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Rating: (Fundamental premise: all the events reported below are more or less authentic. Someone might think: who cares about your business; and they’re right. But that's how it came to me, what can you do. May the wicked force always be with you.)
I will now tell you about the day when the wicked and inhuman force stopped governing my body for a few moments. It was an October evening in Marina di Carrara; we were four: me, Berto, Muffa, and Sballofratello. Berto was small but tenacious: he bent but never broke. He and I were inseparable, especially when it came to drinking and fighting (I was always behind, though). At the time, I was the most wicked objector in the area, the undisputed lord of the marble quarries. My girlfriend said I was so wicked that I frightened her when we made love in the moonlight.
We were in Sballofratello's car. Fratello liked groups like the Beatles, the Kinks, the Beach Boys, basically all that cheesy '60s stuff that made us seem so lame and not very wicked. In the car, there was a CD with 69 love songs, and the first reminded me a lot of those poor devils from Joy Division. Pounding rhythm, lyrics of love and death, gloomy voice. I was in that state of drunkenness where your senses become dense and you perceive every little sensation and multiply it by a thousand. And I perceived the long ride like The Smiths' "The death of Ferdinand," the poignant notes of "Acoustic guitar," like the best things from the Housemartins. I perceived the free-jazz experiments of "Experimental music love," the Beach Boys choruses of "Meaningless," the magical Young-like arpeggio of "Love is like a bottle of gin."
"The first non-metal masterpiece in history" - I thought with my eyes closed, when two arms with Proustian delicacy pulled me out of the car, searched me, and, shortly after a foul kick in the balls, spit me into another.
I, always with my eyes closed, too drunk to open them. I heard in the distance Fratello's stereo sputtering the last notes of "Blue you." Never heard such a sad and magnificent song, soul-jazz of exquisite grace. The sax dictated rhythms to the weeping voice: a carpet of strings closed a perfect circle.
"Ah, love... what would have happened to me with love. What would I have done with love. So much love all around..."
I open my eyes and see a twenty-centimeter baton and a vampire-like gaze checking my every move.
"I'm a metalhead, but I have a heart, you know, General."
"When we arrive, I'll let you hear, what a symphony."
"You're too anxious, you should really listen to 'Love in the shadow,' with its warm electronic backdrop, it feels like listening to Nick Drake. No one, you know, has ever gotten so close to Nick without using an acoustic guitar."
Nothing, the Corporal doesn't hear me, he's already at the theater, at the director's place, with the baton instead of the baton, ready to start the orchestra. We arrive, and immediately after a very foul intervention from behind with a red card, they spit me into a room in a rather brutal manner, and I immediately feel at home.
"Tell me, jerk, whose stuff is it?"
"But Marshal, are you talking about the little wine?"
"What are you doing, making fun of me? You're even a southerner! You come here to exploit us."
"But Lieutenant! I've been wiping old people's asses for 8 months for 5000 lira a day."
"I need to go to the bathroom," I hear from behind. I turn: Berto! He's here too: Berto bends but doesn't break. I feel the wicked force ready to possess us all.
"Pee, but the door stays open."
"I won't pee in front of you, so you can see my 'sballouccello'."
"Oh, you'll pee, alright. Otherwise, you see this here?"
He'll do it to intimidate us, he could never do it - I think.
Berto must have thought the same, because he kept not peeing.
The Corporal Major must have thought the same, because he hissed a baton hit right behind his neck. Berto bends and breaks too. I piss myself.
"Sergeant... Duke... Brigadier... Master... Dictator... Undisputed lord of the galaxies... the simple southern soldier is already finished, thank you."
We spent the night in a room with dozens of other infected people, collected who knows from which hole in the world; I was looking around for some metalhead to return the raw force that had abandoned me during that terrible evening of cheesy peace & love. At least - I don't know - someone with whom to hold a seance and invoke the devil. Nothing.
There was only Sballofratello who continued to sing the Magnetic Fields, and talked about love, there, in that disgusting place. But I liked listening to him. By the way, the stuff was his too, as usual. But that night I didn't care.
Then, as if by magic, the wicked force returned to govern my body, my heart stopped beating again, and I once again despised all those antics of sappy love and party-goers. And since I'm a pure and hard metalhead, and also a bit of a smartass, I add one, because if my friend Tommaso finds out I have a beating heart, I'm in trouble. May the wicked force always be with you.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Absolutely Cuckoo (01:35)
Don't fall in love with me yet
We only recently met
True I'm in love with you, but
You might decide I'm a nut
Give me a week or two to
Go absolutley cuckoo
Then when you see your error,
Then you can flee in terror
Like everybody else does
I only tell you this cause
I'm easy to get rid of
But not if you fall in love
Know now that I'm on the make
And if you make a mistake
My heart will certainly break
I'll have to jump in a lake
And all my friends will blame you
There's no telling what they'll do
It's only fair to tell you
I'm absolutely cuckoo
Don't fall in love with me yet
We only recently met
True I'm in love with you, but
You might decide I'm a nut
Give me a week or two to
Go absolutley cuckoo
Then when you see your error,
Then you can flee in terror
Like everybody else does
I only tell you this cause
I'm easy to get rid of
But not if you fall in love
Know now that I'm on the make
And if you make a mistake
My heart will certainly break
I'll have to jump in a lake
And all my friends will blame you
There's no telling what they'll do
It's only fair to tell you
I'm absolutely cuckoo
It's only fair to tell you
I'm absolutely cuckoo
03 All My Little Words (02:46)
You are a splendid butterfly
It is your wings that make you beautiful
And I could make you fly away
But I could never make you stay
You said you were in love with me
Both of us know that that's impossible
And I could make you rue the day
But I could never make you stay
Not for all the tea in China
Not if I could sing like a bird
Not for all North Carolina
Not for all my little words
Not if I could write for you
The sweetest song you ever heard
It doesn't matter what I'll do
Not for all my little words
Now that you've made me want to die
You tell me that you're unboyfriendable
And I could make you pay and pay
But I could never make you stay
04 A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off (02:42)
Eligible, not too stupid
Intelligiable, and cute as cupid
Knowledgeable, but not always right
Salvageable, and free for the night
Well my heart's runnin' round like a chicken with its head cut off
All around the barn yard falling in and out of love
Poor thing's blind as a bat
Gettin' up, fallin' down, gettin' up
Who'd fall in love with a chicken with its head cut off?
Woah Nelly
My wife doesn't understand me
Many dozens, hope to land me
I'm for free love
And I'm in free fall
This could be love
Or nothing at all
But my heart's runnin' round like a chicken with its head cut off
All around the barn yard falling in and out of love
Poor thing's blind as a bat
Gettin' up, fallin' down, gettin' up
Who'd fall in love with a chicken with its head cut off?
We don't have to be stars exploding in the night
Or electric eels under the covers
We don't have to be
Anything quite so unreal
Lets just be lovers
Well my heart's runnin' round like a chicken with it's head cut off
All around the barn yard falling in and out of love
Poor thing's blind as a bat
Gettin' up, fallin' down, gettin' up
Who'd fall in love with a chicken with its head cut off?
It ain't pretty
05 Reno Dakota (01:05)
Reno Dakota there's not an iota of kindness in you
You know you enthrall me and yet you don't call me
It's making me blue Pantone 292 Reno Dakota I'm
reaching my quota of tears for the year Alas and
alack you just don't call me back You have just
disappeared It makes me drink beer I know you're
a recluse You know that's no excuse Reno that's
just a ruse Do not play fast and loose with my heart
Reno Dakota I'm no Nino Rota I don't know the score
Have I annoyed you or is there a boy who
Well he's just a whore I've had him before
It makes me drink more
08 The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side (03:43)
Andy would bicycle across town in the rain to bring you
candy and John would buy the gown for you to wear to the
prom with Tom the astronomer who'd name a star for you
(C): But I'm the luckiest guy on the Lower East Side
cause I've got wheels and you want to go for a ride
Harry is the one I think you'll marry but it's Chris
that you kissed after school I'm a fool, there's no doubt
but when the sun comes out and only when the sun
comes out... (C) The day is beautiful and so are you
My car is ugly but then I'm ugly too I know you'd
never give me a second glance but when the weather's
nice all the other guys don't stand a chance
I know Professor Blumen makes you feel like a woman
but when the wind is in your hair you laugh like a little girl
So you share secrets with Lou but we've got secrets too
Well, one: I only keep this heap for you
cause I'm the ugliest guy on the Lower East Side
but I've got wheels and you want to go for a ride
Want to go for a ride?
14 How Fucking Romantic (00:59)
how fucking romantic
all the stars are out
twinkling twinkling twinkling
and fluttering about
what a tacky sunset
what a vulgar moon
play another charming
rogers and hart tune
how fucking romantic
must we really waltz?
drag another cliche
howling from the vaults
love you obviously
like you really care
even though you treat me
like a dancing bear
toss your bear a goldfish
as it cycles by
don't forget to feed your
bear or it'll die
18 Boa Constrictor (00:59)
I spend my evenings alone talking to your picture, babe Love is
wrapped around my heart like a boa constrictor, babe My mother
should have murdered me What jury would convict her, babe for
love is wrapped around my heart like a boa constrictor, babe
20 My Sentimental Melody (03:08)
I'm a hopeless romantic
You're a terrible flirt
Cool and unfazed,
you're always amazed
when someone gets hurt
I live on the blue planet
that I saw in your eyes
but now I can't stay
knowing it's made
of beautiful lies
but my sentimental melody
like a long-lost lullabye
will ring in your ears
down through the years
bringing a tear to your eye
Goodbye
Love can kill people, can't it
Well it still might kill me
Each drop of rain
is a glass of champagne
It's sweet and it's free
When I drink I don't panic
When I drink I don't die
When I'm far gone
it's all just a song
just beautiful lies...
but my sentimental melody
like a long-lost lullabye
will ring in your ears
down through the years
bringing a tear to your eye
Goodbye
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Other reviews
By pana
An album to listen to and love, which will serve as a benchmark for all pop to come, with an impressive emotional charge.
Love told in 69 songs without appearing for even a moment banal or sappy.
By Alemisso
It too is a young lad for me and has a lot it wants to show, even if in the end it turns out to be quite monotonous for most, given the large number of songs: 69.
I recommend it to all lovers, to those who like someone, to those who love indie-pop music, or carefree music without too many expectations.
