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Rating: Almost forty years have passed since the birth of Hard Rock, which, mostly thanks to Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple, reached its peak in no time. One might think today that this musical genre was a thing of the past, that nothing and no one would ever manage to release anything similar again.
Instead, in 2004, a band from faraway Australia emerged onto the music scene, achieving good success in their homeland both in terms of sales and critical acclaim. These favorable reviews allowed Wolfmother to reach the old continent, releasing a self-titled album on the market. The first song that quietly hit the Italian market was “Woman”, which piqued my curiosity: “is it possible that they are playing hard rock like the pioneers?” I wondered. “Interesting, let's delve deeper!”.
I put the CD in the player and hear “UHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH”, a riff made up of bass, drums, and electric guitar that so much resembles the early hard rock tracks; this song is called “Dimension” and serves as a prelude to an album truly capable of taking us back to those glorious years of music. It is followed by “White Unicorn”, magnificent, and that “Woman” which impressed right from the first listen. The '70s hard rock influences are unmistakable: instrumental parts with Deep Purple-like keyboards, Plant-esque screams, and Black Sabbath-like guitar riffs pepper these first three songs, which give the feeling of having been listened to before but you don't care because you like them anyway. At this point, I wonder if these tracks are the only good ones and if the other 10 border on collective awfulness. The answer is "no." “Where Eagles Have Been” leans more towards the sounds of bands like Free and Bad Company, starting with acoustic guitar and voice followed by rough strumming and a final solo that hasn't been heard in years. “Apple Tree” is a mix of punk and hard rock compared to the other four tracks, highlighting that other bands have also influenced the music of these three Australians.
“Joker & The Thief” precedes “Colossal”, a piece in full Led Zeppelin style that will surely make their fans happy. The first slow track of the CD is “Mind's Eye”, capable of enchanting the listener with its beauty, even though it seems that with this song they want to recall the unattainable “Stairway To Heaven”, obviously not succeeding, but composing a song played very well. A scream in the style of “Astronomy Domine”, from which the structure of the song is also borrowed, opens the ninth track “Pyramid”, which together with “Withcraft” forms a nice duo of tracks destined to be among the best of the album. In the second, the presence of the flute is also notable. “Tales From the Forest of Gnomes” is full of constant rhythm changes and accelerations once again from the '70s. But with “Love Train”, the pinnacle of Zeppelin-esque sound is reached, a piece that is always borrowed from Led Zeppelin II recordings. Spectacular. The last song is characterized by an opening where they play country but thanks to a perfect crescendo, turns into a perfect country-rock piece.
Let's be honest: nothing new in these thirteen tracks, but played by a group of three men with a technique that's hard to find these days. This is proof that true musical change can only come with the old, now-deceased musical genres.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Colossal (05:02)
I saw the colossal landscape
Of which I never was a part
It was a magical day
Of which I'd never seen before
The first time I saw colossal girl
The first time I saw colossal girl
Such glowing mountains before us
Pillars of life all fade away
Of all the things i need to say girl
All of these words are in my way
The first time I saw colossal girl
Well she's running to the hills again
Can you tell me if she'll ever return
She must be mother natures child
Cause she's runnin' to the call of the wild
She's talkin' to the trees again
Tellin' me that she's one of them
Lookin' at the bird in the tree
Though she's never gonna notice me
Oh is my love a confession
Will I just put it back today
If I had love left to give you
Would you still throw it all away
The first time I saw colossal girl
The first time I saw colossal girl
Well she's running to the hills again
Can you tell me if she'll ever return
She must be mother natures child
Cause she's runnin' to the call of the wild
She's talkin' to the trees again
Tellin' me that she's one of them
Lookin' at the bird in the tree
Though she's never gonna notice me
Can you remember the first time we met
Living together in colossal times
Some things are given with no reason why
Living together oh what a time
I'm just a gypsy with wondering eyes
I'll tell you secrets that send you to sleep
And all I can give you is all of my love
These are the things I can give you to keep, Oh
And I'm just a gypsy with wondering eyes
And I'll tell you secrets that send you to sleep
And all I give you is all of my love
And these are the things I can give you to keep
02 Woman (02:55)
Woman
You know that you're a woman
You got to be a woman
I got the feeling of love
When you're talking to me
You see right through me
I got the feeling of love
She's a woman
You know what I mean
You better listen
Listen to me
She's gonna set you free
Well you're kinda looking at me
Like I've got to set you free
You know I can't be nobody
She's a woman
You know what I mean
You better listen
Listen to me
She's gonna set you free
Woman
You know that you're a woman
You got to be a woman
I got the feeling of love
When you're talkin' to me
You see right through me
I got the feeling of love
She's a woman
You know what I mean
You better listen
Listen to me
She's gonna set you free
03 White Unicorn (05:01)
Have you been to the carnival
I would like to see you
There's a whole lot of people there
Who would like to be you
With the white unicorn, across her shoulder
Makes you think that she might of been
Someone whos older, ahh yeahhh
And I know it's on your mind
We've been drinking on the wine
That we drank from the serpents vine
Now we live in another time
We could live together
She lives on the borderline,
That they call hazel
And the tent that she lives in has the name of her lover,
And I know it's on your mind
We've been drinking on the wine
That we drank from the serpents vine
Now we live in another time
Sister can you tell me when the day turns to night
She left without a word and wondered inside
How many days must I still wonder why
And see her face in every passer by
We could live together
And I know it's on your mind
We've been drinking on the vine
That we drank from the serpents vine
Now we live in another time
We could live together
04 Pyramid (04:28)
Can you see it's full of lightning,
All the futures that I see are whitening,
See the time of yesterday,
Become the time that we have today,
Oh I'm looking for a hidden meaning,
Can you tell me if it's just a feeling,
See the light is shining in your eye's,
Is it love in disguise,
I saw the light shine out today,
I saw the light shine out today,
And it told me that you're not the one for me,
Can you hear the ancient calling,
See the empires we've built are falling,
All we have is the human touch,
The clock is ticking even as we rush
05 Mind's Eye (04:53)
When the time is right and the night is bright
We will see the things we've come to find
I've been searching for just a little more
but the days girl just slip away
And the red sunset that we just met
I can see forever
Come and see the mind's eye
We can find it if we try
Come and see the mind's eye
Transfixed upon the why
Come and see the mind's eye
We can find it if we try
Well they say it's right if it feels alright
When your love burns up in the mire
So I burnt a fire for a lost desire
See it burning higher
Come and see the mind's eye
We can find it if we try
Come and see the mind's eye
Transfixed upon the why
Come and see the mind's eye
We can find it if we try
Come and see the mind's eye
We can find it if we try
Come and see the mind's eye
Transfixed upon the why
The mind's eye
Right now
Come and see the mind's eye
We can find it if we try
Come and see the mind's eye
We can find it if we try
06 Joker & the Thief (04:39)
I said the joker is a wanted man
He makes his way all across the land
See him sifting through the sand
So I'll tell you all the story
About the joker and the thief in the night
Always laughing in the midst of power
Always living in the final hour
There is always sweet in the sour
We are not goin' home
Can you see the joker flying over
As she's standing in the field of clover
Watching out everyday
I wonder what would happen if he took her away
What you see well you might not know,
You get the feelin' comin' after the glow,
The vagabond is moving slow
So I'll tell you all the story,
'bout the joker and the thief in the night
All the people that he see in the night
Hold their dreams up to the light
The wild beast is searching for sight
We are not goin' home
Can you see the joker flying over
As she's standing in the field of clover
Watching out everyday
I wonder what would happen if he took her away
Said the joker is a wanted man
He makes his way all across the land
See him sifting through the sand
Tell you the story 'bout the the joker and the thief
I said, I'll tell you the story 'bout the the joker and the thief
I said, I'll tell you the story 'bout the the joker and the thief
Of the night
07 Dimension (04:25)
I fell down in the desert baby, yeah
I had nothing but a peice of paper, oh yeah,
I had to write something down,
And I found myself alone, then I let go of everything,
Into another dimension
Purple haze is in the sky,
See the angels wicked eye
all these things we must try
'Till we see the reasons why, oh yeah
Lightning crash on the hill tonight,(yeah)
I got a feeling everything is gonna be alright
Then a horse came running to me
Said we're gonna go to the sanctuary
Then a storm began to blow,
Into another dimension.
Purple haze is in the sky,
See the angels wicked eye
all these things we must try
'Till we see the reasons why, oh yeah
I got lost in the desert baby, yeah
I found temples made out of paper, oh yeah
I had to write something down
But then i found myself alone
Then i let go of everything
Into another dimension
08 Where Eagles Have Been (05:33)
Well we always seem to worry
Life's becoming such a flurry
Can't you see that theres lights in the dark
Nothing's quite what it seems in the city of dreams
Rainbows tinted with gold
All the stories we've been told
Still her love is yours to behold
Nothing's quite what it seems in the city of dreams
You say it's not the real world
Though it seems so real to me
And I know that we're never turning back
Can you see what I see?
I had a vision
Of festive days
She's like an eagle
In the misted haze
Sit and wonder at the sky
Watch the river flowing by
Now it ends and we're here at the start
Nothing's quite what it seems in the city of dreams
You say it's not the real world
Though it seems so real to me
And I know that we're never turning back
Can you see what I see?
I had a vision
Of festive days
She's like an eagle
In the misted haze
Oh break my chains girl
Show me to the land
Where people live together
Try to understand
09 Apple Tree (03:28)
Dear Sir, can you remember me,
I'm the one that picked the apple tree
Dear Sir, can you remember me
I'm the one that picked the apple tree
Dear Sir, can you remember me,
Have a look inside the family tree
Dear Sir, can you remember me
Have a look inside the family tree
Your daughter is so fine to see,
Unraveled some mystery in me,
When i see the apple in disguise,
Ohh my love i can recognize,
Dear Sir, can you remember me,
I'm the one that picked the apple tree,
Dear Sir, can you remember me
I'm the one that picked the apple tree
Dear Sir, can you remember me,
I seen the forest for the tree,
Dear Sir, can you remember me
I seen the forest for the tree
Your daughter is so fine to see,
Unraveled some mystery in me,
When i see the apple in disguise,
Ohh my love i can recognize,
Dear Sir, can you remember me,
I'm the one that picked the apple tree,
Dear Sir, can you remember me
I'm the one that picked the apple tree
11 Witchcraft (03:25)
Wrote a letter to you and threw it away
Spirit tried to call me, I had no words to say
Sister can you tell me if it's gonna be okay
The chains and bangles were ringing aloud
Calling out without a sound
She had witchcraft
She drank from the craft
Her eyes are the opening to her soul
Spirits lie where secrets can be told
Make her an offer your fortune can be sold
The chains and bangles were ringing aloud
Calling out without a sound
She had witchcraft
She drank from the craft
The chains and bangles were ringing aloud
Calling out without a sound
She had witchcraft
She drank from the craft
12 Vagabond (03:52)
Oh girl I don't know all the reasons why,
I found the answer lookin' in your eye,
I go out walking all day long,
Take away this lonely man soon he will be gone,
Cause I'll tell you everything about living free,
Yes I can see you girl can you see me,
You don't need to know what I do all day,
It's as much as I know watch it waste away,
Cause I'll tell you everything about living free,
Yes I can see you girl can you see me,
Go and see the sorcerer look into a ball,
You may find the answer written on the wall,
The left one was a dancer can you see the answer, Oh
Put her in a mansion on top of the hill,
Please don't make her do things against her will,
I found something special I don't know why,
Looking into her pretty little eye,
Cause I'll tell you everything about being free
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Other reviews
By Antmo
Wolfmother makes people talk, they spark discussions, they are the subject of investigation and in the end, they are liked.
Drawing with full hands from the well-worn blues, folk, and soul tradition of the 70s while maintaining a sensitivity of their own that is modern, fresh, and exciting.
By Esattore
Rock is dead. No, rock has just been resurrected, and it’s resurrected magnificently.
This album is huge. Almost on the level of the great masterpieces of the bands it draws inspiration from.
By Nicolazzz
Did I buy a Sabbath album without knowing it? The substance of the album is this, it sounds like a Sabbath album.
The sound quality is truly awful... I would understand if it were an amateur band, but you’re the Wolfmother, damn it.
