Steve Cropper

El pasado día 3 fallecíó Steve Cropper, una verdadera leyenda del Soul y un compositor, guitarrista y productor brillante en este estilo.

 Fundador del grupo Booker T. & the M.G.'s y autor o coautor y colaborador de muchos de los grandes clásicos de Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett o Eddie Floyd, también participó activamente en el desarrollo del sello Stax, uno de los pilares del género junto a la Motown. 

Su nivel es tal, que un amigo y yo jugábamos a menudo a averiguar las canciones en las que había participado...y el resultado es increíble: Soul Man, Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, Green Onions, Time is Tight, In the Midnight Hour..

Descanse en paz

  

 

The Man's Too Strong - Dire Straits

Dentro del álbum superventas Brothers in Arms hay algunas joyas escondidas, como este The Man´s Too Strong, que está interpretada principalmente con una guitarra Dobro (todos los discos de dIRE sTRAITS incluyen, al menos, una canción con ese instrumento).

 

Este tema encaja dentro de la temática antibelicista de parte del disco, donde se pone en la piel de una figura similar a Rudof Hess, uno de los hombres fuertes de Hitler, según las propias palabras de Mark Knopfler, líder y guitarrista y compositor de todos las canciones de Dire Straits.

 

Espero que os guste

 

I am just an aging drummer boy

And in the wars I used to play

And I've called the tune to many a torture session

Now they say I am a war criminal

And I'm fading away

Father, please hear my confession

I have legalized robbery

And called it relief

I have run with the money

I have hid like a thief

Rewritten histories with armies and my crooks

Invented memories

I did burn all the books

And I can still hear his laughter

And I can still hear his song

The man's too big

The man's too strong

Well, I've tried to be meek

I have tried to be mild

But I spat like a woman

And I sulked like a child

Hid behind walls that have made me alone

Striven for peace

Which I never have known

And I can still hear his laughter

And I can still hear his song

The man's too big

The man's too strong

Well, the sun rose on the courtyard

And we all did hear him say

"You always was a Judas,

But I got you anyway.

You may have got your silver

But I swear upon my life

Your sister gave me diamonds

And I gave 'em to your wife."

Oh father, please help me

For I have done wrong

The man's too big

The man's too strong

Heartbeat - King Crimson

En los años 80 King Crimson tuvieron una etapa claramente diferenciada de sus anteriores trabajos, en los que Robert Fripp y Bill Bruford con la incorporación de Adrian Belew a la voz, guitarras y letras y Tony Levin al bajo y stick (ambos músicos americanos), dieron forma a tres trabajos realmente fascinantes y novedosos: Discipline, Beat y Three of a Perfect Pair.

 

En algunos casos, tenían una clara influencia pop y de los sonidos ochenteros, quizás por los grupos con los que había tocado Belew como Talking Heads, David Bowie o Frank Zappa y el trabajo de Levin como músico de sesión de Peter Gabriel, entre otros muchos, y de cuya banda forma parte hasta el momento.

 

No por ello dejan de ser composiciones elaboradas y vanguardistas interpretadas con un nivel técnico considerable, como podemos ver en este Heartbeat.

 

Espero que os guste

 

I need to feel your heartbeat heartbeat

so close, feels like mine

all mine

I need to feel your heartbeat heartbeat

so close it feels like mine

all mine...

 

I remember the feeling

my hands in your hair

hands in your hair

I remember the feeling

of the rhythm we made

the rhythm we made

 

I need to land sometime

right next to you

feel your heartbeat heartbeat

right next to me...

In the Army - Status Quo

Esta versión que realizaron los enérgicos británicos de ese alegato antibelicista compuesto por el dúo holandés Bolland & Bolland, supuso un enorme éxito en el año 1986 y volvió a colocar al grupo en lo más alto de las listas.

Como tengo más años que el fuego, recuerdo con nitidez escuchar el tema en la radio y en la televisión y puedo asegurar que fue un éxito gigantesco, pues sonaba constantemente en todos los medios.

Espero que os guste

A Vacation in a foreign land
Uncle Sam does the best he can
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - now

Now you remember what the draft man said
Nothing to do all day but stay in bed
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - now

You'll be the hero of the neighborhood
Nobody knows that you left for good
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - now

Smiling faces as you wait to land
But once you get there no one gives a damn
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - now

Hand grenades flying over your head
Missiles flyin' over your head, if you wanna survive
Get out of bed
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army, now

Shots ring out in the dead of night
The sergeant calls: "Stand up and fight!"
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - now
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - now

You got your orders better shoot on sight
Your finger's on the trigger but it don't seem right
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - now
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - now

Night is falling and you just can't see
Is this illusion or reality
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - in the army now
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - now

You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - in the army now
You're in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - now

Oh, oh you're in the army - in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - in the army now
Oh, oh you're in the army - in the army now

 

Valerie - Ra Ra Riot

Esta es una vibrante versión del grupo Ra Ra Riot del popular tema de Steve Winwood, uno de los músicos británicos más importantes vinculado al rock (Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith), y que a finales de los 80 del pasado siglo relanzó su carrera en solitario.

Espero que os guste

So wild, standing there

With her hands in her hair

I can't help remember

Just where she touched me

There's still no face

Here in her place

So cool, she was like

Jazz on a Summer's day

Music, high and sweet

Then she just blew away

Now she can't be that warm

With the wind in her arms

Valerie, call on me

Call on me, Valerie

Come and see me

I'm the same boy I used to be

Love songs fill the night

But they don't tell it all

Not how lovers cry out

Just like they're dying

Her cries hang there

In time, somewhere

Someday, some good wind

May blow her back to me

Some night I may hear

Her like she used to be

No it can't be that warm

With the wind in her arms

Valerie, call on me

Call on me, Valerie

Come and see me

I'm the same boy I used to be

So cool, she was like

Jazz on a Summer's day

Music, high and sweet

Then she just blew away

Now she can't be that warm

With the wind in your arms

Valerie, call on me

Call on me, Valerie

Come and see me

I'm the same boy I used to be

I'm the same boy I used to be

God Only Knows - The Beach Boys

Ayer falleció Brian Wilson, uno de los grandes creadores de la música popular del S. XX. 

Descanse en paz

 I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
Ill make you so sure about it

God only knows what I'd be without you

If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I'd be without you

God only knows what I'd be without you

If you should ever leave me
Well life would still go on believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me

God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows

Love Wars - Womack & Womack

Uno de los primeros singles que sacó el dúo Womack & Womack, formado por el matrimonio Linda y Cecil Womack, fue este Love Wars, perteneciente al álbum del mismo título y lanzado en 1983.

Cecil formó parte de un grupo llamado The Valentinos junto a sus hermanos, que gozó de un razonable éxito y trabajaron con Sam Cooke, cuya hija Linda se casaría posteriormente con Cecil y pasarían a formar el dúo musical.

 Espero que os guste

Love wars
Love wars

Absence makes the heart grow fonder
But it's taking me under
Since you're not here
Oh, and I feel so all alone tonight

It's better when it's harder to get
But this hide and go seek
Is making me weep
Oh, we call over now

I promise to stop boxing you round
So don't scratch my face
End of the eight
Oh, the fight is all over now

We need to get our act together
Take it off the street
Bring it on home and drop them guns on the floor

Love wars (No, we don't need)
Love wars

The talks we have don't change a thing
They only bring rain
On top of pain
Oh, it's raining in my heart now

Flashbacks and uncovered tracks
From when you left
With my best friend

We need to get our act together
Take it off the street
Bring it on home and drop them guns on the floor

Make love and peace
And, baby, never cheat
Vow to be strong and let the band roll on
And stop these

Love wars (We don't need)
Love wars (Love wars)
Love wars (And be strong now)
Love wars (Ow!)

Love wars (We don't need)
Love wars (Love wars)
Love wars (Could it be all over now?)
Love wars (Come on back home, darling)

Love bombs explodin' in air
Until the last one
I don't care

I remember losing my head
And calling you things
Like dirty names
Oh, and I feel bad about it, baby

We need to get our act together
Take it off the street
Bring it on home and drop them guns on the floor

Make love and peace
And, baby, never cheat
Vow to be strong and let the band roll on

Love wars (No!)
Love wars (We can't stand, no)
Love wars (Just come on out)
Love wars (I don't want no love wars)