• Voto:
Certo, il miglior Van Morrison ce lo siamo giocati più di vent'anni fa (era il 1986 quando uscì "No Guru, No Method, No Teacher"), ed è pur vero che, quel Van Morrison, non tornerà mai più.
Però, è altrettanto vero, che chi ha elargito a piene mani bravura e competenza musicale, non può, tutto un tratto, diventare brocco senza un vero motivo. E dunque, anche quando l'ispirazione fa un pò cilecca, la disciplina tecnico-musicale salta fuori un pò inaspettatamente. È il caso, appunto, di Van Morrison.
L'irlandese autore di capolavori come "Astral Weeks" o "Into the Music", dopo una parentesi autocelebrativa ("A night in San Francisco" è sostanzialmente una celebrazione quasi maniacale di sè stesso e della propria musica), ritorna in sala d'incisione con idee scintillanti e qualche tocco di mestiere. Ne esce "Days Like This", un disco molto interessante, piacevolmente godibile, a cui però manca il vero colpo di genio, quello che trasforma un buon album in un capolavoro.
"Days Like This" appare da subito meno genuino ed effervescente rispetto a dischi, non perfetti ma migliori, come "Beautiful Vision", e il tutto sembra una discreta lezioncina su come si debba concepire la musica nell'epoca del computerismo sofisticato e dell'arte a buon mercato. Insomma, quasi un lavoro di routine, se non fosse per un pugno di brani incisivi e coi fiocchi: "Perfect Fit", "Songwriter", "Raincheck".
Molto r&b, delucidazioni ritmiche niente male, e forse il brano più rappresentativo del Morrison anni Novanta: "Ancient Highway", lunga ballata, quasi epocale, in cui Van Morrison dà sfogo per quasi 9 minuti alla propria incontenibile forza poetica e musicale. Ottimo, come sempre, il contorno musicale: belle ritmiche, suoni eleganti, effervescenti sezioni di fiati arrangiate benissimo (d'altronde, sotto l'occhio esperto di Pee Wee Ellis, non ci si poteva aspettare altro che un buon lavoro). E come sempre, generoso come pochi, Morrison dà spazio a Shana, e la fa duettare con papà in un paio di cover blues/jazz, "I'll never be free" e "You don't know me".
Indubbiamente il disco potrebbe far storcere il naso a tutti quei fans che andavano in delirio ascoltando "Caravan" o "Come Running", ma aspettarsi oggi da Morrison un capolavoro è pressochè impossibile. Assestatosi su un livello decoroso ma non certo epocale, l'artista irlandese cerca, qualche volta riuscendoci, di imbrigliare il proprio pubblico seducendolo con armonie gentili e deliziose, facendo ampio uso di quella furbizia e di quel mestiere che, come ovvio, non gli mancano.
Ma è ammirevole, al di là dei molti difetti riscontrabili in album come appunto "Days Like This", come Van Morrison non cerchi mai di sviare e inseguire le mode, adeguandosi pochissimo (anzi, non adeguandosi mai) ai falsi miti di successo della musica moderna (dance, passaggi radiofonici continui, slang giovanile) e continui, con forza, a ribadire il suo concetto di musica seria e impostata. Magari rischiando di registrare qualche brano un pò inutile, ma ostentando sempre, con forza e sicurezza, la propria inossidabile voglia di non conformizzarsi e non seguire le regole del mercato: gli va sicuramente riconosciuta una coerenza di fondo e una buona dose di coraggio. E non è poco.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
02 Russian Roulette (04:00)
Take it or leave it I've heard it been said
All this Spring fever's just way over my head
Stealing my moments, taking up all my time
It's playing Russian Roulette with my mind
It's none of my business baby just what's going on
I'm not going to wait till somebody throw me a bone
I'm way out on a limb now, and nothing seems to rhyme
It's playing Russian Roulette with my mind
I think that you've caught on, that you've been used and all
I'm going down New Orleans, I've got to see Dr. John
Got my mojo working everything will be fine
Stop playing Russian Roulette with my mind
It's not easy baby when everything starts getting out of control
Hang on your hat now, hang on to your soul
Don't worry baby, I wanna throw you the line
They're playing Russian Roulette with your mind
Too many hustlers, I've been here before
None of them really know just who that you are
Everything gets contracted and space gets confined
They're playing Russian Roulette with your mind
They're playing Russian Roulette
They're playing Russian Roulette
They're playing Russian Roulette with your mind
They're playing Russian Roulette
They're playing Russian Roulette
They're playing Russian Roulette with your mind
03 Raincheck (05:55)
It's not high finance, it's called heart and soul
If it's rock and roll, got to go, go, go, go, go
Gonna keep moving on up to the higher ground
Gonna keep on moving on up, I got to stand my ground
Gonna keep on moving on up, I wanna stick around
Won't let the bastards grind me down
Won't let the bastards grind me down
Won't let the bastards grind me down
Call me raincheck in the afternoon
Call me raincheck, need a shot of rhythm and blues
Call me raincheck, on a golden autumn day
Call me raincheck, I won't fade away, I won't fade away
I don't fade away, I don't fade away, unless I want to
Can't take my love away, ah 'cause it's here to stay
If it fades away, come back another day
Gonna keep on moving on up to the higher ground
Gonna keep on moving on up, I wanna stick around
Gonna keep on moving on up, oh gonna stand my ground
Won't let the bastards grind me down
Won't let the bastards grind me down
Won't let the bastards grind me down
My name is raincheck in the afternoon
My name is raincheck, need a shot of rhythm and blues
My name is raincheck, on a golden autumn day
My name is raincheck, and I don't fade away, I don't fade away
I don't fade away, I don't fade away, unless I want to
Move it up, move it up, move it up, move it up
Move it up, move it up, move it up, move it up
Move it up, move it up, move it up, move it up, move it up
Grind me down, grind me down, grind me down
My name is raincheck in the afternoon
My name is raincheck, need a shot of rhythm and blues
My name is raincheck, on a golden autumn day
My name is raincheck, and I don't fade away, I don't fade away
I don't fade away, I don't fade away, unless I want to
Put on your dancing shoes, dance away your blues
When I'm feeling like this, I got nothing to lose
Wanna keep on moving on up to the higher ground
Wanna keep on moving on up and I'll stick around
Wanna keep on moving on up, got to stand my ground
Won't let the bastards grind me down
Won't let the bastards grind me down
Oh, won't let the bastards grind me down
My name is raincheck in the afternoon
My name is raincheck, need a shot of rhythm and blues
My name is raincheck, on a golden autumn day
My name is raincheck, and I don't fade away, I don't fade away
I don't fade away, I don't fade away, unless I choose
I choose, I choose, I choose
No, I don't fade away, I don't fade away, I don't fade away
Unless I choose, I choose, I choose
I choose, I choose, I choose
I choose, I choose, I choose
I choose, I choose, I choose
I choose, I choose, I choose
No, I won't fade away, I won't fade away, I don't fade away
Unless I want to
07 Songwriter (02:51)
I'm a songwriter and I know just where I stand
I'm a songwriter, pen and paper in my hand
Get the words on the page
Please don't call me a sage,
I'm a songwriter
I'm a songwriter and I do it for a living
I'm a songwriter and I write about men and women
I can write about love and the stars up above
I'm a songwriter
I'm a songwriter and I'm hot on your trail
I'm a songwriter and my cheque's in the mail
I can move with the scene, I can make up a dream
I'm a songwriter
Na na na nana, na na na nana
I'm a songwriter I can do it for certain
I'm a songwriter even do it when I'm hurtin'
And if it comes to the bit, have to write another hit
I'm a songwriter
I'm a songwriter I can put it in words
I'm a songwriter and it's not for the birds
I can spin you a yarn, it's as long as my arm
I'm a songwriter
Na na na nana, na na na nana
I'm a songwriter
Na na na nana, na na na nana
I'm a songwriter
08 Days Like This (03:17)
When it's not always raining there'll be days like this
When there's no one complaining there'll be days like this
When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch
Well my mama told me there'll be days like this
When you don't need to worry there'll be days like this
When no one's in a hurry there'll be days like this
When you don't get betrayed by that old Judas kiss
Oh my mama told me there'll be days like this
When you don't need an answer there'll be days like this
When you don't meet a chancer there'll be days like this
When all the parts of the puzzle start to look like they fit
Then I must remember there'll be days like this
When everyone is up front and they're not playing tricks
When you don't have no freeloaders out to get their kicks
When it's nobody's business the way that you wanna live
I just have to remember there'll be days like this
When no one steps on my dreams there'll be days like this
When people understand what I mean there'll be days like this
When you ring out the changes of how everything is
Well my mama told me there'll be days like this
Oh my mama told me
There'll be days like this
Oh my mama told me
There'll be days like this
Oh my mama told me
There'll be days like this
Oh my mama told me
There'll be days like this
Carico i commenti... con calma
