domingo, 29 de enero de 2012

Nº8 : TERRY JACKS "Seasons in the Sun" (1973)

El cantante, compositor y productor canadiense TERRY JACKS es el protagonista de hoy. Este tema, que siempre desde que lo descubrí, me ha acompañado en los buenos momentos,  "Seasons in the Sun", estaba incluido en el álbum o Lp lanzado con el mismo título en 1973, y que, posteriormente en sencillo o single, fué un bombazo mundial al año siguiente 1974, eso es, Nº1 en Estados Unidos e Inglaterra por citar los mercados más importantes. Aquí en España, asimismo, es un gran éxito.
Terry Jacks, metido en tareas ecologistas, aún sigue en activo en el mundo de la música, pero será muy difícil que consiga igualar o superar a su canción estrella y que ya forma parte de la colección de Oro de muchos aficionados.

LA LETRA

Goodbye to you my trusted friend
We've known each other since we were nine or ten
Together we climbed hills and trees
Learned of love and A B C's
Skinned our hearts and skinned our knees.

Goodbye my friend it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
Pretty girls are everywhere
Think of me and I'll be there

We had joy we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed were just seasons
Out of time......

Goodbye Papa please pray for me
I was the black sheep of the family
You tried to teach me right from wrong
Too much wine and too much song
Wonder how I got along.

Goodbye Papa its hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
Little children everywhere
When you see them I'll be there.

We had joy we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song like the seasons
Have all gone.

We had joy we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song like the seasons
Have all gone.

Goodbye Michelle my little one
You gave me love and helped me find the sun
And every time that I was down
You would always come around
And get my feet back on the ground.

Goodbye Michelle it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky
Now that the spring is in the air
With the flowers everywhere
I wish that we could both be there

We had joy we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the stars we could reach
Were just starfish on the beach

We had joy we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the stars we could reach
Were just starfish on the beach

We had joy we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the wine and the song like the seasons
Have all gone

All our lives we had fun
We had seasons in the sun
But the hills that we climbed were just seasons
Out of time

EL AUDIO



EL VIDEO

sábado, 28 de enero de 2012

Nº7: PROCOL HARUM "A whiter shade of pale" (1967)

"A whiter shade of pale", en una de mis canciones de culto de toda la vida, culto compartido por mucha gente aficionada a la música pop, desde que en 1967 saliera este maravilloso tema. Ellos son PROCOL HARUM, una banda fundada apenas hace unos meses en Londres y que, con el sello discográfico Deram Records, lograrán un instantáneo Nº1 en Gran Bretaña y un Top 5 en el mercado de Estados Unidos, (amén de otros tantos números 1 en Europa).
PROCOL HARUM eran entonces: Gary Brooker, líder fundador de la Banda, Geoff Dunn, Matt Pegg, Josh Phillips y Geoff Whitehorn.
Se les puede considerar como piedra angular en lo que se llamó el rock progresivo, que tanta influencia tuvo en otros muchísimos grupos pop europeos y norteamericanos. "A whiter shade of pale" tiene una letra ambigua, misteriosa y llena de metáforas, arropada por una melodía maravillosa que recuerda un poco a las tocatas de Bach.

LA LETRA

We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
But the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
And the waiter brought a tray

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale

She said, "There is no reason
And the truth is plain to see."
But I wandered through my playing cards
And they would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open wide
They might have just as well been closed

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale

She said, "I'm here on a shore leave,"
Though we were miles at sea.
I pointed out this detail
And forced her to agree,
Saying, "You must be the mermaid
Who took King Neptune for a ride."
And she smiled at me so sweetly
That my anger straightway died.

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale

If music be the food of love
Then laughter is it's queen
And likewise if behind is in front
Then dirt in truth is clean
My mouth by then like cardboard
Seemed to slip straight through my head
So we crash-dived straightway quickly
And attacked the ocean bed

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale

EL VIDEO



Seguramente este tema ocuparía un Top 3 en MIS CANCIONES FAVORITAS

jueves, 26 de enero de 2012

Nº6: JOE DOLAN "Make me an Island" (1969)

Maravillosa la melodía de esta canción de 1969,compuesta por M. Hazlewood y el conocido Albert Hammond, para JOE DOLAN, un cantante irlandés de voz prodigiosa que consigue un fabuloso éxito con este tema que triunfa en medio mundo. De hecho es su primer gran Hit, que proseguírá en la década de los 70 con unas preciosas canciones que, posteriormente, también formarán parte de esa colección mía particular ("Lady in Blue" o "Crazy Woman") .

MAKE ME AN ISLAND (1969)
LETRA:

Different eyes, different sighs, different girls every day
Different names, different games took my breath clean away
But I'm changed, rearranged, I'm enlightened and how
you have caught me, you have taught me and I'm different now.

Take me and break me and close all your windows and doors.
Shut me off, cut me off, make me an island, I'm yours.
Take me away from the world, take me away from the girls.
Take me and break me and make me an island, I'm yours.

Running round, shifting ground, that's the life I have seen.
But I'm tired, uninspired and I've wiped my slate clean.
You are mine, I am yours if the Lord will allow.
You have caught me, you have taught me and I'm different now.
(M. Hazlewood-A. Hammond)
EL AUDIO:


EL VIDEO:


(como curiosidad señalaremos que en España, entre otros, versionaron el tema un grupo mallorquín de gran éxito llamado Z-66, que contaba en sus filas y como cantante solista a LORENZO SANTAMARIA)

martes, 24 de enero de 2012

Nº5: PETULA CLARK "Downtown" 1964

PETULA CLARK y su "Downtown", prototipo pop británico que siempre me ha gustado. Es sin lugar a dudas su mayor éxito discográfico, consiguiendo con él ser Nº1 en Gran Bretaña y Estados Unidos.
Cantante inglesa que disfruta de varios talentos: compositora, actriz de cine y televisión, la elegante Petula cantaba esa preciosa canción en 1964 y 1965 (salió a finales del primero).
 Hoy la recuerdo en mi Blog:
LA LETRA:
When you're alone and life is making you lonely
You can always go - downtown
When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know - downtown
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?


The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
So go downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown - no finer place, for sure
Downtown - everything's waiting for you


Don't hang around and let your problems surround you
There are movie shows - downtown
Maybe you know some little places to go to
Where they never close - downtown
Just listen to the rhythm of a gentle bossa nova
You'll be dancing with him too before the night is over
Happy again


The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
So go downtown, where all the lights are bright
Downtown - waiting for you tonight
Downtown - you're gonna be all right now


[Instrumental break]


And you may find somebody kind to help and understand you
Someone who is just like you and needs a gentle hand to
Guide them along


So maybe I'll see you there
We can forget all our troubles, forget all our cares
So go downtown, things'll be great when you're
Downtown - don't wait a minute for
Downtown - everything's waiting for you
(Tony Hatch)
EL VIDEO: