Morphine
Yes

THE REVIEW

"I was once sit'n on top of the world
I really had things in my hand
But some'n went wrong I'm not sure what
And now I'm sit'n here at home alone..."

Strange evening this. That moreover is the one I’m spending just days away from my last oral exam. I wonder what to do to kill time, and in the meantime, I have this CD in my hands. A CD that relaxes and gives strength at the same time. "Yes".

Yes.

Yes, Mark. While listening to this album, I am thinking of you. I am thinking about the fact that you, with that project born at the dawn of the '90s, which answers to the name of Morphine, dared. You dared to try something new in the world of rock, and you succeeded perfectly.

Yes, Mark. The music you and the saxophonist Dana Colley made, with two drummers taking turns, was and is special. You called it implicit grunge, we call it the sound of the night, or perhaps it would be better to say the sound of life, everyone's life. Your motto was "take away to add," and that’s how it went for a crucial triptych in rock history: "Good," "Cure For Pain," and this "Yes."

Yes, Mark. "Good" is perhaps the most bluesy, "Cure For Pain" the jazziest, and with this "Yes" you made a slightly more rock turn. It's evidenced by the frenzy of "Honey White" (with its related video) and "Sharks", the hypnotic "Scratch" and "All Your Way", the seductive "Whisper" and "Super Sex", perfect for an evening by candlelight with someone else's dream partner, the unexpected dichotomy between anger and passion that emerges from a beautiful baritone sax in "Radar" and "Free Love", and still the inevitable blues of the title track and "I Had A Chance", or a crazy experiment called "The Jury", or, to end, the relaxing acoustic finale of "Gone For Good."

Yes, Mark. You received the respect of everyone, even Carlo Verdone (!), who thought it right to include two pieces from this album in the soundtrack of "Viaggi Di Nozze."

With "Like Swimming," you were perhaps a bit weaker, but you always demonstrated style, and you did a good job nonetheless.

Then, after a few years... the tragic event.

"Thank you Palestrina. It's a beautiful evening, it's good to be here and I want to dedicate a super-sexy song to you."

After that sentence, darkness. And who would have guessed. You were happy that night here in Rome, at that festival "Nel Nome Del Rock," and shortly after, something would tear you apart forever. A heart attack at 46 ready to kill isn’t a nice thing, Mark. And to think you had just finished your testament, "The Night," which was about to be released shortly, ready to fill the void newly arrived in our hearts. Once again.

Yes, Mark. If ever, from up there, you should read this text which I dedicate to you tonight, know that we are all thinking of you, not only those present here on DeBaser, but all who respect you, ten years after you left this world. We miss you so much, but in our hearts, you still live, forever.

Thank you.

"I'm never going to see you...

I'm never going to see you again.

You're gone for good"

(R.I.P. Mark Sandman: July 3, 1999-July 3, 2009)