A Book

by Emily Dickinson

There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

 

Carl Barât

看完 Carl 個 show 之後欲罷不能, 繼續在 Youtube 看了很多 Libertines 的 Live, 2010年Reading Festival 那個真的很精彩, (竟然)看了幾次.

但最印象深刻的是以下這個, 第一次看已覺得很神奇, Carl 頭兩分幾鐘究竟如何可以一邊唱歌一邊彈Lead Guitar的?! 真的很利害! 再拉下看Comment, 原來不少人也跟我有同樣疑問, 有位說他可以彈到這首歌, 但如果一起唱就彈不了, 專注不到., 就是呀!他的腦怎可以同時控制兩個不同的旋律?!

所以每次看這條片都非常讚嘆.



另外這個video都愛死了.
一向Pete 都被公認寫詞很捧, 但原來Carl 都可以寫出這樣優美的曲和詞.
其實無官方證實過這歌是他們哪一個寫的, 但毫無疑問一定是Carl, 因為他才有一對藍眼睛.



The Ideal girl in London from France
Came over then left me
She left me entranced
Now I have to get by once again on my own
Nothing but memories

So I remember your eyes that unique shade of brown
While these blue eyes of mine they stay closed
I kissed you goodbye on the M109
I choked as I watched the bus go

Choking and smoking to your angelic soul
choking and smoking myself into a hole
Where the only way out is to sleep and to dream
And to cry out your name.

The Libertines live in Hong Kong!

其實只有Carl Barât和他的band, 也有Gary Powell, 所以都可當是二分一 Libertines 吧.

算不上是Carl 歌迷, 但十分喜歡The Libertines, 所以Carl 一公佈舉行一場免費gig, 還寫明 “with songs from across the whole of our career”, 想也不用想立即衝去.

Carl 真是令不是他歌迷的我也深受感動, 對他的好感大大大增.

話說Burberry 專誠請他由英國來港, 為其於上星期四的旗艦店開幕禮做表演嘉賓, 看回照片, 他西裝畢挺, 我估唱了三幾首歌, 這樣舒舒服服地表演至少應可袋幾十萬. 而次晚這個免費gig, 他唱足個半小時, 唱到全身濕透, 頭髮滴汗, 他卻分文不收.

真的沒話說. 還有這個gig是不足十小時內促成的! 最初Carl 在facebook上公怖他會於當晚為Burberry表演, 但屬私人表演, 只招待VIP, 眾fans紛紛在他facebook上表示失望. 也是呀! 看著他千里迢迢來到香港, 跟著又眼白白看著他走. 他也很快回應, 說從來沒有收過邀請請他來港演出, 否則他一定會來的,  

至此 , 大家都沒有什麼寄望.

但第二天早上看到他facebook真是高興得大叫起來. 他竟在零晨兩時多寫道: “好, 我明晚就為大家免費表演一場, 下午兩點再公佈時間地點”, 真是令人難以置信! 香港應該從未有人這樣開過show, 此人還是Carl Barat 呀! 他真的真心對 fans 好!

說來也很神奇, 上兩個星期才買了本NME雜誌, 是The Libertines “up the bracket”大碟十週年專輯, 怎也想不到兩個星期後竟可親身看到二分一隊the Libertines 唱 Time for Heros! 雖然只是acoustic 版, 但也正到不得了, 能親耳聽到他彈中間那段solo, 再加上台下一起"唱"出段solo, 那刻真是說不出的感動, 當他拿著木結他開始 ”Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang” , 噢! What Katie did! 大家立即跟著 ”Shoop shoop, shoop de-lang-a-lang”, 真的很正.

台上的Carl 落力表演, 台下的觀眾應該亦沒有令Carl失望,  Carl一出場唱第一首歌, 台下等了三小時的人迅即達到癲狂狀態, 跳唱推, 情況比上年看Suede更不受控, 可能半場是老外的關係, 他們比本地觀眾更瘋狂, 我被夾正場中間真的有種快死的感覺, 有時整個人被推到左邊, 有時就被推到台前, 特別在唱The Libertines 的歌時特別嚴重, 全場人包括我都全身濕透, 有人甚至連上衣也除去, 幸好我穿了短袖衫, 否則真的會熱死. 最後我只有到場邊避一避, 那邊的人比較冷靜, 場中的老外真的是完全括了出去, 但這種瘋狂算很正常吧. 完場時, 我有種連續做了十二小時gym的感覺.

美中不足的是未能讓Carl 在我的Up the Bracket 上簽個名, 否則便更完美了. 之後聽說他完場後雖然立即走了, 但卻在樓下停車場跟fans拍照和簽名了很久, 只是我遲走才碰不上吧.

2012 Tour

一月買飛時也只想留張飛儲下, 買了後心想為何不可到英國看?

當時A+E大碟還未出, youtube看過幾首歌的live, 可能拍攝質素差的關係, 沒有太好印象, 所以也是抱著膽搏膽的心態, 當然, graham過去每隻碟我都是極喜歡的.

四月頭A+E終於出爐, 事實証明對graham的懷疑完全是多餘, 聽完隻碟幾次, 決定買多一場! 原本只是看London那場, 最後連Cambridge那場也看了.

對graham音樂及美學上的懷疑也不止一次, 只是一次又一次見到自己之無知及graham之厲害.

首先, A+E封面, 第一次在網上看到後的反應是完全不當它是一回事, "是假的"我心想. 對graham稍有認識的, 都知道他會為自己大碟畫封面, 試問這張相怎可能是其封面?! 況且, 跟不少人一樣, 我不喜歡這張相片.

聽了這隻碟後, 我錯了. 這個封面跟整隻碟的主題完全配合. 碟內歌曲大致上是關於Londoner夜蒲飲酒跳舞打交, 如果封面是一幅油畫, 反而九唔搭八了.

之後, 在訪問中graham話要做一隻令人跳舞的大碟, 我又心想: 有無可能呀? Rock可以令人跳舞嗎...? 我又不是很喜歡dance music…

再次證明我又錯了, 這隻碟就算不令你跳舞, 周身搖是一定的. 而事實真的很好聽, 暫時未能下判斷喜歡此碟還是The Kiss of Morning多一些, 不過一定是Top 3.

一聽A+E隻碟就知道live會更加不得了, 所以才會連看兩場, 的確很幸運, 是次tour的set lis我覺得是完美的!

Set list

Advice

Don't Let Your Man Know

Standing on My Own Again

I Can't Look at Your Skin

I Don’t Wanna Go Out

The Truth

City Hall

Meet and Drink and Pollinate

Bah Singer

Running for Your Life

You Never Will Be

You and I

Ooh, Yeh Yeh

---

That's All I Wanna Do

Seven Naked Valleys

What'll It Take

Freakin' Out

No Good Time

Tripping Over

聽Live跟聽碟感覺真的不一樣, 聽碟我最喜歡的是Seven Naked Valleys, 但現場聽City Hall真是精彩, 他們現場彈出整首歌的效果真是令我大開"耳"界, 另外印象很深刻是London 那場的Running for Your Life, 音樂一起全場氣氛沸騰, 一齊跳一齊唱, 我也差點被夾扁, 話說回頭, 此歌著實見到graham 的song writing愈來愈厲害, 由頭至尾, 由曲到詞都是讓大家一齊唱和跳吧, 而歌詞也真是過癮和攪笑. 而Cambridge那場, 最高興莫過於聽到You and I 了, 因為之前幾場的set list 是沒有的, 所以當他說You and I 時, 大家立即起哄.

而很明顯You and I是取代了All Over Me, 本來對後者被剔走了有點失望, 最初見set list 有此歌是何等開心, 不過之後想深一層, 也覺得很正常, 以這個set list來說, 又真不知應該將All Over Me放在哪裡. 其實這次新舊歌真的夾得很好, 由第一首high到尾二, 最後聰明地以Tripping Over作結, 這也是我喜歡死了的一首歌, 也是極想聽到live亦無想過可以聽到的一首!

是次Cambridge 及 London gig 絕對是我看過最精彩的音樂會, 花錢飛往英國看不止是值得甚至是超值!

The Spinning Top - Graham Coxon

Completely fall in love with Graham Coxon..........'s music lately.

His previous album "the Spinning Top" is so beautiful. I can hardly find another word to describe it. The music, the guitar, the lyrics, the flow... just beautiful and complete. It is enjoyable to listen to it from the begining to the end.

Some critise his voice. It is true that he has an "unique" voice which is far from perfect and sometimes he even (or almost) sings off key. But strangely that seems to make his songs even more attractive.

"Feel Alright"
What this song impresses me is the extreme of the music and the lyrics. It sounds happy but indeed it's about feeling depressed. funny.

Oh Sunday morning, not a scrap in sight
I'll go without, I do it out of spite
All by myself, yeah

Food's lost its flavour, I refuse to bite
Do myself no favours, I stay in every night
Ashtrays in rows, but you know...

I feel alright
It's just another Sunday morning, then it's Sunday night
I feel alright
It's just the ghost of you behind me, sitting right up tight

I'll read the paper, but it's yesterdays
The world's gone mad and I'm going the same way
All by myself, yeah

When the sun is shining, but it don't give no hope
I'm into whining, and I'm all out of soap
But it's good to feel dirty, yeah

When you feel alright
Just another Sunday morning, everything's alright
I feel alright
It's just the ghost of you behind me sitting right up tight
Sitting right up tight

So many miles, between me and you
So many days, I don't know what to do
Be by myself, then I know...

I'll be alright
On another Sunday morning, another Sunday night
I'll be alright
With the ghost of you behind me sitting right up tight
Sitting right up tight
Sitting right up tight


"Brave the Storm"
Beautiful lyrics

There's a world where we can disappear, into our own little stratosphere
You see the stars up in heaven baby? They belong to me
You & me are gonna learn to fly, the little pathways across the sky
There's nothing here that can hold you baby, come along with me
The rain falls down, such a familiar sound
I'm on the ground, wet
Like the first time we met

Maybe now it's time to say goodbye, put your skirt on hitch it high
There's a wind gonna take us, baby, close your eyes to see
There's a world where we can start anew, set alight by sun & moon
The spirits cry in the rivers, baby, come along with me
The rain falls down, such a familiar sound
I'm on the ground, wet
Like the first time we met

Brave the storm (ok)

There's a sorrow in your eyes of green, a darker song I have never seen
I see the earth in your body baby, come along with me
The rain falls down, such a familiar sound
I'm on the ground, wet
Like the first time we met

Brave the storm