American Music Club

小簡介
搖滾，無論是樂評還是樂迷，大概永遠(yuǎn)都會歡迎那些脆弱，敏感，以正常人眼光看來無疑是被生活打跨了的藝術(shù)家?；蛘哌@就是為何在來自舊金山的詞曲創(chuàng)作者M(jìn)ark Eitzel的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下的樂團(tuán)American Music Club倍受推崇的原因。在A.M.C的音樂生涯中，貫穿始終的就是Eitzel醉醺醺的在臺上咆哮的的演出和他那具有自我毀滅傾向的行為。然而他們以他們出色的7張專輯證實(shí)了他們的確無愧于樂隊的名字。在綜合使用了美國民間音樂的各種成分：根源搖滾、民謠、鄉(xiāng)村、朋克的同時，Eitzel絕望／充滿懺悔之情的歌聲，使的他們的作品，美麗與陰暗兼具?？酀挠哪?，失意人生的艱辛等等多種題材的運(yùn)用亦使得Eitzel被譽(yù)為近十年來最偉大的詞曲作者。
Eitzel出生在加利福尼亞,大部分時間都是在英國和俄亥俄州度過。直到1980年才做為朋克樂隊the Naked Skinnie的一員回到Bay Area。當(dāng)樂隊解散后，他在1983年和吉他手Vudi（Mark Pankler），貝司手Dan Pearson,鍵盤手Brad Johnson以及鼓手Matt Norelli組織起了A.M.C。這是一個典型的鄉(xiāng)村音樂樂隊的架構(gòu)。但Eitzel的音樂素養(yǎng)卻要溯
至80年代初的舊金山朋克音樂舞臺。樂隊成員的演奏水平參差不一，有著類似Ian Curtis聲線的Eitzel很快成了樂隊事實(shí)上的領(lǐng)軍人物，媒體和樂迷都將眼光聚焦在他身上，把他當(dāng)成是一位感人至深的歌手，一位民間題材詩人。但實(shí)際上他經(jīng)常成為樂隊發(fā)展最大的敵人-一位酗酒歷史可追溯至16歲時的酒鬼,他的反復(fù)無常的行為使的樂隊喪失了很多機(jī)會。
總算Eitzel還能壓制他的酒癮，支撐著錄完了A.M.C1985年的首張專輯：The Restless Stranger。這張專輯描繪出了他們粗線條的折衷主義聲響，表明了Eitzel的世界觀：自酒瓶后望出去的人生傷感無比。他的音樂是草根階層的小人物的真切感受。舉凡生活中的點(diǎn)點(diǎn)滴滴都可以成為寫作一首歌的緣由。做為起點(diǎn)，這張專輯并未給聽眾留下多少印象。1987年的專輯Engine相比之下則更受關(guān)注，制作人Tom Mallon與樂隊成員整天泡在一起，不放過每個可以修改的地方，并拿起吉他與樂隊成員一起彈奏。整張專輯更傾向于民歌搖滾。Eitzel的歌曲達(dá)到了一個新的高度。諸如動人的"Outside This Bar"和"Gary's Song"真切的描述了酗酒生活，涉及的問題也日趨尖銳。自然，這些都是Eitzel的親身經(jīng)歷。
雖然A.M.C主要是在美國本土活動，他們在歐洲卻同樣有一大批追隨者。這都要?dú)w功于1988年的專輯California，其中Eitzel最為用心和有力的作品是一系列內(nèi)容涵蓋失去的友情，愛滋病之類話題的歌曲。而他們下一張專輯1989的United Kingdom也僅在英國發(fā)行。
在Eitzel于1991年出版了一張原音吉他專輯Songs of Love: Live in London后，A.M.C出版了他們最著名的專輯Everclear，評論界紛紛首肯這張專輯（盡管無法否認(rèn)其中有很多商業(yè)抄作成分）。并引起了主流公司廠牌對他們的注意。經(jīng)過幾個月的談判，A.M.C：現(xiàn)在是由Eitzel,Vudi, Pearson,多種樂器演奏家Bruce Kaphan和鼓手Tim Mooney組成，與Reprise簽約，而Virgin則負(fù)責(zé)美國以外地區(qū)的銷售。
1993年的專輯Mercury是一張典型反宗教偶像崇拜的專輯，離經(jīng)叛道的歌名諸如："What Godzilla Said to God When His Name Wasn't Found in the Book of Life" ,"The Hopes and Dreams of Heaven's 10,000 Whores"同時盡管不太有說服力和難免有幾分諷刺成分在內(nèi)，卻也開始有了反酒鬼的內(nèi)容，佳作有"If I Had a Hammer," "Apology for an Accident"等。雖然凡響很熱烈，Mercury在排行榜上的成績卻不怎么樣，在電臺節(jié)目和MTV中也很少被播放。1994年,他們發(fā)行了San Francisco，一張五花八門的題材的專輯，即有令人感動的懺悔，如"Fearless"和"The Thorn in My Side Is Gone"也有倍受好評的流行曲如"Wish the World Away"和"Can You Help Me"。雖然這些年來A.M.C一直頗受媒體的好評，但卻從未有那張專輯達(dá)到過商業(yè)意義上的成功。
這張專輯也沒能維系住樂隊的關(guān)系，A.M.C終于還是解散了。1996年年底，Eitzel和制作：R.E.M.的Peter Buck錄制了專輯West.
Although chosen for its deliberately nondescript qualities, in retrospect the name American Music Club was the perfect moniker for the lauded San Francisco-based band led by singer/songwriter Mark Eitzel: over the course of seven acclaimed albums, the group tied together the disparate strands of the American musical fabric — rock, folk, country, punk, even lounge schmaltz — into a remarkably distinct and riveting whole, creating a brilliant and cohesive body of work dappled by moments of haunting beauty and impenetrable darkness.
Although born in California, Eitzel spent his formative years in Great Britain and Ohio before returning to the Bay Area in 1980 with the punk band the Naked Skinnies. After the bands breakup, he founded American Music Club in 1983 with guitarist Vudi (born Mark Pankler), bassist Dan Pearson, keyboardist Brad Johnson, and drummer Matt Norelli. Despite the skill and diversity of the other members, Eitzel quickly became the groups focal point: an evocative vocalist and gutter poet capable of composing songs of disquieting honesty and intensity, he was also frequently the bands worst enemy — a heavy drinker since the age of 16, AMC shows often disintegrated into surreal backdrops for Eitzels alcoholic rants and self-destructive showmanship, and throughout the groups tumultuous career, his erratic behavior led him to briefly exit their ranks on numerous occasions.
Still, Eitzel quelled his demons long enough for AMC to record their 1985 debut, The Restless Stranger; later disowned by the group, the album does offer a rough outline of their increasingly eclectic sound, and firmly established Eitzels world view, a harrowing vision of life as seen through the bottom of a shot glass. 1987s Engine honed the formula: the addition of producer Tom Mallon as a full-time member expanded the groups sonic palette, while Eitzels songs achieved new levels of intimacy as compositions like Outside This Bar and Garys Song grappled with the realities of the drinking life.
While American Music Club languished in obscurity in their native country, they earned a solid European cult following on the strength of 1988s California, a frequently brilliant collection highlighted by the shimmering country and folk accouterments which couched fractured love songs like Firefly and Western Sky; Blue and Grey Shirt, Eitzels most heartfelt and powerful composition to date, was the first in a series of devastating chronicles of friends lost to the AIDS epidemic. Still, the album garnered little notice, and their next LP, 1989s United Kingdom, appeared only in the nation which lent the record its name: another superb collection drawing on leftover material and live tracks, it featured The Hula Maiden, the first recorded fruits of Eitzels growing fascination with lounge crooning.
After a solo acoustic Eitzel release, 1991s Songs of Love, American Music Club emerged with its masterpiece, Everclear, a remarkable song cycle released to phenomenal critical acclaim (and the usual negligible commercial interest). Still, the lavish praise heaped on Everclear (named in honor of a vicious, 180-proof transparent liquor) finally made the major labels take notice, and a bidding war ensued. After months of negotiations, AMC — now consisting of Eitzel, Vudi, Pearson, multi-instrumentalist Bruce Kaphan, and drummer Tim Mooney — signed with Reprise in the U.S. and Virgin throughout the rest of the world, and entered the studio with acclaimed producer Mitchell Froom.
The result, 1993s Mercury, was a typically iconoclastic effort featuring unwieldy song titles like What Godzilla Said to God When His Name Wasnt Found in the Book of Life and The Hopes and Dreams of Heavens 10,000 Whores resting uneasily against lush, obtuse gems like If I Had a Hammer, Apology for an Accident, and Johnny Mathis Feet. Despite glowing reviews, Mercury fared poorly on the charts, and earned virtually no recognition from radio or MTV. In 1994, AMC issued San Francisco, an erratic collection which precariously balanced stark, moving confessions like Fearless and The Thorn in My Side Is Gone alongside slick pop constructs such as Wish the World Away and Can You Help Me. When San Francisco failed to connect, American Music Club finally dissolved; in 1996, Eitzel issued his proper solo debut, 60 Watt Silver Lining, a collection of torch songs. At the end of the year, he and producer Peter Buck of R.E.M. returned to the studio to record 1997s West. In 2003, Eitzel and Vudi announced that American Music Club were reuniting, and following short tours of Europe and the United States, the groups new album, Love Songs for Patriots, was released in the fall of 2004, with more live shows scheduled in support.