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Salve a tutti DeBaseriani e non!
Questa volta mi cimento nel recensire un gruppo che ha diviso molto il pubblico Hard & Heavy: i Whitesnake di David Coverdale. L'ex frontman dei Deep Purple formò il suo gruppo nel 1977. Una band dalle sonorità bluesy, genere molto caro al cantante. C'è chi ha definito Coverdale un'icona del Rock, chi invece ha dubitato (e dubita) delle sue qualità canore e chi, d'altro canto, crede che abbia soltanto lucrato sfruttando questo genere. Io credo che Coverdale sia stato molto bravo a districarsi nelle varie epoche del Rock; prima cantando con i Deep Purple nel pieno della rivoluzione Hard Rock, poi (usufruendo della buona dose di celebrità acquisita) si è potuto dedicare al suo stile preferito e più consono alla sua voce, ovvero l'Hard Blues; infine, dalla seconda metà degli anni '80 fino ai giorni nostri, ha appesantito il sound della band per sfruttare la scia lasciata dall'Heavy Metal.
Dopo i primi tre album di discreto (se non buono) successo, nel 1979 viene pubblicato "Lovehunter". Avvalendomi della collaborazione di Wikipedia, scopro la line-up che ha creato questo disco: oltre, ovviamente, a Coverdale, viene confermata la magica coppia Moody-Mardsen; alle tastiere vi è un mostro sacro del Rock, quel Jon Lord che reso famoso il suo amico David; al basso Neil Murray e alla batteria Dave Dowle (durerà poco, verrà sostituito da un altro ex purple: Ian Paice).
L'album si apre con "Long Way From Home", un brano dalle sonorità tipiche della fine degli anni '70, molto commerciale, sia per il sound che per il coro formato nel ritornello dai tre strumentisti delle 4 e 6 corde.
La seconda traccia, invece, è una delle più famose del repertorio Whitesnake: "Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues", canzone che Coverdale dedica a se stesso e alla sua passione: il Blues. Il ritmo di questa song è incalzante, molto deciso e si sente anche il primo assolo dell'album da parte di Bernie Mardsen, davvero importante anche il contribuoto di Jon Lord: un vero capolavoro.
C'è spazio anche per una cover ben eseguita di Leon Russell: "Help Me Thro' The Day". L'album prosegue con una serie di canzoni Hard Blues molto orecchiabili e ben suonate come "Medicine Man" (ottimo il riff di Mardsen), "You 'N' Me", la veloce "Mean Business",tutti brani che mettono in mostra i virtuosismi tecnici dei musicisti e il loro affiatamento.
Merita qualche parola in più invece, la title-track: "Lovehunter". Irriverente come al solito nei testi (che trattano spesso di donne, come in questo caso, di vita on the road e di sbronze), e con uno stile molto Southern Rock, questa canzone è senza dubbio la migliore dell'album. Sottolinavo suono Southern perchè è riuscitissimo l'apporto dato da quel genio di Micky Moody e dalla sua slide guitar e che verrà ancor più valorizzata nei live, rendendola un must di ogni concerto dell'epoca. Ottimo lavoro, ragazzi!
Dopo aver ascoltato la commerciale "Outlaw" e la rockeggiante "Rock 'N' Roll Women" (nome omen), gli Snakes si congedano con una ballad dedicata a coloro che sicuramente sono il pilastro della musica in generale: i fans. "We Wish You Well" è la giusta conclusione per un ottimo album, che consacra una band formata da ottimi musicisti che portano avanti un genere come l'Hard Blues molto vivace e allegro, ma da non sottovalutare per niente.
Grazie per l'attenzione, un saluto ai DeLettori, I Wish You Well!
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Long Way From Home (04:57)
I would do anything I could to be near you,
Walk all night in the pouring rain
To be at your side
My heart is aching for love,
My body's shaking with desire
Believe me, baby, when I say
I will drink you dry
I would do anything to be near you,
You're everything any man could claim
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, it's a long long way from home,
I'm just trying to get a message to you,
It's a long long way from home,
An' I don't know what I'm gonna do
I'd been looking for love for so long when I found you,
Too many years I walked alone
When I touch you inside I feel you burning me with fire,
Believe me baby when I say
I will feed the flame
I would do anything to be near you,
Walk all night in the pouring rain
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, it's a long long way from home,
I'm just trying to get a message to you,
It's a long long way from home,
An' I don't know what I'm gonna do
I would do anything to be near you,
You're everything any man could claim
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, it's a long long way from home,
I'm just trying to get a message to you,
It's a long long way from home,
An' I don't know what I'm gonna do
I would do anything I could to be near you,
Check in on any night time flight, I don't mind
My heart is aching for love,
My body's shaking with desire
Believe me baby when I say
I will drink you dry
I would do anything to be near you,
Walk all night in the pouring rain
I see your face in the night,
I hear you calling my name
But, it's a long long way from home,
I'm just trying to get a message to you,
It's a long long way from home,
An' I don't know what I'm gonna do
It's a long long way from home,
I'm just trying to get a message to you,
It's a long long way from home,
An' I don't know what I'm gonna do,
It's a long long way from home
02 Walking in the Shadow of the Blues (04:26)
I love the blues,
They tell my story,
If you don't feel it you can never understand
So many times I thought about it
And now I know just what it means to be a man
Everyday I realize you can see it in my eyes
I never wait, or hesitate.
'Cos I love the life I live,
I'm gonna live the life I choose,
You gotta understand
I'm walking in the shadow of the blues
All of my life I've had the same reputation,
I've been the black sheep of the family all along
I never know if in my heart I'm really guilty
But, I've been accused of never knowing right from wrong
Everyday I realize you can see it in my eyes
I never wait, or hesitate.
'Cos I love the life I live,
I'm gonna live the life I choose,
You gotta understand
I'm walking in the shadow of the blues
My father said you're crazy,
He said what you gonna do?
I left with my guitar and said
I'll leave it up to you
I'm gonna live the life I love
And live the life I choose,
And I'm walking in the shadow of the blues
I love the blues,
They tell my story,
If you don't feel it I will tell you once again
All of my life I've been caught up in a crossfire,
'Cos I've been branded with the devil mark of cain
Everyday I realize you can see it in my eyes
I never wait, or hesitate.
'Cos I love the life I live,
I'm gonna live the life I choose,
You gotta understand
I'm walking in the shadow of the blues,
I'm walking in the shadow of the blues
04 Medicine Man (04:03)
(Coverdale)
You never leave her alone,
I can see you never learn
When you're playing with fire,
You get your fingers burned
There ain't no use in crying,
Baby don't delay,
You can call your doctor,
I'll be there right away
I'm the medicine man,
Your doctor of love
Medicine man,
Doctor of love
When there's a feeling inside,
That just can't be denied,
I will be your medicine man
Now don't you ever worry,
If you feel the fever rise,
You'll never fool nobody,
When there's fire in your eyes
There ain't no use denying,
When you need it deep inside
You've got your witch doctor
To keep you satisfied
I'm the medicine man,
Your doctor of love
Medicine man,
Doctor of love
When there's a feeling inside,
That just can't be denied,
I will be your medicine man.
You never leave her alone,
I can see you never learn
When you're playing with fire,
You get your fingers burned
There ain't no use in crying,
Baby don't delay,
You can call your doctor,
I'll be there right away
I'm the medicine man,
Your doctor of love
Medicine man,
Doctor of love
When there's a feeling inside,
That just can't be denied,
I will be your medicine man
Your doctor of love
I'm medicine man,
Doctor of love...
06 Mean Business (03:49)
(Coverdale/Moody/Marsden/Murray/Dowle)
You're taking a walk on the wild side
If you're gonna take a chance with me,
I'm gonna make you take a look on the inside
And you might not like what you see
So don't you knock on my door
If you don't want an answer
Or gimme a beat
If you don't want a dancer
I've got my love gun loaded,
I've got you in my sight,
I never take no for an answer,
So you'd better say yes tonight
I told you the score
Right from the start,
You'll never get to heaven
If you break my heart
So if you don't mean business
Knock on someone else's door,
'Cos it's a mean mean business
Staying alive if you fool with me
You say you want my money,
I say you've got no sense,
If you just want to bleed me dry
Stay on your side of the fence
No mercy you can see
'Cos seven to eleven made a fool out of me
So if you don't mean business
Knock on someone else's door,
'Cos it's a mean mean business
Staying alive if you fool with me
You're taking a walk on the wild side
If you're gonna take a chance with me,
I'm gonna make you take a look on the inside
And you might not like what you see
So don't you knock on my door
If you don't want an answer
Or gimme a beat
If you don't want a dancer
So if you don't mean business
Knock on someone else's door,
'Cos it's a mean mean business
Staying alive if you fool with me...
08 Outlaw (04:05)
(Coverdale/Lord/Marsden)
When I left my home
I was not much more than a child,
My mother started crying
She knew that I was born to be wild
'Cos I was looking for the bright lights of the big city,
A red hot town where the girls are pretty
I took to the highway,
Chasing my dream down the line
Heading out for trouble,
Never finding my peace of mind
'Cos I been run out of town so many times before
An' usually kind of places where I can't go back no more
Outlaw - born outside of the law,
Just another outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
I never find it easy trying to keep the feeling alive,
I've always been a dreamer,
Dreamers find it hard to survive
When they're living in the bright lights of the big city,
A red hot town where the girls are pretty
Outlaw - born outside of the law,
Just another outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
Outlaw - born outside of the law,
Just another outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
Outlaw - born outside of the law,
Just another outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
Born outside of the law,
Just another outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
Outlaw, outlaw,
Man on the run will always take chances for fun
09 Rock 'n' Roll Women (04:48)
I'm goin' looking for a woman
With the night in her eyes
Someone to take all the small talk
And laugh at the lies
A high heeled double trouble backstage queen
Who gets what she wants
And knows where she's been
Alright show your hand
I'm looking for the promise of a one night stand
So I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
You can see in my face
Just what I'm hoping to find
I want a twelve bar beauty
With a one track mind
I don't drive babe, but, I can steer
We got the green light let's get out of here
Alright show your hand
I'm looking for the promise of a one night stand
So I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
I said I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
When I saw you across the floor
I could feel I wanted more
I get lonely in the night
I would do anything, anything you say
Do anything to take the pain away
So those lonely nights will be alright
Don't worry honey, we can put out the light
I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
I said I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
So I'm looking for a woman who got no shame
'Cos in the morning there'll be no one to blame
A high heeled double trouble backstage queen
Who gets what she wants and knows where she's been
Alright show your hand
I'm looking for the promise of a one night stand
So I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
I said I'm going looking for those rock 'n' roll women tonight
Rock 'n' roll women, rock 'n' roll women
Rock 'n' roll women gonna steal my heart away
Rock 'n' roll women, I said rock 'n' roll women
I said rock 'n' roll women gonna steal my heart away
Rock 'n' roll women
Talkin' 'bout rock 'n' roll women, rock 'n' roll women
Rock 'n' roll women gonna steal my heart away
Rock 'n' roll women, rock 'n' roll women
I said rock 'n' roll women gonna steal my heart away
10 We Wish You Well (01:34)
I'm sad to say
It's time to go
But until we meet again along the road
Remember this, on your journey home
When you hear the thunder roar, your not alone
We wish you well
We wish you well
In times of trouble, may your heart be strong
We wish you well
We wish you well
Until we meet again
We wish you well
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