Tim Hardin

小簡(jiǎn)介
發(fā)生于60年代的民謠浪潮,更像是千萬民眾參與的盛大集會(huì),為了重現(xiàn)昔日的人生價(jià)值觀,為了表達(dá)自己的政治信仰,他們撥動(dòng)琴弦,用發(fā)自肺腑的歌聲,感染著所有愿意正視這能觸及心靈的歌聲的聽眾.這期間涌現(xiàn)出多少令人滿懷敬意的名字,他們的精神力量與人格感染力賦予民謠音樂無與倫比的人性光芒.
本文的主角便是這股舊日風(fēng)潮中的一員.但他與Bob Dvlan和Joan Baez這些旗手相比更像是茫茫大海中的一葉孤舟,彼岸遙遙不可及,自黯然沉沒.1980年12月29日,這位名叫Tim Hardin 的民謠歌手在洛杉磯好萊塢的家中死去,終年39歲.他的死沒有引起任何的波瀾,就像羽毛輕飄于地,沒有悼念,沒有哭泣,更沒有燭光守靈.
但這位才華橫溢的民謠歌手卻不應(yīng)該被人們從此遺忘.像所有英年早逝的音樂天才一樣,他留下的音樂財(cái)富在今日仍然閃耀著奪目的光芒,低調(diào)憂傷的嗓音更是永遠(yuǎn)存留在歌迷的心中.1941年Tim出生在美國俄勒岡州的Eugene市,父母都有著音樂背景,母親更是一名專業(yè)的古典音樂樂手.自小他對(duì)音樂便顯現(xiàn)出過人的熱情,同時(shí)又能養(yǎng)成了叛逆不馴的性格.18歲那年,認(rèn)為家是監(jiān)獄學(xué)校是牢房的他卻選擇了比家和學(xué)校更像牢房的軍隊(duì)---他參了軍.1961年退伍后, 正好趕上格林威治鎮(zhèn)和波士頓地區(qū)的民謠風(fēng)潮,于是經(jīng)過幾年的摸爬滾打后,1966年他在Verve公司麾下發(fā)表自己的第一張大碟《Tim Hardin 1》(其實(shí)在此之前Tim還為Columbia公司做了一張demo,即是拖到1967年才發(fā)行的帶有濃烈Blue味道的《This is Tim Hardin》).盡管還是處女作,他驚世的作曲才華卻已經(jīng)展露無遺.這張混合了Jazz,Blue和Rock等多種無素的民謠作品周身散發(fā)著低調(diào)惆悵,把悶在心頭的種種哀愁升華到一種詩意美,甚至是自我陶醉的境界.專輯中的"Reason To believe","Mistv Roses"和"It's Never Happen Again"等曲讓聽者無法不為之動(dòng)容,特別是專輯最后一曲"How Can We Hang On To A Dream",將Tim敏感脆弱的內(nèi)心世界作了最完美,也最唯美的詮釋:"我依然愛她,但我無力挽回,這一切都只是夢(mèng)......"
總有人說,"性格決定命運(yùn)",不管這句話正確與否,在Tim身上,它確確認(rèn)認(rèn)應(yīng)驗(yàn)了.悲觀曖昧的性格不光不能使他成為大眾偶像,更使他始終無法認(rèn)清自己. 在服完兵役初入民謠界時(shí),他的興趣始終是作為一句白人Blues歌手,并說過"我比Ray Charles更出色"這樣的大話,可是Blues并不是他的長(zhǎng)處.即便在發(fā)表《Tim Hardin 1》這張真正屬于他自己的聲音的偉大唱片后,他還對(duì)唱片中的弦樂耿耿于懷.其實(shí)平心而論,弦樂在他作品中的表現(xiàn)力對(duì)《Tim Hardin 1》只會(huì)是有利無弊.
即便如此,緊接著,Tim的作曲天才在1967年的《Tim Hardin2》得到了最充實(shí)的是釋放.擺脫了對(duì)Blues的糾結(jié)(盡管我們并不知道這是否出于他的本意),呈給聽者的是十首純粹的民謠.唯一不變的是那份能夠侵蝕人心的傷感與孤獨(dú).Tim 總是不自覺地把自己放置于被動(dòng)消極的地位,從碟中便能體味到Tim 柔弱甚至自卑的內(nèi)心世界.正如他最著名的歌曲"If I Were A Carpenter"歌詞中的種種假設(shè)和追問,他總是對(duì)自己缺乏自信,而另一方面又對(duì)名利地位過于向往,兩種極端的相互傾軋使Tim的歌聲中都流露出他內(nèi)心的不堪重負(fù);"Black Sheep Boy"剛更像是他悲劇人生的一個(gè)縮影;"黑綿羊(害群之馬)也能披上金色的羊毛,抓住成功的手".一個(gè)將自已定義成害群之馬的悲觀者能夠抓住成功的手嗎?
更為可悲的是,命運(yùn)總是毫不留情地打擊著這個(gè)脆弱的人.對(duì)他最大的打擊來自于錄制《Tim Hardin 2》的前夕.當(dāng)他在車中聽到電臺(tái)播放Bobby Dain演唱的"If I Were A Carpenter"---在他不知道的的情況下Bobby Darin先于他發(fā)表了他最鐘愛的作品.他停下車,走出來發(fā)狂地對(duì)地面發(fā)泄怨氣.對(duì)他的打擊并未結(jié)束,因?yàn)殡S后"If I Were A Carpenter"的Bobby Darin版得到了巨大的成功,爬上了Billboard榜第八名.這件事給Tim造成了常年的心理陰影,他此后甚至一度對(duì)自己鐘愛的舞臺(tái)都產(chǎn)生了怯場(chǎng)情緒.
盡管出現(xiàn)了種種不順,《Tim Hardin2》仍然成為他音樂生涯的巔峰之作.隨后他轉(zhuǎn)投Columbia,并發(fā)表了他第三張創(chuàng)作專輯,也是他最富傳奇色彩的作品 《Suite for Susan Moore and Damion;We Are One ,One,All in One》.全部心血,他把所有的錄音器材放在他住房的各個(gè)角落,只要出現(xiàn)靈感,無論白天晚上,他都會(huì)在第一時(shí)間將之錄下,隨后一兩天內(nèi),再在酒精和毒品制造的幻覺中將其錄制成型.這樣特殊的錄制方式卻得到了意想不到的效果,《Suite for Susan Moore...》成了Tim商業(yè)上最成功的專輯,爬到了Billboard榜第129名.但這部充滿愛情深情的Damon而與他分居生活.這無疑又給Tim一個(gè)沉重的打擊.很快,Tim的音樂事業(yè)出現(xiàn)了頹勢(shì),1971年《Bird On A Wire》后發(fā)表的專輯多半都是翻唱曲目,出版《Homecoming Concert》后,Tim終止了自己的音樂生涯.盡管毒品酒精給他的精神和肉體上都造成了嚴(yán)重的創(chuàng)傷,終而未及不惑之年便孤獨(dú)死去,遺下世上無限感傷.
諷刺的是,歌曲被長(zhǎng)久流傳下來的同時(shí),歌曲的作者卻迅速地被人遺忘,與歌曲一起揚(yáng)名的自然是眾多的翻唱者們.如果用google搜索一下Tim這些作品的歌詞,你就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)Marianne Faithfull版的"How Can we Hang On To A Dream"，Bobby Darin,Johnny Cash版的"If I Were A Carpenter",Paul Weller版的"Black Sheep Boy",Peter,Paul&Mary,Rod Stewart和Bruce SpringSteen版的"Reason To Believe".但無論如何,Tim的這些心血之作能得到大眾的認(rèn)可和喜愛,它們的存在便是Tim音樂才華的最完美體現(xiàn).就連Bob Dylan都承認(rèn),"Tim Hardin是六七十年代最出色的民謠音樂家之一".
斯人已逝,空余歌聲縈耳久久不絕.愿這位永遠(yuǎn)緊鎖雙眉的憂愁靈魂能在天堂得到安息與幸福.
A gentle, soulful singer who owed as much to blues and jazz as folk, Tim Hardin produced an impressive body of work in the late 60s without ever approaching either mass success or the artistic heights of the best singer/songwriters. When future Lovin Spoonful producer Erik Jacobsen arranged for Hardins first recordings in the mid-60s, Hardin was no more than an above-average white blues singer, in the mold of many fellow folkys working the East Coast circuit. By the time of his 1966 debut, however, he was writing confessional folk-rock songs of considerable grace and emotion. The first albums impact was slightly diluted by incompatible string overdubs (against Hardins wishes), but by the time of his second and best LP, hed achieved a satisfactory balance between acoustic guitar-based arrangements and subtle string accompaniment. It was the lot of Hardins work to achieve greater recognition through covers from other singers, such as Rod Stewart (who did Reason to Believe), Nico (who covered Eulogy to Lenny Bruce on her first album), Scott Walker (who sang Lady Came From Baltimore), Fred Neil (Green Rocky Road has been credited to both him and Hardin), and especially Bobby Darin, who took If I Were a Carpenter into the Top Ten in 1966. Beleaguered by a heroin habit since early in his career, Hardins drug problems became grave in the late 60s; his commercial prospects grew dimmer, and his albums more erratic, although he did manage to appear at Woodstock. His end was not a pretty one: due to accumulated drug and health problems, as well as a scarcity of new material, he didnt complete any albums after 1973, dying of a drug overdose in 1980.