Músicas dos dias que correm

(Announced plans to build a nuclear fallout shelter at Peterborough in Cambridgeshire)
(Three high court judges have cleared the way)
(It was announced today, that the replacement for the Atlantic Conveyor
The container ship lost in the Falklands conflict would be built in Japan, a spokesman for)
(Moving in. They say the third world countries, like Bolivia
Which produce the drug are suffering from rising violence)

Tell me true, tell me why, was Jesus crucified
Was it for this that Daddy died?
Was it for you? Was it me?
Did I watch too much TV?
Is that a hint of accusation in your eyes?
If it wasn't for the Nips
Being so good at building ships
The yards would still be open on the Clyde
And that can't be much fun for them
Beneath the rising sun
With all their kids committing suicide
What have we done, Maggie, what have we done?
What have we done to England?

Should we shout, should we scream
"What happened to the post war dream?"
Oh Maggie, Maggie what did we do?

Músicas dos dias que correm *

 

* enviado por mão amiga

Duas Últimas

Regresso de Burgos por estrada, viagem longa sob condições climatéricas pouco agradáveis, recomendando rápida chegada ao abrigo caseiro.

Mas algo me faz voltar a sair: os ingressos para os Brit Floyd, que comprara com entusiasmo há já uns bons dias, tocando nesse mesmíssima noite no longínquo Pavilhão Atlântico (agora promovido a Arena).

Eles recriam os Pink Floyd, e satisfazem-me nessa missão (quase) impossível, nas vozes ou na instrumentação.  Isto digo eu, que sou um conhecedor sofrível e com um grau de exigência mediano. E sabemos que “quem não tem cão caça com gato”.

Uma coisa vos asseguro: foram mais de 2 horas de olhos semi cerrados, a procurar acompanhar cada detalhe, voltando a curtir um grupo genial.

Escolhi estas 2 músicas, ambas fazendo parte do reportório dessa noite, de 2 álbuns absolutamente incontornáveis do rock, que espero sinceramente vos agradem tanto como a mim.

fq

Duas últimas

Interrompo hoje a sucessão de músicas portuguesas com que tenho fustigado os leitores/ ouvintes do “Duas Últimas” para trazer uma vez mais à colação o rock britânico (o PO que me desculpe, por me atrever num terreno que ele domina muito melhor do que eu…).

Fez ontem precisamente 40 anos que foi lançado “The dark side of the moon”, dos Pink Floyd, para mim sem dúvida um dos 5 melhores álbuns que o rock até hoje produziu. E os rankings aí estão para o comprovar. Lembro-me bem de estudar ao som das suas músicas nos tempos da faculdade e da emoção que foi quando finalmente tive hipótese de o comprar (outros tempos, em que as coisas eram mais valorizadas por serem mais difíceis de obter).

Foi o 6º álbum da banda, após a retirada prematura e inglória de Syd Barret, o mentor inicial do Grupo, por razões de insanidade mental. Outro magnifico álbum dos Pink Floyd, “Wish you were here”, de 1975, foi-lhe por isso dedicado, em sinal de gratidão pelo caminho que ele desbravou com coragem e inovação.

Infelizmente nunca os ouvi ao vivo, apesar de terem tocado em Portugal. Limitei-me a assistir em Lisboa a dois espectáculos que lhes foram tributados, o último (Brit Floyd) bastante bom. Quanto ao tema que escolhi, “Us and them”, são quase oito minutos de puro deleite, com uma instrumentação a roçar a perfeição.   

fq

Deixa-me rir...

Caros audiophiles, several Portuguese friends have contacted me this week to check that I am safe amid the street riots happening in London and now in other cities. Well, my little ghetto community so far is unharmed. The news pictures have been shocking, The media have exaggerated the problem, but the areas affected have no doubt been physically and emotionally battered and abused by a senseless ignorant minority. A minority in numbers, and it seems, minority in age involving children as young as eleven years.

I believe this situation will end very quickly. Not only because of a much larger police presence in the streets, not only because of the threat and determination by government to catch and to convict the crminals, but most importantly because of the loud condemnation expressed by all sides within these local multicultural communities.

Whatever the reasons for this unexpected rebellion - and it is interesting to note the power of social media technology such as Facebook and Twitter to incite and unite groups of people - the targets of this violence suggest that it is nothing to do with racism or anti-police hatred or the shooting by police of a drug dealer. Even if these reasons are a catalyst, what is the connection with destroying indiscriminately the homes and cars and shops of innocent people in their own communities? Yes, the police have been attacked but only because they were obliged to be there. But it seems that most people have been more interested in stealing TVs and computers and clothes and alcohol. This surely is opportunistic by a majority of people following the lead of a few instigators. Including many schoolchildren on summer holidays with nothing much to do and thinking it might be fun to join in.

The next few days and weeks should clarify how and why this happened. And of course there will be deeper questions asked. About education, about parents' guidance, about social responsibility and respect.

From an earlier era of great civil and social rebellion in the late 60s/early 70s, a song about how children and parents can learn from eavh other:

A proxima.

PO

Deixa-me rir...

"Caros audiophiles, during this past week I have been observing and experiencing a common theme of communication, and lack of communication, and miscommunication.

Firstly, I have watched 3 films each one in some way revolving around communication - 127 Hours, a true story about a young free-spirited adventure climber who becomes trapped by a falling rock and is forced to cut off his own arm to escape, because he finds himself alone far away from civilisation and realises he has not told anyone where he was going; Blue Valentine about the ups and downs of a dysfunctional married couple who increasingly find it impossible to communicate on the same wavelength; Love & Other Drugs about a couple who begin a casual relationship but gradually realise that they love and need each other more than they imagined.

And I look forward to watching The King's Speech, with actor Colin Firth winning awards around the world this week, about our Queen's father King George VI's relationship with a speech therapist who helps him overcome his terrible inability to speak in public.

And then there was the comical (and politically engineered?) situation when the Chinese President Hu (or should that be Who?) did not reply to Barack Obama's questions about Chinese investment in America, in front of the world's media, because simultaneous Englsh-Chinese interpretation mysteriously broke down at that moment.

And finally, I have just started reading a biography of a song-writing musician who suffered two devastating brain haemorrhages which result in aphasia, an inability to use or to understand language, to express thoughts or to understand the thoughts of others; happily, he begins unexpectedly to recover and is eventually able to record an album of songs about his experiences.

Music and song are of course great communicators. And so it was pleasing that also during this past week Pink Floyd have at last agreed to permit their music to be reproduced and accessed through digital online media such as Apple i-Tunes.

Here are some extracts from their most famous and enduring masterpiece Dark Side Of The Moon, a commentary about trying to live your life in spite of the social pressures of time, of money and greed and poverty, of human division and conflict, alienation and insanity, and death, but ultimately climaxing with Eclipse, evolving a kind of hopeful unity through this shared humanity.

Us, and them,
And after all we're only ordinary men.
Me, and you.
God only knows it's not what we would choose to do.
'Forward' he cried from the rear
And the front rank died
And the General sat, and the lines on the map
Moved from side to side
Black and blue,
And who knows which is which and who is who.
Up and down.
But in the end it's only round and round.
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
The poster bearer cried.
'Listen son', said the man with the gun
'There's room for you inside'.

Down and out
It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about.
With, without.
And who will deny it's what the fighting's all about?
'Out of the way', it's a busy day
I've got things on my mind.
For the want of the price of a tea and a slice
The old man died.

Eclipse:
All that you touch, all that you see
All that you taste, all you feel
All that you love, all that you hate
All you distrust, all you save
All that you give, all that you deal
All that you buy, beg borrow or steal
All you create, all you destroy
All that you do, all that you say
All that you eat, everyone you meet
All that you slight, everyone you fight
All that is now, all that is gone
All that's to come
and everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon.


A proxima,
PO