Pentangle - Reflection (1971) |
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Hey, my little Doney girl |
Hey, mia piccola ragazza del Doney |
Well, It's already made |
Bene, è già pronto |
Well, It's already made |
Bene, è già pronto |
Well, It's already made |
Bene, è già pronto |
Well, It's already made |
Bene, è già pronto |
Well, she wouldn't say yes |
Bene, lei non ha detto sì |
2. Omie Wise |
Oh, listen to my story, I’ll tell you no lies |
Ascoltate la mia storia, non vi mentirò |
“Go with me, little Omie and away we will go |
“Vieni con me, piccola Omie e ce ne andremo via |
“Little Omie, little Omie, I’ll tell to you my mind |
“Piccola Omie, piccola Omie, ti dirò cosa ho in mente |
Then he got upon his pony and away he did ride |
Poi montò in sella al suo pony e via cavalcò |
They threw their nets around her and drew her to the bank |
Gettarono le loro reti per avvolgerne il corpo e lo trascinarono
a riva |
Il testo eseguito dai Pentangle qui trascritto e la traduzione sono gentilmente messi a disposizione dal sito web Terre Celtiche. Altre note su questa canzone. |
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I
was standing by my window |
Ero seduto alla mia finestra |
Will the circle be unbroken |
Che il cerchio si chiuda |
Load, I told that undertaker |
Caricala sul carro, dissi all’impresario (di pompe
funebri): |
I followed close behind her |
Ho seguito (il carro) da vicino dietro a lei |
I went home, my home was lonely |
Sono tornato a casa, la mia casa era vuota |
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Su questa pagina è possibile leggere la traduzione della versione completa di questa canzone tradizionale inglese con i commenti sul suo significato. |
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I don’t know what my baby's gonna say when I get
home, |
Non so che dirà il mio tesoro quando rientrerò a casa |
My sweet woman and the dreams stop to tease me with
your smile |
Dolce tesoro, smettila di tentarmi con quel tuo sorriso. |
Now dear old I’m glad and had it right, baby, from
the start, |
Ora, vecchio mio, sono felice e ho fatto bene sin
dall’inizio, |
Well I married me a wife |
Bene, io ho sposato una donna |
She came a running on down the stairs |
Lei è venuta di corsa giù per le scale |
Well I ain't got no use for your red
apple juice |
Beh io non ho alcun bisogno del tuo rosso succo di mele |
I see you sitting in the shade counting
every dime I've made |
Ti vedo seduta nell'ombra a contare ogni centesimo che ho
guadagnato |
6. Helping Hand |
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Once a day seemed so endless |
Un tempo un giorno sembrava infinito |
Many chances were given |
Molte possibilità sono state offerte |
Try to reason |
Tenta di ragionare |
You people who understand |
Voi gente che capite tutto |
Maybe some day |
Forse un giorno |
Then there will be no one to blame |
A quel punto non ci sarà nessuno da incolpare |
Spend some time with your loved ones |
Passa un po' di tempo con le persone che ami |
Trascrizione © Nicole D'Eliso, con integrazioni pervenute via e-mail da Don C. | |
7. So Clear |
It was in the rainy season |
Era nella stagione delle piogge |
Sad lady and her portmanteau |
La signora triste e il suo baule |
Saving that it’s only something that can happen any day |
Però è solo qualcosa che può sempre succedere |
Toulose, circles rider turn on your childish grin |
Tolosa, motociclista, volgi il
tuo ghigno infantile |
Your eyes are stars that twickly twinkle |
I tuoi occhi sono stelle che scintillano dolcemente |
And anyhow it’s only something sure to come down with the rain |
E tuttavia è solo qualcosa che stai certa verrà via con la pioggia |
Would I can hear a song so clear |
Potrei sentire una canzone così chiara |
Even now I do remember one thing more that is not told |
Persino ora ricordo bene una cosa che non è stata detta |
Trascrizione e traduzione © Nicole D'Eliso |
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Last night
the sky |
Ieri sera il cielo |
I heard the guns of heaven |
Ho sentito i cannoni del cielo |
I reached out my hand |
Ho allungato la mano |
I’m gonna climb my tower |
Salirò sulla mia torre |
People told your mother |
La gente ha detto a tua madre |
And as you sail away |
E tu sei salpato |
I've seen the devil's face |
Ho visto il volto di Satana |
I've got a notion |
Ho una convinzione |
Trascrizione © Nicole D'Eliso, con integrazioni pervenute via e-mail da Don C. |
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I brani ove è indicato come
autore "Pentangle" sono registrati a nome di tutti e cinque i
componenti del gruppo: |
Su questo album, forse il
migliore dei Pentangle per l'equilibrio tra le diverse fonti di ispirazione,
riportiamo una ottima recensione a suo tempo pubblicata su Epinions (da un
anonimo autore) e ora non più disponibile sul sito, che riportiamo qui di
seguito. |
Pentangle's Reflection - an
understated masterwork The Bottom Line Pentangle's "Reflection" is a stark and beautiful folk album of the most immaculate, yet memorable performances. The pinnacle of one of the best folk-rock groups. Pentangle were always a distinctive part of the late 1960s English folk/rock scene. Unlike Fairport or Steeleye, their music was understated, sparse, and atmospheric, in its early days entirely free of electric instruments and at times incorporating influences (and songs) from jazz. Their second, third and fourth albums, Sweet Child, Basket Of Light and the beautiful Cruel Sister, showed them honing their unique approach with ever-increasing clarity. At the same time, Basket of Light has reached the UK Top 5 and just dented the Billboard Top 200, though Cruel Sister only reached #51 in the UK. Jacqui McShee, the lead singer of the group, was developing into an extremely touching singer who never sang a single harsh note: the clear beauty on "When I Was In My Prime" and "Cruel Sister" already reached remarkable heights. Bert Jansch and John Renbourn had both shown themselves to be exceptional guitarists with a touching beauty even when playing an electric, and Danny Thompson's amazing bowed double bass always identified them very clearly. However, Reflection, if surprisingly overlooked both critically and comercially, stands as the record on which Pentangle honed their unique blend of folk, jazz and a little blues to greatest effect. This is apparent from the lively, twinkling opening track "Wedding Dress" where McShee's joyful voice gives a song that is catchy yet amazingly melodic. If you listen carefully, one can see some Thompson more prominent than ever with his double bass. The second track "Omie Wise", takes time to get used to because of the rather throaty vocals, but it is even more melodic than most of Cruel Sister. However, it is the third track, their rendition of the traditional American hymn "Will The Circle Be Unbroken", which stands as Pentangle's pinnacle. Much sparser even than previous Pentangle albums, the band shows its style perfectly suited to maintaining the spiritual quality the song's lyrics possess. McShee's voice and Terry Cox's seemingly at-ease percussion are simple yet so memorable - the sound hasn't dated at all in the last thirty-four years. "When I Get Home" is the closest of all the tracks on Reflection to the atmospheric sound of previous albums, yet the chorus possesses a level of dynamics previously unknown amongst the plaintive moods that were a trademark of the band previously: they seem to go from quiet to a fiery staccato (still not loud)almost spontaneously. The last track on side one of the original vinyl, "Rain And Snow" is very similar to "Wedding Dress" but features the surprising refinement of a piano. The first track on side two, "Helping Hand", was stately and beautiful, even more so, in fact, than the amazing "Lyke Wake Dirge" from Basket Of Light. Whilst the lyrics might date the recording back to the sixties ("we might need a revolution") the way in which the beautiful music still resonantes more than a third of a century later is very surprising. "So Clear", the seventh track, opens with an acoustic guitar line reminiscent of their very earliest works, but then develops into a quiet folk ballad with some of the most understated singing in folk music and a barely audible piano in its later parts - it feels like the pianist was only playing the left hand but is still heartfelt. The interplay on the guitar solo that finishes the song, however, sustains it superbly for its full length. The final track, the epic "Reflection" stands as a remarkable illustration of how skilful Pentangle could be at the most subtle variations of musical sound to keep a song interesting. Seen on "Jack Orion" from their previous album. The really dark double bass line of Thompson in the first two minutes almost puts sparks into the ears of an attentive listener at first, but then seems to move into several voices at once during the second minute. McShee's bell-like voice sounds, in the verses, almost as beautiful as on "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". The high pitches she reaches might seem inappropriate for a lyric that says "watched the whole world disappear", but the players seem to think that such an apocalypse would not be as bad as people think - a conclusion reinforced by the more hopeful lyrics of the rest of the piece. It is amazing on "Reflection ("and some other tracks here) how Thompson manages to make his double bass possess the tonal quality of a brass instrument. After a simple electric guitar solo, the song changes tone with what sounds like a drum solo from Cox and several more verses. The amazing thing about this track is that all the band members play seemingly equal roles in a way rarely found in any form of music: with most songs one cannot judge how able some of the performers actually are just by listening. For all the excellent music it contained, Reflection was overlooked both by the critics and the public (though it was their best-selling album in the US at a mere #183 on Billboard) and was the last of their original six albums to be remastered. However, the fact that Pentangle had made their sound sparser and less
cluttered had, as the songs mentioned above so, made their music even more
touching and tuneful than the best folk or folk/rock usually is. Together
with some of Jacqui McShee's best singing, this is ample reason to recommend
Reflection to all interested in folk-rock. |
Omie Wise |
Published 1971 Transatlantic Records Ltd. / Swiggeroux Music Ltd: 1,2,4,5,6,7,8 |
© Musica & Memoria Febbraio 2003 / Revisioni: Giugno 2007 (So Clear), Novembre 2007 (Reflection), Aprile 2008 (Helping Hand revisione di Don C. e completamento testi classici dei Pentangle), Aprile 2017 (Revisione completa Omie Wise). Per i testi pubblicati vedi il Disclaimer. |
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