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A cavallo tra la fine degli anni '80 e l'inizio dei '90 l'hard rock stava vivendo una fase di profondo cambiamento. Archiviati i gloriosi Eighties, il glam e l'hair metal cominciavano a stancare, e di lì a breve sarebbero stati spazzati via dal fenomeno grunge e dal rock alternativo; le vecchie glorie come Kiss, AC/DC, Scorpions, dal canto loro, stavano ormai perdendo colpi. Il genere, insomma, stava diventando vecchio e ritrito. Nel frattempo, tuttavia, c'erano band come Jane's Addiction, Faith No More, Living Colour che si erano posti l'obiettivo di deformare l'hard rock aggiungendo elementi di funk, psichedelia, punk, metal, post-punk, rap e chi più ne ha più ne metta, rendendolo così fresco, vivace e fruibile alle nuove generazioni: chiamatelo crossover, se volete.
Si può parlare in effetti di un dualismo fra vecchio e nuovo, fra purezza e contaminazione in quegli anni. E in effetti le nuove leve, gli esordienti, si possono dividere in due categorie: da una parte c'era chi, fedele al vecchio credo, perseverava nella tradizione stilistica del decennio appena concluso: Skid Row, e soprattutto i fenomenali Tesla sono gli esempi più felici; dall'altra parte c'era chi si accodava alle nuove tendenze e, senza rientrare in pieno nell'area crossover, tingeva il proprio hard rock di funky e elementi alternativi: possiamo citare i sottovalutatissimi Extreme ("Chi? Ah sì, quelli di "More Than Words") e, appunto, gli Ugly Kid Joe.
I nostri si formano a Isla Vista, California, nel 1989. Dopo l'ep del '91 "As Ugly As They Wanna Be" e il fortunatissimo singolo "Everything About You", inclusa tra l'altro nella colonna sonora di "Wayne's World", approdano finalmente nel '92 al primo full-lenght, "America's Least Wanted", ironico stirpiamento del modo di dire "America's Most Wanted". Ed è proprio la fortissima dose di ironia e irriverenza che dà ai Kids la giusta marcia verso il successo: dopo un decennio di rockstar autodefinitesi dei in terra, un gruppo che si definisce i "meno ricercati d'America" non può che conquistare il favore del pubblico. Ma aldilà della cazzonaggine, gli Ugly Kid Joe (all'epoca formati da Whitfield Crane alla voce, Klaus Eichstadt e Dave Fortman alle chitarre, Cordell Crockett al basso e Mark Davis alla batteria) facevano dannatamente sul serio. "America's Least Wanted" è fondamentalmente un disco hard rock, ma le soluzioni mai banali che il gruppo adotta, un buon ventaglio di influenze e la giusta dose di follia lo rendono un ottimo disco hard rock, sorprendentemente vario e maturo per un gruppo all'esordio discografico su larga scala.
Le canzoni rimandano principalmente al glam e allo street metal ("Panhandlin' Prince" e l'opener "Neighbour" in particolar modo, due fra le canzoni migliori del lotto), ma abbondano anche citazioni sabbathiane ("Don't Go"), di cui dal vivo coverizzavano spesso "N.I.B." e "Sweet Leaf", e heavy metal puro ("So Damn Cool"). Come ho detto prima, tuttavia, non di solo hard rock vive il disco: i Faith No More hanno mostrato fin dove l'hard n' heavy si può spingere, e i californiani non si tirano indietro, ispirandosi direttamente a Patton e soci in "Come Tomorrow" e in "Madman", mentre la brillante "Same Side" si butta di peso sul funk gigione. Non mancano neanche le ballatone, anch'esse mai scontate e sempre di classe: "Busy Bee" rimanda al rock alternativo, ma il pezzo forte è la splendida cover di "Cat's in the Cradle" di Harry Chapin: l'arpeggio delle chitarre ricorda un sitar, l'atmosfera si fa evocativa e gli Ugly Kid Joe ci consegnano una delle ballate più emozionanti degli anni '90. Manca all'appello la già citata "Everything About You", altro apice del disco: pedale dell'ironia schiacciato a tavoletta e vai, tutti a divertirsi come quindicenni al ritmo di questo vulcanico funk metal!
Questo disco, insomma, e il gruppo in generale avrebbero meritato più di quanto hanno ricevuto effettivamente. Oggi nessuno si ricorda più di loro, anche se all'epoca il loro momento di gloria l'hanno avuto eccome; addirittura, in moltissimi P2P come Emule o Limewire, se si cerca "Cat's in the Cradle" verrà fuori che è dei Guns, o addirittura di Kid Rock (orrore!). Non meritavano tutto questo, anche perchè sono sempre stati coerenti ed onesti con il loro pubblico, altra rarità in campo hard rock: scioltisi nel '99, ad oggi non hanno mai annunciato reunion celebrative succhiasoldi, per esempio.
Se amate gli Extreme o i Living Colour, procuratevi questo album ed amatelo!
Elenco tracce testi samples e video
01 Neighbor (04:45)
Sittin' in your front yard drinkin' lemonade
Suburban life, a pretty wife, you think you've got it made
But you don't know what's in store, for you and your family
Ha, ha, I'm movin in right next door, won't you welcome me?
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood
And I hope I didn't ruin your day!
Won't you be my neighbor?
Yeah, I brought my life, my ugly wife, my dirty dogs with fleas
My kid's a punk, and I'm a drunk, but this I'm sure you'll see
And you don't know, what it's like, to live in misery
C'mon and welcome to, home sweet hell, dissastifaction guaranteed
It's beautiful day in the neighborhood
And if I could I surely would
invite you in and say...
Won't you be my neighbor?
Won't you be my neighbor?
Won't you be my neighbor?
Could you be my nieghbor?
Won't you be my neighbor?
Oh c'mon I don't think you'll find
A place to live in peace of mind
You're gonna live in misery
When you're livin' next to me!
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...
Raaah! Won't you be now, won't you be my funky neighbor?
Well I drink, I stink, I smoke, I'm a joke
I try all night and day to get a piece of the action, a-haa
And you should know by now you're never
Gonna forget it, a-haa
Now I know just what you're thinkin'
It could be you out 'n' you're drinkin'
Don't you knock it till you try it
It could be you in a little while
I hope I didn't ruin you day!
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood
And I dig your wife, she sure is good
A beautiful day in the neighborhood
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ha ha ha!
05 Busy Bee (04:11)
If I had the time and lotsa money
The Id take you round the world
n if I had a dime for every penny
Then Id buy you diamonds girl
You dont even know how much I love you
And how much I wanna be...
Your knight in shining armor, yeah, baby
Thats good enough for me...
And Ill keep tryin
Yeah Ill keep tryin, to make you mine
...mine all mine
I hope youre buyin, I hope youre buyin
All of my lines
Now if I was the king and had a castle
Then youd surely be my queen
We would live up in the tallest tower
And we rarely would be seen
You dont even know how much I need you
And how much you mean to me
Im dog without a bone hear me cryin
And its time for you to see that...
And Ill keep tryin
Yeah Ill keep tryin, to make you mine
...mine all mine
I hope youre buyin, I hope youre buyin
All of my lines
08 Same Side (04:51)
It doesnt matter who you are
Or what youre gonna be
People from all walks of life
You gotta have diversity
Were all in this together
And together we shall be
You gotta be a friendly neighbor
If youre gonna live next to me
Were all
Livin on the same side
Same side of town
Walkin down the same streets
The streets that are all around
You could be my brother
Or you could be my friend
But dont turn your back on me
Cause well be here til the end
Yeah, were all in this together
And we all have that dream
To live in perfect harmony
Like a family thats the scene
Yeah, were all...
Livin on the same side
Same side of town
Walkin down the same streets
The streets that are all around
Livin on the same side
Same side of town
Shufflin to the same beat
The beat thats all around
Stumblin down on d.p., keggers all around,
Laughin at the police as they try to take us down
Hangin with each other, yeah hangin with our bros
We all love one another, from our heads down to our toes
09 Cats in the Cradle (04:02)
My child arrived just the other day
Came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
He was talkin' 'fore I knew it
And as he grew he said,
"I'm gonna be like you, Dad,
You know I'm gonna be like you."
Chorus:
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man on the moon.
"When you comin' home?"
"Son, I don't know when. We'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."
Well, my son turned ten just the other day He said,
"Thanks for the ball, Dad. Come on, let's play.
Could you teach me to throw?"
I said, "Not today. I got a lot to do."
He said, "That's okay."
And he walked away and he smiled and he said,
"You know, I'm gonna be like him, yeah.
You know I'm gonna be like him."
(Chorus)
Well, he came from college just the other day,
So much like a man I just had to say,
"I'm proud of you. Could you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and he said with a smile,
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys.
See you later. Can I have them please?"
(Chorus)
I've long since retired, my son's moved away.
I called him up just the other day.
"I'd like to see you, if you don't mind."
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I could find the time.
You see my new job's a hassle and the kids have the flu,
But it's sure nice talkin' to you, Dad.
It's been sure nice talkin' to you."
And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me,
He'd grown up just like me.
My boy was just like me.
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man on the moon.
"When you comin' home?"
"Son, I don't know when. We'll get together then.
You know we'll have a good time then."
11 Everything About You (04:20)
I, hate the rain and sunny weather,
and I, hate beach and mountains too;
(and) I don't like a thing about the city, no, no,
and I, I, I, hate the countryside too!
And I, hate everything about you!
...everything about you!
And I, don't like a thing about your mother,
and I, I hate your daddy's guts too,
And I don't like a thing about your sister, no, no
'cause I I I think sex is overrated too.
CHORUS
And I, get sick when I'm around, I, can't stand to be around,
I, hate everything about you!
Everything about you, everything about you, everything about you!
BRIDGE
Some say I've got a bad attitude,
but that don't change the way I feel about you,
and if you think this might be bringing me down,
look again 'cause I ain't wearing no frown!
SOLO
Well I don't really care about your sister
Fuck the little bitch 'cause I already kissed her
One thing that I did to ol' lady
I put her on the bed and she didn't say maybe
I know you know everybody knows
the way it comes, the way it's gonna go
You think it's sad,
well that's too bad,
'Cause I'm havin'
A ball hatin'
Every little thing about you! ha-ha!
Everything about you, everything about
I get sick when I'm around
I can't stand to be around
I hate everything about. . .
YOU!
Carico i commenti... con calma
