Soul One是Blind Melon在Shannon Hoon离世后整理发现的第三张专辑Nico中的歌曲，MTV的怀旧色调及其拍摄的生活片段在音乐的催化下尤为动人。Died in Prime, Shannon Hoon永远是个微笑、英俊、美国味儿十足的大男孩儿。
And I only wanted to be sixteen, and free.
Category: Echoes
在Elliott Smith的第二张同名专辑Elliott Smith中(专辑的封面让人感觉很不安)，电声乐器和鼓依然只是点缀。第二首Christian Brothers是专辑中为数不多的在四个小节之后就就出现了鼓声的歌曲，也是在这张专辑中最吸引我的歌曲。除了录音质量外，Christian Brothers找不出其他任何的缺点，Elliot Smith柔弱的声音和木吉他营造出的恢宏大气的渐进式的和弦进程混合在一起，使我感觉像是来到了爱伦坡小说中即将倒塌的厄歇尔府，正如歌词中唱到的”Nightmares become me, it’s so fucking clear.”
搜索Christian Brothers，在不同的国家地区有不同的含义：学校、宗教组织，Elliot Smith歌中的Christian Brothers更有可能是一种廉价白兰地的牌子，而无论Christian Brothers中唱的是他对酒精的信任依赖还是引申到他那糟糕的青春期，似乎和远在半个地球外的听者关系不大。能由一首歌产生点感性的感觉，似乎能进入某种意境，也就够了。用句自以为是音乐圈的人会说的一句恶心装逼的话说：音乐是无国界的。
Christian Brothers
No bad dream fucker’s going to boss me around
Christian Brothers going to take him down
But it can’t help me get overDon’t be cross, it’s sick what I want
I’ve seen the boss blink on and offFake concerns is what’s the matter, man
And you think I ought to shake your motherfucking hand
Well, I know how much you careDon’t be cross, it’s sick what I want
I’ve seen the boss blink on and offCome here by me, I want you here
Nightmares become me, it’s so fucking clear
Nightmares become me, it’s so fucking clear
第一次听Give Me One Reason是在10年前，我和老哞儿还都是刚接受了一点真正音乐启蒙的小屁孩，拿着攒好的钱去音像买磁带听。那时候正是懵懂装蛋的时期，大概是因为曾买过几盘Disney电影原声带后尝到了甜头，因此说好此后只买英文的磁带，但除了在“狮子王”的封皮中提到的艾尔顿强之外，什么都不知道。老哞儿之前曾在什么地方听说了“葛莱美”这个词，便一厢情愿的认为凡是占“葛莱美”边的歌都是特别好听的歌，我敢打赌他当时除了能叫出这三个字来之外就再不能说出关于葛莱美的什么了。正好音像店里有盘葛莱美的磁带，我至今能清晰地记得其全称是”1997葛莱美的喝彩“，于是他顿下决心说要买这个，而我找了找其他的磁带但没发现什么称心的，于是也想买这盘97葛莱美，因为封面看着更好看一些，但无奈这次是轮到了老哞儿有优先选择权，后来不太情愿的买了Def Leppard的Hysteria，最终的造成的影响是Def Leppard始终也没进入我喜爱的乐队行列，除了那首Two Steps Behind。
交钱之前试试磁带，Give Me One Reason是97葛莱美的第一首，前奏吉他响起来时，老板赞叹到：听，外国音乐多他妈讲究！我猜他并没什么由衷的感情，只是炫耀他的磁带加上促销而已。但那段洋气的前奏吉他和Tracy Chapman浑厚的嗓音却深深的嵌入进我脑中，10年的时间再遥远的门外汉都会步伐或大或小地踏入所感兴趣的世界，我今天也终于知道了Give Me One Reason之所以带来那种奇妙的快感的根本原因实际上就是布鲁斯，一切难以模仿的千变万化的根源也只是简单的五声音阶。如果音乐能够物质化，这首歌肯定是精雕细琢使人爱不释手的珠宝，但就向在MTV中表现的那样，一切又是那样的自然而简单。Tracy Chapman和她的民谣依旧，而10年时光去转瞬即逝。
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
It was twenty years ago today,
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They’ve been going in and out of style
But they’re guaranteed to raise a smile
So may I introduce to you
The act you’ve known for all these years
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
We’re Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
We hope you will enjoy the show
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sit back and let the evening go
Sgt. Pepper’s lonely, Sgt. Pepper’s lonely
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
It’s wonderful to be here
It’s certainly a thrill
You’re such a lovely audience
We’d like to take you home with us
We’d love to take you home
I don’t really want to stop the show
But I thought that you might like to know
That the singer’s going to sing a song
And he wants you all to sing along
So let me introduce to you
The one and only Billy Shears
And Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Youth Of The Nation
Last day of the rest of my life
I wish I would have known cause I didn’t kiss my momma good-bye
I didn’t tell her that I loved her or how much I cared
Or thank my pops for all the talks and all the wisdom he shared
Unaware I just did what I always do
Everyday the same routine before I skate off to school
But who knew that this day wasn’t like the rest
Instead of taking the test I took two to the chest
Call me blind but I didn’t see it coming
And everybody was runnin
But I couldn’t hear nothin, except
Gun blast, it happened so fast
I didn’t really know this kid though I sat by him in class
Maybe this kid was reachin out for love or
Maybe for a moment he forgot who he was or
Maybe this kid just wanted to be hugged
Whatever it was I know it’s because
We are, we are the youth of the nation
We are, we are
Youth of the nation
We are, we are the youth of the nation
We are, we are
Youth of the nation
Little Suzzie, she was only twelve
She was given the world with every chance to excel
Hang with the boys and hear the stories they tell
She might act kinda proud but no respect for herself
She finds love in all the wrong places
The same situations just different faces
Changed up her pace since her daddy left her
Too bad he never told her she deserved much better
Johnny boy always played the fool
He broke all the rules so you would think he was cool
He was never really one of the guys
No matter how hard he tried
Often thought of suicide
It’s kinda hard when you ain’t got no friends
He put his life to an end they might remember him then
You cross a line and there is no turning back
He told the world how he felt with the sound of a gat
We are, we are the youth of the nation
We are, we are
Youth of the nation
We are, we are the youth of the nation
We are, we are
Youth of the nation
Who’s to blame for the life that tragedies claim
No matter what you say it won’t take away the pain
That I feel inside, I’m tired of all the lies
Don’t nobody know why
It’s the blind leadin’ the blind
Guess that’s the way that the story goes
Will it ever make sense somebody’s gotta know
There’s gotta be more to life than this
There’s got to be more to everything
I thought exists
We are, we are the youth of the nation
We are, we are
Youth of the nation
We are, we are the youth of the nation
We are, we are the youth of the nation
We are, we are the youth of the nation
We are, we are
Youth of the nation
We are, we are the youth of the nation
We are, we are
Youth of the nation
Youth of the nation
Youth of the nation
Youth of the nation
20年后的今天会怎么样？还会不会有大火墙？
Roman Candle是Elliott Smith个人名义发行的第一张专辑，与其说是专辑不如说是小样更为准确，其中的几首歌曲甚至没有名字，而仅仅以No Name #1, No Name #2等等来代替。专辑中的所有歌曲是Elliott Smith使用四轨机在地下室录制完成的，录音质量也确实是家庭级的low-fi水平。
最初听到Elliott Smith的声音立刻使我想起“了不起的盖茨比”的开头自述时的一个词：vanerable。Elliott Smith在Roman Candle中给人的感觉是脆弱和敏感，甚至有点使人感到压抑。但从剥离了嗓音和音乐的歌词上来看，倒有那么点朋克的感觉。
给我印象最深的是专辑第一首的同名歌曲，在Roman Candle中，声音幻化成了高速旋转的轮盘，”I’m a roman candle, my head is full of flames”，尽管包含着愤怒和痛苦，但也巧合地预示了Elliott Smith其后不到十年的生命，就象焰火一样爆发出异样的光辉。
其他：
No Name #3出现在电影Good Will Hunting中
Kiwi Maddog 20/20是一种Elliott Smith喜欢的葡萄酒的名字
Roman Candle
He played himself
Didn’t need me to give him hell
He could be cool and cruel to you and me
Knew we’d put up with anything
I want to hurt him
I want to give him pain
I’m a roman candle
My head is full of flames
I’m hallucinating
Hallucinating
I hear you cry
Your tears are cheap
Wet hot red swollen cheeks
Fall alseep
I want to hurt him
I want to give him pain
I’m a roman candle
My head is full of flames
I want to hurt him
I want to hurt him
I want to hurt him
I want to give him pain
And make him feel this pretty burn
Last Kiss是在Pearl Jam的双专辑Lost Dog中第一次听就会令人记住的歌曲，颇有点Where have all the flowers gone这种民谣的感觉。之前在泛泛听的过程中只听到”away from me”, “a little while”等只言片语，以为只是个和分手有关的情歌，但搜到详细的歌词看了后才知道歌中唱的故事是这么的heartbreaking，配上Ed粗犷厚重的嗓音，别有风味。
Last Kiss
Oh Where, oh where, can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She’s gone to heaven, so I’ve got to be good.
So I can see my baby when I leave this world.We were out on a date in my daddy’s car.
We hadnt driven very far.
There in the road, straight ahead.
A car was stalled, the engine was dead.I couldn’t stop, so I swerved to the right.
I’ll never forget the sound that night.
The screamin’ tires, the bustin glass.
The painful scream that I heard last.Oh where, oh where, can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She’s gone to heaven, so I’ve got to be good.
So I can see my baby when I leave this world.When I woke up the rain was pourin down.
There were people standin all around.
Something warm flowing through my eyes.
But somehow I found my baby that night.I lifted her head, she looked at me and said.
Hold me darling, just a little while.
I held her close, I kissed her our last kiss.
I found the love that I knew I had missed.
Well now shes gone, even though I hold her tight.
I lost my love, my life, that night.Oh Where, oh where, can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me.
She’s gone to heaven, so I’ve got to be good.
So I can see my baby when I leave this world.
又一首纯真的情歌，单凭歌曲本身就能把人带到一个优美的爱情电影中，这次搜到的offical video中的情景仿佛和之前对这首歌情景的想象相差不远，有点“情归阿拉巴马”的感觉，但相比Lynird Skinird的”Sweet Home Alabama”中的欢快，”Harvest Moon”的温馨感更重一些。
贯穿歌曲始终的沙沙声，我以为会是某些在jazz中使用的神秘打击乐器，但一次看Neil Young的现场时，这声音竟然是一个很像印第安人的家伙自始至终用一把扫帚在地上扫而发出，这一次的offical video也再次证明了这声音的出处。
when we were strangers, I watched you from afar…
下班路上在西直门换乘时，mp3正巧放到Dire Straits的这首”Money For Nothing”，这首mp3属于音量偏大的，当响起Mark Knopfler纯熟富有节奏的吉他前奏时，一切人群熙熙攘攘的声音都仿佛消失了，我突然被带到了久违的由音乐所引起的很high的感觉中，这种感觉在The Doors中，在Alice in Chains中曾经出现过。
记得Dire Starits 是被称为成人摇滚，而其音乐中没有pussy,dick,death之类的元素，那么“成人”的意义应该指适合于成年人听，很传统很不噪很不张扬。我7，8年前时就已经听过Dire Straits，但远不像现在这样喜欢，尤其是Mark Knopfler给我的感觉实在是太酷了，从不撕心裂肺的叫喊，只是伴随着出神入化的吉他和低沉的嗓音在平静的诉说，he has really been around。
对Frente了解不多，只隐约记得在“最动听的歌”中介绍其风格为另类流行，所以听了这首纯的不能再纯的”Bizarre Love Triangle”，自然感觉很另类，丝毫不怀疑Frente和”Bizarre Love Triangle”之间还有别的什么。直到一次听到了似乎旋律很熟悉的电子舞曲(或许可称为新浪潮，但我不知道有什么区别)，才知道这首歌的original竟然是这样，那么出自new order之手也不觉得奇怪了。
一向不喜欢电子乐，这里赞叹的是Frente的翻唱能力，和主唱Angie Hart的嗓音，真甜。