Let's rock! (XLIX)
Motto: “I look to the past and I didn't leave traces in the way
My shadow leaves me and the sun denies me its light
I'm just a dry leaf ready to fall, and the winds of July drive me
..... to my destiny "
Poema Arcanus – Winds
„On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air…”
Si eu, mari, ce faceam in timp ce baietii aia isi miroseau colita? Eu eram inginer la santierul de constructii-montaj si ascultam Eagles la radioul cu tranzistori, in pauza de pranz. Dupa ce mi-am facut "ucenicia" vreo sase luni la „munca de jos” (un fel de sef de lot – aveam doua echipe de muncitori in subordine) am fost transferat la serviciul tehnic, literalmente la munca „de sus”: birourile erau la etajul intai al unei cladiri de beton ocupate candva in intregime de Pencoop, cooperativa de pene si par. Penele proveneau din jumulitul pasarilor; parul va marturisesc sincer ca nu m-am interesat de unde provenea. Uneori e mai bine sa nu stii... Mai ales ca eu nici nu lucram la Pencoop. Ei doar ne oferisera cu larghete spatiul de la etaj, pe care il dezafectasera, taind totodata si incalzirea, ca sa nu plateasca degeaba. Asa ca noi, cei de la Tehnic, ne lafaiam catu-i ziulica de mare in birourile acelea incapatoare, cu ferestre largi cu un singur rand de geamuri si tamplarie metalica. Vara era cum era, dar iarna era un frig pe care nu-l biruiau nici resourile improvizate de santieristi din rezistente de nichelina montate pe blocuri de BCA. {n caz ca unii dintre cititori nu (mai) stiu ce este, ce vra sa zica, un BCA, le reamintesc ca este acronimul de la beton comprimat autoclavizat; un fel de piatra ponce industriala. {ntr-o zi trebuia sa conduc la fata locului pe un domn „de la centrala” impreuna cu reprezentanta „bineficiarului”, o domnisoara blonda si simpatica. Fiind tocmai dupa niste ploi de toamna, domnisoara ne-a sfatuit sa ne prelingem de-a lungul zidului cladirii pe unde mai erau din loc in loc niste dale de beton ca sa nu ne chiar bagam in noroi pana la gat. Pe la jumatatea cladirii, blondina zice: „}titi ce? Ma ma duc sa-l iau si pe inginerul sef sa vina si el in santier. Nu mai veniti si dumneavoastra cu mine pana la etaj. Ce rost are sa mai urcati si sa coborati degeaba. Asteptati-ma aici” – si pleaca pasind cu gratie de felina catre cealalta cladire. {ntamplarea a facut ca deasupra locului unde asteptam noi cuminti era chiar rasuflatoarea de la instalatiile (italienesti) de curatire (cu abur) a penelor, care-si arunca spre noi efluviile aburinde. Dar unde sa te duci? {n spate – zidul, in rest – noroi. Stam noi cuminti, dupa vreo zece minute vine si blondina cu sefu’ dupa ea. „Hai, duduie, – zice cu repros delegatul de la centrala– ca m-ai lasat aci s-astept in mirosu’ asta de closca...”
Vedeti, asta era diferenta: noi – miros de closca, ei – miros de colitas. Daca nu stiati, colitas e numele dat virfurilor ramurilor de canabis, mai pe sleau marijuana. Deci in timp ce noi ne imbatam cu miros de curca plouata, ei verificau dupa miros calitatea canepii. Controlorii de calitate erau Eagles iar concluziile lor se pot gasi in versurile melodiei Hotel California: „On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair / Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air / Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light / My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim / I had to stop for the night. // There she stood in the doorway; I heard the mission bell / And I was thinking to myself this could be heaven or this could be hell / Then she lit up a candle, and she showed me the way / There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say // Welcome to the Hotel California / Such a lovely place, such a lovely face / Plenty of room at the Hotel California / Any time of year (any time of year) you can find it here”… Versurile sunt stranii si, dupa unii exegeti (si Don Henley insusi), se refera la pericolele vietii intr-o lume dominata de droguri, sex si bani, ca cea a artistilor traitori in zona Hollywood din California. „Mirrors on the ceiling, the pink champagne on ice / And she said we are all just prisoners here of our own device / And in the master's chambers, they gathered for the feast / They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast. // Last thing I remember I was running for the door / I had to find the passage back to the place I was before / Relax, said the nightman. We are programmed to receive / You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave”...
Hotel California, un slow cum nu se mai pot auzi multe in ziua de azi, este prima melodie de pe albumul omonim al grupului, aparut la 8 decembrie 1976 la casa Asylum (nu, e numai o coincidenta de nume...) Records. Melodia a aparut si pe disc single, in februarie 1977, cu Pretty Maids All In A Row pe fata a doua. La vremea aceea, alcatuirea grupului era: Don Felder (voce, chitara), Glenn Frey (voce, chitara, clape), Don Henley (voce, tobe), Randy Meisner (voce, bas) si Joe Walsh (voce, chitara, clape). Grupul Eagles s-a format la Los Angeles, in 1971, cu Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon (chitara, voce) si Randy Meisner. Don Felder s-a alaturat grupului dupa 1972. {n 1975 Leadon a parasit grupul si a fost inlocuit cu faimosul Joe Walsh. Albumul Hotel California a fost un imens succes, mentinandu-se pe primul loc la Billboard timp de opt saptamani in 1976, cu o vanzare de peste 9 milioane de exemplare in primul an de la lansare. Dupa 1979, grupul s-a destramat in urma repetatelor conflicte dintre membri.
Denumit initial Essence, grupul britanic de glam-rock Smokey s-a format in 1965 la St. Bede's Catholic Grammar School in Heaton, Bradford. Alcatuirea grupului era: Chris Norman (voce, chitara, pian), Terry Uttley (bas, voce), Alan Silson (chitara solo, voce) si Ron Kelly (tobe). La vremea aceea Kelly avea numai 13 ani. {n 1968 grupul a trecut la profesionism, schimbandu-si de cateva ori numele, ultima data in 1975 cand faimosul cantaret de soul Radu de la Afumati – pardon, Smokey Robinson – i-a amenintat cu darea in judecata daca nu fac ceva ca sa evite posibila confuzie de nume. Atunci baietii si-au zis Smokie, si Smokie a ramas! Un frumos succes din 1976 a fost si piesa I’ll Meet You At Midnight: „A summer evening on the Champs Elysées / A secret rendezvous they planned for days / A sea of faces in a crowded café / The sound of laughter as the music plays // Jean Claude was s student at the Université / Louise Marie was just a world away / He recalled the night they met was warm with laughter / the words were music as she turned away // I’ll meet you at midnight / Under the moonlight / I’ll meet you at Midnight”... {n noiembrie 1976 a fost lansat single-ul cu piesa Living Next Door to Alice, melodie devenita in scurt timp cel mai mare hit al grupului. „Sally called when she got the word / She said I suppose you’ve heard / About Alice. // Well I rushed to the window, and I looked outside / I could hardly believe my eyes / As a big limousine rolled up into Alice’s drive. // Oh I don’t know why she’s leaving or where she’s gonna go / I guess she’s got her reasons but I just don’t want to know / ‘cause for twenty-four years I’ve been living next door to Alice. // Twenty-four years just waiting for a chance / to tell her how I feel and maybe get a second glance / Now I’ve got to get used to not living next door to Alice.”
Afumatii au mai avut o melodie de succes lansata cu un an inainte. Daca am uitat s-o mentionez la timpul potrivit, cer iertare. O fac acum, cu riscul de a ma repeta. Melodia la cere ma refer este If You Think You Know How To Love Me: „Oh yes we may walk on the wild side of life / And our movements traced by a stranger close by your side. / And in the shadows of a promise you can take my hand / And show me a way to understand // So if you think you know how to love me / And you think you know what I need / And if you really really want me to stay / You’ve got to lead the way / Yes if you think you know how to love me / And you think you can stand by me / And if you really really want me to stay / You’ve got to lead the way.” Superba!
Smokie, al caror stil seamana cumva cu cel al lui Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, vor mai avea, in 1978, o melodie care mi-a placut mult: Oh, Carol. Iata refrenul: „Oh, Carol, you got me eatin’ my heart away / You got me countin’ my nights and days / Oh, I’m floating on the Milky Way. / Oh, Carol, nobody’s done it before. / Oh, baby, you’ve opened the door / Oh, Carol, you can do it some more”.
Grupul s-a desmembrat in 1982, apoi s-a reunit temporar in 1988.
Cvintetul The Manhattans, creat pe la inceputul anilor 60, era alcatuit din cantaretii de culoare: Winfred "Blue" Lovett, Richard Taylor, Kenny Kelley, George "Smitty" Smith si Sonny Bivins. Blue era conducatorul si compozitorul grupului. {nregistrand pentru Columbia Records, avand pe Gerald Alston ca solist vocal (care l-a inlocuit pe Smith) The Manhattans au obtinut un loc intai in topurile americane in 1976 cu balada lui Blue Lovett Kiss And Say Goodbye. Melodia incepe cu vocea lui Blue in recitativ: „This has got to be the saddest day of my life / I called you here today for a bit of bad news / I won't be able to see you anymore / Because of my obligations, and the ties that you have / We've been meeting here everyday / And since this is our last day together / I wanna hold you just one more time / When you turn and walk away, don't look back / I wanna remember you just like this / Let's just kiss and say goodbye”. Dupa care urmeaza Gerald: „I had to meet you here today / There's just so many things to say / Please don't stop me 'til I'm through / This is something I hate to do / We've been meeting here so long / I guess what we done, oh was wrong / Please darlin', don't you cry / Let's just kiss and say goodbye”. Melodia a obtinut un disc de platina si s-a mentinut in topul Billboard timp de 26 de saptamani dintre care doua pe primul loc. Celor care doresc s-o mai asculte, le recomand sa incerce la http://www.ladyjayes.com/kiss.html. Calitatea inregistrarii e acceptabila si, mai ales, e... gratis.
Ma opresc aici spunandu-va, nu „good bye” , ci „see you later”.
Florin R. Matache
frmatache@hotmail.com
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Florin R. Matache 8/4/2006 |
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