The sum of our best efforts
Shouldn't lead us back to here
On the road to murder where we can no longer
Admit to any
Human needing human feeling
Human living human loving
Human fragile human being...
====================================================================
THIS CITY (Geoff Mann)
The abstracted shapes of the people's thoughts
Different shops and pubs
All the cheap facades
It is all this city it is all this city
Wind shaken trees
Half crumbling parks
The enquiring eyes
Fingers parting lace
It is all this city it is all this city
Long straggling queues
Of the our of work
A baby sucking sweets
Dribbling down his quilt
It is all this city it is all this city
All this city
====================================================================
FACT AND FICTION (Geoff Mann)
TV is switched on
The screen reveal a spokesperson
Adverts politics editing the real
Cheap words money talks
Naming itself to be the key
To utopia cornucopia
To a better world you go buy and buy
And if you listen carefully
You can hear the bacon fly
Don't make me laugh!!
History shows that policy demands weapons
Selfish desires simply lead to pain
The chit-chat continues
A big pretence that divides
Into power blocks
Where the orthodox
Have a propaganda war to fight
And if you're looking closely
You can see that black is white
Don't make me laugh!!
If the "unthinkable" should happen
And you hear the sirens call
Well you can always find some shelter
Behind a door against the wall
Don't make me laugh!!
====================================================================
CREEPSHOW (Geoff Mann)
Welcome
Welcome
First today to see the creepshow
Come see the exhibits
But do not touch
They cannot bear touch
Here in the freak show
Please do not hang back
It's hard enough to show people around
The creep show
The creep show
First here on the rack strapped a child's virgin mind
We see the careful whitecoats
Affix their machines veins
To the pulsing neck side
Checking dials they monitor reaction
She must love her daddy's banker
She must love her daddy's banker
For her part in the creepshow
The creepshow
Amanda so sad
Amanda
But let's brush over sadness
Give her the pills
And diagnose madness
Give her give her give her...
Amanda
Amandahahahahaha
Anymore for any more?
Cyril has-or-might-have-been
Must fill his lust
They let him bayonet robots
As his morning constitutional
To sate his rage
Unless he feels his age
We can't have that
Sometimes he'll watch a war-film
On the moron machine in the corner of his cell
Lost in time
Lost in mind
Cyril writhes like smoke
His bigot's eyes are slashed skin
Their expression none the nicer
For being blank
Amanda still mad
Amanda
still sad...
And so ladies and gentlemen we come to the nerve centre of the whole
Affair, as you will see it is a mirror. To some it is the mirror of
Dreams, where every passion, desire and action flit through the still
Spaces behind its surface, tantalising yet distant. Of these many
Stand before it until death. To others, it is distorting, everything
In it being warped and buckled by fear, yet perceived as reality.
These will cringe before it, wimpering and immobile, though a few
Batter their skulls against the dull sheen, attempting to smash the
Horrors they believe to be in the glass or at least attain oblivion,
Whichever comes first. Some see just a mirror, whilst some see what
At first appears to be their own image which, however, moves _them_
Saying, "Come On, Wake UP! Who's running this show anyway?"
NOW
It's up to you
Use your free will
You dec
ide
Yes
You you you decide
Whether or not you will return
For if you come again
You'd better bring your ball and chain
Unguided embittered attraction of
The creep show
The creep show
The creep show
====================================================================
03 This City (04:01)
The abstracted shapes of the people's thoughts Different shops and pubs All the cheap facades It is all this city it is all this city Wind shaken trees Half crumbling parks The enquiring eyes Fingers parting lace It is all this city it is all this city Long straggling queues Of the our of work A baby sucking sweets Dribbling down his quilt It is all this city it is all this city All this city
05 Fact and Fiction (03:59)
TV is switched on The screen reveal a spokesperson Adverts politics editing the real Cheap words money talks Naming itself to be the key To utopia cornucopia To a better world you go buy and buy And if you listen carefully You can hear the bacon fly Don't make me laugh!! History shows that policy demands weapons Selfish desires simply lead to pain The chit-chat continues A big pretence that divides Into power blocks Where the orthodox Have a propaganda war to fight And if you're looking closely You can see that black is white Don't make me laugh!! If the "unthinkable" should happen And you hear the sirens call Well you can always find some shelter Behind a door against the wall Don't make me laugh!!
07 Creepshow (11:57)
Welcome Welcome First today to see the creepshow Come see the exhibits But do not touch They cannot bear touch Here in the freak show Please do not hang back It's hard enough to show people around The creep show The creep show First here on the rack strapped a child's virgin mind We see the careful whitecoats Affix their machines veins To the pulsing neck side Checking dials they monitor reaction She must love her daddy's banker She must love her daddy's banker For her part in the creepshow The creepshow Amanda so sad Amanda But let's brush over sadness Give her the pills And diagnose madness Give her give her give her... Amanda Amandahahahahaha Anymore for any more? Cyril has-or-might-have-been Must fill his lust They let him bayonet robots As his morning constitutional To sate his rage Unless he feels his age We can't have that Sometimes he'll watch a war-film On the moron machine in the corner of his cell Lost in time Lost in mind Cyril writhes like smoke His bigot's eyes are slashed skin Their expression none the nicer For being blank Amanda still mad Amanda still sad... And so ladies and gentlemen we come to the nerve centre of the whole Affair, as you will see it is a mirror. To some it is the mirror of Dreams, where every passion, desire and action flit through the still Spaces behind its surface, tantalising yet distant. Of these many Stand before it until death. To others, it is distorting, everything In it being warped and buckled by fear, yet perceived as reality. These will cringe before it, wimpering and immobile, though a few Batter their skulls against the dull sheen, attempting to smash the Horrors they believe to be in the glass or at least attain oblivion, Whichever comes first. Some see just a mirror, whilst some see what At first appears to be their own image which, however, moves _them_ Saying, "Come On, Wake UP! Who's running this show anyway?" NOW It's up to you Use your free will You dec ide Yes You you you decide Whether or not you will return For if you come again You'd better bring your ball and chain Unguided embittered attraction of The creep show The creep show The creep show
09 East of Eden (03:27)
it seems that paradise
has been well locked and barred
to all the issues of Adam
it seems that children must
pay for their parents crimes
until they wish they never had them
the clouds are fabric balls
the earth machinery
to gather power from the stars
each of us has a gateway
through which infinity calls
to touch each victim through their scars
we are walking through
a kingdom that is found
out here somewhere East of Eden
East of Eden
East of Eden
East of Eden
East of Eden
Carico i commenti... con calma
Altre recensioni
Di Jesterhoax1
Questo disco è uno di quegli album semplicemente "imprescindibili" per il progressive.
La voce di Geoff Mann, qui ai massimi livelli di teatralità ed espressività, conferisce al brano un clima allucinato e sinistro di grande effetto.
