Bread
BREAD（面包）是活跃于70年代的一支美国乐队，唱一些简单，干净的带些民谣色彩的歌曲。那些歌就象他们的名字一样，朴实，家常。粗条花纹的紧身衬衣，长长的鬓角，喇叭口的牛仔裤，是他们的装束，也是那个时代的标记。他们的声音出奇的温柔暖和，象是冬天坐在壁炉旁的地毯上的感觉。吉它是他们音乐的灵魂，就这么轻柔地拨动着，让人安静而又感动。他们没有什么可供炫耀的辉煌战绩，这让我们在听的时候没什么负担，我们不用仰视，也不用揣摩所谓的音乐理性，但可以自然而然地投入。他们也不太帅，象是任何一部平常的美国电影里的配角，在唱片内页认真坦诚地冲我们笑着，联想到他们的声音，你会蓦然地有一种与他们熟识已久的感觉。总有些歌能唱到人的心里，比如bread的这首If，给人的感觉有些类似于Beatles乐队的[Imagine]，就是那种安安静静地唱歌，有着浓浓的60年代的味道。那样的旋律似乎不应当从数字处理的CD机放出来，而是应该找一架像那种老式唱机来播放，最好还是带着些斑斑驳驳的沧桑的印痕～～1969年，乐队的核心人物David Gates（生于1940/11/11）在洛山机与另外三个好友组成了Bread乐队，他们是主唱兼吉他手Rob Royer，词曲作者James Griffin以及鼓手Mike Botts 。Bread乐队把乐曲风格定位于旋律优美的慢性摇滚，这使得他们的歌曲很容易被人所喜爱。这首Goodbye Girl就是这种风格的典范，是Bread最出名的作品之一，也是我最钟爱的一首歌，清新自然而优美至极，听完总有一种甜蜜的情绪涌动心间，令感动不已，在我的MP3里，接连三首都是Goodbye Girl,因为仅听一次，是无论如何无法将那种美好感觉畅意释然的。慢摇滚音乐是一种温和的商业音乐模式，它传承了摇滚乐歌手和创作者的作品框架，却柔和了摇滚乐的界限。bread就是该风格的代表乐队，他们的歌旋律都很简单，节奏轻快，脍炙人口，在整个70年代，慢摇滚乐都是电视广播中的主流音乐，并最终成为80年代广受欢迎的音乐风格。这首Everything I Own旋律简单，沉静而安宁，任凭时光和记忆在这柔美的旋律中不经意的缓慢流淌。七十年代Bread在乐队主唱David Gates带领下演唱事业虽称不上辉煌，但取得的成绩也相当斐然，产生了许多美丽的歌曲Baby I'm-A Want You（Billboard第3），If（Billboard第4），Everything I Own（Billboard第5），和冠军曲Make It With You，还有虽排在第28位的但同样深入人心的Let Your Love Go，专集The Sound of Bread在英国还拿到三周第一，1969 - 1973~他们出了五张专集和一张精选他们的歌曲明显受到当时迷幻风格的影响，但却舍弃了迷幻歌曲那种复杂的, 错综的, 难以理解的的架构而是提取里面那悦耳醉人的音调，所以听上去十分的甜美。因为主唱David Gates和James的矛盾,停歇了一段时间, 1976年重组,但都一直矛盾不断, 到1996年之后,乐队的成员都在各自的领域发展,并且都取得了成功,就象一颗流星，Bread 曾经红极一时但却迅速陨落了，但是那辉煌天际的一刹那永远成为人们美好的记忆。by Stephen Thomas ErlewineBread was one of the most popular pop groups of the early 70s, earning a string of well-crafted, melodic soft rock singles, all of which were written by keyboardist/vocalist David Gates. A session musician and producer, Gates met in 1968 guitarist/vocalist James Griffin, who had already released a solo album called Summer Holiday. Griffin hired Gates to produce a new album, and the pair soon became a group, adding guitarist/vocalist Robb Royer from the band Pleasure Fair, who Gates had produced early in its career. The trio soon signed with Elektra Records, becoming one of the labels first pop bands. Naming themselves Bread, the group released its self-titled debut album in late 1968. Although it was filled with accessible, melodic soft rock that became the bands signature sound, the record had no hit singles.With their second album, On the Waters, Bread established themselves as hitmakers. Make It With You, the first single released from the album, became a number one hit, which led to It Dont Matter to Me, a song taken from Bread, becoming a Top Ten hit. With On the Waters becoming a gold record, the group embarked on a tour, adding a full-time drummer, Mike Botts, to the lineup. Manna, released in the spring of 1971, wasnt as big a hit as the previous record, yet it launched another Top Ten hit with If. Royer left the group after the album and was replaced by Larry Knechtel, a Los Angeles session musician who played on records by the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and the Monkees, among others. The new lineup released its first single, Mother Freedom, in the summer of 1971; the single scraped the Top 40 at number 37. Breads next single, Baby Im-a Want You, became a number three hit at the end of the year. After Everything I Own reached number five in January of 1972, an album called Baby Im-a Want You was released. Peaking at number three, the record became the groups most successful album. The groups fifth album, Guitar Man, followed in the fall of 1972.At the beginning of 1973, Bread disbanded after a dispute between Gates and Griffin. Griffin claimed that, when the group was conceived, the pair agreed that the singles would be divided equally between the two songwriters; Gates wrote most of Breads hits and wanted to continue to compose the singles. The two parted ways, with each of the musicians pursuing solo careers. Bread reunited in 1976, releasing Lost Without Your Love in early 1977. The title track became their last Top Ten hit, peaking at number nine. The success could not keep the group together as tensions between Gates and Griffin began to escalate again. After Griffin split from the group, Gates assembled a new version of the band and toured under the name Bread. Griffin sued Gates for using the name, which the duo co-owned. A judge ordered the group not to perform, record, or collect royalty payments until the case was resolved; it wasnt resolved until 1984. In the meantime, Gates and Griffin pursued solo careers. Of the two musicians, Gates was more successful, scoring a number 15 hit in 1978 with the title theme to Goodbye Girl. However, his career declined in the 80s; by the 90s, he was running a California ranch. Griffin relocated to Nashville, forming Dreamer with Randy Meisner in the early 90s.
Guitar Man - Bread
