楓葉國雖然沒有熊貓﹑也沒有深海鱘﹑但卻有一位鐵達尼號級數的國寶女歌手Céline Dion。CD一直是魁北克省法語樂壇的中堅份子﹐13歲開始公開演唱﹐一直被喻為楓葉國歌壇的神話。1990年CD推出了首張英語專輯《Unison》﹐銷量蜚然﹐高達三百五十萬張﹐當中最紅的一首單曲是搖滾流行曲式的《Where Does My Heart Beat Now》(後被彭姑在《See For Cass》改編為《還再愛我嗎》)﹐顯露了歌手巨肺量﹑闊音域的奪命唱功﹐讓她在英語樂壇如彗星般崛起﹐令人眼前一亮。1992年CD推出了個人同名專輯﹐收錄了和Peabo Bryson 合唱的迪士尼動畫主題曲《Beauty and the Beast》﹐橫掃了當年各大音樂獎項﹐包括奧斯卡最佳電影歌曲﹑金球獎最佳電影歌曲﹑格林美獎的最佳合唱演繹獎﹑最佳電視/電影歌曲﹑單曲大獎 (Record of the Year) 及當年的金曲獎 (Song of the Year)。第三張英語專輯《The Colour of My Love》乘勝追擊﹐收錄了《When I Fall In Love》﹑《The Power of Love》﹑《Only One Road》﹑及點題經典《The Colour of My Love》﹐成績驕人﹐全球總銷量超越了二千萬張﹐名牌監製 David Foster, Walter Afanasieff 及 Diane Warren 當然居功不少。《Falling Into You》是CD的第四張英語專輯﹐可說是她最成熟最具自信的一張專輯。歌曲的風格比較統一﹐形像則一洗以前「大頭髮」的師奶味﹐取而代之的艷紅短髮﹐清爽嬌麗﹐為CD平添了女人的野性及魅力。專輯的第一軌《It's All Coming Back To Me Now》原唱本為Jim Steinman﹐但一經改編﹐則帶有epic 歌曲的氣魄﹐起承轉合長達七分半鐘﹐令人魂為之銷。第二軌《Because You Loved Me》是Diane Warren 又一力作﹐也是電影《Up Close and Personal》的主題曲 (故事有點陳腔濫調)﹐是當年奧斯卡的最佳電影歌曲。SL和彭姑都曾翻唱﹐前者收錄於《Wonderful World》專輯﹔後者成為了《只因找到你》﹐收錄於《我有我天地》專輯。一如意料﹐兩個改編版本都難以和原版相比。 CD 改編自Eric Carmen 的《All By Myself》卻成為了大熱單曲﹐那年在電台差不多每天都可以聽到﹐那句長達九秒的anymore﹐老實說有點像喊驚。全張專輯裡我最喜歡的是改編自她法語單曲《Pour que tu m'aimes encore》的《If That's What It Takes》﹐每次聽到都渾身充滿幹勁。這張專輯銷量再下一城﹐高達三千二百萬張﹐也贏了當年格林美獎的流行專輯大獎及全年最佳專輯獎﹐可謂風頭之盛﹐無與倫比。
51. 《The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert》 Various Artists
種類﹕電影原聲
年份﹕1994
首次看這部電影的時候是1996年﹐笑得眼淚水都標了出來。對白真是太啜核太吆心﹐真虧導演兼編劇Stephen Elliot 想得出又拍得成。劇中的三名男主角也並非等閒之輩。飾演Mitzi 的 Hugo Weaving 後來成為了荷里活鉅作的要員如 《Matrix》﹑《Lord of the Rings》三部曲 及《V for Vendetta》。飾演Felicia 的Guy Pearce 參演了 《LA Confidential》 及 Chris Nolan 的 《Momento》﹐成績叫好又叫座。 飾演Bernadette 的 Terrence Stamp 當時已是成名大將﹐眉梢眼角都是戲﹐只是每當歌舞場合﹐又以他甩拍甩得最厲害﹐不禁令人莞爾。這部爆笑喜劇雖然滑稽胡鬧﹐但導演/編劇對每一名角色也著墨很深﹐性格具體鮮明﹐際遇有笑有淚﹐十分感人。澳洲內陸的浩瀚風光固然令人眼界大開﹐金像獎得主 Lizzy Gardiner 及Tim Chappel 的服飾設計﹐更是整部電影的靈魂所在。這部電影更促進了澳洲的同志文化被主流社會接受﹐單就當年悉尼澳運會中的巨形高跟鞋及drag queens演出﹐可見群眾認同之一斑。這張電影原聲都是 camp 界精品﹐從第一首Charlene 的《I've Never Been to Me》﹑funk歌之王的《Shake Your Groove Thing》﹑精彩紛陳的《Finally》﹑ABBA的《Mama Mia》﹑及片末的《Save the Best for Last》﹐都精挑細選配合了劇情。有時到美國旅行需要開長途車﹐也會在車廂中播放這張專輯﹐好好展開一段充滿奇趣的旅程。
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle. 2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer. 3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS. 4. Tag 15 friends. 5. Everyone tagged as to do the same thing. 6. Have Fun!
1. IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
The Boy With No Name - Travis
2. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Love Can Build A Bridge - Westlife 3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
別問 - 張學友 4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Together Again - Janet Jackson 5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
給自己的情書 - 李克勤
6. WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO？
聆聽 - 林憶蓮 7. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
我的美麗與哀愁 - 彭羚 8. WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
我願意 - 王菲 9. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Fron Now On - Leslie Cheung & Sandy Lam 10. WHAT IS 2 + 2?
早晨 - 林憶蓮 11. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Anna. Her name is Anna Kraisingerova, and she is somebody worth knowing. You may have seen her trudging along Prince of Wales Drive and wondered why she was walking alone in the bone-chilling cold and darkness. She walks because she has no choice.
"My job is in Barrhaven. I work nights. I must walk 18 kilometres to work. It takes six hours. And then I must walk six hours home after I work all night. I am nearly 60.
"This strike shouldn't happen," she says. "I come home, I rest for a few hours. Can you imagine to work all night and after to walk 18 kilometres home and then, sit down for two or three hours and then walk back and work all night again?"
Her dignity and her indomitable spirit are evident in the simple language she uses to describe her plight. But mostly it is exhaustion you hear in her voice. She has been working at the store for six years, and the bus ride is part of her routine. And then the transit strike came, shattering Anna's world.
"It's terrible, I walk the first three weeks. And then I was sick. It takes a lot of energy. I was so down in my energy, I couldn't go to work for a while.
"It's terrible, but what can I do? I really don't know. I don't have anybody here," she says, her voice breaking. "No family, no friends to help."
But Anna now has Noella Emard in her life, and that's no small thing.
On a December morning with the temperature at -25 C, Noella happened to notice someone she describes as "a little European lady" at the side of the road.
"My daughter and I were on our way to work and were talking about how cold it was and how so many people were without rides to get to work," she explains in a telephone interview from Florida, where she is on vacation. "We left Barrhaven and were driving along Leiken Road when we notice this lady walking with grocery bags near the new RCMP headquarters. She looked so cold, and
then all of a sudden she turned around to go back where she came from. My daughter and I looked at each other and said 'Yes, we are giving her a ride.'
"We stopped and asked her where she was going, and she said she was so cold she was going back to work. She was so cold that she could not go any farther and was just going back to work where she would try to get some sleep and work her night shift in the evening."
Noella was astonished when she learned where Anna lives.
"She had already been walking for an hour and a half, and she was near a big open field. When she told us she lived at Carling at Bronson, I said, 'Oh my God, We're driving you home. So for several days after this, we took her home, and at night would pick her up and drive her to her work. This is someone who cannot afford to stay home, otherwise she probably would lose her job. It's just so sad, this bus strike.
"Then she told us she had met someone at church on Christmas Day that would be helping her out."
What Noella does not mention is that she and her daughter gave Anna two bags filled with Christmas presents, an act of kindness that touched Anna's heart.
"This is a beautiful, beautiful lady and her daughter. It was cold with a very strong wind when they stopped. I had walked about seven kilometres and then I couldn't go on, that wind was so strong. I stopped and I was thinking what can I do. So I decided I'm going back to work. And at that time that lady stopped and drove me home. She was so nice, and later they gave me beautiful presents ... They said they would help, but I cannot keep asking them."
Anna came to Canada from the Czech Republic about 12 years ago and speaks with an accent. She grew up about 50 kilometres from Prague, but will not say much about her past.
"I have had very bad experience with people. Probably that's why I have no friends, because I'm afraid of people."
After walking home from work yesterday, Anna's clothing was soaked through. It was about 1:30 p.m. She had finished work around 7:30 a.m.
"Because the weather is mild, the streets are full of water. And some people in cars don't care, and they splash me. I'm so dirty -- my jacket, my pants -- everything. Some days it's really terrible." After a quick shower, she was ready for bed.
"I will wake up around midnight, then I have to stay up. I cannot sleep all night. In the morning, I have to sleep because if I'm not sleeping in the day, I cannot work nights. I have to be OK at work. I want to work, I have to work. At a my age I cannot find another job." So far, Anna has taken a taxi only three times.
Ok, even though we have no specific plan to celebrate St. Valentine's Day this year (well we ended up going to see a flick and to a Japanese restaurant for dinner, kinda like any other weekend).....I confess, I still believe in the spirit and meaning of the day. I know this day has become a very inconvenient, if not painful, reminder of love and couplehood for those who may be lacking in the luck department currently. And yes, the day has also become a ridiculously commercial and consumeristic event. Nonetheless, this day may also bring hope and inspirations to the world, a simple notion that perhaps Cupid's arrow will one day grace your heart without any advance notice, and love is indeed worth celebrating in whichever way one wishes. Here are a few songs which I find quite à propos on this day. I hope they will warm your heart just the same.
This is a Beatles' timeless classic, which has been performed by countless singers and groups. This rendition is by British artist Lynden David Hall from the movie OST Love Actually. I like Hall's velvety voice and the ever-moving gospel choral arrangement. As if the world has become a sea of love, just take a plunge.
As many of you know, I was once a big fan of Ally McBeal. I remember listening to this song in the second season finale aired in 1998, and the song was very comforting and reassuring. Paul Williams and Jon Vezner appeared to have great insights to the hearts of the lonely. Though we've never met, haven't found him yet, but I know him by heart. Don't give up.
Canadian female vocalist Chantal Kreviazuk has a pure and powerful voice. I guess "feels like home" is the best way to describe something that is just... right.
Moulin Rouge may not have offered moviegoers the "happy ever after" ending that they were looking for, however, the movie was a superb tribute to all greater-than-life Bollywood love stories. I like this remix version of Come What May, and the very message remains.
How can we let St. V's Day go by without a good old sappy ballad from a boyband? Corny and cliché as it may sound, I do agree with the lyrics wholeheartedly. Every day. That's the secret to all long lasting relationships.
記起中學時代曾經頗為活躍﹐中二那年和一些同學參加了一年一度的校內話劇比賽﹐當時改編了倪先生《人頭戀+10》裡一個科幻短篇《動腦》。無獨有偶﹐另一位同班同學則改編了《精怪》。長話短說﹐我們兩個話劇﹐不管劇本和演出都吃力不討好﹐看得評判和觀眾一頭霧水﹐成為了千古奇案﹐哈哈。因為那一段荒唐往事﹐《精怪》雖然不算是系列裡最出色的作品﹐卻留下了極深刻獨特的印象。《精怪》令我想起九十年代流行一時的電視劇《The X Files》﹐當中的基因工程題材﹐可說走在時代尖端﹐並不是絕無可能。然而故事的尾聲有點落雨收柴﹐草草收場﹐有點浪費了大好的編排佈處。當然﹐這種虎頭蛇尾的情況﹐在衛斯理系列也屢見不鮮。
六年前在聯邦衛生署謀事﹐地處天不吐﹐附近沒有銀行﹑沒有店鋪﹑也沒有太多食肆﹐大部份的同事都是自備便當﹐或在飯堂解決午餐問題。然而在衛生署工作也有弊端﹐飯堂所有銷售的食物都十分健康﹐而且每一張餐桌上都放了Food Guide 的資料﹐一天吃什麼種類的食物﹑要以什麼份量來均衡飲食﹐如天羅地網般令人無法躲避。要知道工作上難免會遇上壓力﹐是以一個月我準有一天會「自甘墮落」地跑到牡丹樓買罪減壓﹐管它是不是高鹽高糖高脂肪﹐先來好好放縱一回。只是世事真的玄之又玄﹐每月那一天光顧牡丹樓﹐都會湊巧遇上一名午休散步的同事。結果我喜歡上牡丹樓的錯覺便在辦公室不脛而走。連我的下屬都知道﹐那一天我要去買個 pick-me-up 「happy meal」﹐那一天工作便不太順利。當我離開衛生署轉職到另外一個部門工作的時候﹐其中一份開玩笑的farewell gift﹐是同事們盛意拳拳購贈的牡丹樓 gift certificates﹐據說是以備我在新職位上的「不時之需」云云﹐幸運真是個小諷刺。現在市中心上班﹐外賣食肆選擇多了﹐除非在周末開OT或工作得較晚﹐已很少涉足牡丹樓﹐反而有點懷念。
上牡丹樓的時候﹐我和T的吃法都同出一轍﹐先把薯條吃光﹐再轉戰漢堡。不知道牡丹樓用上什麼秘方﹐他們的薯條的確非同凡響。不管是牙齒還沒有長全的小孩子﹐還是年近不惑的上班族﹐偶爾也會被牡丹樓薯條的魔力弄得兩膝無力﹐甘願稱臣。甚至以薯條打正旗號的 New York Fries﹐兩家的風味都大不一樣﹐甚至可說是兩個截然不同的市場﹐河水不犯井水。
上世紀九十年代中﹐白小姐的這張《秘密》是一張不世出的格林美得獎R&B專輯﹐單就一首《Unbreak My Heart》﹐已紅得發紫。當年監製David Foster 指導白小姐演繹這首歌﹐最重要是曲末「I can't go on」一句必須一口氣堅持八秒﹐不然氣勢大減。MV的概念來自芭芭拉史翠珊大媽的《A Star is Born》﹐畫面充滿電影感﹐壯男索女﹐生離死別﹐唯美主義泛濫。(MV其中一段白小姐要為男主角Tyson Beckford 在浴室內刮鬍子﹐Tyson 是名模﹐誓死不肯讓白小姐用真剃刀在他臉上開玩笑﹐是以白小姐手上的刮鬍刀﹐並沒有裝上刀片﹐是為悲劇MV裡的小插曲。) 專輯的出色作品﹐排山倒海而來﹐第一軌《Come On Over Here》是「本小姐已作好準備﹐隨時放馬過來」的調情作品﹐《You're Making Me High》更上層樓﹐歌詞裡出現了「Let's make a deal you roll﹐ I lick﹐And we can go flying into ecstasy」的句子﹐已將保留和回頭之路﹐統統拋卻九霄雲外。《There's No Me Without You》亦是R&B﹐是女主角乞求情人回到身邊的作品﹐尤其喜歡一句「Tell me why should I care 'bout doing my hair﹖When I can't stop the thinking about you﹗」﹐滑稽得來又不失誠意﹐監製Babyface 更由頭附唱和音到尾﹐不遺餘力。專輯裡還有三首力作﹕《How Could An Angel Break My Heart》﹑《Let It Flow》及《I Don't Want To》﹐都是R&B/soul 的新經典。白小姐這張sophomoric 專輯國際銷量超越二千萬張﹗誰又料到獨霸高處之後﹐換來是理財不善﹐馬上要申請破產保護﹖直至三年後﹐白小姐才推出第三張個人專輯《Heat》﹐不如重新開始。
58. 《Oh! Gal》
蘇永康
種類﹕粵語流行 年份﹕1994
我第一首認識So的歌曲﹐是他的處男作品﹐由林慕德作曲﹑曾錦程填詞的《失眠》。那時候很喜歡模仿So「懶」性感「懶」磁性的聲音唱出﹕「失眠~ 靜聽夜空小雨滴落寞訴出冷清﹐啊… 失眠~」 氣氛一如電台深宵訴真情式節目的主題曲﹐煞有介事 (MV中還有陳雅倫隨便坐友情客串)。So參與1985年度第四屆新秀奪得亞軍﹐樣貌與「英俊」二字無緣﹐音域也有先天性的限制﹐可說老天爺對他吃娛樂圈這行飯沒有如何認真地眷顧。然而So的崛起﹐證實了只要對自己的音樂路線有明確的了解﹑對音樂素質懂得分辨優劣﹑能與出色的監制及音樂人合作擦出火花﹐雖然不能「大紅」﹐但要在樂壇佔一席位﹐亦非絕不可能。雖然過去數年﹐So的私生活為他的演藝事業帶來了不少負面的影響﹐粉碎了他「男人不該讓女人流淚」的形象﹐人氣插水。只是娛樂圈是 never say never 之地﹐他去年十一月推出的新專輯《So I Say》﹐顯然是鯉魚打挺 (或鹹魚翻生) 之作﹐日後在藝海主浮主沉﹐則要看他是否腳踏實地﹑潔身自愛了。我第一張購買So 的專輯是1993年的《生命色彩》﹐黃尚偉和他已大搞爵士﹑騷靈樂式﹐當時四大天王K歌泛濫樂壇﹐So 的風格可算自樹一幟。So 又以肉緊但四兩撥千斤的唱法﹐演繹了《割愛》及《重新開始》(壹號皇庭I 的插曲) ﹐奠定了他So 式情歌的路線﹐其後皇庭及仁心系列的主題曲/插曲(《燈火闌珊處》﹑《假使有日能忘記》﹑《從來沒發生》﹑《越吻越傷心》……)﹐一浪接一浪﹐逐漸在樂壇上位﹐證實努力沒有白費。1994年推出的《Oh! Gal》是我喜歡的專輯﹐當時他沒有掉以輕心﹐絕對全力以赴。黃尚偉和 C Y Kong 的照拂﹐令他的音樂保持於極高的水平。第一軌《沒有季節的火花》﹐拉丁節奏濃烈﹐配樂精奇﹐是將上一張專輯《Night Heat 千色醉色》的韻味發揚光大。抒情主打《讓我暖一些》﹐和當時吳奇隆的粵語單曲《再愛的衝動》撞個正著﹐同樣改編自中西保志的《最後の雨》﹐可說各有千秋﹐個人喜歡吳版的演繹多一丁點 (也不排除是歌手樣貌因素影響﹖哈/唉)。專輯的點題歌曲是翻唱1970年代芝加哥組合《Chi-Lites》的名作《Oh Girl》﹐不過So 的演繹﹐赫然深受 1990年 Paul Young 的版本所影響。以前在C Y Kong 的專題大讚特讚鋼琴ballad《落葉》﹐在此不贅。送上專輯的第三軌《忘掉您》﹐一如SL的《哈囉感覺》﹐是我的爵士至愛。
59. 《Mezzanine》
Massive Attack 種類﹕trip hop 年份﹕1998
老實說﹐如果不是2007年SL演唱會中《天衣無縫》的全新編曲﹐尤其如脈搏般悸動的 percussion 似曾相識﹐我都差點忘記了這張收藏於箱子裡的經典trip hop 專輯 (搬屋後﹐很多CD仍藏諸地庫﹑不見天日)。第一次接觸 Massive Attack 的音樂純屬偶然。1995年十一月Madonna 推出了新曲+精選專輯《Something To Remember》﹐第一軌的新歌是向Marvin Gaye 致敬的《I Want You》﹐瑪姐和監製 Nellee Hooper 邀請了Massive Attack 合作了一個版本﹐也是從那個機會我開始接觸這隊Bristol 的電子音樂組合。MA在 1988年成立﹐距今已逾二十一年。MA﹑, Portishead﹑Tricky 素來被喻為 trip hop 音樂的開山鼻祖﹐尤以MA 1991年的處男專輯《Blue Lines》﹐牽起了一片Bristol Hip Hop 新浪潮。1998年面世的《Mezzanine》和MA 以前的專輯風格頗為不同﹐陡然披上了一層厚密的暗影﹐更偏近於ambient 音樂﹐深處不可臆測。這張專輯情商邀請了不少歌手參與vocal 演繹﹐如Horace Andy﹑Sarah Jay﹑3D (Robert Del Naja)﹑Daddy G 及 Cocteau Twins 的 Elizabeth Fraser。推介的這首《Teardrop》比較為人熟知﹐當中的脈搏節奏﹐一聽難忘。
(taken at walt disney concert hall, los angeles)
