Otis,
It's well documented how we both feel about Let's Dance. So, putting that record aside, I'm curious about how you feel about other post-Scary Monsters recordings. May I assume that from the start to Scary Monsters, we both think he's brilliant? I even like some of the Deram singles. "The Laughing Gnome"...well...makes me laugh. But what about the records after Let's Dance?
Namely:
1. Tonight
2. Never Let Me Down
3. Tin Machine
4. Tin Machine II
5. Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey Baby
6. Black Tie, White Noise
7. The Buddha Of Suburbia
8. Outside
9. Earthling
10. Hours
11. Heathen
You go first.
By the way, did you know about the upcoming record?
Reality
(Columbia/ISO), September 2003 (UK)
New Killer Star/Pablo Picasso/Never Get Old/The Loneliest Guy/Looking For Water/She'll Drive The Big Car/Days/Fall Dog Bombs The Moon/Try Some, Buy Some/Reality/Bring Me The Disco King.
The new album will be released in September. For now, only about half a minute of 'Never Get Old' can be heard in a TV commercial.
To Otis, who loves Bowie
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noiseradio
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To Otis, who loves Bowie
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
--William Shakespeare
--William Shakespeare
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Otis Westinghouse
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Hey Noise, you know how to get me excited!
Cool to see the song titles. Hadn't read those yet. Am seeing him at Wembley Nov 26, though. If the band can stay as hot as last year, if he's as feisty and if the new LP's half decent, it will be a night to remember.
OK, here's my ranking and thoughts.
1. Heathen - he joked when this got so much acclaim that everything since Scary Monsters had been hailed 'the best thing since Scary Monsters', but I really think this is, by miles. It's all very good, the sound is great, some of the songs are fantastic, and the covers are cool. He sounds properly involved again. Great cover too.
2. Outside (or 1. Outside) - OK it's a bit ridiculous, and the semi-present narrative is ignorable, but there are some great songs on it. At least he sounded like he wanted to be a difficult and challenging artist again, and it was good enough to play a lot. I think Eno helped inspire him here, as Visconti is surely a significant element in the success of Heathen. Heart's Filthy Lesson sounded fantastic in the cinema at the send of 7, I must say. Saw him on this tour, Wembley again, before Moz had left the tour. Wasn't wonderful, was good, this year will be better.
3. Black Tie, White Noise - I half like this. It recaptures some of the Young Americans/Station to Station vibe, has some good songs, a nice Morrissey cover, good musicians, it's OK, but not quite compelling enough.
4. Earthling - description of Outside can half apply, but Dave hits 50 and does drum 'n' bass is a bit laughable. Some of the songs are quite good, but if someone stole it from me, I can't say I'd miss it. I'm Afraid Of Americans (me too, Dave!) is good. Fantastic Alexander McQueen coat. Zachary Alford is a good drummer. Am playing it now, actually, and must say Dead Man Walking is OK.
5 . Hours (or 'hours...') - I like Seven, but it's all just boring, isn't it? I've played it about 3 times. Amazing that he then found himself again and made something exciting. Some of it is OK, but it's so dull.
I guess I'll play the above a bit more as part of the ritualistic pre-gig preparations, but I just hope I want to play A Reality every day for a month as with Heathen. And here the official list ends, as I have never heard/owned the others. Part of me thinks I should just get them to be completist, but there are so many other LPs by other people I'd rather have (or the 70s output on remastered CD, as I have the lot on vinyl only - I want the Ziggy reissue!). Does this make me an incomplete fan? I guess so. A real hardcore fan would want to have everything, and I'm not that way about Dave or Elv (though I'd much rather own every single EC record, even For The Stars, which I can't say interests me at all, due to much better consistency). I guess if I see them for a quid a go I might. In which case, the order I'll go for them in is:
6. The Buddha Of Suburbia - will be interested to see if you have and rate this. Got some good reviews at the time. I enjoyed the series. Just wasn't motivated to get it, though.
7. Tin Machine - I saw him live on the telly with this lot at the Brits or whatever and just laughed. I think he used TM as a form of public therapy. That said, I quite admire him for doing it, like the idea of Dave and the noisy boys travelling the M1 on a tour bus (he played Cambridge, even, but that was before I lived here) and would quite like to hear this. I think it got a reasonable Q 'buyer's guide to Bowie' rating so you never know, but my recollection of this is something that I would never be interested in actually listening to.
8. Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey Baby - can't remember if this has the reputation of being OK or total tosh. Maybe you can help.
9. Tin Machine II - pretty sure this is recognised as complete wank by everyone.
10. Tonight - I know this is bollocks. Furthering the demise he brought upon himself by visiting all those huge stadia in a silly puffed up suit with horrible blond hair.
11. Never Let Me Down - the reputation of this is sooooooooo bad I almost want to get it to laugh at in the right mood. I saw a programme about the Glass Spider tour, and it was just vacuous and sad. As if he wanted to see how bad he could let it get. He's admitted pretty openly since that he wasn't interested nor involved, though reckons some of the songs are OK. Not even sure about that!
I recently picked up the Hits collection video, only got as far as the mighty John I'm Only Dancing so far, but this means I do own some songs off the last two. Sadly it's weighted too much towards the 80s and has some serious 70s holes.
His career has been like George Best's: spellbinding brilliance in the early years, and then he lost the plot and his sense of self-worth. Sadly the vacuity somehow questions the value of the earlier stuff, but you only have to go back there to realise the breadth and depth of his brilliance from Hunky Dory (or even Space Oddity) through to Scary Monsters. Unlike George, some of his best work was under the influence of intoxicating substances, and the advantage of being a pop star over a footballer is that you get a second chance. Let's hope he can keep it up.
I love a lot of the early stuff too. Have it on a Deram double LP with a picture of him on the Diamond Dogs tour on the cover, and pretty well everything pre-Space Oddity is there. I really like a lot of the Bowie at the Beeb stuff too (highly recommended, especially if it comes with the excellent 2001 live limited edition bonus CD too).
Well, you asked!
Cool to see the song titles. Hadn't read those yet. Am seeing him at Wembley Nov 26, though. If the band can stay as hot as last year, if he's as feisty and if the new LP's half decent, it will be a night to remember.
OK, here's my ranking and thoughts.
1. Heathen - he joked when this got so much acclaim that everything since Scary Monsters had been hailed 'the best thing since Scary Monsters', but I really think this is, by miles. It's all very good, the sound is great, some of the songs are fantastic, and the covers are cool. He sounds properly involved again. Great cover too.
2. Outside (or 1. Outside) - OK it's a bit ridiculous, and the semi-present narrative is ignorable, but there are some great songs on it. At least he sounded like he wanted to be a difficult and challenging artist again, and it was good enough to play a lot. I think Eno helped inspire him here, as Visconti is surely a significant element in the success of Heathen. Heart's Filthy Lesson sounded fantastic in the cinema at the send of 7, I must say. Saw him on this tour, Wembley again, before Moz had left the tour. Wasn't wonderful, was good, this year will be better.
3. Black Tie, White Noise - I half like this. It recaptures some of the Young Americans/Station to Station vibe, has some good songs, a nice Morrissey cover, good musicians, it's OK, but not quite compelling enough.
4. Earthling - description of Outside can half apply, but Dave hits 50 and does drum 'n' bass is a bit laughable. Some of the songs are quite good, but if someone stole it from me, I can't say I'd miss it. I'm Afraid Of Americans (me too, Dave!) is good. Fantastic Alexander McQueen coat. Zachary Alford is a good drummer. Am playing it now, actually, and must say Dead Man Walking is OK.
5 . Hours (or 'hours...') - I like Seven, but it's all just boring, isn't it? I've played it about 3 times. Amazing that he then found himself again and made something exciting. Some of it is OK, but it's so dull.
I guess I'll play the above a bit more as part of the ritualistic pre-gig preparations, but I just hope I want to play A Reality every day for a month as with Heathen. And here the official list ends, as I have never heard/owned the others. Part of me thinks I should just get them to be completist, but there are so many other LPs by other people I'd rather have (or the 70s output on remastered CD, as I have the lot on vinyl only - I want the Ziggy reissue!). Does this make me an incomplete fan? I guess so. A real hardcore fan would want to have everything, and I'm not that way about Dave or Elv (though I'd much rather own every single EC record, even For The Stars, which I can't say interests me at all, due to much better consistency). I guess if I see them for a quid a go I might. In which case, the order I'll go for them in is:
6. The Buddha Of Suburbia - will be interested to see if you have and rate this. Got some good reviews at the time. I enjoyed the series. Just wasn't motivated to get it, though.
7. Tin Machine - I saw him live on the telly with this lot at the Brits or whatever and just laughed. I think he used TM as a form of public therapy. That said, I quite admire him for doing it, like the idea of Dave and the noisy boys travelling the M1 on a tour bus (he played Cambridge, even, but that was before I lived here) and would quite like to hear this. I think it got a reasonable Q 'buyer's guide to Bowie' rating so you never know, but my recollection of this is something that I would never be interested in actually listening to.
8. Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey Baby - can't remember if this has the reputation of being OK or total tosh. Maybe you can help.
9. Tin Machine II - pretty sure this is recognised as complete wank by everyone.
10. Tonight - I know this is bollocks. Furthering the demise he brought upon himself by visiting all those huge stadia in a silly puffed up suit with horrible blond hair.
11. Never Let Me Down - the reputation of this is sooooooooo bad I almost want to get it to laugh at in the right mood. I saw a programme about the Glass Spider tour, and it was just vacuous and sad. As if he wanted to see how bad he could let it get. He's admitted pretty openly since that he wasn't interested nor involved, though reckons some of the songs are OK. Not even sure about that!
I recently picked up the Hits collection video, only got as far as the mighty John I'm Only Dancing so far, but this means I do own some songs off the last two. Sadly it's weighted too much towards the 80s and has some serious 70s holes.
His career has been like George Best's: spellbinding brilliance in the early years, and then he lost the plot and his sense of self-worth. Sadly the vacuity somehow questions the value of the earlier stuff, but you only have to go back there to realise the breadth and depth of his brilliance from Hunky Dory (or even Space Oddity) through to Scary Monsters. Unlike George, some of his best work was under the influence of intoxicating substances, and the advantage of being a pop star over a footballer is that you get a second chance. Let's hope he can keep it up.
I love a lot of the early stuff too. Have it on a Deram double LP with a picture of him on the Diamond Dogs tour on the cover, and pretty well everything pre-Space Oddity is there. I really like a lot of the Bowie at the Beeb stuff too (highly recommended, especially if it comes with the excellent 2001 live limited edition bonus CD too).
Well, you asked!
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bambooneedle
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Otis, I love the Buddah of Surburbia record. Don't know why since half of it is instrumentals, but it is well worth having. Black Tie White Noise was the first Bowie album I got when it came out (I first bought Bowie with the CD reissues in 89/90) and when Buddah appeared just a few months later I thought it was much better, maybe because expectations are lower.
BTWN has some great moments though, and duck, here comes the four disc reissue...
http://www.nme.com/news/105517.htm
DrJ
BTWN has some great moments though, and duck, here comes the four disc reissue...
http://www.nme.com/news/105517.htm
DrJ
Tlentifini Maarhaysu
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Otis Westinghouse
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Otis Westinghouse
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Anyone in the UK (or Ireland, or listening online) hear Jonathan Ross this am? Apparently he was playing the first single off the new LP (New Killer Star, I believe) and also talking to his mate and hero Dave on the phone from NY? Plaything? You can listen to all 3 hours of the show on the BBC Radio 2 website if, like me, you're desperate to know what he's been up to. I suspect he wasn't on till the third hour of the show.
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noiseradio
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Otis,
That was so much fun to read. And it confirmed what I suspected all along--we are very much alike in our admiration of Bowie (with the obvious exception of Let's Dance). Here's how I would rank them:
1. Heathen - Fully agree that it's the best thing in ages. I would say the best thing since Lodger. Sacrelidge though it might be, I prefer this to Scary Monsters (which I adore). Only slightly, but there it is. And I do think it is much better than Let's Dance. This record fills me with hope that bowie might have some of the best records of his career in front of him. 'Course it might be a flook and we're headed for Tin Machine 3...
2. Outside - Actually the first thing he had done since Let's Dance that I had liked all the way through on the first listen. I listened to this constantly when it came out. The pretentious storyline didn't even bother me. The Eno collaboration was elemental in its success, and I hope for an Outside 2. This was also the first tour of his I ever managed to see. And he was brilliant.
3. Earthling - Less successful than Outside, both in sound and vision (couldn't resist). Bu I genuinely like this whole album. And while the drum 'n' bass stuff on here is not as good as the real thing (Tricky, anyone?), I still like the songs for what they are. The songwriting is mostly really solid. Little Wonder is too long and repetitive By the last time he's "sending me so far away," I'm ready to skip ahead to #2. but it features a couple of my favorite Bowie songs, including "I'm Afraid of Americans" (me too, Otis) and "Seven Years in Tibet." I like Dead Man Walking very much.
4. hours... - I actually like this one much more that you, I think. I do agree that several songs are on the dull side, but I have listened to it quite a lot, and find most of the numbers to be great. I think "Thursday's Child" is just beautiful. "The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell" might be my favorite track on the whole disc, if only for the line "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell. They wore it out, but they wore it well." I like "Seven," "Something In The Air," "Survive" and "What's Really Happening." The rest is filler. But it's better filler than he's usually done.
5. tie - Tin Machine / Black Tie White Noise - I think both of these records are terribly uneven, but I like them about the same. In the case of Tin Machine, I think, as you say, that it was therapy for him. He had just spent most of a decade making mindless crap (see if you can guess how I rate the others...). I think he wanted to do something basic and raw, and current. If you will, let yourself be transported to 1989, when "Alternative" was not a term people used, and the only choices you really had in hard rock were hair bands (pop metal) and Megadeth (and their ilk). There were exactly two bright spots that year for really loud rock (at least in the mainstream): Living Colour, and Tin Machine. Living Colour's debut was far better than Tin Machine, but I loved Tin Machine when it emerged. It was supposedly a full collaboration of four musicians (though I'm sure that was mostly hype). And it seemed desperately fresh to my ears. Some of the lustre has worn off for me over the years, mainly because the sound has just dated slightly. But it gave us a few great songs - "I Can't Read," "Heaven's In Here," and the best version of "Working Class Hero" ever. It also brought Bowie together with Reeves Gabrels, who is the best guitarist he has worked with since Mick Ronson. Anyway, I think it lit a fire under his ass, and every record (besides Tin Machine's further output) that he's put out since has been good.
Black Tie White Noise was a huge departure from the Tin Machine stuff. And I remember when it came out saying to my (brand new) wife, "This is really great. It's a return to form for him." What I meant by that is that it reminded me of Let's Dance, which was how I met Bowie in the first place. Funny how the first thing you hear becomes a sort of benchmark for the rest. Anyway, this is a straight up pop record. It's very catchy, and very light, and ultimately most of the songs are pretty forgettable. Very pleasent, but forgettable. I never regret listening to it. But I rarely reach for it. Standout tracks - The title song, "Jump They Say," and "Pallas Athena."
I don't own any of the others (so except for Tin Machine, our collection is pretty much the same). I did own the two followups by Tin Machine, but very briefly, and only because I worked at a radio station when they came out, and I was given them for free. Tin Machine II was utter crap. I remeber just hating ever track. And the live album was a great recording--of Tin Machine live. So half the songs were good, and the other half were crap. But the live versions of the songs from the first album were no better than the studio versions. The only track on the whole thing worth having was a cover of the Pixies song "Debaser." I found it on Napster a few years ago, so I never miss this disc. (I did think the title was a funny dig at U2).
I have heard bits of Buddha of Suburbia, and I like what I've heard. i will probably get that someday, as you say, for a buck.
I will never own Tonight or Never Let Me Down. "Blue Jean" is the best thing off either of those, and it was on Changesbowie. Otherwise worthless. This was confirmed when I bought the video collection. You're absolutely right that it's too heavily weighted towards his 80's stuff. And while I get that for Let's Dance, I don't understand at all why he would advertize the poor quality of most of that. Are people really hankering to watch "Loving The Alien?" Disc One is great until the Let's Dance Material is over. Disc Two only gets better at the end, when we've returned to the Outside era. But even that material is pale when you watch it next to "Oh You Pretty Things." To have such strong material followed by such garbage makes it too hard to wait for the better-than-average videos at the end.
This was fun. Question: Do you own a copy of Let's Dance?
That was so much fun to read. And it confirmed what I suspected all along--we are very much alike in our admiration of Bowie (with the obvious exception of Let's Dance). Here's how I would rank them:
1. Heathen - Fully agree that it's the best thing in ages. I would say the best thing since Lodger. Sacrelidge though it might be, I prefer this to Scary Monsters (which I adore). Only slightly, but there it is. And I do think it is much better than Let's Dance. This record fills me with hope that bowie might have some of the best records of his career in front of him. 'Course it might be a flook and we're headed for Tin Machine 3...
2. Outside - Actually the first thing he had done since Let's Dance that I had liked all the way through on the first listen. I listened to this constantly when it came out. The pretentious storyline didn't even bother me. The Eno collaboration was elemental in its success, and I hope for an Outside 2. This was also the first tour of his I ever managed to see. And he was brilliant.
3. Earthling - Less successful than Outside, both in sound and vision (couldn't resist). Bu I genuinely like this whole album. And while the drum 'n' bass stuff on here is not as good as the real thing (Tricky, anyone?), I still like the songs for what they are. The songwriting is mostly really solid. Little Wonder is too long and repetitive By the last time he's "sending me so far away," I'm ready to skip ahead to #2. but it features a couple of my favorite Bowie songs, including "I'm Afraid of Americans" (me too, Otis) and "Seven Years in Tibet." I like Dead Man Walking very much.
4. hours... - I actually like this one much more that you, I think. I do agree that several songs are on the dull side, but I have listened to it quite a lot, and find most of the numbers to be great. I think "Thursday's Child" is just beautiful. "The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell" might be my favorite track on the whole disc, if only for the line "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell. They wore it out, but they wore it well." I like "Seven," "Something In The Air," "Survive" and "What's Really Happening." The rest is filler. But it's better filler than he's usually done.
5. tie - Tin Machine / Black Tie White Noise - I think both of these records are terribly uneven, but I like them about the same. In the case of Tin Machine, I think, as you say, that it was therapy for him. He had just spent most of a decade making mindless crap (see if you can guess how I rate the others...). I think he wanted to do something basic and raw, and current. If you will, let yourself be transported to 1989, when "Alternative" was not a term people used, and the only choices you really had in hard rock were hair bands (pop metal) and Megadeth (and their ilk). There were exactly two bright spots that year for really loud rock (at least in the mainstream): Living Colour, and Tin Machine. Living Colour's debut was far better than Tin Machine, but I loved Tin Machine when it emerged. It was supposedly a full collaboration of four musicians (though I'm sure that was mostly hype). And it seemed desperately fresh to my ears. Some of the lustre has worn off for me over the years, mainly because the sound has just dated slightly. But it gave us a few great songs - "I Can't Read," "Heaven's In Here," and the best version of "Working Class Hero" ever. It also brought Bowie together with Reeves Gabrels, who is the best guitarist he has worked with since Mick Ronson. Anyway, I think it lit a fire under his ass, and every record (besides Tin Machine's further output) that he's put out since has been good.
Black Tie White Noise was a huge departure from the Tin Machine stuff. And I remember when it came out saying to my (brand new) wife, "This is really great. It's a return to form for him." What I meant by that is that it reminded me of Let's Dance, which was how I met Bowie in the first place. Funny how the first thing you hear becomes a sort of benchmark for the rest. Anyway, this is a straight up pop record. It's very catchy, and very light, and ultimately most of the songs are pretty forgettable. Very pleasent, but forgettable. I never regret listening to it. But I rarely reach for it. Standout tracks - The title song, "Jump They Say," and "Pallas Athena."
I don't own any of the others (so except for Tin Machine, our collection is pretty much the same). I did own the two followups by Tin Machine, but very briefly, and only because I worked at a radio station when they came out, and I was given them for free. Tin Machine II was utter crap. I remeber just hating ever track. And the live album was a great recording--of Tin Machine live. So half the songs were good, and the other half were crap. But the live versions of the songs from the first album were no better than the studio versions. The only track on the whole thing worth having was a cover of the Pixies song "Debaser." I found it on Napster a few years ago, so I never miss this disc. (I did think the title was a funny dig at U2).
I have heard bits of Buddha of Suburbia, and I like what I've heard. i will probably get that someday, as you say, for a buck.
I will never own Tonight or Never Let Me Down. "Blue Jean" is the best thing off either of those, and it was on Changesbowie. Otherwise worthless. This was confirmed when I bought the video collection. You're absolutely right that it's too heavily weighted towards his 80's stuff. And while I get that for Let's Dance, I don't understand at all why he would advertize the poor quality of most of that. Are people really hankering to watch "Loving The Alien?" Disc One is great until the Let's Dance Material is over. Disc Two only gets better at the end, when we've returned to the Outside era. But even that material is pale when you watch it next to "Oh You Pretty Things." To have such strong material followed by such garbage makes it too hard to wait for the better-than-average videos at the end.
This was fun. Question: Do you own a copy of Let's Dance?
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
--William Shakespeare
--William Shakespeare
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PlaythingOrPet
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Otis Westinghouse
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Blur-ey? Yeah, you're the wrong person in the wrong thread! Funny about Siouxise, cos JR said 'mofo' earlier on and quickly said to sidekick 'Can I say that?'!!!
Noise, that was indeed fun. Are we the same person? Our Bowie histories are very similar, but you obviously have missed me somewhere along the way insisting I would never have Let's Dance in the house. I dismissed it as a betrayal and vowed I would never get it, but I was too extreme, I will get it some day (after Buddha of Suburbia, mind). What's this video collection with Oh You Pretty Things though? Mine is 'Bowie Hits', I think, which had the same cover as the CD, except CD was red and vid blue, and no OYPT.
At least you prefer Heathen to LD, but that's going some to choose it over SM. It doesn't contain anything as stunning as Ashes to Ashes, as catchy as Fashion or as beautiful as Teenage Wildlife. I think I'd always take SM to my desert island, buut fair dues to him for coming very close. I'd rank SM over Lodger, personally, though it would be very hard to rank the pre-SM stuff, having said that, and as I'm fairly drunk:
1 Ziggy
2 Low
3 Station to Station
4 Hunky D
5 Aladdin Sane
6 Young Americans
7 Diamond Dogs
8 "Heroes"
9 Lodger
10 Man Who Sold The World
11 Space Oddity
12 Pin Ups
(not including David Live or Stage)
Noise, that was indeed fun. Are we the same person? Our Bowie histories are very similar, but you obviously have missed me somewhere along the way insisting I would never have Let's Dance in the house. I dismissed it as a betrayal and vowed I would never get it, but I was too extreme, I will get it some day (after Buddha of Suburbia, mind). What's this video collection with Oh You Pretty Things though? Mine is 'Bowie Hits', I think, which had the same cover as the CD, except CD was red and vid blue, and no OYPT.
At least you prefer Heathen to LD, but that's going some to choose it over SM. It doesn't contain anything as stunning as Ashes to Ashes, as catchy as Fashion or as beautiful as Teenage Wildlife. I think I'd always take SM to my desert island, buut fair dues to him for coming very close. I'd rank SM over Lodger, personally, though it would be very hard to rank the pre-SM stuff, having said that, and as I'm fairly drunk:
1 Ziggy
2 Low
3 Station to Station
4 Hunky D
5 Aladdin Sane
6 Young Americans
7 Diamond Dogs
8 "Heroes"
9 Lodger
10 Man Who Sold The World
11 Space Oddity
12 Pin Ups
(not including David Live or Stage)
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selfmademug
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Otis Westinghouse
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I'd enjoy that college! Where's Noise gone? Guess we all had the same problem on Sunday. Dead tedious that the board was unusable last night when I was all excited after listening to the new Bowie single + interview on the aforementioned show. The single sounds great. Bunnything hears Blur, and I see what she means, though I hear Bowie and also Iggy. The groove and feel of it is quite reminiscent of the Aladdin Sane/Diamaond Dogs era, but it sounds fresh and original. Lots of nice vocal harmonies, nice song construction. Only heard it once on less than perfect webcast sound, and there was a reference to Jesus and some other interesting words, but it's a good start. Will have to check it again tomorrow.
The interview was great fun, insane stuff about having built a pigeon coop up on the roof of his NY pad, inspired by Moby, who lives nearby.
CAN'T WAIT FOR THE TOUR! Reality is going to be great, clearly (andyess, Visconti is involved again, bless 'im), even if the cover (Manga crtoon-style Bowie, ironic joke with the LP title) is a bit worrying. New tour will draw heavily from Reality (which was written with the explicit intention of taking it on the road with the same great band as last time) and the lovely Heathen. Songs he referred to rehearsing for it were:
Win (YEEEEES!!! One of my faves)
Suffragette City (say no more)
Loving the Alien (er, right, well he did always say they were decent songs, but I remain to be convinced)
The Motel
Battle For Britain
So an exciting mixed bag. I'll gladly settle for just Win for my £50's worth, so everything else is a bonus.
And yes, the Pablo Picasso on the LP is J Richman's, but he claims sounds totally different. And Try Some, Buy Some is a Ronnie Spector / George Harrison song I don't know, that was inspired by Ronnie, but then hit him as also a tribute to George.
2003 is looking up.
The interview was great fun, insane stuff about having built a pigeon coop up on the roof of his NY pad, inspired by Moby, who lives nearby.
CAN'T WAIT FOR THE TOUR! Reality is going to be great, clearly (andyess, Visconti is involved again, bless 'im), even if the cover (Manga crtoon-style Bowie, ironic joke with the LP title) is a bit worrying. New tour will draw heavily from Reality (which was written with the explicit intention of taking it on the road with the same great band as last time) and the lovely Heathen. Songs he referred to rehearsing for it were:
Win (YEEEEES!!! One of my faves)
Suffragette City (say no more)
Loving the Alien (er, right, well he did always say they were decent songs, but I remain to be convinced)
The Motel
Battle For Britain
So an exciting mixed bag. I'll gladly settle for just Win for my £50's worth, so everything else is a bonus.
And yes, the Pablo Picasso on the LP is J Richman's, but he claims sounds totally different. And Try Some, Buy Some is a Ronnie Spector / George Harrison song I don't know, that was inspired by Ronnie, but then hit him as also a tribute to George.
2003 is looking up.
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noiseradio
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Otis,
I'm here. I was just out and about a lot today.
The DVD collection I have is a 2-disc set called "Best of Bowie," and it starts with "Oh You Pretty Things" (a live in the studio performance).
I didn't quite mean what i said about my rankoing of Heathen, though very nearly. What I meant to say was that I think Heathen is a better album than Lodger, which (of the Berlin trio) is my third favorite. I like it better as a whole piece than Lodger, though I really like Lodger and a few individual songs on it especially very much. I like Scary Monsters better than Lodger as well. As of right now, I would probably put Heathen up against Scary Monsters (again, as a whole. You're quite right about some of the standouts on SM). In a year, I may not feel so strongly about it. But it's a fresh record, and I've not tired of it yet. There are one or two tracks on Scary Monsters that I enjoy less the more I hear them.
I wonder if you can guess which 2?
I'm here. I was just out and about a lot today.
The DVD collection I have is a 2-disc set called "Best of Bowie," and it starts with "Oh You Pretty Things" (a live in the studio performance).
I didn't quite mean what i said about my rankoing of Heathen, though very nearly. What I meant to say was that I think Heathen is a better album than Lodger, which (of the Berlin trio) is my third favorite. I like it better as a whole piece than Lodger, though I really like Lodger and a few individual songs on it especially very much. I like Scary Monsters better than Lodger as well. As of right now, I would probably put Heathen up against Scary Monsters (again, as a whole. You're quite right about some of the standouts on SM). In a year, I may not feel so strongly about it. But it's a fresh record, and I've not tired of it yet. There are one or two tracks on Scary Monsters that I enjoy less the more I hear them.
I wonder if you can guess which 2?
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
--William Shakespeare
--William Shakespeare
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Boy With A Problem
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Otis and Noise (and anyone else who wants to jump in) -
What are your thoughts on Reeves Gabrels? Is he still touring with Bowie?
The one and only time I saw Bowie was on the "Earthling" mini-tour and I thought that while Reeves is obviously a tremendous player, he was just a little too over the top for my tastes. (I think I may have just mixed my tenses, but it's late.) Bowie was great that night, by the way.
Otis - Could Bowie get away without playing the hits at Wembley Arena? I'm sure in a venue that size there will be a lot of casual fans.
What are your thoughts on Reeves Gabrels? Is he still touring with Bowie?
The one and only time I saw Bowie was on the "Earthling" mini-tour and I thought that while Reeves is obviously a tremendous player, he was just a little too over the top for my tastes. (I think I may have just mixed my tenses, but it's late.) Bowie was great that night, by the way.
Otis - Could Bowie get away without playing the hits at Wembley Arena? I'm sure in a venue that size there will be a lot of casual fans.
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noiseradio
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i think Gabrels is the best guitarist Bowie has had since Ronson. He is quite capable of playing any and everything Bowie needs him to.
But I think he's better in a studio than live. It's not his chops--those are fine. It's that he shows off more live. When Bowie's got him on a bit of a leash, he's tops.
But I think he's better in a studio than live. It's not his chops--those are fine. It's that he shows off more live. When Bowie's got him on a bit of a leash, he's tops.
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
--William Shakespeare
--William Shakespeare
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PlaythingOrPet
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Otis Westinghouse
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bambooneedle
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Is Reeves Gabrels that guy who plays all high-techy as he rocks his body back and forth? If so, Otis, that was the guy with Bowie on that great live footage I'd described to you. He goes off. It had nothing to do with Live At The Beeb, as i've found out that was much earlier, though Bowie had longish hair. The place looked very modern, and was very brightly lit.
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noiseradio
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