Winnie's Wonderland

今天清晨突然颳起風下起大雨，一掃前兩天出太陽的好天氣，時節將近初夏，卻冷的突然有種還是置身在冬天的感覺，不知為何，我很Enjoy這種天氣乍變的異常感。於是，諸多雨的旋律中，我想起Roxette的〈The Rain〉，超適合在下雨天聽的，亂有氣氛的，而且最好雨下的越大，聽起來就越過癮。

And some things in life won't ever change, there's a smell of a rusty chain and of love disappearing like an aeroplane. I kept the rain falling down on me all the time, all the time...

經典好歌經得起時間考驗，就是十年後再拿出來一樣好聽，羅克賽的音樂正是如此。有人用照片或書寫日記，而音樂好比我的日記本，紀錄著每個人生階段的難忘回憶。

Roxette之於我，是青春，是奔放，是想像，是毫無拘束的一種音樂空間，好比開著快車馳騁在北歐的高速公路上，有時則悠閒於鄉間小路上，好不愜意。大四那年去了趟迷你畢業旅行，和三位同班好友從新竹出發，開車直奔墾丁，一路聽著Roxette的音樂〈The Look〉〈Joyride〉〈How Do You Do!〉……，聽的心情舒暢痛快，只有舉起大拇指一句「讚」字足以形容啊。

北歐長年處於寒冷氣候，難以想像，Marie用她獨特的嗓音，唱出北國的原味與熱情，Per Gessel唱作兼佳，更增添音樂的豐富、多元，Roxette的音樂能溫暖人心，彷彿再冷也就不怕了呢。 Time went by as I wrote your name in the sky, fly fly away...〈Queen of Rain〉

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羅克賽於1980年代晚期發跡，由歌唱力道強勁的女主唱Marie Fredriksson與負責詞曲創作的Per Gessel組成，造就出一首首全球樂壇的暢銷冠軍曲Joyride、It Must Have Been Love…，因而享有瑞典國寶之稱。 其中我最喜歡的專輯是1992年 Tourism（旅），部分收錄當時巡迴演唱版本，當我在寫這篇的同時，正反覆聽著每一首歌，在台灣似乎已經絕版，不過發現Amazon有位愛樂同好寫下了對這張CD的評論，深有同感特摘錄於下：

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〈 How Do You Do!〉: A traditional Roxette tune. Upbeat, and very lighthearted.

〈Fingertips〉: This is the first departure. Accoustic guitars dominate this mid-tempo song, one of Per's best.

〈The Look〉: Recorded live in Australia, this is arguably the best version yet of Roxette's first megahit. The audience plays a big role in the second half of the song. Amazing.

〈The Heart Shaped Sea〉: A beautiful ballad about letting go of the one you love. The subtle, understated music track works very well on this one.

〈The Rain〉: A very moody, instrospective song. Great to listen to on a rainy day.

〈Keep Me Waiting〉: A more traditionl Roxette rocker, but grittier and harder-hitting than anything in "Look Sharp!" or "Joyride". The lyrics are wonderfully bizarre, as only Per could write them.

〈It Must Have Been Love〉: The quintessential Roxette song, this particular version is probably the only low point in the album. A country-style remake that works as a novelty item, nothing more.

〈Cinnamon Street〉: Don't let the sugary title fool you. This another example of the edgier Roxette. A very personal song, with an excellent melody.

〈Never Is a Long Time〉: A song that brings tears to my eyes. If you've ever experienced heartache, you will relate to this song. Marie at her best. This song was recorded in a Brazilian nightclub. Wanna talk about experimental recording venues? ; )

〈Silver Blue〉: A song originally written in 1987, and that wasn't finished until 1992. An absolutely gorgeous love song in which Per and Marie grace us with their most memorable duet yet. My all-time favorite Roxette song. You'll be transported to another world, believe me.

〈Here Comes the Weekend〉: Recorded in a hotel room in Argentina, this is one unique song. It will remind you of something The Beatles might have written, but at the same time is very much a song only Roxette could have made. Excellent.

〈So Far Away〉: Recorded in the same hotel room, it's another moving ballad featuring Marie in lead vocals, it's the ultimate song for the broken-hearted. Another beautifully crafted love song.

〈Come Back Before You Leave〉: A few of my "metalhead" friends are put off by the abundance of synths on this track, but they've become converts once they get past the instruments selection and into the song itself: Beautiful lyrics framed by a wonderful, unique melody.

〈Things Will Never Be The Same〉: Recorded live, this unplugged, more melancholic bersion of the original popster from Joyride is one of the big winners in Tourism. Marie's soulful voice and Per's masterful guitar playing come together wonderfully.

〈Joyride〉: A bombastic live renditon of this classic hit. Joyride, like The Look, also features a memorable audience-participation segment. Roxette joins Queen, The Beatles, and Metallica as one of the best live acts around. Their connection with the audience is perfect.

〈Queen of Rain〉: A power ballad once again featuring darker, edgier lyrics than previous Rox efforts. Per shows he isn't alway the "cotton candy and balloons" songwriter he self-mockingly claims to be. A perfect epilogue to the perfect album.

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Roxette歷年專輯

1986 Pearls of Passion

1988 Look Sharp!

1991 Joyride 1992 Tourism

1994 Crash!Boom!Bang!

1995 Don't Bore Us,Get To The Chorus

1997 Baladas En Espanol

1998 Have A Nice Day

2001 Room Service