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Este artículo lo dedicamos al álbum conceptual y ópera rock The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast de Roger Glover.
El álbum The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper's Feast
Sitio oficial de de Roger Glover: rogerglover.com
Introducción
Roger David Glover es un bajista, tecladista, productor discográfico y compositor británico nacido el 30 de noviembre de 1945 en Brecon, Gales, conocido por formar parte del grupo de hard rock Deep Purple y haber creado el riff de "Maybe I'm a Leo" entre otros.
A la edad de diez años, Glover se mudó con su familia a Londres, ciudad en la que se empezó a interesar por el rock and roll, por lo que comenzó a tocar la guitarra. En el instituto formó su primera banda, Madisons, junto con algunos amigos, y que se acabó por fusionar con otra banda llamada Episode Six, el grupo en el que figuraba el posterior compañero de Glover en Deep Purple, el vocalista Ian Gillan. Ambos dejaron esta banda en 1969 para unirse a Deep Purple.Ian Gillian en 2012 |
Durante su estancia en Deep Purple grabó los discos más exitosos de la formación británica, entre los que se encuentran Deep Purple in Rock y Machine Head, antes de ser despedido por el guitarrista Ritchie Blackmore cuatro años después de su llegada. Posteriormente, se dedicó a producir álbumes de Judas Priest, Nazareth, Rory Gallagher, Status Quo, Ian Gillan Band o Elf y publicar su propio material en solitario.
En 1977 trabajó para David Coverdale y Whitesnake, y en 1978 se unió a Blackmore en su banda Rainbow, con los que grabó cinco álbumes. Desde 1984 pertenece de nuevo a Deep Purple después de su reformación ese mismo año y produjo los discos Perfect Strangers, The House of Blue Light, Slaves and Masters, The Battle Rages On... y Abandon.
Desde 2001 ha grabado nuevo material solista bajo el nombre de Roger Glover & The Guilty Party, con la cual ha editado los discos Snapshot en 2002, seguido por If Life Was Easy en 2011.
El álbum The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper's Feast
The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast es un álbum conceptual publicado en 1974 que dio lugar a una ópera rock estrenada en 1975, basado en el poema infantil de mismo título. El diseño de la portada del álbum es del diseño de Alan Aldridge para un libro de 1973 basado en el poema.
En 1973, Roger Glover dejó Deep Purple debido a la presión laboral y las tensiones entre él y Ritchie Blackmore. Junto con Jon Lord trabajó en un proyecto en solitario. Su plan era hacer una ópera rock basada en el libro ilustrado de William Plomer y Alan Aldridge The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast (1973), basado en el poema homónimo del historiador británico William Roscoe (1802).
Portada del poema de una edición de 1808 |
Sin embargo, Lord estaba demasiado ocupado con Deep Purple, y Glover tomó las riendas por su cuenta. Usando sus conexiones, Glover reclutó un gran elenco de notables músicos de rock, con un vocalista diferente para cada personaje, incluidos David Coverdale y Glenn Hughes.
El cortometraje animado
Un cortometraje animado se realizó para la canción The Butterfly Ball por la compañía Halas & Batchelor y uno de los animadores fue Harold Whitaker. En él aparece una rana tocando la guitarra recogiendo animales en el bosque para el próximo baile. El video recibió mucha difusión a lo largo de las siguientes décadas, particularmente como relleno durante dificultades técnicas, como en el canal de televisión francés Antenne 2, y en los Estados Unidos en programas de televisión infantiles como The Great Space Coaster y Nickelodeon morning shows. Esas emisiones aleatorias, junto con el tono psicodélico del clip y la falta de subtítulos, lo hicieron muy popular entre los espectadores jóvenes.
El concierto en el Albert Hall
El 16 de octubre de 1975, tuvo lugar una actuación única en el Royal Albert Hall. Una vez más, tuvo un elenco repleto de estrellas de músicos de rock, sobre todo Ian Gillan, quien fue reclutado en el último minuto y recibió una ovación de pie en su entrada. Reemplazó a un Ronnie James Dio que no estaba disponible que tenía compromisos con Rainbow de Ritchie Blackmore (aunque Dio finalmente pudo interpretar la canción en el Royal Albert Hall en 1999 como invitado de Deep Purple). Gillan no había actuado desde que dejó Deep Purple en 1973. También fue notable la aparición de Twiggy como cantante y actriz y Vincent Price como narrador. Además de la mayoría de los músicos involucrados en la grabación de estudio, el concierto también contó con Jon Lord. El concierto en vivo fue filmado y lanzado en 1976, producido por Tony Klinger. Posteriormente fue editado en cinta de video VHS.
Lista de canciones de la versión cinematográfica:
1. "Dawn (feat Vincent Price)"
2. "Get Ready (feat Glenn Hughes)"
3. "Saffron Dormouse and Lizzy Bee (feat Helen Chappelle and Barry St. John)"
4. "Together Again (feat Tony Ashton)"
5. "Old Blind Mole (feat Earl Jordan)"
6. "Magician Moth (feat Vincent Price)"
7. "Watch Out for the Bat (feat John Gustafson)"
8. "Aranea (feat Judi Kuhl)"
9. "Sir Maximus Mouse (feat Eddie Hardin)"
10. "Behind the Smile (feat David Coverdale)"
11. "Little Chalk Blue (feat John Lawton)"
12. "Waiting (feat Al Matthews)"
13. "Sitting in a Dream (feat Ian Gillan)"
14. "No Solution (feat Micky Lee Soule)"
15. "The Feast (feat Vincent Price)"
16. "Love is All (feat Ian Gillan )"
17. "Homeward (feat Twiggy)"
18. "Love is All (encore)"
Todas las canciones fueron escritas por Roger Glover excepto donde se indique.
Lado A
Lado B
B1 Waiting
B4 Together Again (Glover, Dio, Soule)
B6 The Feast
B7 Love Is All (Glover, Dio, Hardin)
B8 Homeward (Glover, Hardin)
Enlace a la lista de reproducción del álbum completo: Roger Glover and guests - The Butterfly Ball and the
Enlace al álbum completo: The Butterfly Ball - 1975 - Audio CD
El sencillo Love Is All
El 8 de noviembre de 1974 fue lanzado en el Reino Unido el sencillo Love Is All, acreditado a Roger Glover & Guests. El lado B era Old Blind Mole/Magician Moth.
El sencillo fue un éxito número uno en los Países Bajos y Bélgica. Eddie Hardin escribió la canción Love Is All basada en una canción que aparece en The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast llamada Love's all you need, que se inspiró en la canción de The Beatles All You Need Is Love. La canción fue cantada por el cantante estadounidense de heavy metal Ronnie James Dio.
- Jack Emblow - acordeón
- Ray Fenwick - guitarra
- Mike Moran, Ann Odell - piano
- Roger Glover - sintetizador, piano, guitarra, bajo, percusión, coros
- Eddie Hardin - piano, órgano, sintetizador, coros
- Eddie Jobson - violín
- Chris Karan - tabla
- Robin Thompson - fagot
- Nigel Watson - sierra
- Mo Foster - bajo, contrabajo, finger pops
- Les Binks - batería
- Mike Giles - batería
- Joanne Williams - coros
- Kay Garner - coros
- Judi Kuhl - coros
- Barry St. John - coros
- Helen Chappelle - coros
- The Mountain Fjord Orchestra dirigida por David Woodcock y dirigida por Martin Ford, John Bell y Del Newman.
- Alan Aldridge, Harry Wilcock - diseño de portada
- George Peckham - masterización
Reediciones
Fue reeditado por primera vez en CD en 1987. No incluyó bonus tracks. En 1995 fue publicado en CD con 10 temas adicionales, incluyendo el tema Little Chalk Blue, inédito hasta ese momento.
Letras
Dawn
Instrumental
Get Ready
Cantada por: Glenn Hughes
Wake up, wake up
It's time to get up
The sun is shining
Now's the day we've all been waiting for
Hurry, hurry
Don't be lazy
Stop your dreaming
Here's a dream come true that you can keep for evermore
Get ready
Get ready
Get ready now
Bats and badgers
Gnats and gadflies
Waterboat men
Wake up for the greatest day of all
Ants and dormice
Open your eyes
Mobilize now
Get yourselves together for the feast and for the ball
Get ready
Get ready
Get ready now
Saffron Dormouse and Lizzy Bee
Cantada por: Barry St. John, Helen Chappelle
Saffron Dormouse:
Pots and pans all spick and span
Hanging there in a tidy row
Careful Tom don't scuff up the floor
Please don't make me scrub it again today
We're on our way to the ball
Lizzy Bee:
All day long I'm working like a slave
But you'll never hear me complain
In the sunshine or the rain
Saffron Dormouse:
I've been asleep all winter
And now the spring is here
It's time for you to hear my song
Lizzy Bee:
(Hope it's not too long)
Saffron Dormouse:
Every room is clean and bright
Now we'd better be on our way
Tom make sure you've got everything
Lock the door and give me the key
Let's go to see the show at the ball
Lizzy Bee:
Back to work tomorrow, but tonight
Going to eat and dance 'till I fall
At the feast and at the ball
Harlequin Hare
Cantada por: Neil Lancaster
I'm harlequin hare
I haven't got a care
I'm going to the ball
Bang on your drum
Tell everyone come
Come all
And part of my style
Is making you all smile
There's Nathaniel Gnat
In his cavalier hat
And a twinkle in his eye
By the light of the moon
The ladies all swoon
And sigh
And part of his style
Is making them all smile
Grasshopper goes
Wherever his nose
Will tell him to go
Fancy and free
And letting his fee-
Lings show
And oh what a sight
He'll be at the ball tonight
Old Blind Mole
Cantada por: John Goodison
Old Blind Mole
It's home sweet home down in his hole
Old Blind Mole
He don't need me or you
Old Blind Mole
He don't need gasoline or coal
Old Blind Mole
He don't need me or you
Self contained
Always been the same
Obeys no rule
Nobody's fool (he's so cool)
Old Blind Mole
He never robbed and he never stole
Old Blind Mole
He don't need me or you
Magician Moth
Instrumental
No Solution
Camtada por: Soule
Don't start complaining now
The damage is done and you know how
Don't make a fuss you're not so bad
If you don't want to look so sad
Don't drink the water
It's bad for you
Don't drink the water
It's sad for you can't drink it anymore
I don't mind if you don't care
About your house or what you wear
But these times affect us all
Whether you hop or fly or crawl
Don't drink the water
It's bad for you
Don't drink the water
It's sad for you can't drink it anymore
(No solution)
There's a way to make it clean
It doesn't have to be a dream
What was once can be again
I know how but I don't know when
Don't drink the water
It's bad for you
Don't drink the water
It's sad for you can't drink it anymore
(No solution)
Behind the Smile
Cantada por: David Coverdale
Behind the smile the stranger lies
Beware of what is in his eyes
Looks like fun but he's after you
It's not so funny what that smile can do...
Behind the smile there lies a face
Filled with cunning, but he's full of grace
Comes on friendly but is deadly too
Beware or he'll take care of you...
An innocence so well rehearsed
And so naïve
That's all you ever see
Behind the smile you cannot see
Lies another full of mystery
Don't be fooled by that friendly grin
The jaws of death are going to call you in...
Fly Away
Cantada por: Liza Strike
It's hard to tell you why
You'll have to wait and see
Your wings will grow
And then you'll know
The joy of being free
To float upon the air
And drift along the breeze
You'll greet a friend
Then rise again
So high above the trees
And I can show you how
But you'll have to make your own way
Patience now
Tomorrow you can fly away
Heartbreakers all
When you arrive at the Ball
Oh how you sway
You're going to steal hearts away
I know it's not so bad
For I was once like you
Enjoy yourself
There's nothing else
That you can say or do
And most of all be calm
Be beautiful and shy
Your time will come
And like the sun
You'll reach up to the sky
And I can show you how
But you'll have to make your own way
Patience now
Tomorrow you can fly away
Aranea
Cantada por: Judi Kuhl
Oh Aranea, you're so divine
It's hard to take my eyes off you
You really shine
Oh Aranea, you seem so wise
And every time I look into
Your spider eyes
My hopeful heart just flies
Time is flying too
So brush your hair and lace your shoe
You know the ball won't wait for you
Tonight
Oh Aranea, you're proud and tall
When you descend on silken threads
Down to the Ball
You'll look the best of all
Sitting in a Dream
Cantada por: Dio
I'm just passing time before the ball
Playing my guitar
I don't have to be where I don't want to be at all
Maybe I'll go far
Going nowhere
Sitting in a dream
Ah in a dream
Sitting in a landscape full of sighs
Dream away the day
Making up a tune about the blueness of the skies
This is where I'll stay
Going nowhere
Sitting in a dream
Ooh in a dream
Watching as a red and white balloon
Sails across my mind
In between the images that drift along my tune
Smile as they unwind
Going nowhere
Sitting in a dream
Ah in a dream
Waiting
Cantada por: Jimmy Helms
I'm waiting here for something good to come my way
And I've been waiting patiently all day
The sunshine begins to stretch across the sky
I'm just waiting, oh I am waiting
People that are restless, moving here and there
Somehow they seem to go nowhere
So I remain and watch the world go by
I'm just waiting, oh I am waiting
I don't know what I'm waiting for but that's all right
Every thing I need is in my sight
I'm free as every kingfisher should be
And I'm just waiting, oh I am waiting
Sir Maximus Mouse
Cantada por: Eddie Hardin
He sits in seclusion
Will take no intrusion into his world
They all bow their faces
From men in high places to the office girl
He's Sir Maximus Mouse
And he lives in a house bought with pieces of paper
If a deal's up for grabs
Or there's cash to be had he's the taker
He's facing a crisis
A drop in cheese prices force him to sell
Playing with other lives
He makes sure that he survives, they can go to Hell
He's Sir Maximus Mouse
And he lives in a house that he bought from the Devil
If they question his shares
Then his books will show they're on the level
With luxury living
His charity giving is a clever scheme
Enormous donations
Help public relations foster the dream
He's Sir Maximus Mouse
And he lives in a house that could pass for a palace
Like a fortress in which
Like a demon or witch he can vanish
Dreams of Sir Bedivere
Instrumental
Together Again
Cantada por: Tony Ashton
I can't recall
If there's a ball
Should we be there?
It seems to me
We ought to be
With someone somewhere
Give us another
Oh pardon me, brother
For laughing
It's good to be back together again
The candle dims
My vision swims
Too much cheer
The feeling's good
But I know that I should
Be going from here
Give us another
Say, hey, brother
Where are you going without me?
I'm glad that we are together again
Watch Out for the Bat
Cantada por: John Gustafson
Watch out for the Bat now
Or that'll be that now
The price you will pay is dear
So don't be ashamed to fear
That is what makes you care
Makes you beware
Don't worry about it
You'll find you're without it
The Bat's going to take your life
He's going to take your wife
The Bat's going to make you plead
Make you bleed
So make no mistake there
You'll end up as steak (rare)
Always be on your guard
For this life is hard
Death is a breath away
Every day
Little Chalk Blue
Cantada por: John Lawton
There's no one here that feels no pain
Deep inside we're all the same
And when the light begins to end
We meet a friend
Some people symbolize
The hope and fears beyond our eyes
And now you shine so clear and true
Believe in you
Fly on, little chalk blue
Fly on, I'm following you
And everybody in the world
Is following too, fly on
When you're looked behind a door
You need your freedom there much more
And by your wings we'll learn to see
You hold the key
Fly on, little chalk blue
Fly on, I'm following you
And everybody in the world
Is following too
Following you, fly on
The Feast
Instrumental
Love Is All
Cantada por: Dio
[Verse 1]
Everybody's got to live together
All the people got to understand
So love your neighbour like you love your brother
Come on and join the band
[Verse 2]
Well, all you need is love and understanding
Ring the bell and let the people know
We're so happy and we're celebrating
Come on and let your feelings show
[Chorus 3]
'Cause love is all, well, love is all
Love is all, can't you hear the call?
Know that love is all you need
Love is all you need at the Butterfly Ball
[Verse 3]
Ain't you happy that we're all together
At the ball in nature's countryside?
And although we're wearing different faces
Nobody wants to hide
[Chorus 2]
And love is all and all is love
And it's easy, yes, it's so easy
At the Butterfly Ball, where love is all
And it's so easy
[Verse 4]
All you need is love and understanding
Hey, ring the bell and let the people know
We're so happy and we're celebrating
Let your feelings show
[Chorus 3]
Love is all, yes, love is all
At the Butterfly Ball
Love is big, love is small
Love is free and love is all
At the Butterfly Ball
[Outro]
When your back's to the wall
When you're starting to fall
You've got something to lean on
Love is everything
It can make you sing
At the Butterfly Ball
Now, love is all, I say love is all
Yes, love is all at the Butterfly Ball...
Homeward
Cantada por: Dio
Now the ball is over
It's time to get back home
I need a star to guide me
I'm feeling so alone
Feeling so alone
Morning mustn't find me
Sleeping in the sun
Now the dawn is breaking
A new day just begun
Glow worm lighting
Darkness fighting
Guiding one and all
Homeward going
Moving flowing
Homeward from the ball
Wings are sadly folding
Here comes another day
Oh, I'd like to stay forever
And dance the night away
Dance the night away
Glow worm lighting
Darkness fighting
Guiding one and all
Homeward going (Take me home)
Moving flowing
Homeward from the ball
Homeward going
Moving flowing
Homeward from the ball
Homeward going (Take me home)
Moving flowing (Take me home)
Homeward from the ball
Homeward going
Moving flowing
Homeward from the ball
New day just begun
Como siempre, me ha encantado este completísimo artículo. Gracias y Abrazo
ResponderEliminarMuchas gracias Amaia. Saludos
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