Leonard Cohen "New Skin For The Old Ceremony"

Columbia 1974 CAN

Prodotto da: John Lissauer

Grafica di copertina: Teresa Alfieri

Missato ai: Sound Ideas Studios

Tutti i brani sono composti da Leonard Cohen

LATO A: 1. Is This What You Wanted 2. Chelsea Hotel #2 3. Lover Lover Lover 4. Field Commander Cohen 5. Why Don't You Try

LATO B: 1. There Is A War 2. A Singer Must Die 3. I Tried To Leave You 4. Who By Fire 5. Take This Longing 6. Leaving Green Sleeves

Musicisti: Leonard Cohen - chitarra, scacciapensieri, voce; Jeff Layton - Banjo, mandolino, chitarra, tromba; Don Payne, John Miller - basso; Roy Markowitz - batteria; Barry Lazarowitz - batteria e percussioni; Ralph Gibson - chitarra; Armen Halburian - percussioni; Gerard Chamberlain - trombone; Lewis Furey - viola; Emily Bindiger, Erin Dickins, Gail Kantor, Janis Ian - voci di accompagnamento; John Lissauer - fiati, tastiere, voce; John Lissauer - arrangiamento

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• Note: L'immagine in copertina è una rappresentazione simbolica del coniunctio spirituum. E' stata illustrata per la prima volta nel 1550 nel "Rosararium Philosophorum". 

Roy Ayers "West Coast Vibes"

United Artists 1963 USA

Prodotto da: Leonard Feather

Registrato agli: Western Recorders, Los Angeles

Musicisti: Roy Ayers - vibrafono; Jack Wilson - piano; Curtis Amy - sassofono tenore e soprano; Bill Plumber & Vic Gaskin - basso; Tony Bazley & Kenny Dennis - batteria

LATO A: 1. Sound And Sense (Roy Ayers) 2. Days Of Wine And Roses (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) 3. Reggie Of Chester (Benny Golson) 4. It Could Happen To You (Burke, Van Heusen) 5. Donna Lee (Charlie Parker)

LATO B: 1. Ricardo's Dilemma (Roy Ayers) 2. Romeo (Leonard Feather)  3. Out Of Sight (Jackie Wilson) 4. Young And Foolish (Albert Hague, Arnold Horwitt) 5. Well, You Needn't (Thelonious Monk)

David Bowie "The rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars"

RCA 1972 UK

LATO A: 1. Five Years (David Bowie) 2. Soul Love (David Bowie) 3. Moonage Daydream (David Bowie) 4. Starman (David Bowie) 5. It Ain't Easy (Ron Davies)
LATO B: 1. Lady Stardust (David Bowie) 2. Star (David Bowie) 3. Hang On To Yourself (David Bowie) 4. Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie) 5. Suffragette City (David Bowie) 6. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide (David Bowie)

Flatt & Scruggs "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" 

1965 Ryman Auditorium

Flatt & Scruggs "Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs with The Foggy Mountain Boys 

Mercury 1959 USA

Lato A: 1. I'll Never Shed Another Tear (Lester Flatt) 2. Baby blue eyes (Jim Eanes) 3. So happy I'll be (Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs) 4. Will the roses bloom (where she lies sleeping) (The Bevins Brothers) 5. I'll never love another (Lester Flatt) 6. I'm going to make heaven my home (Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs)

Lato B: 1. Is it too late now? (Lester Flatt) 2. That little old country church house (Traditional) 3. Pain in my heart (Bobby Osborne, Larry Richardson) 4. Back to the cross (Jessie Mae Martin) 5. Cora is gone (Odell McLeod) 6. Foggy mountain breakdown

Musicisti: Lester Flatt - chitarra; Earl Scruggs - banjo

ХХ Партсъезд

Little Walter Jacobs "Southern Feeling - Volume Two 1953-1963"

Le Roi Du Blues 1978 USA

Lato A: 1. Can't Stop Loving You 2. Last Boogie 3. Little Girl 4. Come Back Baby 5. Southern Feeling 6. One Of These Mornings 7. Beggin' And Pleadin? 

Lato B:  1. I Love You So 2. You Gonna Be Sorry 3. Fast Boogie 4. Temperature 5. You Don't Know 6. Walkin' On 7. Dead Presidents 8. Cobella

John Lee Hooker "Tupelo (Black Water Blues)"

(James C. Bracken, John Lee Hooker)

Il brano, tragica testimonianza dell'inondazione di Tupelo, nel Mississippi, nell'aprile del '36, è tratto dall'album "The Country Blues Of John Lee Hooker" (USA 1960 Riverside) ma è stato inserito anche nel LP "Tupelo Blues" (USA 1962 Riverside).

Testo:

Did you read about the flood? 
A long time ago, in a country town, in Tupelo, Mississippi 
It rained and it rained, it rained both night and day 
The people got worried, they had no place to go. And no one taind the lord but you

...........

Save me save me from the muddy flood

There were women and there was children, screaming and crying, 
"Lord ..... but you?

please ....

the country town,Tupelo, Mississippi 

Tupelo is gone

Marianne Faithfull

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy "Bonnie 'Prince' Billy"

2013 USA

autoprodotto

Tutti i brani sono composti da Will Oldham

Lato A: 1. I Heard Of A Source 2. Lessons From Stony 3. Triumph Of Will 4. I Will Be Born Again 5. Make It Not An Evil Mark 

Lato B: 1. The Spotted Pig 2. This Is My Cocktail 3. Bad Man 4. Ending It All (As I Do) 5. Royal Quiet Deluxe

Musicisti: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - voce, chitarra

Recensione:

Un nuovo album di Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, strano! Avrà un calo di ispirazione stavolta... e invece no.

Il nostro, che ha all'attivo un nutrito numero di dischi e di EP e gareggia per la discografia più complessa della musica, non sbaglia il colpo neanche stavolta e con quest' omonimo album, totalmente acustico, autoregistrato, autoprodotto e autodistribuito in pochi negozi degli Stati Uniti (quasi introvabile quindi), sforna, a mio avviso, il suo lavoro più bello ed ispirato, forse anche superiore ai già superbi "The Letting Go" (2006), "Lie Down In The Light" (2008) e "Beware" (2009).

 Stile personalissimo e voce tra le più emozionanti degli ultimi anni, pur rimanendo in territori folk non certo nuovi o sperimentali, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy mette in scaletta una sequenza di pezzi da brividi, soprattutto nel secondo lato.

I testi sono in prima persona, pessimisti e strazianti come di consueto (in contrasto con l'autoironia del personaggio e dei suoi video): Il disco è breve, intenso e, se possibile, forse per la nudità dei brani, ancora più intimista del solito. Un disco destinato a durare. 

Tra le tracce spiccano la quasi sussurrata "I will be born again", "The spotted pig", cupa e solare al tempo stesso, "Ending it all (as I do)", da brividi, e la conclusiva "Royal quiet deluxe", divisa in due parti. 

Non perdetelo in concerto; credetemi, uno spettacolo, per pochi forse, ma fortunati.

Grande musica!

T. Rex "Dandy In The Underworld" - 1977
Testo e musica: Marc Bolan

Prince of Players, Pawn of none
Born with steel reins on the heart of the Sun
Gypsy explorer of the New Jersey Heights
Exalted companion of cocaine nights 

'Cos he's a Dandy in the Underworld
Dandy in the Underworld
When will he come up for air,
Will anybody ever care 

At an old eighteen exiled he was
To the deserted kingdoms of a mythical Oz
Distraction he wanted, to destruction he fell
Now he forever stalks the ancient
Mansions of hell

'Cos he's a Dandy in the Underworld
Dandy in the Underworld
When will he come up for air,
Will anybody ever care

Now his lovers have left him
And his youth's ill spent
He cries in the dungeons and tries to repent
But change is a monster and changing is hard
But he'll freeze away his summers in his
Underground yard
'Cos he's a Dandy in the Underworld
Dandy in the Underworld
When will he come up for air,
Will anybody ever care

Roxy Music "Virginia Plain/The Numberer" - 45 giri - 1972

Testo e musica: Bryan Ferry

Make me a deal and make it straight 
All signed and sealed, i´ll take it 
To robert e. lee i´ll show it 
I hope and pray he don´t blow it ´cause 
We´ve been around a long time just try try try tryin´ to 
Make the big time... 
Take me on a roller coaster 
Take me for an airplane ride 
Take me for a six days wonder but don´t you 
Don´t you throw my pride aside besides 
What´s real and make believe 
Baby jane´s in acapulco we are flyin´ down to rio 

Throw me a line i´m sinking fast 
Clutching at straws can´t make it 
Havana sound we´re trying hard edge the hipster jiving 
Last picture shows down the drive-in 
You´re so sheer you´re so chic 
Teenage rebel of the week 
Flavours of the mountain steamline 
Midnight blue casino floors 
Dance the cha-cha through till sunrise 
Open up exclusive doors oh wow! 
Just like flamingos look the same 
So me and you, just we two got to search for something new 
Far beyond the pale horizon 
Some place near the desert strand 
Where my studebaker takes me 
That´s where i´ll make my stand but wait 
Can´t you see that holzer mane? 
What´s her name virginia plain

"Virginia Plain" è stato il primo singolo dei Roxy Music (sul lato B si trovava "The Numberer", uno strumentale composto da Andy Mackay). Entrò nella Top 10 nel Regno Unito raggiungendo il numero 4.
Il brano non era incluso nella prima versione del disco di debutto, Roxy Music, e non era stata ancora realizzata quando l'album uscì. Dopo il successo del disco in Gran Bretagna, "Virginia Plain" fu inclusa nelle successive ristampe.
 Nel 1977, fu ri-realizzata come singolo, insieme a "Pyjamarama", originiaramente il secondo singolo dei Roxy Music, per promuovere il loro album "Greatest Hits", e raggiunse la posizione numero #11.
"Virginia Plain" vede al basso Rik Kenton, che si unì alla band dopo la dipartita di Graham Simpson. E' da evidenziare nella canzona la mancanza del ritornello e per il sintetizzatore di Brian Eno.
Il titolo "Virginia Plain" prende il nome da un quadro di Brian Ferry, che era stato studente alla scuola d'arte. Il dipinto rappresentava delle immagini del marchio di sigarette omonimo e la superstar Baby Jane Holzer di Andy Wahrol. Holzer è infatti citata nel testo: "Baby Jane's in Acapulco / We are flying down to Rio".

Talking Heads "More Songs About Buildings And Food"

Sire 1978 USA

Prodotto da Brian Eno & Talking Heads

Copertina: 529 polaroids di Jimmy de Sana - Concept: David Byrne

Lato A: 1. Thank you for sending me an angel (David Byrne) 2. With our love (David Byrne) 3. The good thing (David Byrne) 4. Warning sign (David Byrne, Chris Frantz) 5. The girls want to be with the girls (David Byrne) 6. Found a job (David Byrne)

Lato B: 1. Artists only (David Byrne, Wayne Zieve) 2. I'm not in love (David Byrne) 3. Stay hungry (David Byrne, Chris Frantz) 4. Take me to the river (Al Green, Mabon Hodges) 5. The big country (David Byrne)

Musicisti: David Byrne - voce, chitarra, percussioni sintetizzate; Chris Frantz - batteria e percussioni; Jerry Harrison - piano, organo, sintetizzatore, chitarra, cori; Tina Weymouth - basso; Brian Eno - sintetizzatore, piano, chitarra, percussioni, cori.

Kat Onoma "La Chambre" - 1995

Dans ma chambre vous croqueriez une pomme petite vous tremperiez
Dans le thé des langues de chat
En silence
Et après le débat comme dit Casanova
Fronçant les sourcils vous diriez
C'est bizarre

Car vous n'auriez qu'un mot à dire
Dans la rue la journée
Pour vous servir d'acolyte j'aurais mon parapluie qui sait?

Dans ma chambre vous croqueriez une pomme petite vous tremperiez
Dans le thé des langues de chat
En silence
Et après le débat comme dit Casanova
Fronçant les sourcils vous diriez
Ç'a été?

Car vous n'auriez qu'un mot à dire
Dans la rue la journée
Si seulement il vous en disait

Simon & Garfunkel "Bookends"

Columbia 1968 USA

prodotto da Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel e Roy Halee

fotografia di copertina: Richard Avedon

Lato A: 1. Bookends Theme (strumentale) (Paul Simon) 2. Save the Life of My Child (Paul Simon) 3. America (Paul Simon) 4. Overs (Paul Simon) 5. Voices of Old People (Art Garfunkel) 6. Old Friends (Paul Simon) 7. Bookends (Paul Simon) 

Lato B: Fakin' It (Paul Simon) 2. Punky's Dilemma (Paul Simon) 3. Mrs. Robinson (Paul Simon) 4. A Hazy Shade Of Winter (Paul Simon) 5. At The Zoo (Paul Simon)

Musicisti:  Paul Simon - voce, chitarra; Art Garfunkel - voce; Hal Blaine - percussioni; Joe Osborn - basso elettrico; Larry Knetchel - pianoforte, tastiere; Jimmie Haskell - arrangiatore

Eric Clapton "Sign Language" - 1976
Testo e musica: Bob Dylan

You speak to me in sign languageAs I'm eating a sandwich in a small cafeAt a quarter to threeBut I can't respond to your sign languageYou're taking advantage, bringing me downCan't you make any sound?It was there by the bakery, surrounded by fakeryThis is my story, still I'm still thereDoes she know I still care?Link Wray was playing on a jukebox, I was payingFor the words I was saying, so misunderstoodHe didn't do me no goodYou speak to me in sign languageAs I'm eating a sandwich in a small cafeAt a quarter to threeBut I can't respond to your sign languageYou're taking advantage, bringing me downCan't you make any sound?

Junior Wells

Junior Wells

Junior Wells

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy "I See A Darkness" - 2012

Well, you're my friend, (that's what you told me)
And can you see (what's inside of me)
Many times we've been out drinking
And many times we've shared our thoughts
But did you ever, ever notice, the kind of thoughts I got
Well you know I have a love, a love for everyone I know
And you know I have a drive to live I won't let go
But could you see its opposition comes arising up sometimes
That its dreadful antiposition comes blacking in my mind

And then I see a darkness
And then I see a darkness
And then I see a darkness
And then I see a darkness
And did you know how much I love you
Is a hope that somehow you, you
Can save me from this darkness

Well I hope that someday buddy
We have peace in our lives
Together or apart
Alone or with our wives
And we can stop our whoring
And pull the smiles inside
And light it up forever
And never go to sleep
My best unbeaten brother
This isn't all I see

Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
Oh no, I see a darkness
And did you know how much I love you
Is a hope that somehow you, you
Can save me from this darkness