紐西蘭音樂人Chris Knox在09年6月不幸在自宅中風(參閱前文)。藉由親人及朋友們的努力,他們成功邀集獨立樂界眾巨星齊力獻聲,將之灌錄成致敬專輯《Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox》。聽各方好手重新演繹Chris Knox低傳真風骨的活力,讓我們揚起幃帆,勇敢對抗生命的不如意。從Yo La Tengo、Bonnie 'Prince' Billy、Lou Barlow、Stephin Merritt、Bill Callahan、The Chills、Alec Bathgate到久未發表作品的Jeff Mangum等音樂人的大力聲援,展現出Chris Knox的影響力與人望。攤開專輯曲目來看,從1980年的〈Pull Down the Shades〉到2009年末的〈Sunday Song〉,《Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox》的編排順序,正是Chris音樂生涯的軌跡。
且看眾人各顯神通。專輯由年方29歲的Jay Reatard打頭陣,躍然奔放的活力,就從〈Pull Down the Shades〉清爽的吉他及拍手聲洋溢而出。The Bleeding Allstars比原版更輕快的〈Ain't It Nice〉,不禁讓人也跟著「yeah yeah yeah」起來。The Crying Wolfs在〈All My Hollowness To You〉中,利用效果器營造出和Chris大相逕庭的shoegaze氛圍。The Tokey Tones不僅自個兒上場,還找來親朋好友,以俏皮的鍵盤、拍手聲與泡泡聲,在〈Round These Walls〉裡搭出一座有溜滑梯的兒童樂園。〈Not Given Lightly〉在Boh Runga慵懶的嗓音催化下,成了Jazz酒吧的威士忌加冰,醺醺醉人。〈Beauty〉的電子合成器聲一出,Stephin Merritt的招牌登時亮了出來。據說這首早已在1988年就錄好的翻唱,結尾失序的鍵琴聲卻與歌名不太相襯。
Bill Callahan低鬱內斂的空心吉他、Bonnie 'Prince' Billy滄桑微啞的嗓子、Yo La Tengo的低吟淺唱、Lou Barlow一別硬漢身段的溫柔與老戰友Alec Bathgate賦予〈Glide〉的全新面貌,眾人的祈願,都透過The Mountain Goats在〈Brave〉開頭的口白,隨著〈Song of the Tall Poppy〉心跳般穩穩律動的鼓點,共同向Chris致上所有的力量,與滿滿的祝福。
身為Neutral Milk Hotel的粉絲,個人最喜愛的部分非Jeff Mangum的〈Signed the Dotted Line〉莫屬。Jeff比之十年前要稍亮的嗓音,隱然哼出些歲月的痕跡,不過清亮的吉他與情感卻始終如一。這首歌的出現,除了向Chris打氣之外,闊別十年的復出,似乎也再添上「新生」的意象。
最後兩首歌是Chris於中風後灌錄的歌曲,在病痛的威脅下,可以聽到Chris還沒辦法唱出正常的語句。不過在大家的聲援之下,一切一定會如〈Signed the Dotted Line〉歌詞所述:
「everything will turn out fine.」
相關資訊
- 《Stroke》官方網站:包括專輯原曲及翻唱者的資訊皆有詳列,十分用心的網站!
- Chris Knox:中風時期親友所架設的blog,目前已暫停更新。
- 為Chris Knox打氣的同時卻發生這件憾事:Jay Reatard在今年一月逝世,R.I.P.
Tracklist:
disc1
01 Pull Down the Shades by Jay Reatard [Toy Love, Toy Love, 1980]
02 Rebel by The Checks [Rebel, Toy Love, 1980]
03 Ain't It Nice by The Bleeding Allstars [Toy Love, Toy Love, 1980]
04 Don't Catch Fire by Peter Gutteridge [Toy Love, Toy Love, 1980]
05 Luck or Loveliness by The Chills [Three Songs, Tall Dwarfs, 1981]
06 Nothing's Going to Happen by David Kilgour [Three Songs, Tall Dwarfs, 1981]
07 All My Hollowness To You by The Crying Wolfs [Three Songs, Tall Dwarfs, 1981]
08 Beauty by Stephin Merritt [Canned Music, Tall Dwarfs, 1983]
09 Nostalgia's No Excuse by Portastatic [Songs for Cleaning Guppie, Chris Knox, 1983]
10 Crush by The Mint Chicks [Slugbuckethairybreathmonster, Tall Dwarfs, 1984]
11 I've Left Memories Behind by Jay & Sam Clarkson [Slugbuckethairybreathmonster, Tall Dwarfs, 1984]
12 Burning Blue by Sky Green Leopards [That's the Short and the Long of It, Tall Dwarfs, 1985]
13 The Slide by Shayne Carter [Dogma, Tall Dwarfs, 1987]
14 Grand Mal by Pumice [Seizure, Chris Knox, 1989]
15 Knoxed Out by Hamish Kilgour [unreleased track]
disc2
01 Not Given Lightly by Boh Runga [Seizure, Chris Knox, 1989]
02 Bodies by Red&Zeke (Feat. Bill Doss & Neil Cleary) [Weeville, Tall Dwarfs, 1990]
03 Sign the Dotted Line by Jeff Mangum [Weeville, Tall Dwarfs, 1990]
04 Lapse by Bill Callahan [Croaker, Chris Knox, 1990]
05 Growth Spurt by Genghis Smith [Croaker, Chris Knox, 1990]
06 Coloured by Yo La Tengo [Croaker, Chris Knox, 1990]
07 Dunno Much About Life But I Know How To Breathe by AC Newman [Croaker, Chris Knox, 1990]
08 Glide by Alec Bathgate [Polyfoto/Duck Shaped Pain & "Gum", Chris Knox, 1993]
09 Inside Story by Don McGlashan [Polyfoto/Duck Shaped Pain & "Gum", Chris Knox, 1993]
10 The Outer Skin by Sean Donnelly [Polyfoto/Duck Shaped Pain & "Gum", Chris Knox, 1993]
11 What Goes Up by Lambchop [3 E.P.'s, Tall Dwarfs, 1994]
12 Brave by The Mountain Goats [Songs of You & Me, Chris Knox, 1995]
13 Round These Walls by The Tokey Tones (and friends) [Fifty Flavours of Glue, Tall Dwarfs, 1998]
14 Just Do It by The Bats [Fifty Flavours of Glue, Tall Dwarfs, 1998]
15 My Only Friend by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy [Beat, Chris Knox, 2000]
16 It's Love by The Finn Family [Beat, Chris Knox, 2000]
17 Becoming Something Other by Jordan Luck [Beat, Chris Knox, 2000]
18 Driftwood by The Verlaines [A Warm Gun, The Nothing, 2008]
19 Song of the Tall Poppy by Lou Barlow [A Warm Gun, The Nothing, 2008]
20 Napping in Lapland by The Nothing [new recording]
21 Sunday Song by Tall Dwarfs [new recording]
Jeff Mangum - Signed the Dotted Line (Chris Knox cover)
Jay Reatard - Pull Down the Shades (Chris Knox cover)
Yo La Tengo - Coloured (Chris Knox cover)
Will Oldham - My Only Friend (Chris Knox cover)