Rock and Roll Music to the World

Ovog puta nešto malo žešće...
Pjesma No More Lies nalazi se na posljednjem studijskom albumu Iron Maidena. Album Dance Of Death je trinaesti studijski album grupe, a objavljen je u rujnu 2003. godine. Na turneji kojom su promovirali album, snimljen je (još jedan) live album nazvan Death On The Road koji uz poznate stare hitove donosi i nekoliko novijih pjesama, a među njima je i No More Lies. Pjesma počinje laganim uvodom na gitari, nakon čega slijedi još nekoliko strofa u mirnijem tonu, nakon čega refrenom "No More Lies!" počinje odličan žešći dio pjesme sa, naravno, odličnom solažom nešto kasnije.
Maideni su već snimili i svoj novi album koji će biti objavljen početkom rujna ove godine pod naslovom A Matter Of Life And Death, a spomenut ću samo da od 10 novih pjesama, čak 6 je duže od 7 minuta. Već ste vjerojatno primjetili da volim dugačke pjesme. ;)
Dok čekamo novi album, uživajte u ovoj pjesmi...

Iron Maiden - No More Lies (7:21) 8MB

There's a darkened sky before me
There's no time to prepare
Salvage a last horizon
But no regrets from me

Maybe I'll be back some other day
To live again just who can say
In what shape or form that I might be
Just another chance for me

A hurried time no disgrace
Instead of racing to conclusion
And wishing all my life away
No-one can stop me now

Time is up it couldn't last
But there's more things I'd like to do
I'm coming back to try again
Someday maybe I'll wait till then

No more lies...

They're all sitting at my table
Talking tall and drinking wine
Their time is up just like me
But they just don't know it yet

So just a word of warning
When you're in your deepest dreams
There's nothing you can hide from
I've got my eye on you

The clock is fast, the hour is near
Eventful past is everclear
My life is set, the time is here
I think I'm coming home

No more lies...

A hurried time, no disgrace
Instead of racing to conclusions
And wishing all your life away
No-one can stop me now

Time is up it couldn't last
But there's more things I have to do
I'm coming back to try again
Don't tell me that this is the end

No more lies...

Evo još jedan meni jako drag bend, i ovaj put poprilično opširna biografija (koja nije samo copy-pastana od nekud).
Lynyrd Skynyrd su južnjački bend koji dolazi iz Jacksonvillea, Florida. Ime su si nadjenuli po srednjoškolskom profesoru tjelesnog Leonardu Skinneru koji ih je mrzio zbog duge kose.
1973. snimili su svoj debitantski album nazvan Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd. Radi se o odličnom albumu koji se često svrstava u sam vrh dostignuća rock glazbe. Na njemu se posebno ističe pjesma Free Bird u kojoj se "suprotstavljaju" njihova tri gitarista.
Sljedeći album Second Helping donosi njihovu najpoznatiju pjesmu Sweet Home Alabama koja je na pisana kao protestni odgovor na pjesmu Southern Man Neila Younga. Kad je ovaj album postao platinast, bili su jedini južnjački bend čija ploča je prodana u više od milijun primjeraka (osim Allman Brothers Banda).
Nakon još jednog dobrog albuma Nuthin' Fancy, uslijedio je također vrlo dobar Gimme Back My Bullets, no zbog malo drugačijeg stila nije se dobro prodavao.
Bend koji je svojedobno svirao 123 noći za redom, odlučio je održati tri koncerta na kojima će snimiti svoj prvi live album – One More From The Road koji je postao platinast u manje od 4 mjeseca.
1977., samo tjedan dana prije njihove turneje Tour Of The Survivors (ironija!) kojom su htjeli promovirati novi album Street Survivors, u padu aviona stradali su pjevač Ronnie VanZant, gitarist Steve Gaines i njegova sestra Cassie koja je bila prateći vokal grupe.
To je na neko vrijeme prekinulo rad grupe, a u međuvremenu je izdana odlična kompilacija Gold & Platinum koja je svjedočila o njihovoj kvaliteti.
1987., deset godina nakon tragedije, ponovno su se okupili, a Ronnieja je zamijenio brat Johnny VanZant koji je odlučio nastaviti ondje gdje je njegov brat stao i tako održati "obiteljsku tradiciju". Do danas snimili su nekoliko iznenađujuće dobrih albuma, a posljednji studijski snimak iz 2003. nosi ime Vicious Cycle. Zvuče svježe i originalno, no još uvijek su vjerni svojim korijenima.
I danas, sa svojim trostrukim "napadom" gitara, otkačenim frontmenom i fenomenalnom ritam-sekcijom, pružaju jedinstven doživljaj na svojim koncertima punim energije, ali i prisjećanja na preminule članove. Osim što danas rijetko možete vidjeti toliko dobrih gitarista na istom mjestu, još jedno "tajno oružje" benda je klavijaturist Billy Powell. Najveći adut ovog benda su upravo live nastupi na kojima sviraju s toliko strasti i čini se da doista uživaju u tome što rade.

Preporučeni albumi:
studijski: Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd
koncertni: One More From The Road
kompilacijski: Gold & Platinum

Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free bird (9:02) 192kbit, Joint Stereo, 12MB

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be travelling on, now,
'Cause there's too many places I've got to see.
But, if I stayed here with you, girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change.

Bye, bye, its been a sweet love.
Though this feeling I can't change.
But please don't take it badly,
'Cause Lord knows I'm to blame.
But, if I stayed here with you girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you'll never change.
And this bird you can not change.
Lord knows, I can't change.
Lord help me, I can't change

Evo jedna pjesma meni vjerojatno najdrazeg benda. Ovo je posljednja pjesma sa njihovog najnovijeg albuma Rapture Of The Deep koji je izasao krajem prosle godine. Pjevac benda, Ian Gillan, na svojoj odlicnoj web stranici, rekao je kako je pisuci tekst ove pjesme razmisljao o tome kako mu (u duhovnom smislu) za postojanje trebaju dvije stvari: osjecaj svrhe postojanja i osjecaj pripadnosti.
Nadam se da ce vam se svidjeti ova pjesma s tekstom koji vas mozda potakne na razmisljanje...

The daylight fades
And the stars come out
But there's never much to talk about
Another day
Goes rushing by
And here we are just wondering why
We have to belong
With a sense of purpose
That's all we need
Without them we're worthless
Ah, we've come so far
Hmm, but then again
All we see is more of the same
It's getting crowded here
We agree no doubt
Oh dear brother what's it all about
Hey you over there
Why don't you throw down your spear
We all need some help right now
Where are we going from here?
The way things are working out
It won't be too long before we have to move
Better start thinking about it
While there's still time to choose

Every day of my life I discover
Someone murdering my sisters and brothers
In the name of some god or another
What do you know?

For the first precious few
It's time to go
What might have been we'll never know
All those bad ideas
Became the law
Oh yes, we've forgotten what we're looking for
All of you angels
It's time to gather your wings
Leave it all behind
You won't need any of those things
We're going on
Through the darkness hand in hand
To step into the future
Before time began

And for those who remain
With your chosen gods
May your prayers be answered

Deep Purple - Before Time Began (6:30) 9MB

Izgleda da vam se ne svida country. :) Ili vam je prosla pjesma malo pre-"srcedrapajuca"? Onda vam se vjerojatno nece svidjeti ni ova pjesma. :) Ali meni se posebno svidjela svojim tekstom, a naravno i izvedbom...
Nazareth su skotska rock grupa osnovana 1968. godine, a svoju najvecu popularnost dozivjeli su u drugoj polovici sedamdesetih, u vrijeme kada su imali veliki hit baladom Love Hurts (radi se o obradi Everly Brothersa). Pet godina kasnije, na njihovom albumu Malice in Wonderland, nasla se jos jedna lijepa (ovaj put autorska) balada kojoj je takoder tema nesretna ljubav. Pjesma Heart's Grown Cold pocinje prelijepim uvodom na akusticnoj gitari, a na refrenu se glavnom vokalu (koji je ovu pjesmu izveo s puno emocija) prikljucuju i sjajne pratece pjevacice.

Nazareth - Heart's Grown Cold (4:13) 160kbit, Stereo, 5MB

Go out and have your habit,
Keep on takin' it
Keep on fakin' it
You're the one whose heart grows cold
You're the one whose heart's grown cold.

Go out and have your habit
You're the one that's takin' it
You're the one that's fakin' it
You're the one whose heart's grown cold
The one whose heart's grown cold.

I touch your lips with my fingertips
I hang on every breath you take
You don't need me like,
I need you
You have your heartaches to climb
Everyday, I just hope and pray
Just hope that you still have,
That you still have your dreams.

Come down and tell me that it's better
You're the one who's choosin' it
You're the one who's losin' it
You're the one who's got no soul,
You're the one whose heart's grown cold.

Uh........Baby don't you know that your heart's grown cold
Uh........Oh.........Oh..........Oh..........

Malo u pravom nedjeljnom ugodaju... :) Nakon što sam danas odlušao po jedan album grupe AC/DC i jedan grupe Rainbow, sjetio sam se kompilacije Kennyja Rogersa koja je izasla pocetkom ove godine pod nazivom 21 Number Ones i skupila njegov 21 najveci country hit (plus jos jedna pjesma kao bonus). Medu njima se naslo i puno dueta Kennyja Rogersa s brojnim poznatim imenima, a i pjesmu koju sam odabrao otpjevao je zajedno sa Allison Krauss i Billy Dean. Jedna lijepa, romanticna, prava nedjeljna pjesma sa lijepim tekstom (kao sto ga ima i vecina njegovih pjesama)...

Kenny Rogers feat. Alison Krauss and Billy Dean - Buy Me A Rose (3:42) 192kbit, Stereo, 5MB

He works hard to give her all he thinks she wants
Three car garage, her own credit cards
He pulls in late to wake her up with a kiss goodnight
If he could only read her mind
She'd say:

Buy me a rose
Call me from work
Open the door for me what would it hurt
Show me you love me by the look in your eyes
These are the litte things
I need the most in my life

Now the days have grown
to years of feeling all alone
She can't help but wonder what she's doing wrong
Lately she tried anything to turn his head
Would it make a difference if she'd say:

Buy me a rose
Call me from work
Open the door for me what would it hurt
Show me you love me by the look in your eyes
These are the litte things
I need the most in my life

And the more that he lives
The less that he tries
To show her the love that he holds inside
And the more that she gives
The more that he sees
This is the story of you
I need you

So I bought you a rose
On the way home from work
and I opened the door to a heart that I hurt
And I hopeed you noticed by the look in my eyes
that I'm gonna make things right
For the rest of my life
And I'm gonna hold you tonight
Cause you are the little thing
that I need the most in my life.

Jos jedan instrumental i jos jedna obrada...
Grupu Rainbow Ritchie Blackmore je osnovao 1975. godine, nakon sto je napustio grupu Deep Purple. U ovoj grupi Blackmore je bio potpuni voda i odlucivao je o svemu. Tako je tijekom svojih desetak godina postojanja (i jos jednog kratkog ujedinjenja sredinom devedesetih) grupa promijenila velik niz clanova, a i njihov glazbeni stil se mijenjao. Difficult To Cure je naslovna pjesma s petog studijskog albuma grupe iz 1981. i to je zapravo obrada Beethovenove Devete simfonije u kojoj Blackmore iskazuje svoju virtuoznost na gitari. Ovu pjesmu Deep Purple su redovito svirali na svojim koncertima pocetkom devedesetih godina, u vrijeme kad im je vokal bio Joe Lynn Turner, no i ono kratko vrijeme kad su Blackmore i Gillan ponovno bili zajedno u bendu.

Rainbow - Difficult To Cure (5:58) 192kbit, Stereo, 8MB

Evo jos jedna posebno zanimljiva i neobicna obrada!
Krajem 2001. godine, Billy Corgan, nekadašnji clan Smashing Pumpkinsa, osnovao je bend Zwan. Nakon nekoliko manjih turneja na kojima su raspolagali repertoarom od sezdesetak pjesama, u studenom 2002. konacno Zwan objavljuje svoj prvi single, Honestly. Dva mjeseca kasnije izdan je i njihov prvi album Mary Star of the Sea, no vec u rujnu 2003. Corgan je objavio da se bend razlazi. Na jednom od izdanja singla Honestly kao "b-strana" pojavila se pjesma Number of the Beast. Radi se o iznimno neobicnoj obradi istoimene pjesme Iron Maidena. Ova verzija odsvirana je na akusticnoj gitari i u potpuno drugacijem ugodaju. Svakako poslusajte ako ste obozavatelj Maidena, ali i ako ste ikad u zivotu culi ovu pjesmu!

Zwan - Number Of The Beast (4:18) 192kbit, Stereo, 6MB

I left alone my mind was blank
I needed time to think to get the memories from my mind

What did I see can I believe that what I saw
that night was real and not just fantasy
Just what I saw in my old dreams were they
reflections of my warped mind staring back at me
Cos in my dreams it's always there the evil face that twists my mind
and brings me to despair

The night was black was no use holding back
Cos I just had to see was someone watching me
In the mist dark figures move and twist
was all this for real or some kind of hell
666 the Number of the Beast
Hell and fire was spawned to be released

Torches blazed and sacred chants were praised
as they start to cry hands held to the sky
In the night the fires burning bright
the ritual has begun Satan's work is done
666 the Number of the Beast
Sacrifice is going on tonight

This can't go on I must inform the law
Can this still be real or some crazy dream
but I feel drawn towards the evil chanting hordes
they seem to mesmerise me...can't avoid their eyes
666 the Number of the Beast
666 the one for you and me

I'm coming back I will return
And I'll possess your body and I'll make you burn
I have the fire I have the force
I have the power to make my evil take its course

Kansas je prog rock bend osnovan 1970. godine, aktivan i danas, a najvecu popularnost postigli su kasnih sedamdesetih hitom Dust In The Wind. Prvi album izdali su 1974. i postigli osrednji uspjeh, no cestim turnejama uskoro osvajaju publiku. Njihov album Leftoverture iz 1976. dosao je na Top Five, prodao se u preko tri milijuna kopija i donio hit Carry On Wayward Son, pjesmu koja ujedno i otvara album. Ova pjesma spaja a capella pjevanje, zestoke rock riffove i solaze te njeznije prebiranje po zicama.

Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son (5:25) 192kbit, Stereo, 7,5MB

Carry on my wayward son,
For there'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Now don't you cry no more

Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond the illusion
I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high
Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreamin',
I can hear them say

Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely
means that I don't know
On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune, but
I hear the voices say

Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you

Pjesma je sa prvog solo albuma gitarista Pink Floyda, Davida Gilmoura iz 1978. Vecinu materijala na albumu napisao je Gilmour, no autor ove pjesme je Ken Baker, clan prog-rock grupe Unicorn iz sedamdesetih. Jedna laganica koja bas pase uz Gilmourov glas i njegov solo, uz lijepe pratece vokale.
Inace, Gilmour je ove godine izdao novi album On An Island, prvi nakon 1984. Ako imate priliku, poslusajte. Do tada, uzivajte u ovoj pjesmi.

David Gilmour - There's No Way Out Of Here (5:08), 320kbit, Stereo, 11,7MB

There's no way out of here
When you come in
You're in for good
There was no promise made
The part you played
The chance you took

There are no boundaries set
The time and yet
You waste it still
So it slips through your hands
Like grains of sand
You watch it go

There's no time to be lost
You'll pay the cost
So get it right
There's no way out of here
When you come in
You're in for good

There never was there an answer
There an answer
Not without listening
Without seeing

There are no answers here
When you look out
You don't see in
There was no promise made
The part you played
The chance you took

Jos jedna svima poznata stvar, ali opet u manje poznatoj verziji.
The Cranberries su irski bend osnovan 1990. godine, a najpoznatiji su po svojoj pjevacici Dolores O'Riordan koja je nakon raspada benda zapocela solo karijeru. Na drugom albumu No Need To Argue iz 1994. nasao se i veliki hit Zombie. Ovdje mozete cuti kako ta pjesma zvuci u unplugged izvedbi za koju mislim da nikad nije sluzbeno objavljena.

Cranberries - Zombie (MTV Unplugged) (4:55), 128kbit, Joint Stereo, 4,5MB