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Post by Prole Hole on Feb 15, 2017 4:06:44 GMT -5
I can't tell you how thrilled I am you like "Hallo Spaceboy" because I fucking love that song! In line with everyone else (I should imagine) I'm going to go ahead and agree that the album is overlong and the "concept" doesn't really do it any favours, which can sometimes eclipse the actual music. I get what he was aiming for here, even if he doesn't quite make it, but at least this shows intelligence and ambition and some kind of artistic engagement after the hollow, wretched lows of Black Tie White Noise. As a concept "Outside" is probably an ambitious failure, but I'll take that over pasta noodle saxophone nothingness every time. "We Prick You" and "I'm Deranged" both stand out of course, though I'm also rather fond of "The Motel", and "Strangers When We Meet" is one of those songs that always gets stuck in my head for days whenever I hear it. Whether you want to take that as a recommendation or not... So yea. Decent. Thanks for not sucking this time out, Mr Bowie!
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Post by Meth Lab Shenanigans on Feb 15, 2017 19:29:19 GMT -5
I'd also like to mention that I absolutely love "A Small Plot of Land." Such a scary, grim song. "The Voyeur of Utter Destruction as Beauty" is great too, sometimes it's my favorite track.
Outside is a flawed album, but it's flawed because it's Bowie finally letting out all the weird ideas he'd been holding in since Scary Monsters, and all those ideas being let out at once on a single album makes for an overwhelming and often incoherent final product. I have a huge soft spot for it, and I'll take its flaws over the flaws of Black Tie White Noise or Tonight any day.
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 15, 2017 20:45:05 GMT -5
I'd also like to mention that I absolutely love "A Small Plot of Land." Such a scary, grim song. "The Voyeur of Utter Destruction as Beauty" is great too, sometimes it's my favorite track. Outside is a flawed album, but it's flawed because it's Bowie finally letting out all the weird ideas he'd been holding in since Scary Monsters, and all those ideas being let out at once on a single album makes for an overwhelming and often incoherent final product. I have a huge soft spot for it, and I'll take its flaws over the flaws of Black Tie White Noise or Tonight any day. I agree with your overall assessment of 1. Outside. There's a really great album's worth of songs in there that's nearly smothered beneath nonsense. This album would have been a lot better if there'd been someone to tell Bowie, "No, this song doesn't need to be seven minutes long," or "Hey, maybe people don't want to hear you pretend to be a little girl and delivery some spoken word bullshit on an album that's already over an hour long." As I said, even as it is, it's a pretty solid album that with some radio edits and excised segues would be a great album. No amount of editing or reworked tracklists could improve the dumpster fire that is Black Tie White Noise.
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 16, 2017 0:00:52 GMT -5
Earthling (1997)
It's the fall of 1997 and I am a senior in high school. I'm watching some sort of MTV2. A video appears featuring Trent Reznor creeping around after David Bowie in a panache of the movie, Taxi Driver. At this point in my life a rather sizable portion of my income is dedicated to collecting the works of Mr. Reznor. I had imported Nine Inch Nails singles from Japan and would trade bootleg tapes of concerts with guys in Denmark and shit like that. So an album featuring Trent Reznor that I could buy at my local mall without having to pay import fees or ask the guy at the counter to order it for me? It was a no-brainer. I went out and purchased it the album the next. This is that album. It's called Earthling and it's about how David Bowie tricked me into buying his album with false promises of (Feat. Trent Reznor). Pre-Existing Prejudices
I own this album. I have heard all of these songs numerous times, though the tracks I disliked I probably haven't listened to since the late 90s. On the other hand, the songs I like I have listened to as recently as last year based on the Last Played figures on my iTunes thing. Songs
"Little Wonder" I was under the impression that this was a later single than "I'm Afraid of Americans," but Wikipedia tells me that my memory was incorrect. Maybe they only started playing it on mainstream alternative radio stations in America after "I'm Afraid of Americans," broke big. I dunno. The bulk of this song is 90s rave music like Bowie was toying with on 1. Outside, but there's a big alternarock hook with heavy guitars and Bowie singing "So far away! So so far away!" I always liked this song and still think it's pretty good, but it's a lot longer than I recalled it being. I think there was a radio edit that probably minimized the "here's some 1000 bpm drum machines for you to do E and suck a pacifier to," part in the middle. "Looking for Satellites" I always forget that I like this song because the intro part is pretty mediocre, but then the actual song hits and I'm like, "Oh yeah, this song is pretty great." It's got another huge alternarock chorus and a badass, fuzzed out guitar solo. "Battle for Britain (The Letter)" Another raver that alternates between fast and furious drum machines and Nirvana-esque choruses. The intentionally not good jazz piano at the end is pretty decent and harkens back to 70s Bowie. "Seven Years in Tibet" Jazz-funk-electronica during the verses. Pixies b-side during the choruses. I honestly forgot that this had such a heavy rockin' out part during the chorus because I disliked the verses so much that I'd always skip this any time it showed up on shuffle. I probably haven't heard this song all the way through in 20 years which is a shame because it's pretty rad. Besides the choruses which own hard there's some rock organ which I absolutely love. Even the saxophone stuff is okay when it shows up during the ending when there's grunge guitar licks and organ solos. "Dead Man Walking" This is probably the danciest song on the album. Yeah there are some guitars and stuff but they're not particularly prominent. This song's pretty good but for my money it's one of the weaker tracks on the album. "Telling Lies" I love Bowie's grotty sounding moan of "telling lies," and how unpleasant and menacing the pre-chorus is. This is another song that's like half a Squarepusher track and half a grunge song. I wish more music in the world sounded like this. "The Last Thing You Should Do" The verses are all pretty orchestra synths and David Bowie singing nicely about how "nobody loves anymore." The choruses have David Bowie doing a Nine Inch Nails song with machine gun guitar riffs and dudes yelling "YEAH!" gruffly and glitchy electronic noise. "I'm Afraid of Americans" All these years later I'm still kind of mad about this song. As I mentioned above the version on the radio and MTV2 or whatever clearly featured Trent Reznor. Nowhere did they ever mention that that version was a remix. So when I first popped my CD in my player and heard this version I was all like, "The fuck?" It's not just the lack of Trent Reznor that bugs me here either. The music is different and way less menacing than the version that got played on the radio. This one is not the real version of this song, in my opinion, and I'm honestly tempted to make extra work for myself and review the "I'm Afraid of Americans" single just because that version is so much better than this one. "Law (Earthlings on Fire)" This is a weird song. Laser synths and a chorus of David Bowies yelling at each other. This is probably the weakest song on the album. I don't think it really works well as an album closing track either. Final Thoughts
Bowie's clearly working with similar musical ideas to those he was toying with on 1. Outside, but here he's focused and less concerned with the everything including the kitchen sink approach he took on that album. The end result is a leaner, tighter album. There's not a lot of filler on Earthling and beside the "TIME TO DO DRUGS AND KARATE CHOP THE AIR FAST!" drum break that lasts forever on "Little Wonder," none of the songs feel unnecessarily long. Going into this project, this was my favorite David Bowie album since it was the only one I'd heard in its entirety (other than Tin Machine I), and while that is no longer the case, I think this album holds up really well and is a top five Bowie album for me (I rank it maybe 4...below Low, "Heroes," Scary Monsters, and above Lodger). Anyway good album. It's got me feeling revitalized more so even than 1. Outside did. I'm ready to press on into pretty much unknown territory because from this point out, the only David Bowie I know is the one with the creepy video with a lady with a tail and people dancing wrongly that came out like right before he died. Best Song(s): "Little Wonder," "Looking for Satellites," or "Seven Years in Tibet" Worst Song(s): "Law (Earthlings of Fire)" or this wrong version of "I'm Afraid of Americans"
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Post by Meth Lab Shenanigans on Feb 16, 2017 3:37:36 GMT -5
"Telling Lies" is so good.
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Post by Prole Hole on Feb 16, 2017 4:13:59 GMT -5
Ahhh, such a relief that you like Earthling, because I know my affection for it makes me unusual among Bowie fans. Does the jungle/drum-and-bass sound a little dated now? I suppose it does, though I don't feel that's in any way to the album's detriment. Indeed, it makes it stand out rather more. So many great tracks here, but I vividly remember "Little Wonder" being released at the time, and thinking "at fucking last, a Bowie single I don't need to explain or apologize for!" It's just straight-up great. Love "Searching For Satellites" as well, again not a popular choice, but just such a great song. We have to respectfully disagree over "I'm Afraid Of Americans" but it's perfectly fair that the first version you come across is likely the one you'll enjoy the most. Anyway - damned great album, highly under-rated in Bowie's back catalogue and real stand-out for me. Yes, definitely a Top Five. Nudeviking , it's at the time of "Earthling"'s release that the Pet Shop Boys re-record/remix/collaboration version of "Hallo Spaceboy" was released, and this is my reminder that it's fucking great and worth a listen. It's only four minutes long, which isn't bad for supplementary material, and it's better than the Outside version (I would say, though you may prefer the NIN-esque album version). Anyway give it a listen, because even if you prefer the album version, it's still absolutely terrific.
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 16, 2017 7:05:09 GMT -5
Ahhh, such a relief that you like Earthling, because I know my affection for it makes me unusual among Bowie fans. Does the jungle/drum-and-bass sound a little dated now? I suppose it does, though I don't feel that's in any way to the album's detriment. Indeed, it makes it stand out rather more. So many great tracks here, but I vividly remember "Little Wonder" being released at the time, and thinking "at fucking last, a Bowie single I don't need to explain or apologize for!" It's just straight-up great. Love "Searching For Satellites" as well, again not a popular choice, but just such a great song. We have to respectfully disagree over "I'm Afraid Of Americans" but it's perfectly fair that the first version you come across is likely the one you'll enjoy the most. Anyway - damned great album, highly under-rated in Bowie's back catalogue and real stand-out for me. Yes, definitely a Top Five. Nudeviking , it's at the time of "Earthling"'s release that the Pet Shop Boys re-record/remix/collaboration version of "Hallo Spaceboy" was released, and this is my reminder that it's fucking great and worth a listen. It's only four minutes long, which isn't bad for supplementary material, and it's better than the Outside version (I would say, though you may prefer the NIN-esque album version). Anyway give it a listen, because even if you prefer the album version, it's still absolutely terrific. Pet Shop Boys are generally a-okay in my book so I'll give it a whirl. Maybe I'll do a double serving of remix singles before I get into whatever Hours is. As for my dismisal of the album version of "I'm Afraid of Americans" in the above review that was at least 53% tongue in cheek. The remaining 47% is because I can hold a grudge for 20 years about a pop song not being on the album I expect it to be on.
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 16, 2017 19:17:24 GMT -5
I'm Afraid of Americans (1997)So annoyed was I by the "wrong" version of "I'm Afraid of Americans," appearing on Earthling that I had to seek out the single for review. This is that single and it proves that the album version is not the real version since that version is nowhere to be found on this single. Let's do it! Pre-Existing Prejudices
One of these songs is the version with Trent Reznor that was featured in the music video. I know and love that version. I am otherwise unfamiliar with the rest of the tracks. Songs"I'm Afraid of Americans (V1)" That's the stuff! Listening to this back to back with the album version I was able to pinpoint exactly what it is about this version that I prefer. While a lot of the two versions are similar (±Banjo-Kazooie fake drums and industrial strength bass rumble) the two differ greatly during the "God is an American" part. On the album version it's a two line transitional thing where the musical accompaniment actual sounds almost cheery, but here it's a dirge with chanting that lasts a minute or so. It grows ever more sinister as it progresses and really ends up being the focal point of the entire song. "I'm Afraid of Americans (V2)" V1 segues directly in this which is pretty cool. Here the songs reworked with minimal electronic noise and ghostly vocals that float through the static and digital haze. "I'm Afraid of Americans (V3)" "Super Bowl Sunday!!!" yells guest vocalist, Ice Cube. He continues bellowing "Welcome to America!" and "DB's(?) got your brain!" He drops a verse about how shit is getting hairy in America while industrial gangsta rap beats crackle in the background. David Bowie occasionally shows up to remind us that yes, God is an American. "I'm Afraid of Americans (V4)" Again the preceding track segued directly into this one. "God is an American," is repeated over music that sounds like a nightmarish windstorm. By the time proper music begins Dave's vocals are reduced to distorted, glitchy digital noise. "I'm Afraid of Americans (V5)" This is apparently remixed by some dude/dudine named Photek rather than Nine Inch Nails. I have no idea who Photek is, but I do know that the synth noise that accompanies David Bowie here is ridiculous. Rave drums kick in about 40 seconds into the track, making it feel a lot more like the other songs on Earthling than the version of "I'm Afraid of Americans," that appeared there did which I think takes away one of the things that made the album version special in the first place. "I'm Afraid of Americans (V6)" Eleven minutes of industrial drone. Fart synths and bass rumble abound. There are occasional snippets of guitar. Transistor radio noise floats about atop the bleating synths and brown sound bass but ultimately the song never goes anywhere. Bonus!
In my research I learned that the version of "I'm Afraid of Americans," appearing on Earthling was not the original version. There was an even earlier version released in 1995 on the Showgirls Soundtrack. Yes, that Showgirls. I have also listened to that version and included my thoughts and opinions below. "I'm Afraid of Americans (Showgirls Version)" This is a lot noisier than the album version. The drums sound like 55 gallon drums being beaten with hammers and the guitars are a lot grungier than the Earthling version. It's sonically a lot closer to 1. Outside which makes sense since this was probably recorded at that time. The lyrics are different here with Dummy replacing Johnny in the verses and Dave proclaiming himself to be "afraid of the animals," for the bulk of the choruses (Americans don't scare him until the tail end of the song). The song also lacks the "God is an American," bridge which is unfortunate. Final Thoughts
Apparently this was Bowie's last hit in America until he died and got the "Oh that singer we used to like died...wasn't he the best!" sales boost that caused "Black Star" to become a hit (hit as in it was on the Billboard Best Singles Chart or whatever that thing is called). Listening to it now, it's not hard to see why this song was popular. It's catchy as hell in most forms and is one of the few times when what Bowie was doing fit the times (thus far Bowie has either been a few years ahead or a few years behind the rest of the pop music world). That being said this was a lot of "I'm Afraid of Americans," to listen to in one go and I wouldn't recommend it. Below is my rankings of all the versions of this I listened to from best to worst. Rankings
1. V1 2. Earthling Version 3. Showgirls Version 4. V3 5. V5 6. V2 7. V4 8. V6
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Post by Prole Hole on Feb 18, 2017 4:29:57 GMT -5
Now this is real commitment to your reviewing craft! Eight different versions of what is, admittedly, a pretty awesome song! In this, I must be honest, you have outclassed me, since I know only three of these - the album version, the Reznor version (V1) and, damn my ears, the Showgirls version. I think this is a case of the version of the album being being the best version for the album - the Reznor version wouldn't fit as as well, even if it is, potentially, a better version of the actual song. The Showgirls version is everything that Showgirls deserves. So I'm happy with the way the versions turned out, and I commend your commitment to Bowie ephemera.
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 18, 2017 6:07:07 GMT -5
Now this is real commitment to your reviewing craft! Eight different versions of what is, admittedly, a pretty awesome song! In this, I must be honest, you have outclassed me, since I know only three of these - the album version, the Reznor version (V1) and, damn my ears, the Showgirls version. I think this is a case of the version of the album being being the best version for the album - the Reznor version wouldn't fit as as well, even if it is, potentially, a better version of the actual song. The Showgirls version is everything that Showgirls deserves. So I'm happy with the way the versions turned out, and I commend your commitment to Bowie ephemera. While I still like the V1 version the best I kind of agree with your assessment that the version that appears on Earthling is probably the version best suited for the album. The Showgirls version meanwhile wouldn't have been out of place on 1. Outside. It's really amazing how seemingly minor alterations make what is essentially the same song more or less suitable for certain albums.
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 18, 2017 19:55:01 GMT -5
Hallo Spaceboy (1996)
I heard from Prole Hole that the Pet Shop Boys remix of "Hallo Spaceboy" was pretty tight so I decided to seek it out. Since it was a single released in the mid-90s that means there are about a bajillion different versions, each with different tracklists. I have elected to use the US 12" single version which features boring cover art (not pictured above) and four different remixes of "Hallo Spaceboy." Why did I pick this one over some of the other versions with the more excellent cover art pictured above? Because I had so much fun listening to a dozen different versions of "I'm Afraid of Americans," I though this might be just as much fun...also most of the other versions of the single have a live version of "Under Pressure," which is something I need like a hole in the head. Pre-Existing Prejudices
I like the 1. Outside version of "Hallo Spaceboy," a lot. I'd probably go so far as to say it's my second favorite song on the album (after "We Prick You"). As for the Pet Shop Boys, I like their work well enough. I wouldn't go out of my way to attend a Pet Shop Boys concert or anything but I probably wouldn't change the channel if "West End Girls" came on the radio. Songs
"Hallo Spaceboy (12" Remix) This is pretty good 90s Eurodisco. There's kind of a movie soundtrack feel to the first half of the song with canned strings and stuff. One of the Pet Shop Boys repurposes some of the lyrics from "Space Oddity," during the verses, which could have been lame since I thought Major Tom died in "Ashes to Ashes," but it mostly works out here. All in all this is a pretty decent remix of an already good song. "Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys Remix)" The intro is a little different from the 12" Remix version and the song's shorter, but it's otherwise more or less the same as the 12" Remix version. I like the intro on this one a little bit more since it invokes the desolation of space which is always an important thing to do in songs about spaceboys. "Hallo Spaceboy (Double Click Mix)" This follows the same formula as the two previous remixes, but sounds a bit more like an Everything But The Girl song than those two did. I think the interlude part where Bowie whispers "If I fall, moondust will cover me," is pretty good here, but otherwise this is my least favorite remix of "Hallo Spaceboy." "Hallo Spaceboy (Lost in Space Mix)" Sinister electronica! Woo! This one's a bit more industrial sounding than the other remixes contained on this single. Parts of it reminded me of The Fat of the Land era The Prodigy which is an alright thing to sound like. Final Thoughts
While these were all more or less okay remixes there wasn't much in the way of diversity since 68% of the songs on here were pretty similar sounding. The "Lost in Space Mix" being the only one that deviated from the "Here's a Pet Shop Boy adding lyrics from 'Space Oddity,' over mid-90s Eurodisco beats," routine. None of the remixes were awful in the same way that some of the "I'm Afraid of Americans" mixes were, but none of these really reach the same heights as the better mixes of that song either. I wouldn't be annoyed if any of these versions popped up while shuffling mp3s, but I probably wouldn't seek any of them out over the album version either. Rankings
1. Hallo Spaceboy ( 1. Outside Version) 2. Hallo Spaceboy (Lost in Space Mix) 3. Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys Remix) 4. Hallo Spaceboy (12" Remix) 5. Hallo Spaceboy (Double Click Mix)
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Post by Meth Lab Shenanigans on Feb 19, 2017 22:43:55 GMT -5
Agreed with your take on "Afraid of Americans" - It's the disturbing, ominous nature of the "god is an american" line in the single version that really makes the song.
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Post by Prole Hole on Feb 21, 2017 3:06:37 GMT -5
Yay, Hallo Spaceboy! Still love it, always will, and I actually own the CD single of this one (yes with the saturated cover Nudie used above, because that's just how I roll, yo). Because the PSB version was the first one I came across (via my PSB fandom, rather than my Bowie fandom), it will always be my favourite. The Lost In Space mix is probably my next favourite, then the album, though again the album version is definitely the best for the album, even if not the best version of the song. Anyway, thanks for covering Nudie, you have made me a happy robot!
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 23, 2017 7:36:18 GMT -5
Hours (1999)The last two Bowie albums were both more or less excellent. Sure 1. Outside could have stood to be trimmed down a bit but the actual songs were pretty great and Earthling is legit one of my favorite Bowie albums of all. This has me kind of worried since Bowie has a pretty poor record when it comes to releasing a series of good albums. In the early 70s after a string of good albums we got Pin Ups. After the Berlin Trilogy and Scary Monsters we got the 80s. Tin Machine was followed by Black Tie White Noise. I'm worried that we're about due for some bullshit. Pre-Existing Prejudices
Absolutely zero. I didn't even know this album existed which is another reason I'm nervous. Really good albums you are at least aware of even if you've never listened to them. You would recognize the cover and title at least. Like I've not yet heard The Next Day but I already know what the cover looks like and that it's apparently good. This is just a giant question mark and that, in my opinion, does not bode well. Songs"Thursday's Child" I know they tell you never to judge a book by its cover but when I saw the cover of this album I knew the music contained within would sound exactly like this song. It's like bland late 90s trip-hop influenced light pop. It's just so lifeless and dull. Nothing about it is outright bad it's just not exciting. "Something's in the Air" Dave's sounding pretty robotic here with some sort of goddamn digital effects on his voice. I don't really like this song that much. Musically it sounds like the sort of thing you'd hear in the waiting room of a dentist's office while perusing a nine month old issue of Newsweek or Highlights for Children (the only two magazines in the office) because you forgot to bring a book or magazine of your own and it's the late 90s and your cellphone looks like a TV remote and can only make phone calls (if you're in a service area) so that's no help in passing time and when you're like, "I have a 2:30 appointment," the receptionist lady's like, "Doctor Steiner is a bit behind schedule hon." That's why I don't like it. "Survive" Dorm room acoustic guitar strumfuckery and Z-Grade trip-hop drum machine nonsense. Dud. "If I'm Dreaming My Life" God this is so slow and boring. It's a seven minute dirge. I guess the horror movie soundtrack synth stuff that occasionally pops up isn't terrible but this song is just so dull. "Seven" Oh fuck this. Acoustic guitar bullshit about David Bowie only having seven days to live forgetting what various family members said to him. It's probably supposed to be deeply personal but there are random bongos going on so how personal can it really be? This is just so listless and boring. Dave, randomly putting strings in a song doesn't automatically equal emotion. Sad! "What's Really Happening?" This is the first song on this album I thought was even a little bit good. Everything preceding this has just all been so boring. This is a mediocre mid-90s Brit-Pop song which makes it the best song on the album. "The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell" Cowbell alternarock. There's some decent Cars-esque keyboard shenanigans but this is otherwise a boring song dressed up like its edgy. "New Angels of Promise" Some of the instrumental stuff going on here is not awful but the lyrics and singing are really half assed and kind of embarrassing. "Brilliant Adventure" Adventure! The mysterious east! Tabulas! Flute-o-phones! Tiny cymbals! What a goddamn waste of time this song was. "The Dreamers" This song at least has a drumbeat that propels the song. Again some the music is pretty good, but Dave's robotic moaning and caterwauling kind of ruins everything. Final Thoughts
Bowie would have been in his fifties here and surprisingly this is the first album where he seemed old. Some of his older albums might sound dated now but here Bowie's an old man running out of ideas. None of it's bad in the same way that Black Tie White Noise was where it's a total failure of songwriting, it's just all very beige and safe sounding. It's like a post-Police Sting album. Middle-aged suburban moms probably loved this album and were probably happy that Bowie stopped being "so gosh darn noisy." In a weird way I hate this more than even Black Tie White Noise or Pin Ups because those albums at least were able to elicit an emotional response from me. Sure that response was furious rage, but this album caused me to feel nothing. It was just music. It wasn't particularly good, it wasn't particularly bad. I have no desire to ever listen to it again but also wouldn't care if one of these songs was played on the radio. To be totally honest, if it were played on the radio, I probably wouldn't even notice. Best Song: I guess "What's Really Happening?" by a small margin but don't go getting all excited that you're the best, "What's Really Happening?" because even the worst songs on Earthling or 1. Outside were miles better than your sorry ass. Worst Song: "Brilliant Adventure" is the least essential song here but it's short. "If I'm Dreaming My Life," is a slightly better song but it's long and boring as all get out, so one of those two I guess with dishonorable mention going to "Seven."
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Post by Jean Luc de Lemur on Feb 23, 2017 12:14:37 GMT -5
I'm Afraid of Americans (1997)
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 23, 2017 15:36:23 GMT -5
I'm Afraid of Americans (1997) That picture is terrifying.
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Post by Meth Lab Shenanigans on Feb 23, 2017 21:50:18 GMT -5
Hours is okay. I like Thursday's Child. Overall not very memorable though. I agree that this is the first album where he sounds old, and he hadn't quite figured out how to use that oldness to his advantage yet.
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 24, 2017 6:43:22 GMT -5
Heathen (2002)
Hours was the most boring David Bowie I've come across yet. Sure it was competently done music but Christ on a cracker was it a chore to listen to. Is this album going to be more of that same sort of bland, "I'm an old man who makes too much money to retire so here's a collection of by the numbers light pop songs that middle aged moms and dentist office receptionists can listen to," music that guys like Sting release on the regular? God I hope not! Pre-Existing Prejudices
"Cactus" is a Pixies song that I know about. I do not know about this David Bowie version. As far as the original goes it's no "Velouria," or "Monkey Gone to Heaven," that's for sure. Songs"Sunday" This is the sort of thing I would have expected to follow up 1. Outside and Earthling. It's glitchy sounding electronics. It's sinister sounding and atmospheric. One song in and this album is already a thousand times better than Hours. "Cactus" When I saw that Bowie was covering the Pixies I got a little nervous since has an awful track record when covering songs by bands and singers I like. When I saw that the song he was covering was "Cactus," I was a little less worried. It's not one of my favorite Pixies songs so if he wiffed it I wouldn't be too annoyed. Surprisingly he actually turns in a pretty good cover here. It doesn't deviate too much from the original and Bowie doesn't take a piss on the vocals (which he has a habit of doing with covers). "Slip Away" This song wouldn't have really been out of place on Young Americans or Station to Station. It's a mid-tempo piano driven ballad that works pretty well. There's a synth part that I like and the lyrics aren't terrible. "Slow Burn" Is that a saxophone? It's been awhile since a sax has popped up in a Bowie song in any significant way. It's honestly not terrible on this song since it's kept to the background. I think Bowie's singing on this is really good. All in all it's a decent song. "Afraid" This is a pretty weird song. It's a mainstream alternative rock song that for some reason has movie soundtrack orchestration during the choruses. More decent keyboard noise here. Another solid jam. "I've Been Waiting For You" Oh shit it's that one Neil Young song! Bowie's version sounds like a Foo Fighters song. This is a surprisingly decent cover. You're two for two Dave. Good job buddy! "I Would Be Your Slave" Kind of a mellower song but it works well to keep the album from becoming monotonous. The guitar part was good. "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship" This is apparently a cover too but I don't know the original version so I have no idea if Bowie ruined this or not. As a standalone song I think it's pretty good. "5:15 The Angels Have Gone" Another mellow song that doesn't suck ass. I like the guitar line during the verses a lot and even appreciate the slap bass that shows up towards the end. "Everyone Says 'Hi'" I like the keyboards in this. This is a solid pop rock song. I also appreciate that the list of people who say "Hi," includes "your big, fat dog." "A Better Future" More outstanding keyboard flourishes. Whoever played keyboards and/or pianos on this album should be commended. This is a pretty cheery song about breaking up or the apocalypse. "Heathen (The Rays)" Creepy synths! Saxophones that aren't the drizzling shits! "Woah oh ohs!" This is a solid way to wrap up the album proper. Bonus!
"Sunday (Moby Remix)" Nothing says early aughts music more than the phrase "Moby Remix." This remix is not good. The drums sound like bad 80s synth pop drums and there's now saxophones (or saxophone-esque guitars or synths) all over the place that didn't exist before. Thanks for nothing Moby. "A Better Future (Remixed by Air)" "Remixed by Air" is a close contender for the aughts-est musical phrase ever but "Moby Remix" wins out in that contest. It loses out in the being a good remix department though. Air's remix is better than Moby's though both are worse than the original album versions. "Conversation Piece" Vintage Bowie. Literally. It's from 1970 originally. This version's a re-recording but it still has the sound and feel of late 60s/early 70s Bowie. It's alright I guess but I understand why it took like 30 years to show up on an album (and as a bonus track at that). "Panic In Detroit" This is bad. The original version from Aladdin Sane is goddamn perfect, but this re-recording is the pits. It's too fast and has some stupid robot voice thing in it instead of a chorus of ladies. Final Thoughts
Though I wouldn't put Heathen near the top of Bowie's discography in terms of awesomeness this was a really solid album and a more logical follow up to Earthling than the bore-core that was Hours. Nothing here was bad or worthy of having scorn heaped on it. All in all a fine collection of good songs. Best Song: "I've Been Waiting for You," was the best overall but if we're limiting it to best Bowie original I'd give the nod to "Slow Burn." Worst Song: Nothing on the actual album was really bad but all the bonus tracks were mediocre at best. Among those four mediocre bonus cuts the shitty remake of "Panic in Detroit," was the most offensive of all.
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Post by Prole Hole on Feb 25, 2017 6:37:17 GMT -5
I was a bit late on hours... but yea that's probably the most instantly forgettable album in his back catalogue - it's the last of the three Bowie albums I don't basically just know inside out, and there's a reason for that. It's just so very slick and dull and competent. It's basically a less-terrible version of those dreary 80's albums that we all love so much... Even reading through the tracks as you're writing about them I'm having a hard time remembering them. And that album cover is ugly. It looks like its been made by an comparatively gifted six-year-old with unfettered access to Photoshop.
Heathen is better in just about every way that i can think (yes, even the cover). It's not a top flight Bowie album, on that we definitely agree, but it feels like a corrective - a Bowie album that just sounds like Bowie writing a good album, and kind of proving that he still can. I really like "Sunday" and its weird electronica, and to an extent it's the sort of song that shows Bowie's been finally successful in integrating some of the influences he's previously just been playing about with. This sounds like a proper Bowie song, but one that's learned the lessons of the past two or three albums, and I think that's probably my description of Heathen in general. It's really taken what's been done before and runs with it. I like the slower, more mellow second half on the album a lot - there's a sense of confidence and a lack of desperation that sometimes colours Bowie's less successful work - and yes, two covers, zero shitty covers is nothing short of astonishing for a Bowie album indeed (for the record I prefer the Pixies cover to the Neil Young one, but they're both good). Yes, this is a damn solid album.
And though I do say this from time to time, it does make me happy when I read you've written something like "Panic In Detroit is goddamn perfect". Because it is.
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 26, 2017 20:09:52 GMT -5
Reality (2003)We're coming down the homestretch on this grand David Bowie experiment. Nothing against the guy or his music or anything, but I'm starting to get burned out. Listening to a 50 year career in music over a period of a few months apparently will do that to a person. This is why I've really picked up the pace on turning these things out. I'm ready to listen to something else besides Bowie. So let's get another album done with! Pre-Existing Prejudices
Musically none at all. I do not recognize any of these song titles as either David Bowie songs I've heard or covers I am familiar with the original version of. So let's instead talk about the cover. Why did David Bowie commission some teenage girl in Middle America to do an anime drawing of him for this album? Were it not for the existence of Diamond Dogs with its Lovecraftian horror of an album cover this would hands down be the ugliest Bowie album cover of all. Songs
"New Killer Star" I really dig the quasi-garage rock sound of the verses and pre-chorus. The choruses are hella tight too. This is an outstanding song and probably one of the best album openers in Bowie's discography. "Pablo Picasso" Questionable rhyme schemes aside ("Some people try to pick up girls and they get called assholes...that never happened to Pablo Picasso!") this is a really good song. Even the random saxophone that pops up suits the song and isn't overbearing. The flamenco guitar playing vaguely Middle Eastern solos at the end is great. "Never Get Old" An older man singing about not becoming old. The chorus is that sort of folksy arena rock stomping that I assume all Imagine Dragons songs sound like. "The Loneliest Guy" This song sounds exactly like you'd expect a song titled "The Loneliest Guy" to sound. There's minimal piano and slow sorrow guitar and David Bowie crooning that he is not the loneliest guy. I don't think we're suppose to believe him. "Looking for Water" Another pretty solid track. There's some cool guitar stuff going on here. "She'll Drive the Big Car" Harmonicas! The beginning of these has the feel of an early 70s Bowie track. The chorus sounds like an 80s Bowie track. I think the chorus is decent enough. "Days" Synth bass farts. Synth strings soaring. Short and inconsequential. "Fall Dog Bombs the Moon" That's quite the song title you go there DB. I have to hand it to you though, this is probably the best Pearl Jam song I've ever heard. "Try Some, Buy Some" Harpsichord! Are we back to weird pre-Space Oddity chamber pop Bowie? That's something I could really get behind, provided it didn't beget "Please Mr. Gravedigger (Version 2) Part II" or anything like that. There's kind of a Wall of Sound thing going on here. This is not the best song in Bowie's discography, but a solid addition to the album and works as a decent breather between two of the more rockin' songs on the album. "Reality" Sounds like a Tin Machine song. This is a pretty good rock jam. I would have preferred this as the closing track on the album. "Bring Me The Disco King" This is awful. Seven Day Accu-Check Weather Channel "jazz." Stupid lyrics. This sounds like it belongs on that trash bag Black Tie White Noise album. The album should have ended with "Reality," instead of this bullshit. Final Thoughts
A couple minor missteps aside this was a decent album. I think I prefer Heathen a bit more than this one but there were some good songs here as well and only one I really disliked. In the grand scheme of things it's probably one of Bowie's lesser albums which speaks less to the quality of this particular album than it does to the nigh impossible bar to clear to be considered a great Bowie album. If any other band had release this same album we'd probably be like "Wow that album is amazing," but since it's Bowie we're like "it's okay, but it's not as good as Scary Monsters." Best Song: "New Killer Star" Worst Song: "Bring Me The Disco King"
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Post by Meth Lab Shenanigans on Feb 26, 2017 21:09:07 GMT -5
I'm kind of shocked that you didn't like "Bring Me the Disco King." For a long time it looked like it was the last song in his discography, and it served that purpose wonderfully. It's my favorite track. I'm not sure how you'll feel about Blackstar if you were repelled by Disco King's jazzy sound.
Glad you liked the album otherwise, though.
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Post by Nudeviking on Feb 26, 2017 21:58:09 GMT -5
I'm kind of shocked that you didn't like "Bring Me the Disco King." For a long time it looked like it was the last song in his discography, and it served that purpose wonderfully. It's my favorite track. I'm not sure how you'll feel about Blackstar if you were repelled by Disco King's jazzy sound. Glad you liked the album otherwise, though. Maybe if I'd have been under the impression that it was the last David Bowie song of all I'd have had a different opinion of it, but since I'm 14 years or so late to this album I already know that there's two more full-length albums and an EP to come so I'm just judging it as the final song on a random Bowie album from the aughts. Also I don't have a problem with jazzy songs or things that ilk provided they fit the album. I felt that Disco King was just felt stylistically very different from the other songs and it seemed kind of tacked on Import Album Version Bonus Track style. "Wild is the Wind," from Station to Station was jazzy, but I liked that song well enough because it kept with the overall feel of the album.
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Post by Meth Lab Shenanigans on Feb 26, 2017 23:03:22 GMT -5
I'm kind of shocked that you didn't like "Bring Me the Disco King." For a long time it looked like it was the last song in his discography, and it served that purpose wonderfully. It's my favorite track. I'm not sure how you'll feel about Blackstar if you were repelled by Disco King's jazzy sound. Glad you liked the album otherwise, though. Maybe if I'd have been under the impression that it was the last David Bowie song of all I'd have had a different opinion of it, but since I'm 14 years or so late to this album I already know that there's two more full-length albums and an EP to come so I'm just judging it as the final song on a random Bowie album from the aughts. Also I don't have a problem with jazzy songs or things that ilk provided they fit the album. I felt that Disco King was just felt stylistically very different from the other songs and it seemed kind of tacked on Import Album Version Bonus Track style. "Wild is the Wind," from Station to Station was jazzy, but I liked that song well enough because it kept with the overall feel of the album. Ah, makes sense. Blackstar is probably the most conceptually and thematically consistent of all the albums he's ever made, so that shouldn't be a problem there. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on The Next Day.
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Post by Nudeviking on Mar 2, 2017 3:26:42 GMT -5
The Next Day (2013)Bowie took a ten year hiatus between Reality and The Next Day. I don't know why he did so, but I think it was assumed he was done. I recall this album being released and the music press being surprised by it existing, which in this day and age is a pretty impressive feat, particularly when pulled off by one of rock's elder statesmen. Pre-Existing Prejudices
Musically? None. This album cover, however, fills me with such annoyance. Not only is it lazy as hell but it also gives off the impression that Bowie's written off like a third of his discography. "Yeah, 'Heroes' was great right? This is the next day...forget about Scary Monsters and 1. Outside and Earthling and Lodger. None of those albums mattered." Sure there was a fair bit of trash in the 80s and 90s but there was a lot of really good stuff too. This is a garbage album cover through and through. I hope it is not indicative of the songs contained within. Songs"The Next Day" This is a pretty great song but the vocal delivery during the chorus feel kind of off and it makes me uncomfortable. Maybe that's the point. Who knows? "Dirty Boys" There is prominent saxophone during the verses but it's Morphine-esque baritone saxophoning which is an okay way for a saxophone to be. The outro saxophone squawking is less tolerable but it's short. "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" It seems like Bowie's finally figured out how to sax in a non-annoying fashion. It only took him what...20 albums? Finally Bowie's stopped playing the sax like it's one of those wax paper/comb kazoo things you'd make in kindergarten. Here it's low drone in the background. Perfect saxophoning. All in all this is a pretty good song. I assume it's about celebrities but it could also be about actual sentient stars because this is a David Bowie song. Maybe it's about both. "Love is Lost" This is such an 80s hard rock song. It's got rock organ and 80s hard boiled cop movie soundtrack guitar licks. As far as 80s hard rock David Bowie songs go this one is probably better than the bulk of the stuff he actually put out in that decade. "Where Are We Now?" Not every song can rock out all the time. This is the mellow song to cool things down after a series of songs with rock organs and lyrics about smashing things up with a cricket bat. As far as mellow David Bowie songs go this one's pretty great. I like the "as long as there's fire, as long as there's some other stuff," part at the end of the song. Well done. "Valentine's Day" Oh man this riff is so good. The bratty "Yeah! Woah!" gang vocals that happen at the end rule. This song is such a good 90s alternarock song. I would have put this on a mixtape in 10th grade with Pixies and Soundgarden songs. "If You Can See Me" Bowie briefly sounds like Bono in the first twenty seconds and then it's...wait a second. Is this what I think it is? It is! It's the Dwarves of the Deep! How the hell have you guys been? You haven't been on a Bowie album since whichever album had "The Bewley Brothers," on it. Besides our buddies the Dwarves of the Deep there's wild conga drums and proggy guitar riffage. It's pretty good. "I'd Rather Be High" David Bowie would rather be high and having teenage sex than fighting a war in the Middle East. He expresses this desire via music that sounds like all those early 90s British alternarock bands that kind of ripped off the Beatles. This is kind of mediocre. "Boss of Me" This is not the They Might Be Giants theme song for Malcolm in the Middle but it's still pretty good. Again Bowie pulls off appropriate saxophoning here. It goes with the song and is kept in the background where it just adds some muscle to the guitar riffs. Another pretty awesome song. "Dancing Out In Space" The drum beat intro is exactly the same as a Shonen Knife song called "Cycling is Fun," that I've listened to a bajillion times so whenever this song starts I expect it to be that song. I guess I'm lucky that this is a pretty good song. I like the verses a lot and the "Woooo ooooh" portion of the chorus but the "dancing face to face BIG BABY" part of the chorus kind of sucks. "How Does the Grass Grow?" There's some okay stuff going on here but I don't think any of it really comes together into anything greater than the sum of its parts. It half seems like a song that was just Bowie and company being like "These riffs are killer but we've got nothing for them. Let's just write a bridge for them and see how it goes." "(You Will) Set the World on Fire" WITH GASOLINE!!! Or not. I'd prefer not. That putting out fires WITH GASOLINE song was very not good. This one is mostly pretty okay. There's some hard rock stomping and 80s meedly meedly solos. "You Feel So Lonely You Could Die" Slowgasm melancholy. It's pretty decently done as far as slowgasm songs about loneliness go. Not really my cup of tea but it works in the grand scheme of the album. "Heat" David Bowie's dad ran the prison. I assume since they are old and British it was a debtor's prison...or maybe the prison Toad got put in after Mister Toad's Wild Ride. It's kind of a weird song but I like it and think it's a pretty solid album closing track. Bonus!"So She" Cool keyboard noise. A pretty good track. "Plan" Grunge guitar riffs! Canned "Low Rider" percussion! A short instrumental. As a bonus track it's okay but it never really goes anywhere. "I'll Take You There" I appreciate that for his seriousness and respectability accrued by this point in his career Bowie isn't above recording dumb rock songs. From its air raid siren guitar noise intro and disco beat to the "What will be my name in the USA? / Hold my hand and I'll take you there! (To the USA I assume)" chorus everything and this song is big and dumb and I absolutely love it. It's all monstrous riffs you could pump your fist to or drive a car at an unsafe speed to. No one will ever write a thinkpiece about the deeper meaning behind this song, but that's what makes it good. I don't need to know all sorts of Bowie lore or musical theory to appreciate it. It's just a song that balls to the wall rocks the fuck out. Fuck I love this song! "God Bless the Girl" This is okay but it's no "I'll Take You There." For reals if this song had switched places with "I'll Take You There," I'd probably like it more, but now I just want to hit back and listen to "I'll Take You There," again. And again. And again... Final Thoughts
And again. And again. And again... For serious though this was a pretty great album. A definite top five Bowie album for sure. The songs were pretty uniformly great and even the lesser tracks were not so much bad as they were just not as great as other songs on the album and even the weaker songs here had stuff to like about them. Perhaps the biggest surprise from this album is the fact that it contained a bit of saxophone that was more or less okay. I'm nearing the end of this entire thing and to prepare for my final final thoughts I went back and reread my earlier reviews and was struck by the fact that there was a point early on when I was pro-David Bowie saxophoning. A random sexophone fuck riff would appear and I would chuckle at the hilarity of it, but with sexophone fuck riffs a little goes a long way. By the time Hunky Dory rolled around the random sax riffs had lost their luster and by the time I got to his mid-80s albums my hatred for saxophones had reached critical mass, but here they're used sparingly and in my opinion well. Well done Bowie. This is just about it. I've got one full length left and then a posthumous EP that seems to be more a companion piece to Blackstar than a work in its own right. I hope Bowie finishes out strong and I can be like, "Now I understand why people wouldn't shut up about Bowie for like 6 months after he died." Best Song: "I'll Take You There." If you want something off the album proper? "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" or "Valentine's Day." Worst Song: Shrug. They were all pretty decent this time around. "Plan" or "How Does the Grass Grow," if this was a gun to my head pick a choice situation.
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Post by Prole Hole on Mar 2, 2017 7:57:42 GMT -5
The Next Day is such a return to form it's quite remarkable - it's probably number five on my list of Bowie albums. I too, however, despise the cover, which is just such a bullshit marketing-person's idea of how to do a cover (I'm led to believe this was in the end Bowie's idea, but it's not like Bowie hasn't had shit ideas in the past). And I dislike the smugness of the title in conjunction with the album cover the Big White Square is covering, since I interpret "The Next Day' as referring to the line in "Heroes.." "We can be heroes / just for one day" and this is, like, the next day! That's clever, right? No. No, I'm afraid it isn't. But that's a shame because the album itself is bloody terrific. Definitely going with "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" as my favourite track on the album also, though I'll definitely spare a thought for the lopsided, loping "Dirty Boys". And if you think the sax here is good, just wait to you get to Blackstar (where, significantly, it's not played by Bowie, but instead an actual jazz musician)... The album never sags, the less awesome songs are better than most of the best songs on the preceding albums, and it's excellently produced as well - a real feeling of cohesion running through the album that feels like it fits with the material, rather than trying to shoehorn the material into a particular shape (hello, Reality!). Yea, this is downright awesome, I say.
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Post by ganews on Mar 2, 2017 9:21:04 GMT -5
I love the cover.
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Post by Nudeviking on Mar 2, 2017 19:01:28 GMT -5
What about it do you like?
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Post by ganews on Mar 2, 2017 22:03:12 GMT -5
What about it do you like? The "fuck it/fuck you" part.
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Post by Meth Lab Shenanigans on Mar 3, 2017 2:35:33 GMT -5
It's one of his best covers.
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Post by Nudeviking on Mar 5, 2017 19:37:15 GMT -5
Blackstar (2016) Here we are: the finally album David Bowie released while alive. It's been a long project and we're finally at the end of it. This album seemed to be huge, but I don't know if that's because it's a great album or because Bowie got bonus We Are Very Sad This Guy Died popularity that caused people to rate an album higher than they otherwise would have. I aim to find out. Pre-Existing Prejudices
I saw the video for "Blackstar" a bunch back in December 2015/January 2016 while feeding a baby at a million o'clock at night. It's creepy and not really the sort of video you want to see late o'clock at night with minimal lighting but I did not dislike the song attached to it. I also saw the video for "Lazarus," literally three days ago. Some music channel I have played an hour block of David Bowie music videos for some reason and that one was among the videos played. Initial opinions of that were that it was a fine song but not as good as the other song I'd seen a video for. Let's see if that holds true when I listen to the album. Songs
"Blackstar" In a weird way this seems like the song David Bowie has been building to over the course of his entire career. There's jazzy saxophones, weird 90s techno flourishes, some blue eyed soul, bits of 70s glam rock. Somehow it all works out. I wonder if Bowie's got someone else saxophoning on this because it's surprisingly not awful. It wasn't bad on The Next Day either, but this is like, skilled saxophoning, not just good for Bowie saxophone tootling. The video that accompanied this song is unnerving, but actually a really well made video. I would probably watch a TV set in that universe if such a thing were to exist, but alas. "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore" "Man...she punched me like a dude," might be the best lyric David Bowie has ever written in his fifty year music career. Outstanding use of the word "dude" not withstanding this song is wild. Wild drums and jazz saxophone squawking and David Bowie singing about how he does not respect sex workers. "Lazarus" Solid bass line and decent guitar riffage. More saxophones that do not suck. This song's kind of a downer since it seems to be a dying man singing about dying. "Sue (Or In a Season of Crime)" Breakneck drumming and jazzbo saxophoning. The ending is pretty good but it's otherwise kind of a repetitive song. "Girl Loves Me" David Bowie as a rapper. This an awful idea that somehow does not result in a terrible song. I don't know how Bowie shout-rapping about "the popo" and wondering "Where the fuck did Monday go?!" isn't terrible but it isn't. In fact it's somehow pretty decent. "Dollar Days" I think I've heard this before but I don't know where. Maybe I just think I've heard it because stylistically it's kind of similar to the piano balladry of 70s Bowie. Again the sax is good and adds to the song rather than detracts from it. The "I'm trying to. I'm dying to," coda at the end is really good and I like that the drum machines that kick in at the end lead directly into the next track. "I Can't Give Everything Away" Is that the harmonica part from "A New Career in a New Town?" Excellent callback. As an album closing track this is pretty fantastic. Like "Blackstar" it's a melange of all the disparate musical muses Bowie had followed over his career. Where that one was melancholy and depressing, this one is oddly hopeful and serves as a fine ending to an impressive musical career. Final Thoughts
This was a pretty outstanding album. Even if Bowie was still alive and working on the followup to this album right now it would be a great album...one of his best really, but as the climax to a career it's goddamn perfect. As an album I think The Next Day is probably better but if that had been the last Bowie album it'd probably be a little unsatisfying. And that about does it for David Bowie...wait what? He released a posthumous album earlier this year? Goddamn it! It's a four song EP you say Alright I guess I'm doing a review of that tomorrow... Best Song: They were all really good. I probably liked "Blackstar" and "Girl Loves Me," a smidgen more than the other songs though. Worst Song: None really. I liked "Sue" the least of all the songs on this album, but it wasn't really a bad song, so calling it the worst seems a little harsh.
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