Dez Record Guides: David Bowie, Pt. II

First I’ll briefly address David Bowie’s live releases, then continue with the Record Guide. At the end I suggest the best compilations out there.

LIVE BOWIE

Santa Monica ’72 (live) (1972/1994) ***
‘Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture’ soundtrack (live) (1973/1983) ***
David Live (live) (1974) **
Stage (live) (1978) ***
Glass Spider Live (live) (1987/2008) NR
VH1 Storytellers (live) (1999/2009) NR
A Reality Tour (live) (2003/2010) ****
Most of Bowie’s live efforts are OK to not very good for some reason. I have heard there are fantastic bootlegs out there, but his officially released live material often leaves much to be desired. David Live was the first to be initially released, and it captures him in the awkward transition from his glam period to the plastic soul of the coming Young Americans. Mick Jagger thought it was so bad that he commented that if he were Bowie, “I would honestly never record again. Never.” Bowie on his gaunt appearance on the cover: “My God, it looks like I’ve just stepped out of the grave…That record should have been called ‘David Bowie is Alive and Well and Living Only in Theory.’” Stage is great in parts, but in trying to recreate some of the sonics of Low and “Heroes,” it just doesn’t translate as well live. The Station to Station material, though, is awesome. The live record from his Reality tour (to date, his last tour) does not break new ground or anything, but it is a very entertaining show from someone still at the top of his performing game with a cool setlist containing both hits and nice deep cuts and surprises.

Now Part II of the Record Guide…

Let’s Dance (1983) ****
I haven’t looked at the numbers, but I would guess that this was Bowie’s biggest hit record, at least in the U.S. And I've got a soft spot for this one because it was where I first got onboard. He consciously moves away from the avant-garde and shoots straight for the mainstream jugular. Teaming this time with producer Nile Rodgers and employing the out of place but interesting guitar playing of a young unknown Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bowie delivered a triple shot on the singles charts: “Modern Love,” “China Girl” and the title track; all three are killer 80’s hits and still stand up today. In addition, a cover of Metro’s “Criminal World” and an edgier remake of his soundtrack song “Cat People” are also top notch. Even if the remainder had been just good, this would be a classic album. But the remaining three tracks are unfortunately forgettable throwaways, dragging the momentum when they come on.

Tonight (1984) **
Never Let Me Down (1987) *
I think for the first time in his career, he was unsure of himself and what he wanted to do or how to follow-up his last record. Yes, during his glam period he did start to repeat himself a little, but it was all still great music. Here it sounds like he is trying to reproduce the Let’s Dance formula to rapidly diminishing returns. Tonight is not as bad as its reputation, but it is still not very good at all. “Loving the Alien” and single “Blue Jean” stand out. Many consider Never Let Me Down to be his worst record.

Tin Machine (with Tin Machine) (1989) *
Tin Machine II (with Tin Machine) (1991) NR
Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby (with Tin Machine) (live) (1992) NR
Not surprising that after a creative dry spell, Bowie would want to shake things up. He decided to work within the context of a band, joining with experimental guitarist Reeves Gabrels and the rhythm section of the Sayles brothers. He definitely sounds like he’s having fun playing hard rock as part of Tin Machine. Not that fun to listen to, though, it is fairly faceless music.

Black Tie White Noise (1993) ***
‘The Buddha of Suburbia’ soundtrack (1993) ***
A creative rejuvenation of sorts, BTWN suffers from a common ailment of Bowie’s records from here on out (and many other artists) in that it is too long. Artists started making records with CD playing times in mind (vs. LP playing times) in the 90’s. Sometimes less is more. Trimming some of the filler would have created a tighter listen. “You’ve Been Around” and single “Jump They Say” are very good. The ‘Buddha’ soundtrack is for a British television show, but they only used one song in the show, so it is really a regular Bowie album. There are some nice instrumental pieces on it.

Outside (1995) ****
Alright, wait for it: his best work since Scary Monsters! This is where Bowie gets his mojo back. I believe that my friend ANCIANT is a huge fan of this work, and for good reason. First, it is nice that Bowie reunites with Brian Eno. It is a concept album that I don’t really follow, but the music is fantastic and holds together as a work (vs. just a collection of songs, which had been Bowie albums post-Scary Monsters.) Moody, intense and yet still quite melodic, for the first time in awhile he sounds like he is recording with purpose. But I also agree with some of the critical assessments of the time. Some of the segues and spoken interludes slow the momentum considerably. Here is the gift of iTunes, cut out all of the segues, and you have a stronger record of just the songs.

Earthling (1997) ***
Bowie’s electronica album. Here is where he sounds like he is following trends instead of creating them or pushing them further. He’s older and musical innovation, especially in rock music, is usually a young man’s game. Bowie: “The young have to kill the old…That’s how life works…it’s how culture works.” That being said, there are still some good songs here. “Looking For Satellites,” “Battle of Britain (The Letter)” and “I’m Afraid of Americans” are all strong.

“…hours” (1999) **
Listening to this I feel as sleepy as the sleeping Bowie on the cover.

Heathen (2002) ***1/2
Definitely a step up from recent work and return to inspired form. It is a record that is somewhat soothing musically but lyrically has much angst (in an adult way). He seems to be trying to work within modern sounds and textures, but in a more relaxed and comfortable way than, say, the more labored Earthling. Some cool covers too: Neil Young’s fantastic “I’ve Been Waiting For You” (which Bowie had been wanting to cover since the 70’s), “Cactus” by The Pixies and “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship” by Legendary Stardust Cowboy.

Reality (2003) **
Well received, but this record does very little for me. Even the singles, which even on bad Bowie records at least are usually good, don’t really stand out.

The Next Day (2013) ***
For all intents and purposes, it seemed that Davie Bowie had retired from music after Reality and a health scare that cut the Reality tour short. Fans and critics were ecstatic when out of seemingly nowhere he released a new record. Bowie, longtime producer Tom Visconti and the musicians had been secretly recording sporadically for the prior two years. It was so hush hush that Bowie had all involved sign nondisclosure agreements. The reviews were glowing, but I think that was in part due to the fact that there was new Bowie product at all. After the initial excitement has dissipated, we are left with the actual album. It is not a bold new direction; in fact, from the referential album cover to much of the music, Bowie is both looking back and forward. He has gotten a bit nostalgic in his old age. The standout is “The Stars (Are Out Tonight).”

COMPILATIONS

It is not surprising that an artist as prolific as David Bowie has a bevy of compilations out there. He is one of the rare artists who makes albums that were meant to be heard in their entirety for context and impact, yet also can put together essential compilations out of his many hits and singles. It depends on what you are looking for and how comprehensive you want to get, but Changesbowie (compilation) (1990) ***** does about as good of a job as possible on a single disc. If you are going to go the compilation route, though, go ahead and grab the double The Singles Collection (compilation) (1993) ***** or the more recent three disc or two disc version of Nothing Has Changed (compilation) (2014) *****.