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主题:【原创】永远的 Jim Croce (I) -- 煮酒正熟

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家园 【原创】永远的 Jim Croce (II)

在吉姆和莫瑞的最初合作阶段,莫瑞是领衔歌手,吉姆为他做吉他伴奏支持。但渐渐地,莫瑞越来越清晰地感受到 吉姆非凡的音乐天赋、极富感染力的声线,以及厚重的生活带来的源源不断的创作灵感。于是两人默契地交换了位置,由吉姆主要负责歌曲创作和演唱,莫瑞主要负责吉他伴奏。一个最富才华和艺术感染力的二人组合,诞生了。

说到这儿,忍不住再跑一下蹄 吉姆的长相,颇似 2002 年的一部美国影片 Gangs of New York (纽约黑帮) 中的那位 屠夫 (Bill "The Butcher" Cutting),相貌相当凶狠狰狞。下面就是两人的照片。您是否也觉得两人挺象的?

Jim Croce

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Bill (the Butcher) Cutting -- by British Actor Daniel Day-Lewis

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1972 年,演艺境界日臻成熟的 吉姆和莫瑞,终于得到 ABC Records 公司的录制合同,录制了两张唱片,其中第一张唱片因收录了 Time in a Bottle (瓶中时光) 和 Operator (接线员) 等几首经典曲目,在1974年跃居排行榜首席。

在我看来,吉姆的歌曲有三个特点:

一,他们的歌曲,吟唱的是普通人的心声、苦闷,和希冀;

二,吉姆的声线富于金属色彩和穿透力,但其演唱风格却很质朴低调,不饰雕琢,俨然一块天然璞玉,委委道来的演绎风格极富亲和力和感染力;

三,吉姆和莫瑞的双吉他伴奏,是全世界最华丽眩目的箱琴伴奏,而这种伴奏上的华丽 与 歌曲内容及演唱风格 的质朴、不饰雕琢,构成一种完美的对比和戏剧色彩。

箱琴算是句行话吧,是与电琴相对应的,箱琴指不使用电声设备 而完全依靠琴箱自然共鸣的木吉他,电琴则指需连接电声设备的电吉他。

说起箱琴的华丽,我想拿两个大家都比较熟悉的同时代乐队做一下比较和说明:一个是披头士 (The Beatles),一个是保罗-西蒙 (Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel)。

披头士的箱琴伴奏,音色非常清新纯净,但不算华丽。他们的电琴伴奏当然很华丽,比如 While My Guitar Gently Weeps,但那毕竟不是单纯人力的效果。再者电琴的华丽是很容易被他人所模仿 甚至 超越的,比如在纪念 George Harrison 病逝的两场音乐会上,主音吉他 Eric Clapton 和 Prince 的电琴演绎在华丽、复杂、戏剧化程度上,都超过了披头士。

但要玩儿箱琴还想在华丽繁复这个维度上超过 吉姆和莫瑞,嘿嘿,到目前为止我还没有看到。Not even close!

保罗-西蒙的箱琴演绎也是一流的,他们的 Scarborough Fair 在华丽繁复程度上比较接近 吉姆和莫瑞,但不要忘记,那首歌的华丽,部分来自一支曼佗铃,保罗在弹吉他,曼佗铃不可能是他弹奏的,Arty 只会唱歌不会乐器,所以是另外情人帮忙的。再说也仅仅是接近吉姆莫瑞而已。

保罗的吉他演奏水平可能微胜吉姆,却多半不是曾玩儿过古典吉他的莫瑞之匹,吉姆和莫瑞四手双琴,就更不是保罗单枪匹马可以抵挡的了。

吉他方面俺弹过古典也玩儿过伴奏,我以为吉姆和莫瑞的玩意儿是绝难模仿和复制的,因为他们的演奏不仅是繁复的(把位更换频繁) 而且是高速的,勉强弹下来不是问题,但要想象他们那样弹得行云流水 而且配合得天衣无缝,太难了!

下面贴另一首我最爱的歌曲,Operator. 歌曲讲述的是一个男孩儿苦恋一个女孩儿,这个女孩儿现在是男孩子从前一个兄弟的女友,男孩儿很想给她打电话,但犹豫再三终于还是放弃了。歌词与旋律配合完美,加上吉姆忧伤深情却故做洒脱的演绎,感人至深。吉姆的英语口音,比如他唱 Number 和 Happen 时,都怪怪的,却也成了他演绎的独特之处。

Operator - By Jim Croce and Maury Muehleisen

[FLASH]http://www.youtube.com/v/A2iS8XctJKo[/FLASH]

Operator, oh could you help me place this call

You see the number on the matchbook is old and faded

She's livin' in L.A.

With my best old ex-friend ray

A guy she said she knew well and sometimes hated

Isn't that the way they say it goes

But let's forget all that

And give me the number if you can find it

So I can call just to tell them I'm fine and to show

I've overcome the blow

I've learned to take it well

I only wish my words could just convince myself

That it just wasn't real

But that's not the way it feels

Operator, oh could you help me place this call

'cause I can't read the number that you just gave me

There's something in my eye's

You know it happens every time

I think about the love that i thought would save me

Isn't that the way they say it goes

But let's forget all that

And give me the number if you can find it

So I can call just to tell them I'm fine and to show

I've overcome the blow

I've learned to take it well

I only wish my words could just convince myself

That it just wasn't real

But that's not the way it feels

Operator, oh let's forget about this call

There's no one there I really wanted to talk to

Thank you for your time

Oh you've been so much more than kind

And you can keep the dime

Isn't that the way they say it goes

But let's forget all that

And give me the number if you can find it

So I can call just to tell them I'm fine and to show

I've overcome the blow

I've learned to take it well

I only wish my words could just convince myself

That it just wasn't real

But that's not the way it feels

(抗抗)

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