2012年2月22日

David Bowie: David Bowie (Deluxe Edition)

    david bowie
    Gnome sweet gnome ... David Bowie.
    No artist's musical past has come back to haunt them quite like David Bowie's. There he was in 1973, the world's most cutting-edge pop star: half the country certain he's rock's saviour, the other half terrified, seemingly convinced he actually is some kind of gay alien sex demagogue on Earth to corrupt youth. He has achieved this via stunning records and provocations: telling the press he's homosexual, pretending to fellate his guitarist on stage, suddenly announcing his retirement. It has all been brilliantly planned and executed, which makes the reappearance of music he made years before devising Ziggy Stardust all the more agonising. Worse, the song his old label has rereleased and seen rise to No 6 in the charts is The Laughing Gnome, a 1967 novelty that has also been covered by crooner Ronnie Hilton. The Laughing

Space Oddity (1969)

Album Score: 11

After years and years of trying, he finally scored big with his outer space single 揝pace Oddity.� It didn't quite turn him into a household name, but people started to buy his records, which is certainly a step in the right direction for our dear friend David Bowie. (At the very least, he could stop doing that mime stuff, which is the only point in Bowie's unmatchably cool career that could legitimately be construed as uncool.)


The Deram Anthology (1966-1968) (1997)

Album Score: 11



 

Here's a little trivia. This is the very first album that I ever reviewed. ...Well, not this album specifically, but it was the 1967 album titled David Bowie. All throughout that review I said that it was pretty dumb to own that album since you can own The Deram Anthology instead, which contains all of David Bowie plus a bunch of singles released at the time. So now, here I am finally rectifying my own hypocrisy and actually reviewing the Deram Anthology! Finally, the world can rest easy.
Truth be told, the best concentration of material on this collection is actually the stuff that appeared in David Bowie, so you're not missing out on that much. On the other hand, while you're out there collecting obscure David Bowie albums,

DAVID BOWIE Early On (1964-1966) (1991)

 

Album Score: 9

You might read the title of David Bowie's archive release Early On (1964-1966) and be absolutely shocked to learn that he goes back that far. Indeed, I've known about Bowie's history for quite some time, but I still it to be incredible that he started releasing music the same year that The Rolling Stones released their first album. Of course, the reason that so few people know that Bowie started in the mid-'60s is because he failed to have any hits. And listening to the material on this compilation, it's abundantly clear why; this stuff just ain't that great! But this stuff ain't bad, either, and if you're a big-time Bowie fan, you might just find it worthwhile to pick up this archival release.
Just like The Beatles, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones before him, David Bowie got started singing covers of '50s rock 'n' roll. This album opens up with a surprisingly engaging take on 揕iza Jane.� It's a far cry of course from capturing the same type of spirit that The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds were able to capture, but it's perfectly nice and toe-tapping. 揕ouie, Louie Go Home� is much shakier and less likable, but he makes up for that with an interesting take on 揑 Pity the Fool,� which features these heavily layered saxophone sounds. Hardly a revolutionary concept, but it's a lot of fun! 


2012年2月21日

All The Nobody People


David Bowie might be next


Mmm...forearm.


Are you seeing how good he looks in suits? 80s fashion was kind to David Bowie in a way that is inconceivable. Anyway, I think I've warmed up to David Bowie enough that to start becoming a true fan. Recently, I can't stop listening to this song:

David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes (1980)


David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes (1980)
Released on 8th August 1980, Ashes to Ashes was the first track to be released from the Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) album. It was also David Bowie's fourth hit single of the 80s. Both the single and album reached #1 in the UK, and the song's lyrics refer to Bowie's Major Tom character.
Other songs released from the album were (in release order); Fashion (UK #5, US 70), Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (UK #20) and Up The Hill Backwards (UK #32).
Overall, David Bowie released 26 hit singles during the 1980s, including a couple with his much underrated band Tin Machine at the end of the decade.