陶喆写BEATLES的乐评。。

陶喆写BEATLES的乐评。。 2008年7月10日 武汉 在这个月的日记里，我想写一篇不同於以往的文章。我要写一篇「乐评」，介绍我最喜欢的专辑之一：披头四（译注：或译「甲虫乐队」）的【白色专辑】。大部分熟识我的人都知道，在音乐上，披头四是影响我最多的一个乐团。在很多访问中，我常会提到他们，但是我很少有机会可以深入探讨他们的音乐与歌曲。因此我想写篇乐评，让大家认识 （或重新认识）披头四，尤其是这张专辑。当然，在过去这六十年里出生的人应该都或多或少听过这个乐团，但是我发现很多人并没有真的了解他们的音乐及其产生影响力的前因后果。我想很多人都听过一些披头四的名曲像是 “Hey, Jude” 或 “Let It Be”，但他们最好或最有影响力的作品并不是这些歌。我必须说披头四的影响力是渊远流长的，相较之下，猫王就只是昙花一现的流行偶像罢了。 我得先厘清一点，这并不是一篇传统定义下的「乐评」。这跟你平常会在杂志里读到的评论文章不同。我只是将我个人对於这张专辑的想法与意见纪录下来。当然，更重要的是你最好可以先买下这张专辑（实体或数位的合法版本），边读边听，这样你就会知道我在说甚麼。 【白色专辑】是披头四在1968年发行的第九张专辑（我出生前一年），这是张「两张一套」的专辑。关於【白色专辑】的专辑名称来源，有一个非正式的说法指出是因为专辑的白色封套上除了团名之外，并没有任何其他文字。我觉得这是他们最好的专辑，因为它在各方面的表现都是相当前卫，却同时兼顾了音乐性与可听性。它将实验、旋律、温润、动人等特质融治一炉。整体制作水准顶尖卓绝，蓝侬（Lennon）跟麦卡尼（McCartney）的词曲创作表现并臻高峰。这是披头四第一次采用八轨盘带录音技术，这让他们在器乐搭配与编曲层次上有更多的挥洒空间。若以现今的科技水平看来，我们只需要一台家用电脑就可以录制无数轨的音乐，但是想像当时在只有一台八轨盘带的录音前提下，他们是要面临何其巨大的挑战！这点证明了握有甚麼工具并不是重点，作出甚麼内容才是王道。 这张专辑的开场曲 “Back in the USSR”巧妙地使用了飞机起降的音效。直率的摇滚节奏，明显受到海滩男孩影响的美妙合声。整首歌呈现出明显的美式音质，但很讽刺的，这首歌的歌名却是以苏联旧政权为题。第二首歌 “Dear Prudence” 是蓝侬写的，这首歌后来被很多艺人与乐团翻唱过，而成为众人膜拜的经典名曲。这首歌简单得很诡异，只有三个不断重复的和弦，藉此营造出催眠般的低吟音场。我很喜欢电吉他的部份，他们用电吉他弹奏出很有趣的印度音色与音阶，并以此作为立基主轴，逐渐将整首歌推向高潮。我觉得这首歌设计出一种暗黑阴郁的调性，这点影响了许多现代的摇滚乐团。 【白色专辑】并没有任何为披头四创造高度商业成就的金榜金曲，但它仍然有许多极具开创性的单曲。专辑里的第四首歌 “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da”是由保罗麦卡尼谱写的经典代表作之一。从以前到现在，我ㄧ直很喜欢这首歌散发出的热带海岛欢愉气氛，创意十足的合声吟唱以及美国南方乡村音乐特有的钢琴音调。当麦卡尼在最后几遍副歌，以狂野的方式大声唱出甜美的词句时，两者之间的对比迸发出许多力量。 “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill”是一首影响我很多的作品，因为蓝侬在这首歌以一种循序渐进的方式讲述故事，逐步将听众引入各段落铺陈的情节之中。这首歌听起来像是一首儿歌，但深究其中，你会发现这首歌是很可怕的。蓝侬在这首歌及其他作品表现出来的幽默与讥讽特质，让他得以成为一位与众不同的创作者。 乔治哈里逊（George Harrison）在披头四历年的作品系谱中，并未占据太大的分量，而“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” 就是他最著名的作品之一。这首歌的和弦与旋律结构是相当标准的哈里逊风格 － 擅长操弄复杂的乐曲进行方式及曲扭旋律。很有趣的一点是，这首歌的吉他独奏是由艾力克 克里普顿（Eric Clapton）弹奏的，他跟披头四属於同一时期，本身就是一个很重要的艺人（与吉他英雄）。我个人觉得哈里逊的作品长期欠缺一份情感，而且不像约翰或保罗般直接。他似乎很努力地要搞些新玩意，但常常为了满足形式需求而牺牲该有的功能要素。 “Happiness is a Warm Gun”是我在这专辑里面最喜欢的作品之一，因为这首歌的词曲展现出惊人的创意。这首歌由六个不同的段落组成，各自拥有鲜明的旋律走法，但是彼此又环环相扣，融合一体。它传递出一股强力集中却又层次分明的情绪。约翰在结尾以原始的野性嗓音演唱，真实展现了他无所在乎、无所憾恨的个性。“Martha My Dear”精雕细琢的交响乐编曲是麦卡尼的经典作品之ㄧ。我曾经偏好麦卡尼的创作，但随著年龄的增长，我反而比较喜欢蓝侬尖锐、深沉与具备社会意识的作品风格。典型的麦卡尼作品（或许也包括他的个性）总是甜甜蜜蜜、和和气气、快快乐乐。他的音乐很容易被人接受，但是就欠缺蓝侬作品中的力道与爆炸性。“I’m So Tired”是这张专辑里面另外一首我很喜欢的蓝侬作品。这是一首非常直接的歌曲，而且歌词及蓝侬的嗓音（尤其是他在歌曲结尾的喃喃呓语）完美表达出他的疲惫与挫折。 我第一首学习弹奏的吉他曲目就是麦卡尼的“Blackbird”。这是一首质朴、简单而动人的迷人小品。我觉得这是麦卡尼最好的作品。你可以挑战学习这首歌－我是在15岁的时候学会的。“Piggies”是另外一首由哈里逊谱写的歌曲，再次巧妙混入猪鼾音效，这在披头四的作品中是十分常见的手法。我年轻的时候很喜欢这种方式，因为这可以让歌曲更具真实性与临场感。我喜欢这首歌的编曲，尤其是使用了大键琴与弦乐重奏，并将互不相干的些许蓝调混入巴哈式的和弦走法中。“I Will”则是我最喜欢的另一首麦卡尼作品，因为我觉得它写得很好。这首歌以一种轻松写意的态度表现出甜美诚挚的情感。这让我想起Gilbert O’Sullivan（译注：1970年代备受推崇的爱尔兰创作歌手）的一首作品“Alone Again”，但这并不是说两首歌听起来很相似，而是两者都具备了好作品该有的特性。 “Julia”是蓝侬用来歌颂他幼年时便离世的母亲。歌词令我很感动，尤其是这几句：「贝壳般的双眸 / 清风般的微笑 / 呼唤著我 / 让我吟唱爱的乐章 / 茱莉亚… 」呼唤出一幅栩栩如生的人物景象。我总觉得间奏的旋律带有东洋味，或许是受到他老婆洋子的影响吧? 这首歌在静諡的氛围里渲染出淡淡的愁思，几许诡异和弦的拨弄，营造出如梦似幻的想像意境。 我不太清楚保罗谱写 “Birthday”这首歌的缘由，但是这是一首标准的摇滚乐曲，展现了披头四简洁有力的音乐制作能力。专辑后段多数的作品都是在印度完成的，披头四的成员在1968年时到印度作了一趟冥想之旅。在这段隐士生活期间，蓝侬跟麦卡尼明显经历了一段自由解放、文思泉涌的美妙体验，因而在那裏创作了一些经典佳作。虽然这些歌不尽然反应出印度音乐对他们所造成的影响，但是整张专辑所展现的创意与实验精神，延续发展到披头四日后的专辑如【黄色潜水艇】之中。“Sexy Sadie” 运用了两个七大调的和弦，当我开始写歌的时候，这个作法著实让我印象深刻。这其实没有什麼艰涩难行之处，但是这样的和弦处理搭配歌词的主题传递出一种玩世不恭的坏痞子迷人魅力。这里再次见识到蓝侬独特的作词魔力，另外在合声与吉他的部分同样有十分精彩的表现。 我一直不喜欢 “Helter Skelter”这首歌，但是它绝对是重金属音乐的发展前身，只是它没有像重金属音乐在吉他部分加上这麼重的失真效果（distortion effect）。我觉得这是麦卡尼企图变身为重摇滚乐手的宣示之作，但是我觉得结果并没有太大的说服力。“Revolution 1”是我很喜欢的蓝侬经典代表作之一，但是我其实比较喜欢另一个更重的版本，这个版本收录在其他的专辑里面，歌名也简化为 “Revolution”。这首歌的歌词充满争议性，传达出蓝侬的政治社会觉醒意识，而这也正是他的音乐作品的重要特徵。如果你有机会可以阅读其中的歌词，你就会了解我的意思。 “Honey Pie” 运用了1920年代的小酒馆音效，这是麦卡尼的另一首拟时代作品。当麦卡尼顺利完成这首歌，其结果堪称卓越。这首歌展现了动人的魅力与多彩多姿的性格，充满聆听的乐趣。尤其那令人惊艳的铜管与竖笛／黑管编曲，我们可以从这里见识到蓝侬与麦卡尼千变万化、高深莫测的音乐造诣。收录在我的第二张专辑的 “马戏团”就是在这首歌的启蒙根源上，拓展出更为开阔的创意版图。 【白色专辑】惊人之处乃是整张专辑在主题概念的定义范畴内，衍生出多样多元的音乐风格。但是我并不会觉得这张专辑过於混乱或冗长，反而是所有的东西以一种美丽的姿态聚合为一。“Revolution 9”是拼贴剪辑盘带录音与音效后期处理的实验之作。这首歌并不悦耳，但是它彰显了这个乐团所具备的前卫精神，尤其是蓝侬追求极致、超越颠峰的过人意志。有人说“Revolution 9”是蓝侬受到妻子洋子的影响而创作的，因为洋子本身是一位前卫艺术表演者。这首歌的毁誉参半，批评者认为在整张专辑中，它显得有点格格不入 - 也许应该放在史塔克豪森（译注: Karlheinz Stockhasen，1928~2007。二十世纪最重要的德国现代音乐作曲家之一，被誉为电子音乐之父）的专辑里面，但是我觉得这样的挑战精神是值得被称许的。“Goodnight”是专辑里面的最后一首歌，为这段闪耀启蒙光辉的音乐之旅谱下温馨感人的尾声。这首歌是由鼓手林哥史达（Ringo Starr）演唱的，大家不太了解他的演唱实力。我自己很喜欢这首歌，我觉得林哥不假修饰的真诚嗓音深富穿透力。它让我想起一些迪士尼老歌，华丽壮阔的交响乐编曲配上柔情似水的优美旋律。 【白色专辑】是一张内容丰富、洋溢巧思的专辑，从我的青春年代直到如今，它让我感动许多，也受益良多。这是一张我乐於跟大家分享的专辑，尤其如果你对现今的音乐感到厌烦的话。不管是对一般的听众或专业的音乐人来说，这张专辑绝对拥有丰沛的情感与顶尖的音乐创作技法。也许未来我还会发表其他的披头四「乐评」，但是我现在想先跟大家分享这张专辑，它是我的挚爱经典之一。我在二十五年前第一次听到这张专辑，即使至今，它依旧清新俊逸，甚至历久弥新。 好好享受吧 ! 陶喆 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For this month’s journal, I’d like to do something different and, instead, write a “review” of one of my favorite albums by The Beatles: The White Album. Most people that know me well know that my biggest music influence has been the Beatles. I’ve referred to them many times over in interviews but I’ve seldom gone into depth about their music and songs. One of the reasons why I want to write this review is because I want to introduce (or re-introduce) you to the Beatles, especially, this album. Of course, almost everybody born during the past 60 years or so has heard of the band but I find the majority of people don’t really know their music in depth and what made them so influential. I’m sure most of you have heard the familiar Beatles’ hits such as “Hey, Jude” or “Let it Be” but much of their best and most influential work were not these songs. I would say that The Beatles are one of the most influential artists of all time even more so than Elvis Presley who was more a pop icon of his era. I’d like to clarify that this is not a review in the traditional sense. It is not meant to be a critical review like the ones you’d find in a magazine. It is, rather, a collection of thoughts and my opinion of what I feel for this album. Of course, it’s important that you purchase a legal copy of this album (physical or digital download), give it a listen as you read this so you’ll know what I’m referring to. The “White Album” was the Beatles’ ninth album released in 1968 (a year before I was born) as a double album. It was unofficially referred to as “The White Album” because there was no other text on the white cover other than the band’s name. In my opinion, this album is one of the band’s greatest because it was on cutting edge in every aspect yet at the same time very musical and accessible. It was both experimental yet melodic, warm and inviting. The production was top notch and the writing (both melody and lyrics) represented Lennon and McCartney at their best. This was the first time that the Beatles began using 8-track recording which allowed them to do much more in terms of overdubbing and layering their arrangements. By today’s standards and technology, we are capable of unlimited tracks with only a home computer so you can imagine recording with merely 8-tracks would be quite a challenge! This only goes to illustrate that it’s the content that matters and not the tools you use. The album kicks off with “Back in the USSR” which makes clever use of an airplane taking off and landing sound efx. It’s a straight-ahead rock and roll song with nice vocal harmonies obviously influenced by The Beach Boys. The sound of the song is clearly American but the irony is that the topic of the song revolves around a then not-so-cool Soviet Union. The second song, “Dear Prudence”, is a Lennon song that has been covered by many other bands and artists giving it a kind of cult status. The song is deceptively simple and based on only three chords repeating over and over again creating a hypnotic drone. I really like the electric guitars as they play a very interesting Indian sounding scale and motif as the song gradually builds into a climax. I feel this song influenced many contemporary rock bands in its dark and somber setting. “The White Album” didn’t have the chart topping commercial Beatles hits but it still produced many innovative singles. The fourth song, “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da”, was one of those hits and was written by Paul McCartney. From young, I always liked the festive calypso atmosphere, creative background vocals and thinly voiced honky-tonk piano. The contrast between the sweet lyrics and the way McCartney wildly belts out the final choruses generates a lot of power. “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” influenced me a lot in the way Lennon slowly unfolded a story drawing the listener in with each section’s plot. The song comes off as a children’s song but upon closer inspection you realize that it’s quite macabre. Lennon’s humor and sarcasm in this song and in his other works is also something that sets him apart from other writers. George Harrison didn’t have many contributions to the Beatles’ repertoire but “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was one of his more notable ones. The chordal and melodic structure is very representative of Harrison with his use of complicated progressions and twisted melodies. It’s interesting to note that the guitar solo was played by Eric Clapton who was a contemporary of The Beatles and a major artist (and guitar hero)in his own right. I personally feel that Harrison’s writing always lacked emotion and wasn’t as direct as John or Paul’s. He seems to try very hard to do something different often times sacrificing function for form. “Happiness is a Warm Gun” is one of my favorite songs on the album because both the melody and lyrics are incredibly innovative and witty. The song has 6 separate sections each with it’s own distinctive melodies yet the song feels so well integrated and complete. The emotion delivered is powerful and focused yet there are so many layers. John’s vocal is brutally raw towards the finale of the song and it really shows his unabashed and unapologetic personality. “Martha My Dear” is classic McCartney with his polished orchestrations and sweet melodies. I used to prefer McCartney’s writing to Lennon’s but as I grew older I preferred the latter’s edge, depth and social consciousness in his writing. McCartney’s songs (and perhaps his personality) were typically sweet, amicable and pleasant. His music was always easy to listen to but didn’t have the power and explosiveness of Lennon’s works. “I’m So Tired” is another Lennon song that I really like on the album. It’s fairly straightforward but the lyrics and Lennon’s vocal delivery (particularly his mumbling at the end of the song) express his restlessness and frustration so perfectly. One of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar was McCartney’s “Blackbird”. It’s a very charming little ditty displaying what I feel is Paul’s best writing. It’s unpretentious, simple yet very illusive and touching. If you feel up to the challenge try to learn it-I did when I was about fifteen years old! “Piggies” is a Harrison song that again makes clever use of sound efx which actually is quite prevalent in Beatles’ songs. This was something that I always liked when I was young because it somehow made the song feel more real and involving. I like the arrangement of the song particularly the use of harpsichord and string quartet mixing irreverently a bit of blues with a very Bach inspired chordal progression. “I Will” is one of my favorite McCartney songs because it’s just so well written. The song is sweet and sincere in a very effortless manner. It reminds me of a Gilbert O’Sullivan song titled “Alone Again” which has no similarity except in perhaps how well crafted they both are. “Julia” is Lennon’s ode to his mother who passed away when he was very young. I was very touched by the lyrics especially the strong imagery he invokes with the words, “seashell eyes, windy smile, calls me, so I sing a song of love, Julia…” The bridge melody always struck me as being influenced by Japanese music possibly due to his wife, Yoko? The song is very quiet, tinged with sadness yet at the same time a bit eerie with the use of certain chords giving it a dreamy quality. I’m not quite sure why Paul wrote “Birthday” but it’s one of those straight ahead rock and roll tunes that show the Beatles knew how to keep things simple and just rock out. Most of the songs that ended up on the album were written in India during a transcendental meditation retreat the Beatles took in 1968. It was obvious that during this retreat Lennon and McCartney experienced a surge of inspiration and liberation and wrote some of their best works there. Even though the songs didn’t necessarily reflect Indian music references, the entire album exhibited a level of creativity and experimentation that would continue further on in future Beatles’ albums such as “Yellow Submarine”. “Sexy Sadie” used two descending dominant 7th chords that really fascinated me when I started writing songs. It wasn’t anything difficult but somehow it managed to convey a certain playfulness and devilish charm that the lyrics wrote about. There’s something magical about Lennon’s lyrics again and the background vocals and guitar parts are just as amazing. I never liked “Helter Skelter” but it definitely was a predecessor to what we now know as Heavy Metal but with less distortion on the guitars. I felt it was McCartney’s attempt at staking his claim as a hard rocker but for me it just wasn’t convincing enough. “Revolution 1” is one of Lennon’s most classic songs though there’s another heavier version simply called “Revolution” not on this album that I like much more. The lyrics are controversial and showed Lennon’s political and social awareness that was to be one of his musical signatures. If you get a chance read through the lyrics and I think you’ll know what I’m talking about. “Honey Pie” is another one of McCartney’s pseudo-period pieces this time with a 1920’s cabaret sound. When McCartney does this and when it works it’s simply magnificent. It’s got a lot of charm and personality and is simply just fun to listen to. Listen to the awesome horn section and clarinet arrangement and you’ll see how dynamic and well versed both Lennon and McCartney were musically. A song on my second album, “马戏团“, was very much influenced by this song but much more exaggerated and blown up. The amazing thing about “The White Album” is its wide range of music styles and diversity in its subject matter. However, for me the album never felt chaotic or tiresome but, rather, everything came together beautifully. “Revolution 9” is an experimental collage of sounds comprised of tape edits and sound processing. Maybe not pleasant to listen to it did, however, showcase the avant-garde spirit of the band especially Lennon’s desire to push the envelope. Some say that Lennon’s “Revolution 9” was very much inspired by his wife, Yoko, who was an avant-garde performing artist herself. This was a piece that must have been equally praised and criticized by listeners as it seemed out of place on the album (should have belonged on a Stockhausen album perhaps) but I feel it was an admirable challenge. “Goodnight” is the last song on the album and provided a warm closing to a long yet enlightening musical journey. The song is sung by Ringo Starr who is the drummer and not known for his singing ability. I personally quite like the song and feel Starr’s vocal delivery is very effective as his voice is earnest and unpolished. It reminds me of the old Disney songs with their lush orchestrations and tender melodies. “The White Album” is such a rich and masterful album that has both educated and touched me from my youth till now. It is an album that I would love to share with you especially if you tire of today’s music. There is a wealth of emotion, musical and technical genius for everybody from the casual listener to the professional musician. There are many other great Beatles’ albums that I might “review” in the future but, for now, I’d like to present to you one of my favorite albums of all time. It’s still as fresh now as when I heard it for the first time nearly 25 years ago. Enjoy it, DT