Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Showing posts with label David Bowie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Bowie. Show all posts

Friday, December 27, 2024

David Bowie - Fame 90 (1990)


CD single

A 5 track maxi-single with five different mixes of Fame 90, itself an updated remix of Bowie's #1 hit from 1975. I prefer the earlier version to this 1990 remix, but couldn't pass up the chance to hear all these mixes, especially a 14+ minute track with the title 'Absolutely Nothing Premeditated/Epic Mix.' I was initially hopeful that at least one of the remixes would catch my ear - this is Bowie, after all - but ultimately I'm kinda disappointed in this one. Even the 'Epic Mix' is simply a long conglomeration of unfinished, unrelated ideas.

I bought a used copy so I'm unsure if it was originally sold separately or was packaged with the Rykodisc reissue of Young Americans:

Billboard, May 11, 1991, p. 41

Single chart peaks:
  • US Billboard Hot 100: Did not chart
  • Billboard Dance: #6
  • Billboard Rap: #12

Tracks:
  1. Fame 90 (with Queen Latifah) • 4:08
    This version charted on Billboard's Dance and Rap charts.
  2. Fame 90 (House Mix) • 5:58
  3. Fame 90 (Gass Mix) • 3:39
    This version included on Changesbowie and the Pretty Woman soundtrack album. To be honest, I would have preferred the original 1975 version on the Changesbowie compilation and I don't think I'm in the minority in that opinion.
  4. Fame 90 (Hip Hop Mix) • 5:59
  5. Fame 90 (Absolutely Nothing Premeditated/Epic Mix) • 14:25
All the remixes are worth hearing at least once because they're all very different. I prefer the first two tracks to the remainder of the disc, but they're not tracks I will seek out.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, I don't recall hearing this newer version in the '90s other than when I listened to my Changesbowie CD. I don't even recall a video although I may have moved on from videos by 1990. A quick search over at YouTube finds a copy of an underwhelming video for the remix, directed by Gus Van Sant and co-starring Canadian dancer/choreographer Louise Lecavalier.

Previously revisited for the blog:
★ (2016)Changesbowie (1990)
The Next Day (2013)Sound + Vision: CD Press Release (1989)
Zeit! 77-79 (2013)Tonight (1984)
Reality (2003)Let's Dance (1983)
Black Tie White Noise (1993)

Monday, September 23, 2024

David Bowie - Sound + Vision: The CD Press Release (1989)


Promo CD single

Promotional single from Rykodisc for the first Bowie box set, Sound + Vision, containing one "rare track" and a "CD Press Release." What was a press release in 1989 is nothing more than a curiosity 35 years later, but I simply couldn't pass it up.

Tracks: The first track is a glam-rock cover of a 1958 Chuck Berry tune which was originally the B-side of Bowie's 1973 single Drive-In Saturday, recorded in 1971 during the Ziggy Stardust sessions. The second track is a 3 minute press release for the box set, read by Kurt Loder, then the face of MTV News:


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I didn't opt for the full Sound + Vision box back in 1989, instead picking up the Changesbowie release around 1991 or 1992. In 1989, I was a newlywed with a wife in grad school and we only had my teacher income. In other words, I couldn't afford the CD box set, especially at a $59.98 price point (over $150 in 2024 dollars, adjusted for inflation). The LP version was listed at $69.98 and cassette at $49.98. But even at those prices, the set sold well and peaked at #97 on the Billboard 200.

click to enlarge

Previously revisited for the blog:
★ (2016)Black Tie White Noise (1993)
The Next Day (2013)Changesbowie (1990)
Zeit! 77-79 (2013)Tonight (1984)
Reality (2003)Let's Dance (1983)

Friday, August 23, 2024

David Bowie - Black Tie White Noise (1993)


Bowie's first release since his Tin Machine experiment, this album was heavily influenced by the 1992 Los Angeles riots and Bowie's recent marriage to Iman. I had given up on Bowie after his Never Let Me Down album and wasn't much interested in what I heard from Tin Machine, so I mistakenly overlooked this one in 1993. Indeed, I didn't hear much of his 1993-2003 output when it came out and I'm slowly trying to make up for lost time. This mix of electro-funk-dance-rock tracks is scratching me right where I itch. Riots and marriage are no doubt serious stuff, but this thing is a great windows-down-volume-up summer car listen - even the instrumentals and cover tunes. Not perfect, but certainly innovative and enjoyable. Better late than never.

Bonus points for getting back with producer Nile Rodgers and the inspired inclusion of trumpeter Lester Bowie of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago.

Press of the time:
  • CashBox: "Bowie continues his exploration of new musical directions while maintaining his easily recognizable sound."
  • Billboard: "trail-blazing and brilliant"
  • Entertainment Weekly (D): "endless, listless dance grooves"
  • Robert Christgau (B-): "the music is the artiste's most arresting in many years; the dancebeats and electrotextures make you prick up your ears and wonder where they'll lead."
  • New Musical Express (6 out of 10): "there are five and a half good songs on this record - and bearing in mind that Bowie spent most of the '80s as a positive laughing stock, that's an admirable achievement"
  • Rolling Stone (★★★★): "one of the smartest records of a very smart career"


Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard 200: #39
  • CashBox: #28

Tracks: My top cuts are Jump They Say (#4, Modern Rock), the title cut (feat. Al B. Sure!), Miracle Goodnight, Looking For Lester, plus the covers of Don't Let Me Down & Down and Cream's I Feel Free (feat. Mick Ronson). My least favorite cut is the cover of Morissey's I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday.

Bonus tracks: An alternate mix of Jump They Say - good but not as good as the album mix, and Lucy Can't Dance, a diss track about Madonna and a great tune that Rodgers wanted to release as the album's first single. Bowie reportedly didn't even want it on the album so including it as a bonus track on the CD release was the compromise, I suppose.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
★ (2016)Changesbowie (1990)
The Next Day (2013)Tonight (1984)
Zeit! 77-79 (2013)Let's Dance (1983)
Reality (2003)

Sunday, January 8, 2023

David Bowie - Reality (2003)


Bowie was 56 years old when Reality was released. As I write these words, I am 56 years old. So it's hardly surprising that I like this album better now than I did back in 2003. So when he belts out "I'm never ever gonna get old" and includes the word "OLD" crossed out on the lyric sheet, I'm right there with David as we celebrate our mutual denial.


But Mark, you always say you're not a lyrics guy - what gives? That's true - when Simon sings nonsense about the reflex being a lonely child waiting by the park, that doesn't interest me much. But when we're dealing with themes of "weary retrospection and aging regret," as Bowie does throughout these songs, I've almost got no choice but to pay heed.


As for the music, this thing has plenty of catchy rock riffs and hooks and probably sounded fantastic live. I think many longtime fans would prefer the music to harken back to the '70s sounds more often (admittedly, I find myself wanting to hear a disjunct Robert Fripp solo in a few of these tunes) but why should it? One shouldn't expect Bowie to repeat himself, after all. That said, this album, and the two studio albums that followed over a decade later, make for a nice trilogy with similar sounds and themes. And the more I listen to them, the more I like them.

Press of the time:
  • Rolling Stone (★★★): "Reality turns out to be an intriguing place"
  • Entertainment Weekly (C+): " Ground control to Major Tom: Ditch the new reality and go back to the old school."
  • Metacritic: 74 out of 100 (critics), 8.3 out of 10 (users)



Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #29
Peak on the Billboard Top Album sales chart: #29

Tracks: The album starts off with a powerful trio of songs, New Killer Star, Pablo Picasso (a cover of the Modern Lovers tune), and Never Get Old. Those cuts all sound fantastic pouring out of your car/truck speakers as you speed down the road with your windows down (I speak from experience). I also really like the dreamy pop of Days, the frenzied title track, and the sublime ballad that closes the album, Bring Me The Disco King.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
★ (2016)
The Next Day (2013)
Zeit! 77-79 (2013)
Changesbowie (1990)
Tonight (1984)
Let's Dance (1983)

Sunday, September 22, 2019

David Bowie - Tonight (1984)


Note: the CD I listened to was the 2019 reissue with no bonus tracks.

While admittedly not in the top-tier of Bowie's album output, Tonight is one of those right-time-right-place albums for me. I would put myself in the category of fans that discovered Bowie via Let's Dance, so this album was definitely aimed straight at me and my purchasing dollars (which were few and far between as I was a struggling college freshman at the time of release). Most critics and long-time fans didn't care much for the thing. While reading through various reviews, the most common sentiment expressed was "underinspired and overproduced." But I like it so here we are.

Press of the time:
  • Robert Christgau (C): "he's favoring the tired usages that have been the downfall of an entire generation of English twits."
  • Smash Hits (5½ out of 10): "an uneasy, bumper-to-bumper mixture of styles"
  • Billboard: "surprisingly restrained ballads and midtempo rockers"
  • CashBox: "same commercial vein as 'Let's Dance'"
  • Rolling Stone (★★★): "This album is a throwaway, and David Bowie knows it."
  • Musician: "album gets under your skin"


Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard 200: #11
  • CashBox: #6
  • Rolling Stone: #5

Tracks:
  1. Loving the Alien: Despite the dark, anti-religious establishment sentiment, this is (musically, at least) my favorite track on the whole album. A wonderful soundscape supports Bowie's soaring vocals. Lots of stuff going on in the arrangement with a fantastic guitar solo from longtime Bowie associate Carlos Alomar, but if those gated drums had been brought back a bit, I'd be ok with that.
  2. Don't Look Down: Reggae-ish cover of an Iggy Pop tune. Good enough for filler, but Derek Bramble's bass work is certainly a show-stealer.
  3. God Only Knows: This might be one of those songs that should never be covered, but it appears I'm a little late with that sentiment. I don't care much for the arrangement, but the yearning in Bowie's voice brings meaning to the lyrics, so there's that.
  4. Tonight: originally written for Iggy Pop's Lust For Life album, Bowie removes the spoken word intro and makes it a duet with Tina Turner. One of my least favorite cuts, because nothing in the arrangement seems to work as if none of the band members could hear each other.
  5. Neighborhood Threat: another one from Lust For Life. Drummer Omar Hakim owns this manic piece. I like the forward momentum of the thing even though I read several accounts in which Bowie dismissed it in 1987, saying "it wasn’t the right band to do that song." I originally thought the title was Neighborhood Trash, which actually works better IMO.
  6. Blue Jean: a #8 pop single here in the US, I like this much better now than I did in '84. One wonders what Nile Rodgers would have done to this tune. Silly long-form video directed by Julien Temple:
  7. Tumble And Twirl: another album highlight, this was co-written by Bowie and Pop, loosely based on their vacation in Indonesia after Bowie's previous tour had ended. This thing cooks from the Hakim's drums to the tasty horn licks.
  8. I Keep Forgettin': a cover of the Leiber/Stoller tune. The absolute low point of the album and I'll leave it at that.
  9. Dancing With The Big Boys: I dig this Iggy/Bowie collaboration/duet with its great guitar lines, horns, and techno-rock. Not very many different chords on this one but that fact ultimately doesn't matter.


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I wasn't too wild about the lead single from Tonight, Blue Jean, so I didn't rush out and buy a copy upon release. However, the guy in the dorm room next to mine did buy a copy, which I promptly dubbed to cassette, listened to it a few times, then moved on to something else. During the following summer, I worked at a plumbing supply house and the manager of that store had a small weight room behind his garage which he invited me to use. So, on evenings when I wasn't taking night classes at the local junior college, I would go over to his place and lift free weights for an hour or so. He had a tape player hooked up and I would bring in a few tapes to keep me company while I worked out. For some reason, my dubbed tape copy of Tonight quickly became a favorite while lifting - I'd estimate I heard the album 2 or 3 times a week for a few months. In addition, there were concert tickets stubs thumb-tacked to the wall of said weight room and one of those tickets was from Bowie's Serious Moonlight tour in 1984, similar to this one:


Not only was I jealous that the guy attended that show, his wife was cool enough that they went to the concert on their honeymoon. Needless to say, they both quickly became lifelong friends to me. That was a good summer, definitely the best of my college years, and Bowie helped soundtrack the thing. (For more navel-gazing about my summer of 1985, click here.)

I remember the LP came with a sticker (like the one pictured below) and the aforementioned "guy in the dorm room next to mine" couldn't let it just sit in the album jacket, it had to be stuck to something. So he stuck it to the mirror in his room, where it was most likely removed promptly by the room's new occupants that fall. What a waste.



Previously revisited for the blog:
★ (2016)
The Next Day (2013)
Zeit! 77-79 (2013)
Changesbowie (1990)
Let's Dance (1983)

Monday, December 12, 2016

Philip Glass - Heroes/Low Symphonies (2003)


Two disc set of Philip Glass' two symphonies based on themes by David Bowie and Brian Eno. With some exceptions, I find it difficult to recognize the source material, even after reading the titles and revisiting those two albums. Not recommended for fans of Bowie and Eno, but rather for fans of Glass. The works are examples of minimalism, but have been largely ignored for years although there have been a number of "tribute" performances this year following Bowie's death in January.

Disc One:
Symphony No. 4 "Heroes" (1996)
Dennis Russell Davies and Michael Riesman conducting the American Composers Orchestra



The symphony is in 6 movements:
  1. Heroes (5:53)
  2. Abdulmajid (8:53)
  3. Sense of Doubt (7:20)
  4. Sons of the Silent Age (8:18)
  5. Neuköln (6:41)
  6. V2 Schneider (6:48)
Of these, I prefer Heroes and V2 Schneider.



Disc Two:
Symphony No. 1 "Low" (1992)
Dennis Russell Davies conducting the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra



Overall, a much better work than "Heroes" symphony, mainly because it is more lyrical and there are parts where you'd be hard pressed to determine that it is the work of Glass. The symphony is in 3 movements:
  1. Subterraneans (15:11)
  2. Some Are (11:20)
  3. Warszawa (16:01)
The first movement is gorgeous and the best thing on either disc, the second is a fun romp, and the third sounds delightfully like the soundtrack to a Cold War spy thriller (and the movement where it is easiest to identify the source material). This second disc will get more play than the first.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Purchased earlier this year after Bowie's death because it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Kronos Quartet Performs Philip Glass (1995)

Monday, January 11, 2016

David Bowie - ★ (2016)


Was planning on picking this up this morning anyway then I woke to the tragic news. Listening to it for the first time now while writing, realizing what I write today would be much different than what I might have written yesterday. I know nothing about this album except that it's produced by longtime producer Tony Visconti and Bowie experimented by hiring jazz musicians to play rock music.

Metacritic currently has it rated at 86. My favorite quote comes from The Guardian:
His 25th studio album concludes with I Can’t Give Everything Away, which seems to offer those attempting to unravel his lyrics a wry “best of luck with that” (“Saying no but meaning yes, this is all I ever meant, that’s the message that I sent”) while loudly trumpeting his own carefully maintained mystique.
Best of luck with that.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #1

Tracks: 7 tracks, 41 minutes.
  1. ★ - actually a 10 minute medley of two songs, they're both beautiful melodies, but the first is purposefully obliterated by the aggressive drums. The second half descends into pseudo-funk before going back to the original theme with totally different backing drums. Is that an accordion? I can't make out the credits/lyrics because they're printed gloss black on flat black and my old eyes can't read it. The track is mesmerizing, though.
  2. 'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore - a relentless rock track with screeching avant-garde saxophone. Intensity builds throughout, leaving me exhausted by the end.
  3. Lazarus - lazy, midtempo self-epitaph about death. Musically, least favorite track so far. Lyrically, my favorite.


  4. Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) - a modified Bo Didley beat over a 'drum and bass' drum track with lots of chordal dissonance. Over all this mess, a slow, lyrical melody unfolds. And, in typical Bowie style, it all freakin' works somehow. Another track that leaves me exhausted.
  5. Girl Loves Me - Not my thing musically, but I did like the pervasive lyric, "Where the f*ck did Monday go?" as I feel that's what I'll be thinking tonight.
  6. Dollar Days - My favorite track so far, maybe because it's the most traditional pop song on the album. Even the sax solo plays it safe. It segues into...
  7. I Can't Give Everything Away - Another beautiful pop track that sounds a lot like Roxy Music to me with an excellent guitar solo. Gorgeous way to end the album.
Just Bowie being Bowie. Always looking forward. Pure genius. His vision will be missed.

Gonna post this and listen again.



Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  Still to come.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Next Day (2013)
Zeit! 77-79 (2013)
Changesbowie (1990)
Let's Dance (1983)

Friday, May 22, 2015

David Bowie - Zeit! 77-79 (2013)


BOX SET MONTH (MAY, 2015)

EU Import

From davidbowie.com:
EMI is repackaging the existing versions of the Low (1977), “Heroes” (1977), Stage (1978) and Lodger (1979) CDs together in a cardboard slipcase, under the box set name of DAVID BOWIE – ZEIT! 77-79. The three studio albums here are generally referred to as the somewhat misleading Berlin Trilogy. A more unifying theme throughout the three recordings is the presence of Mr Bowie, Mr Eno and Mr Visconti. Stage (the 1978 double live recording of the attendant tour), is included here for good measure.
Hardcore collectors may be disappointed in this set as it is more of a repackaging than a reissue, but for someone who had read a great deal about the "Berlin Trilogy" but never listened, this was an inexpensive way to easily obtain all 3 discs. I ordered the set not long after finishing the memoir 1982 by Jian Ghomeshi, which is basically a love letter to Bowie (the book isn't that great and is readily available on the cheap if you're interested).

LOW (1977)
11 tracks, 39 minutes


Striking. A very disjunct, coherent album and by that I mean the songs are very fractured, but they work as a whole. As this album starts off, we're hit in the face with the mood-setting instrumental Speed Of Life with all its synth pads. An argument could be made that this was the first post-punk album, but I doubt such a debate could ever be resolved (another candidate for that designation would be the 1977 Bowie-produced Iggy Pop album, The Idiot). I enjoy the side one of Low (tracks 1-7) even though the more traditional Be My Wife seems a little out of place. However, I am completely fascinated by side two, particularly the haunting piece titled Warszawa. I have no idea what Bowie, Eno, and Visconti were doing here and I'm not exactly sure I'll ever figure it out. That doesn't keep me from trying - while I usually listen to the album in toto, I will occasionally put on some headphones and listen to tracks 8-11 a few times through at high volume.

Pitchfork Media placed it at number 1 on the website's Top 100 Albums of the 1970s. In 2000, Q placed it at number 14 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Low at #206. It was also included in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, where it was written that the album's "troubled atmosphere reflected its creator's own fractured mental state at the time." I'm glad I didn't hear this album in 1977 because I would have hated it and never listened to it again. As it turns out, I'm still discovering it more than 35 years after the fact.

Press of the time:
  • Stereo Review: "a departure for Bowie, an experiment, and I confess I'm surprised that so much of it comes off as well as it does."
  • High Fidelity: "There is probably much more to this music than meets the ear, and it can at least claim a certain charm in its low-keyed, arctic impressionism."
  • Robert Christgau (B+): "most of the movie music on side two is so far from hypnotic that I figure Bowie, rather than Eno, must deserve credit for it."
  • Rolling Stone: "washes clean his audience's expectations"
  • Record World: "This one will take more than a few quick listens to digest."
  • Billboard: "The emphasis is on eerie, unusual arrangements for well defined, laid-out instrumental journeys"

Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard 200: #11
  • CashBox: #21


"HEROES" (1977)
10 tracks, 41 minutes


Of the three albums in the "Berlin Trilogy," this was the only one wholly recorded in Berlin; the studio was located about 500 yards from the Berlin Wall. A collaborative solo album - it's definitely Bowie, but you can't discount the obvious contributions of Visconti, Eno, and King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp (who is said to have recorded all his parts in one day). Influenced by the Krautrock milieu in which he had situated himself, there's also an industrial sound to it. I could go on and on about Eno's tool for creativity, Oblique Strategies, but I'll just write that I'm fascinated by that particular creative process, which was used in these recordings.

My favorite cuts are the seminal title track, Beauty And The Beast, Blackout, and what was side two (tracks 6-10). I don't care too much for Sons Of The Silent Age. Who am I to second guess the sequencing, but here I go: I'd move the Secret Life Of Arabia to track 6 so that the last sound on the album would be the plaintive wails of Neuköln.

RCA marketed the album using the following tagline, which I think is brilliant:


Press of the time:
  • Rolling Stone: "Eno clearly has effected a nearly miraculous change in Bowie"
  • Robert Christgau (B+): "Maybe after the next album I'll get the drift of this one."
  • Stereo Review: "Is it worth the effort? Probably."
  • High Fidelity: "Bowie has consistently been a product of his influences as much as he has often anticipated them"
  • Billboard: "a musical excursion into a realm only Bowie himself can define."
  • Record World: "Robert Fripp and Eno help to instill an almost sinister duality to his music"
  • CashBox: "another Bowie album intended to baffle the mind of critics as it soars off into barely-explored areas of sound"
  • Trouser Press: "sounds like a musical lifetime careening through the mind of a drowning man."

Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard 200: #35
  • CashBox: #46


STAGE (1978)
2 discs, 20 tracks, 86 minutes


This the first time I've listened to these discs. To be honest, I was unaware of this live album until I purchased this box set. It's an okay live album - Bowie sounds like Bowie always sounds and the band is tight. The main problem is that the live versions are close/direct miked and don't vary much from the studio versions so I'm left wondering why bother? The songs sound so much like the studio that producer Tony Visconti feels the need to reassure us several times in the liner notes that the album is "100% live." The songs I like on these discs are the same songs I like on the studio albums; no surprise there. Unfortunately, not many surprises here, either.

Press of the time:
  • Rolling Stone: "a curiously uncompromising album."
  • Stereo Review: "Listening to the show in the privacy of one's living room is less fun, but rewarding in a left-handed way."
  • Robert Christgau (B+): "For fans only, of course. I'm one."
  • Billboard: "a minimum of frills and electronic gimmicks here, though the music remains adventuresome nonetheless."
  • Record World: "focuses on both sides of the performer: the Ziggy Stardust rock and roller and the artist whose recent recordings have been hailed as ahead of their time."
  • CashBox: "a highly accessible, rocking collection"
  • Trouser Press: "The little that works here works because it's basically good material, not because the live versions are terribly distinguished."

Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard 200: #44
  • CashBox: #62
  • Rolling Stone: #32


LODGER (1979)
10 tracks, 36 minutes


Reportedly recorded as the Bowie-Eno working relationship was on the decline; there's definitely more Bowie than Eno on this one. This is one of those albums that require multiple listenings before you can appreciate it then you can't the songs out of your head. While there are some hooky melodies scattered throughout, it's the backing tracks that require attention, particularly the aleatoric elements and Adrian Belew's avant guitar work. I miss the intricate instrumentals - this brief album is not in the same league as Low - but since when does Bowie repeat himself?

I like the tracks Yassassin, D.J., Look Back In Anger, and Boys Keep Swinging. This release was an Enchanced CD in which the "bonus content" is merely an ad for Bowie's website.

Press of the time:
  • Trouser Press: "While it's a bit difficult to sit through the first couple of times, it becomes increasingly interesting with repeated listenings."
  • Robert Christgau (A-): "Musically, these fragments of anomie don't seem felt, and lyrically they don't seem thought through. But that's part of their charm"
  • Slash: "The music may lay back too much, but Bowie spits venom."
  • Record World: "further explores electronics and rock dissonance."
  • Roadrunner: "a most unusual form of weird."
  • Stereo Review: a few limp language games set to some of the year's most boring and empty tunes."
  • Smash Hits (6 out of 10): "uninspired, uninspiring and totally unnecessary doodling."
  • Rolling Stone: "it's just another LP, and one of his weakest at that"
  • High Fidelity: "Bowie. along with Robert Fripp. once again leads rock's aesthetic vanguard."

Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard 200: #20
  • CashBox: #25
  • Rolling Stone: #14



Previously revisited for the blog:
The Next Day (2013)
Changesbowie (1990)
Let's Dance (1983)

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Pat Metheny Group - The Falcon And The Snowman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985)


Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD.

Because I liked the group's First Circle album, I bought this soundtrack immediately upon release in early 1985. While moody and atmospheric, it remains very melodic and sounds very much like the music from First Circle, augmented by string arrangements. The highlight of the set is the single This Is Not America, sung by David Bowie. An odd-pairing for sure and I have no idea how it works, but it does. It peaked at #32 on the pop chart and #7 on the rock chart, which seems low to me as it got heavy airplay on my stereos. To be fair, like many Bowie performances, it transcends labels instead of falling neatly into them. The tracks that made up side one (tracks 1-4) are the rare soundtrack cuts that stand up to active listening. I only recently obtained a CD copy of the album and that fact has me scratching my head.

Reviews/ratings:
  • Billboard: "If breaking no new ground for Metheny, it could broaden his audience further"
  • CashBox: "two sides full of excellent melodic fusion"
  • The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
  • The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★


Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard 200: #54
  • Billboard Jazz: #27
  • CashBox: #65
  • CashBox Jazz: #14
  • Radio & Records Jazz Radio National Airplay: #11

Tracks:  In addition to This Is Not America, my favorites are Psalm 121/Flight Of The Falcon (which I actually performed live in the summer of 1985. It was not well-received, unfortunately.), Daulton Lee, and Chris. The only tracks that sounds like typical soundtrack music is Extent Of The Lie and The Level Of Deception, so I'll usually skip those.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  I only recently watched this Sean Penn/Timothy Hutton movie for the first time and recognizing the music, I thought, "I must have listened to that album quite a bit back in '85; time to order the CD." And I did.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Steve Reich - Different Trains, Electric Counterpoint (1989)
First Circle (1984)
Offramp (1982)


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

David Bowie - The Next Day (2013)


Note: there are several different versions of the album available; the CD I listened to was the "Deluxe Edition" which has 3 bonus tracks. This deluxe edition was superseded 6 months later with the release of a 3 disc collector's edition titled The Next Day Extra (yes, that made me a little bitter).

There's old wave, there's new wave, and there's David Bowie.

In March, 2013, David Bowie released his first album of new material in ten years. And music junkies like me, desperate for quality new rock music, rejoiced. It's not a career defining epic (how many of those can one man possibly have, after all?), but it's good enough and definitely holds it own as a rock album. Pairing again with his longtime producer Tony Visconti, the music sounds like an edgy, updated version of classic '70s Bowie, if that makes any sense. Bowie is never easy to figure out and this album is no exception, but the journey towards understanding is more comfortable than some of his past albums. These songs aren't exactly commercial, especially in today's market, but they're bold, to the point, full of confidence and energy, and nostalgic without being sad. As Visconti puts it:
I think the material on this album is extremely strong and beautiful, and if people are looking for classic Bowie they'll find it on this album, if they're looking for innovative Bowie, new directions, they're going to find that on this album too.
Once again, Bowie writes good songs and brings together innovative, like-minded musicians and lets them do their thing. Metacritic has this album rated at 81, which may be slightly high, but I can't really fault the critics for being so excited over new Bowie that reverence for the man influenced their reviews. It certainly influenced this one. I like it and, since I'm a middle-age male, I think I was supposed to. Best listened to on a cold autumn or winter day while driving around.

On a related note, I absolutely love the cover art. So simple, yet effective. Here's how graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook describes his work:
Normally using an image from the past means, 'recycle' or 'greatest hits' but here we are referring to the title The Next Day. The Heroes cover obscured by the white square is about the spirit of great pop or rock music which is 'of the moment', forgetting or obliterating the past.

However, we all know... we cannot break free from the past. When you are creative... it seeps out in every new mark you make (particularly in the case of an artist like Bowie)... People will judge you always in relation to your history.
Not surprisingly, Bowie has a flair for the dramatic, and this release - the art design, the music, the secretive recording sessions, the sudden release - is nothing if not dramatic.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #2

Tracks:  My picks include the title track, Love Is Lost, Where Are We Now?, I'd Rather Be High, and How Does The Grass Grow?. Don't skip.

Bonus tracks:  More of the same and that's a good thing. There's even a throwback to instrumental tracks from the Berlin trilogy in the song titled Plan.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Changesbowie (1990)
Let's Dance (1983)

Friday, May 24, 2013

David Bowie - Changesbowie (1990)


I recently picked up Bowie's new album, The Next Day, so I thought I'd go back and listen to this fantastic greatest hits compilation. Ignore the childish collage on the cover and the absence of quality liner notes and get to the music: a definitive collection of Bowie's best work between the years 1969-1984 in a more-or-less chronological order. Many of these tracks didn't crack the Top 40 in the US and that fact doesn't matter to me in the least. I think Bowie is a better songwriter than vocalist, but his true strength was surrounding himself with fantastic musicians and getting the hell out of their way: Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Luther Vandross, John Lennon, Nile Rodgers, David Sanborn, etc. Bowie has always been a musical chameleon and and a singles act more than a album act. Record companies have released no fewer than 45 compilations of his music, but this disc is a great intro if you need one.


Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard 200: #39
  • Billboard Pop CD: #23

Tracks:  I'm not a huge fan of Bowie's early work (I recall sitting through a 1983 screening of the concert film Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars with complete indifference and couldn't wait for it to end), so the tracks I usually skip are at the beginning (Space Oddity, John I'm Only Dancing, and Ziggy Stardust). That leaves us with 15 great tracks, including Fashion and three tracks from Let's Dance. The newer remix of Fame doesn't bother me as much as it does hardcore fans - I'm ok with it. This is one of the few greatest hits CDs in my collection that I can just spin and not worry about music selection for the next 74 minutes. I could complain about the absence of his duets with Queen (Under Pressure) or Mick Jagger (cover of Dancing In The Streets), but like I tell my sons: you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.

SongUSUK
Space Oddity151
John, I'm Only Dancing-12
Changes41-
Ziggy Stardust--
Suffragette City--
Jean Genie712
Diamond Dogs-21
Rebel Rebel645
Young Americans2818
Fame '90-28
Golden Years108
"Heroes"-24
Ashes To Ashes1011
Fashion705
Let's Dance11
China Girl102
Modern Love142
Blue Jean86


For more information on the brief life of the CD longbox,
go visit The Legend of the Longbox.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: one of the first CDs I ever purchased, based on the recommendation of my friend Richard. A year or two later, I read a book by Bowie's ex-wife Angela, titled Backstage Passes: Life On The Wild Side With David Bowie. I don't know how much of the book is factual, but it's certainly an interesting read.

In typical New Wave fashion, I wore a lot of pinbacks on my shirts and jackets in high school. My buddy Jim gave me a 2" square pin that duplicated the cover of Bowie's Fashion single (I've still got it, see below). Thinking it was cool, I wore it often. In typical poseur fashion, I had not even heard the song at the time. I was later introduced to the song when the avant garde video was played late one night on MTV. The song quickly grew on me and is now one of my Bowie faves.


Previously revisited for the blog:
Let's Dance (1983)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

David Bowie - Let's Dance (1983)


Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

Throughout all his personae (Ziggy Stardust, Thin White Duke), David Bowie knew how to locate great musicians with which to collaborate: John Lennon, Iggy Pop, Marc Bolin, Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, Pete Townshend, Queen, Mick Jagger, Pat Metheny, etc. When he recorded this '80s classic, Bowie not only teamed up with the great Nile Rodgers to produce, he also recruited an up-and-coming blues guitarist from Texas, Stevie Ray Vaughan, to play lead. Put them together with Rodger's former band members in Chic: Tony Thompson and Bernard Edwards (among others) and you've got one helluva backing band. While he was being accused of selling out, I think he put together an innovative work at the intersection of post-disco, new wave, and soul. Even though some of the music hasn't aged well, it's a nice time capsule.

Press of the time:
  • Rolling Stone (★★★★): "Bowie cuts a rug, and cuts the crap."
  • Stereo Review: "somewhere in these grooves is the Next Big Thing."
  • Trouser Press: "a pop record that simply bleaches the competition."
  • Smash Hits (6½ out of 10): "So what? Everyone makes the odd dull album."
  • Robert Christgau (B): "Rodgers & Bowie are a rich combo in the ways that count as well as the ways that don't"
  • RPM: "should bring him back into prominence and with an even larger following"

Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard Top 200: #4
  • Billboard Rock: #3
  • Billboard R&B: #21
  • CashBox: #4
  • Rolling Stone: #1

Tracks: I think the title track and Modern Love are two of the best singles of the '80s. I also like the filler cuts Without You and Shake It. I was never much for the song China Girl although the video is fascinating. The cover of Metro's Criminal World is nicely done and SRV's guitar work on Cat People makes that song worth listening to.


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: In addition to the LP, I had a 12" single of Let's Dance which was destroyed at the hands of a mischievous toddler. I'm sure I threw a fit at the time, but it all worked out as the extended version also appears on the album (meaning the 12" single was wasted money to begin with). Even though Stevie Ray Vaughan didn't tour in support of the album, I regret not seeing Bowie in August 1983 on the Serious Moonlight tour.


Blog post #50