• Voto:
Il pregiudizio negativo sulla musica degli anni '80 è davvero duro a morire. Non pochi sono soliti pensare che una certa temperie culturale (comprendente il reaganismo, lo yuppismo, la "Milano da bere", oltre ad un certo qual riflusso disimpegnante) abbia ammorbato a tal punto la società dell'epoca che anche i prodotti artistici, in primis la musica pop, ne siano usciti inevitabilmente compromessi. Tale generalizzazione, che dà conto solo di un lato dello sfaccettato decennio, si rivela fallace non appena si passa ad elencare i numerosi ottimi lavori prodotti in quel bistrattato periodo, non inferiori, sia per qualità che per quantita, ad altre decadi, eccezion fatta per gli anni '60. Chi fosse ancora titubante ed è alla ricerca di conferme all'opinabile tesi del modesto recensore, può senz'altro prendere in considerazione i lavori degli anni '80 degli XTC, partendo proprio da "Skylarking".
Il gruppo guidato dal geniale Andy Partridge, aggettivo adoperato, in questo caso, in modo non iperbolico, si è sempre distinto, fin dal debutto, per il suo pop fantasioso, brillante, psichedelico, ironico. In "Skylarking" queste caratteristiche vengono esaltate da un produttore d'eccezione, il "mago" Todd Rundgren, che riesce a tirar fuori dalla band il meglio, pur avendo avuto con i suoi membri non pochi contrasti e divergenze durante la registrazione del lavoro.
Partridge, Moulding e compagni continuano proprio laddove Lennon - McCartney avevano consensualmente interrotto il loro discorso musicale, cercando però di approfondire soprattutto, tra le tante prolifiche vene dei Fab Four, la più folle e visionaria, quella di "Yellow Submarine", di "Sgt.Pepper's", per intenderci. Ma non ci sono solo i Beatles con le loro marsine variopinte a presenziare; anche il Brian Wilson più umbratile e melanconico fa capolino, l'autore di "Pet Sound", l'artista con i prodromi del "male oscuro" che lo attanaglierà per gran parte dell'esistenza, che ha messo da un pezzo nello sgabuzzino l'odiato surf. Su questa nobile linea "beachbeatlesiana" ( ma, attenzione, non siamo di fronte semplicemente a degli ottimi epigoni) si attesta la triade iniziale dell'album "Summers Cauldron", "Grass", "The Meeting Place", con atmosfere bucoliche e sognanti.
Nell'album vi sono, però, altre songs memorabili e anche altri riferimenti perfettamente "metabolizzati". "1000 Umbrellas" è il r'n'b che non ti aspetti, con le sghembe armonie degli archi e la duttile voce di Andy a rincorrersi. "Season Cycle" è scanzonata, solare, con cori a metà tra i Beach Boys, ancora loro, e CSN & Y. "The Big Day" è puro flower power, psichedelia masticata fino al punto da poter produrre questo bubblegum dai colori dell'iride, davvero un piccolo portento. Ma c'è anche l'incedere ipnotico e sinuoso di "Another Satellite", che sarebbe potuta entrare nel repertorio dei Joy Division se al nero Curtis avesse preferito le tinte pastello. Ci sono anche incursioni nel jazz, fuso con il pop più deviante, come nel caso di "Mermeid Smailed", o più regolare, quasi gershiwiniano, come nella sincopata "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul", titolo che è già tutto un programma. Si chiude con Moulding che dà sfogo al suo radicale scetticismo nel suggestivo crescendo acustico di "Dear God", b-side del singolo "Grass" e non presente nell'ellepi originale, ma inserito a furor di popolo nel cd.
Sono questi gli anni '80 che andrebbero (ri)scoperti; la prospettiva, soprattutto dei più giovani, potrebbe cambiare.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
02 Grass (03:05)
Laying on the grass my heart it flares like fire
The way you slap my face just fills me with desire
You play hard to get
'Cause you're teacher's pet
But when the boats have gone
We'll take a tumble excuse for a fumble
Shocked me too the things we used to do on grass
If you fancy we can buy an ice-cream cone
Your mate has gone She didn't want to be alone
I will pounce on you
Just us and the Cuckoos
You are helpless now
Over and over we flatten the clover
Shocked me too the things we used to do on grass
It would shock you too the things we used to do on grass
Grass, grass.
Things we did on grass
03 The Meeting Place (03:14)
Meet you in the secret place
Scuffling in the dirt I wait
Whistle will blow, whistle will blow,
Share a joke the laugh's on me
But when I get you on your own we'll see
Someone might hear, someone might hear
You're a working girl now
You've got money of your own
Hmmm The meeting place
Hmmm The meeting place
Strolling under grimey skies
Machines that make you kiss in time
Smoke on your breath, smoke on your breath
Chimney never looked so good
Never looked the way it should
From lying in the bracken wood
Coat on the ground, coat on the ground
Take a walk down the lane
We'll be late back again
Hmmm The meeting place
Hmmm The meeting place
05 Ballet for a Rainy Day (02:53)
Orange and lemon
Raincoats roll and tumble
Together, just liked fruit tipped from a tray
Pineapple wet heads
Watch new hairdos crumble
As scenery sunlight shifts away
Ballet for a rainy day
Silent film of melting miracle play
Apples and cherries
Are varnished in water
Despite, striped awnings bright dismay
I push my paintbrush
To conjure a new world
While this one is slowly washed away
Ballet for a rainy day
Silent film of melting miracle play
Dancing out there through my window
To the backdrop of a slow descending grey
When it rains it rains
All the colors in my paintbox
When it rains it rains
Tickets for the front row seats
Up on the rooftops
Orange and lemon
Raincoats roll and tumble
apples and cherries
Together, dropped in diamond disarray
Ballet for a rainy day
Silent film of melting miracle play
Dancing out there through my window
Behind the curtain silver falling
Ballet for a rainy day
Silent film of melting miracle play
Dancing out there through my window
To the backdrop of a slow descending grey
06 1000 Umbrellas (03:41)
One thousand umbrellas
Upturned couldn't catch all the rain
That drained out of my head
When you said we were
Over and over I cried
'Til I floated downstream
To a town they call
Misery oh oh misery
Misery oh oh misery
And one million teacups
I bet couldn't hold all the wet
That fell out of my eyes
When you fell out with me
Now I'm crawling the wallpaper
That's looking more like a roadmap
To misery oh oh misery
How can you smile and forecast
Weather's getting better
And you'll soon forget her
If you let the sunshine come through
How can you smile and forecast
Weather's getting better
If you never let a girl rain all over you
And just when I thought that my vista was golden in hue
One thousand umbrellas opened to spoil the view
One million salt seas
Recalled from school atlas
Alas would be filled to the brim
Sunny Jim couldn't jump it
How can I be pleased
When I'm handed the keys
To a town they call Misery
Oh oh Misery
So with a mop and a bucket
I'll just say forget her
And carry on sweeping up
Where I've been weeping
The Jesters will creep in
To strike down the newly crowned Monarch
Of Misery oh oh Misery
How can you smile and forecast
Weather's getting better
And you'll soon forget her
If you let the sunshine come through
How can you smile and forecast
Weather's getting better
If you never let a girl rain all over you
Just when I thought that my skies were a June July blue
One thousand umbrellas opened
Two thousand umbrellas opened
Ten thousand umbrellas opened to spoil the view
07 Season Cycle (03:21)
Season cycle moving round and round
Pushing life up from a cold dead ground
It's growing green
It's growing green, well
Darling don't you ever stop to wonder
About the clouds about the hail and thunder
'Bout the baby and its umbilical
Who's pushing the pedals on the season cycle?
Summer chased by Autumn
Autumn chased by Winter
season cycle go from death to life
Winter chased by Springtime
bring a harvest or a man his wife
Springtime's turning
it's growing green
It's growing green, well
Darling, don't you ever sit and ponder
darling did you ever think
About the building of the hills a yonder
all this life stuff's closely linked
Where we're going in this verdant spiral
Who's pushing the pedals on the season cycle?
Round and round and round and round
I really get confused on who would make all this
is there a God in Heaven
Everybody says join our religion get to Heaven
I say no thanks why bless my soul
I'm already there!
Autumn is Royal
As Spring is clown
But to repaint Summer
They're closing Winter down
Darling don't you ever stop to wonder
darling did you ever think
About the clouds about the hail and thunder
all this life stuff's closely linked
About the baby and its umbilical
Who's pushing the pedals on the season cycle?
Season cycle
Darling, don't you ever sit and ponder
darling did you ever think
About the building of the hills a yonder
all this life stuff's closely linked
Where we're going in the verdant spiral
Who's pushing the pedals on the season cycle?
08 Earn Enough for Us (02:54)
I've been praying all the week through
At home, at work and on the bus
I've been praying I can keep you
And to earn enough for us
I can take humiliation
And hurtful comments from the boss
I'm just praying by the weekend
I can earn enough for us
Found a house that won't repair itself
With it's windows cracking
And a roof held together with holes
Just because we're at the bottom of the ladder
We shouldn't be sadder
Than others like us
Who have goals for the betterment of life
Glad that you want to be my wife, but honest
I've been praying all the week through
At home at work and on the bus
I've been praying I can keep you
And to earn enough for us
So you're saying that we're going to be three
Now, a father's what I'll be
Don't get me wrong, I'm so proud
But the belt's already tight
I'll get another job at night, but honest
I can take humiliation
And hurtful comments from the boss
I'm just praying by the weekend
I can earn enough for us
Just because we're at the bottom of the ladder
We shouldn't be sadder
Than others like us
Who have goals for the betterment of life
Glad that you want to be my wife, but honest
I can take humiliation
And hurtful comments from the Boss
I'm just praying by the weekend
I can earn enough for us
I can earn enough for us
10 Another Satellite (04:16)
My heart is taken it's not lost in space
And I don't want to see your mooney mooney face
I say why on earth do you revolve around me
Aren't you aware of the gravity
Don't need another satellite
I'm happy standing on my feet of clay
I have no wish to swim your milky milky way
I say why on earth do you send your letters 'round here
Only to gum up the atmosphere
Don't need another satellite
So circling we'll orbit another year
Two worlds that won't collide
So circling we'll orbit another year
Moon still tries to steal the tide away
Don't need another satellite
Don't need another satellite
Abort your mission let's just say you tried
Before you glimpse I have a darker darker side
I say why in Heaven's name do you come on these trips
Only to freeze in a total eclipse
Don't need another satellite
So circling we'll orbit another year
Two worlds that won't collide
So circling we'll orbit another year
Moon still tries to steal the tide away
Don't need another satellite
Don't need another satellite
12 Dear God (03:34)
Dear God,
Hope you got the letter,
And I pray you can make it better down here.
I don't mean a big reduction in the price of beer,
But all the people that you made in your image,
See them starving on their feet,
'Cause they don't get enough to eat
From God,
I can't believe in you.
Dear God,
sorry to disturb you,
but I feel that I should be heard loud and clear.
We all need a big reduction in amount of tears,
And all the people that you made in your image,
See them fighting in the street,
'Cause they can't make opinions meet,
About God,
I can't believe in you.
Did you make disease, and the diamond blue?
Did you make mankind after we made you?
And the devil too!
Dear God,
Don't know if you noticed,
But your name is on a lot of quotes in this book.
Us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look,
And all the people that you made in your image,
Still believing that junk is true.
Well I know it ain't and so do you,
Dear God,
I can't believe in,
I don't believe in,
I won't believe in heaven and hell.
No saints, no sinners,
No Devil as well.
No pearly gates, no thorny crown.
You're always letting us humans down.
The wars you bring, the babes you drown.
Those lost at sea and never found,
And it's the same the whole world 'round.
The hurt I see helps to compound,
that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
Is just somebody's unholy hoax,
And if you're up there you'll perceive,
That my heart's here upon my sleeve.
If there's one thing I don't believe in...
It's you,
Dear God.
13 Dying (02:25)
It frightens me when you come to mind
The day you dropped in the shopping line
And my heart beats faster when I think of all the signs
When they carried you out your mouth was open wide
The cat went astray and the dog did pine for days and days
And we felt so guilty when we played you up
When you were ill, so ill
What sticks in my mind is the sweet jar
On the sideboard. And your multicolored tea cosy
What sticks in my mind is the dew-drop hanging off your nose
Shrivelled up and blue
And I'm getting older, too
But I don't want to die like you
Don't want to die like you
14 Sacrificial Bonfire (03:45)
Fire they cried
So evil must die
And yields are good
So men pull back hoods and smile
The scapegoat blood spilled
Spittled and grilled it crackled and spat
And children grew fat on the meat
Change must be earnt
Sacrificial bonfire must burn
Burn up the old
Bring in the new
Burn up the old
Bring in the new
Assembled on high
Silhouette against the sky
The smoke prayed and pranced
And sparks did their dance in the wind
Disguises wore thin with less and less skin
And the clothes that were draped
Was all that told man from ape
Change must be earnt
Sacrificial bonfire must reign
Reign over good
Banish the bad
Oh,Reign over good
Banish the bad, oh, ohh
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