原鄉情濃，淡妝搖滾～Dire Straits／險峻海峽合唱團

如果以西洋音樂的年代區分，那麼區分方法似乎通常是以十年間的後半期跨入下一個十年的前半期為一個年代。例如我們說70'年代的西洋歌曲，指的通常已經是69'～78'當中的所有歌曲；說80'年代，通常也是回溯到從79'延伸到88'左右的西洋歌曲。

而我認為，西洋音樂在台灣最巔峰的時期，是屬於五、六年級生的78'～87'這十年。在這期間，搖滾樂、舞曲、雷鬼、Rap、Hip-hop以及New Wave等各種類型的音樂由於錄音設備、技術、樂器的精進及音樂人革新的創作性大幅被接受，無論是否被廣泛傳唱或上榜，作品大都令人激賞，大量的音樂流通到了令人目不暇給的地步。

當時聽西洋歌曲的管道很有限，流行資訊短缺，電視頻道也只有三台，即使廣播電台播放，也只能有「聽」的份兒，畫面得靠自己想像或是乾脆練習英語聽力；唯一一個能一次滿足西洋音樂愛好者「視」、「聽」享受的，也只有「閃亮的節奏」。
記得以前每週六下午一定開著華視，等待那位「禿頭阿伯」余光(雖然他當時還很年輕，只是禿頭加上小鬍子總使我忍不住稱他為阿伯)倒數介紹著最新排行榜上前十名的西洋歌曲，聽好聽的歌，看那些好看的MTV。雖然有時候，在新曲尚未進榜前，必須連續好幾週忍受相同幾支MTV，而且余光阿伯的英文唸起來有時候跟老師教的發音不太一樣，但唯恐落於人後，倒也甘之如飴地一週等過一週；不然錯過像 A-Ha 結合動畫與真人的經典MTV「Take On Me」、援助非洲饑荒的「We Are The World」等等畫面，怎能跟五年級生一起擁有共同的記憶？

1985年停留在排行榜上9週冠軍，也是結合動畫製作、以MTV諷刺MTV的「Money For Nothing」，除了被並列於「搖滾四大經典之一」(*後註)外，也是我好喜歡的MTV與歌曲。

(A-Ha 的「Take on Me」是以素描的黑白色系結合真人為主，Dire Straits「Money For Nothing」則是以鮮豔的線條及彩色動畫與真人做結合)

Dire Straits - Money For Nothing (1985)

I want my MTV



Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it

You play the guitar on the MTV

That ain't workin' that's the way you do it

Money for nothin' and your chicks for free

Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it

Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb

Maybe get a blister on your little finger

Maybe get a blister on your thumb



We gotta install microwave ovens

Custom kitchen deliveries

We gotta move these refrigerators

We gotta move these colour TV's



See the little faggot with the earring and the makeup

Yeah buddy that’s his own hair

That little faggot got his own jet airplane

That little faggot he’s a millionaire



Gotta install microwave ovens

Custom kitchen deliveries

We gotta move these refrigerators

Gotta move these colour TV's



I shoulda learned to play the guitar

I shoulda learned to play them drums

Look at that mama, she got it stickin' in the camera

Man we could have some

And he's up there, what's that? Hawaiian noises?

Bangin' on the bongoes like a chimpanzee

That ain't workin' that's the way you do it

Get your money for nothin' get your chicks for free



We gotta install microwave ovens

Custom kitchens deliveries

We gotta move these refrigerators

We gotta move these colour TV's



Look a' here

That ain't workin' that's the way you do it

You play the guitar on your MTV

That ain't workin' that's the way you do it

Money for nothin' and your chicks for free

Money for nothin' and chicks for free



Money for nothin' and your chicks for free



Look at that, look at that



Money for nothin' and your chicks for free

I want my, I want my, I want my MTV

Money for nothin' and chicks for free



(Fade)

I want my, I want my, I want my MTV


以主唱兼吉他手 Mark Knopfler 為靈魂人物的Dire Straits(險峻海峽合唱團)，雖然是個搖滾樂團，用大量的吉他來加強在歌曲裡的伴奏上，但是樂器與歌聲在比例上的展現，非常具有特性地令人聽起來感覺清脆悅耳。

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (1985)

專輯曲目

1. So far away

2. Money for nothing

3. Walk of life

4. Your latest trick

5. Why worry

6. Ride across the river

7. The man's too strong

8. One world

9. Brothers in arms


「Money For Nothing」收錄在這張「Brothers in Arms」當中，而與專輯同名的這首歌其實也是經典的一首，聲音滄桑卻極具磁性且充滿原鄉味道的愛爾蘭籍主唱 Mark Knopfler，飾以絲毫不華麗但飽含情感的吉他聲，將這首歌曲緩慢地深入到聽眾的心底...

Dire Straits - Brother in Arms (1985)

These mist covered mountains

Are a home now for me

But my home is the lowlands

And always will be

Some day you'll return to

Your valleys and your farms

And you'll no longer burn

To be brothers in arms



Through these fields of destruction

Baptisms of fire

I've witnessed your suffering

As the battles raged higher

And though they hurt me so bad

In the fear and alarm

You did not desert me

My brothers in arms



There's so many different worlds

So many different suns

And we have just one world

But we live in different ones



Now the sun's gone to hell

And the moon's riding high

Let me bid you farewell

Every man has to die

But it's written in the starlight

And every line on your palm

We're fools to make war

On our brothers in arms

Dire Straits - Money for Nothing (1990)

從85'那輝煌的代表作開始，人們只要想起 Dire Straits，似乎都不得不與那首調侃味十足且商業性較重、超級經典的「Money for nothing」劃上等號，而忽略了他們本身是個超級棒的樂團，還有其他許多像「Brothers in arms」、「Romeo and Juliet」這樣的好歌。而早在1978年 Dire Straits 的第一張同名專輯發行時，其實也有一首輕快舒適的好歌「Sultans Of Swing」，雖然後來在精選集之中都有收錄了，但鋒芒仍是被掩蓋的。
我這麼想吧，喜歡他們的人就會喜歡，我呢，直接將他分享給大家聽看看就好，如果你也喜歡，我就高興囉！



Dire Straits - Sultans Of Swing (1978)



You get a shiver in the dark

It's raining in the park but meantime

South of the river you stop and you hold everything

A band is blowing Dixie double four time

You feel alright when you hear that music ring



You step inside but you don't see too many faces

Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down

Too much competition too many other places

But not too many horns can make that sound

Way on downsouth way on downsouth London town



You check out Guitar George he knows all the chords

Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing

And an old guitar is all he can afford

When he gets up under the lights to play his thing



And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene

He's got a daytime job he's doing alright

He can play honky tonk just like anything

Saving it up for Friday night

With the Sultans with the Sultans of Swing



And a crowd of young boys they're fooling around in the corner

Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles

The don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band

It ain't what they call rock and roll

And the Sultans played Creole



And then the man he steps right up to the microphone

And says at last just as the time bell rings

'Thank you goodnight now it's time to go home'

and he makes it fast whith one more thing

'We are the Sultans of Swing'

*後註
「搖滾四大經典」分別為：

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven (LED ZEPPELIN IV, 1971)

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (A Night At The Opera, 1975)

Eagles - Hotel Carlifornia (Hotel California, 1976)

Dire Straits - Money For Nothing (Brother In Arms, 1985)


P.S. 這四大經典除了偉大的 Led Zeppelin「Stairway To Heaven」曾有一次被 Far Corporation 翻唱成舞曲版本、Eagles「Hotel Carlifornia」被Gipsy Kings 翻唱為拉丁版本之外，其餘兩首並沒有被翻唱後正式發表的紀錄；而其實似乎也甚少有人能再將這四首詮釋得比原唱更棒。
我想，我自己想的，原因應該是，Eagles 隔幾年便重聚開演唱會，從不例外地演唱自己的經典「Hotel California」；Queen 的華麗搖滾與主唱 Freddie Mercury 渾厚不羈的特色，無人能出其右；而 Mark Knopfler 獨特且慵懶的愛爾蘭腔調，恐怕也不是人人唱得來的。但是，擱下他們這重量級代表作的「唯一性」之外，四首搖滾經典的共同點又是什麼呢？為什麼許多音樂，我們一聽就能馬上想起是由誰或哪個團體演唱的呢？

「特色」。

彈奏吉他的方式與聲音、演唱者獨特的音質或表現方式、風格...這些，都是所謂「經典」所以為「經典」，永垂不朽的條件吧！

至少，我是真的這麼認為的，呵呵。