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This is my guide to the legendary artist David Bowie. Not many artists have even come close to his level of diversity and impact, and with such a large collection of albums, it is hard to say which one of them is the most significant. Hopefully after reading this guide, you will seek out some of his stuff!
Let it be known that I'm not THE expert on Bowie; I have not studied many of his albums after "Let's Dance" (because they are... well, bad), so if you want to contribute your thoughts or corrections, please to be do so!
Background information
Bowie started out as a pop song writer, usually telling stories rather than sticking to usual song themes. Evidence of this was shown in the bizarre "The Laughing Gnome", or the song about giants, "We Are Hungry Men". He received commercial attention after releasing the single "Space Oddity", which was the sad story of Major Tom's accident in a space voyage.
Bowie would release three albums before he took the world by storm with his fourth, "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust", and the hit single "Starman". Not only did this album guarantee his future releases huge sales, but it also gave attention to previous albums as well, particularly "Hunky Dory", which many felt was a stronger album that lurked in the shadows.
Albums that followed ranged from a sequel of sorts to Ziggy Stardust (such as in "Aladdin Sane"), to totally reinventing himself to appeal to the American public ("Young Americans"). Fame went to his head, however, and heavy drug abuse caused him to record albums he barely has any recollection of, such as in the fascinating "Station to Station."
Recovering from cocaine abuse, Bowie recorded the album "Low" in Berlin, collaborating with Brian Eno (who has worked with many other artists in the past and future). This was the first of three albums that would be known as the "Berlin trilogy"... each album being different from anything else Bowie has ever recorded. While not being necessarily commerically accessible, they were, for the most part, rated well by the critics and public.
Following the Berlin trilogy, Bowie recorded "Scary Monsters" and "Let's Dance", which were two strong albums chock full of hits. However after these albums, it is generally a consensus that Bowie had lost something, and the many albums that followed were not strong material. But that does not matter, at least in my eyes; Bowie had already made an impact, and his best work will fondly be remembered as some of the best music ever recorded.
The albums
Here is a look of some of Bowie's most significant albums, whether good or bad. I have not included many of them since I have not yet given them the attention they deserve (or on the other hand, they don't deserve attention at all).
Hunky Dory
Released in 1971, the cover art alone was enough to raise some eyebrows. At the time, nobody knew what to make of Bowie (was he hetero? homo? asexual?) The music on the vinyl was enough to confuse things further, and despite what you may have thought of the man, it was inarguably some of his greatest work of all time.
The opener, "Changes", is to this day a pop song classic, as well as the ditty "Oh! You Pretty Things" and the rocking "Queen Bitch". The album also contains understated gems such as the poignant "Quicksand" and an ode to Robert Zimmerman on "Song for Bob Dylan". Any Bowie fan knows, however, that the standout song here is "Life on Mars?", a tale of a young girl who sneaks into a movie cinema after having a fight with her folks.
Bowie's vocals and piano playing skills are simply outstanding throughout the entire album, and the great range and diversity of the songs makes this album a great starting point for someone who is new to his music.
My score: 9/10
Standout songs: Life on Mars?, Quicksand, Changes
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
This is generally considered, by the public and critics alike, to be the highpoint of Bowie's career, and the influence of many albums from various artists to follow. Listening to this album now, it's hard to argue.
Concept albums tend to be very "touch and go", but when they are done right, they can have an amazing impact. In this case, the world is going to end in five years, but is saved from destroying itself by a pop star alien named Ziggy Stardust... who cannot save himself from the excesses of being a famous star.
With a heavier overall feel than the bouncy "Hunky Dory", this album details the fear of a world about to end ("Five Years"), receiving a message from space ("Starman"), one's insane desire to become famous ("Star"), the story of Ziggy Stardust's fame from his bands point of view ("Ziggy Stardust"), and his inevitable death as fame consumes him ("Rock N Roll Suicide"). The guitar is absolutely outstanding throughout the album, as well as, once again, the great variety of songs (which ties together strongly to construct the story).
Overall, this famous piece of glam rock is definitely up there with Bowie's finest, and one of the best albums ever recorded. The track in the middle, "It Ain't Easy", prevents it from being perfect, but otherwise, this is an essential album.
My score: 9.5/10
Standout tracks: Starman, Ziggy Stardust, Rock 'N' Roll Suicide
Aladdin Sane
The cover art shows an image of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust character, which should give a (somewhat mild) indication as to what the music will be like. Many of the same musicians who worked on the previous masterpiece have returned to produce music for this album, not to tell another story, but this time to simply produce some great rock music.
The result? Well, in a word... mixed. This album contains some strong tracks in the form of, say, "Drive-In Saturday" (which is apparently about people needing to be retaught how to reproduce), or the Velvet Underground influenced "Jean Genie". Marc Bolan also makes a guest appearance to play guitar on one of the albums stronger tracks, "The Prettiest Star".
Other tracks, such as "Panic in Detroit" and "Lady Grinning Soul", are at times uncomfortable to listen to, and the overlong "Time" slows the album down a bit. And while the songs don't necessarily HAVE to mesh well together to produce a good album (Hunky Dory definitely didn't), here the overall experience sounds disjointed and uneven.
Opinions are mixed about this album, and in the end, I'll give it a tentative thumbs up, if only for the strong standout tracks. But most of them you can find on a collaboration anyway, so this album, overall, is not essential.
My score: 7/10
Standout tracks: Drive-In Saturday, The Jean Genie, The Prettiest Star
Diamond Dogs
Can David Bowie do good rock and roll? He is had brushes with heavier rock music, such as in "Queen Bitch" and some of the tracks from Ziggy, but this album probably answers the question once and for all? So, can he? Well... sorta...
With one very obvious exception, the tracks on this album blend in very well with one another and do not stand out significantly, to the point where it's hard to withdraw hit singles from the track list, or enjoy the music when it's not played as a whole album. And overall the album is good, but is "good" really enough after some of his previous releases?
The album starts by setting the tone with the deliciously savage "Future Legend", linking into the title track, detailing a world in political ruin. Following this, we are hit by a one-two-three punch of songs that arguably construct the highlight of the album, but simply cannot be enjoyed as stand-alone songs.
After the next song, the obvious hit single "Rebel Rebel" (which, I admit, is one of his best songs ever), the album plummets into boring and, at times, just bad music (although the interesting "1984" remedies this somewhat). This is a Bowie experience that, while interesting, one could certainly do without.
My score: 6.5/10
Standout tracks: Future Legend, Rebel Rebel, 1984
Station to Station
After recording the lackluster but popular "Young Americans" album (which I did not review), Bowie became increasingly dependant on drugs, especially cocaine. This was to the point where he literally cannot recall much of recording this album. This is strange, because I am one of many who consider this album to be Bowie's finest work.
With only six long tracks on the album, the music sounds like Bowie is alienating himself from the listeners, with heavy use of synthesizers and ambiguous lyrics. The six tracks mesh well and yet stand out so vividly from one another, all having a dark, sombre tone, and yet, all having a glimpse of optimism and freedom. Music of this quality is extremely hard to find elsewhere.
The only commercially accessible song on the album is the fantastically soulful "Golden Years", which is popular even to this day, but is arguably the albums weakest track (which speaks volumes about the quality of the rest of the songs). In this album, we hear about Bowie's confusion as he loses himself within his own mind (the title track), his longing for help through faith ("Word on a Wing") or a loved one ("Wild is the Wind"), and his desperation ("Stay"). All these songs are so wildly different, and yet they piece together an essential listening experience. Even the bizarre "TVC15", detailing a hallucination of a girl getting sucked into a television set, has its place here.
Whether you are a Bowie fan or not, you owe it to yourself to check this album out. It really doesn't get much better than this.
My score: 10/10
Standout tracks: All of them
Low
The start of what became known as the "Berlin Trilogy", Bowie moved to a new recording studio (obviously, in Berlin), to record and collaborate with Brian Eno while recovering from heavy drug abuse. Bowie could not have felt more low at this point, hence the albums name.
The thing about Low is that it so perfectly reflects on Bowie's state of mind at the time; there is something so cold and empty about the music on this record, and yet it's hard not to fall in love with it. Taking a leaf from Station to Station, there was literally no album like it at the time. Synthesizers and unconventional instruments are used more heavily here than in any other album in 1977, and Bowie's vocals, for the first time ever, come at you sparingly. In fact, the second half of the album is pretty much instrumentals alone. It was a ground-breaking record at the time... no other artist had done so much with so "little".
It's hard to select any standout tracks because, like the mediocre Diamond Dogs, it's an album that should be listened to as a whole. This album was the great grandfather to fantastic pieces like Kid A by Radiohead; listening to this, the influence is obvious.
That being said, it's a difficult album, and it is not for everyone. You should definitely pick this up if you appreciate Bowie's more accessible material, and want to see how far he can push the envelope.
My score: 8.5/10
Standout tracks: Speed of Life, Sound and Vision
"Heroes"
The second in the Berlin trilogy, "Heroes" follows the same vein as the previous album, using unconventional sounds and recording methods to make an impact on the listeners. Despite not being commerically accessible or producing a lot of singles, Low was critically acclaimed by both critics and listeners, and so, "Heroes" took the formula further, using it effectively to achieve Bowie's creative goals.
This album is a lot more positive than Low; while the other was cold and detached, "Heroes", at the very least, is optimistic and passionate at times. While some of the instrumentals on the last half of the album, like the disjointed "Neuköln", come off as cold and forbidding, they are juxtapositioned against warm pieces like the beautiful "Moss Garden". As with Low, the second half of the album is mainly instrumentals, while the first half involve Bowie's vocals a lot more... this time, however, the result is a lot more appealing and easier to listen to than what the last album was.
The title track, a tale of two lovers on the opposite sides of the Berlin wall, will always be remembered as a classic song; the music Eno produced is so heroic, and Bowie's lyrics catapault the song into another dimension. Unusual songs like "Joe the Lion" and "V-2 Schneider" are conventional songs perhaps in structure only, but are unlike anything else Bowie have produced. The album closes, surprisingly, on the dancable "The Secret Life of Arabia".
All in all, while this album is more accessible than Low, it remains less impressive on the whole. While Low went ahead and did something outstanding for it's time, "Heroes" borrowed its formula and fine-tuned it somewhat. And while it is many years later now, the impact the two records make on you can still be distinguished. Still, a very fine album.
My score: 8/10
Standout tracks: "Heroes", The Secret Life of Arabia, Moss Garden
Lodger
The last album of the Berlin trilogy, and perhaps the most bizarre and experimental of all. A disjointed and extremely difficult piece of music, Lodger was recorded in different studios, and incorporated different types of music styles. Apparently at this point, the relationship between Bowie and Eno was starting to become cordial, producing some less inspiration ideas between them. So how is the record?
All in all, this is simply a difficult album to review. The wild variety and bizarre nature of these songs makes it feel like a collaboration of outtakes from the past two albums... comparable to Amnesiac, an album by Radiohead. However, unlike that album, Lodger has something undearing about its strange, uneven sound. And while the last two albums were great, they definitely had an over-produced, glossed over feel... for better or for worse. Lodger seems rough and edgy, and while they all seem to hold together with thin wires (a lot of the songs are related to travel), it all together has a more natural sound.
With no instrumentals this time around, the songs range from an inspriational opener ("Fantastic Voyage"), murky odes to other cultures ("Yassassin" and "Move On"), difficult songs about marital abuse(!) and greed ("Repetition", "Red Money"), or just straight up Bowie pop ("DJ", or the hilariously camp "Boys Keep Swinging"). None of the songs (or indeed, Lodger as a whole) held up well in the publics eyes, and the critics, at the time, didn't "get it".
As much as I enjoy and admire this album, I barely "get it" either. It is just very strange, difficult music. I recommend this one if you are looking for a challenge. Sure, Bowie returns to his roots in some ways (such as heavier use of guitars and his vocals), but as a whole, Lodger compares to absolutely nothing else he has recorded. Try this one if you like his other Berlin stuff.
My score: 7/10
Standout tracks: Boys Keep Swinging
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
If you've heard of this album, you probably would have heard the phrase "Bowie's last great album" used as well. Indeed, Bowie's sales did go downhill after this album, and his creative spark as a musician seemed to go with it. Whatever happened after this one does not stop this from being one of his greatest albums in his catalogue, and a true masterpiece.
This package can be described as "Ziggy Stardust in Berlin", incorporating a heavier rock sound with the tricks and gimmicks he used during his collabarations with Eno. When recording Scary Monsters, Bowie made a conscious effort to produce an album more commercially accessible than the ones he made with Eno, and listening to the CD, it could not be more obvious. But who ever said that was a bad thing? Bowie was still definitely producing the music he wanted to produce, and this time it could be enjoyed by all, as opposed to Lodger, which required a lot of dedication.
As for the songs themselves, Scary Monsters contains some of the best in his entire catalogue. "It's No Game" is broken up into two parts which are used to open and close the album, letting the experience start with a bombastic blast, and closing in a subdued snarl, both using the same lyrics. The danceable rocker "Fashion" and the aggressive tale of two incompatible lovers in the title track are definite fan favourites, as well as "Ashes to Ashes", which gives us a hilarious truth regarding Major Tom from Bowie's oldest hit, "Space Oddity". "Teenage Wildlife" is a soaring song about adolescence, and "Up the Hill Backwards" remains one of Bowie's best and most intriguing songs of all time.
The 80's would later prove to be unkind to Bowie and unresponsive to his music, and yet this album will fondly be remembered as one of the best in his catalogue. While the Berlin albums were great, it's been a long time since Bowie had sounded this good. Essential.
My score: 9.5/10
Standout tracks: Up the Hill Backwards, Scary Monsters, Ashes to Ashes
Let's Dance
As unfortunate as it is, the critics might have been right when they said that Scary Monsters was Bowie's last great album. That being said, there are glimpses of this artists brilliance in his later albums too, and while it is not always worth seeking out his records to discover these gems (ie: any album after this one), sometimes it can be extremely rewarding.
If Scary Monsters was an effort on Bowie's part to produce more commercially accessible material, he was really overdoing it here. The songs here are all bouncey and danceable, I suppose, but it seems to me like he was conforming (to a certain extent, of course) to the popular music of the time. Well, you know, he wasn't the only one (check out Queen's absolutely awful "Hot Space" album).
Still, no music by Bowie is really bad music, and the standout tracks are definitely worth seeking out. The title track, for one, is a good one (even though the single version is far superior to the overlong album recording), as is the spiritual and insightful "Modern Love". The real winner on this album is "China Girl", a song that Bowie and Iggy Pop had written in the past. This chilling song about heroin abuse is amongst the best Bowie has ever recorded.
And the rest? Sorry to say, but it's expendable. Sure it's pretty good... even very good at times. But after some of his other mind-blowing recordings, "very good" doesn't seem to cut it anymore. Sad to say, but you could definitely go without this album. That being said, the standout tracks are worth seeking out.
My score: 4.5/10
Standout tracks: China Girl, Modern Love
Well, this is my guide for now; I may review some more of his albums in the future and update this, but I would rather cover another band or artist first. So, hope you enjoyed reading, and I most certainly hope you'll pick up some of his stuff =)
This is my guide to the legendary artist David Bowie. Not many artists have even come close to his level of diversity and impact, and with such a large collection of albums, it is hard to say which one of them is the most significant. Hopefully after reading this guide, you will seek out some of his stuff!
Let it be known that I'm not THE expert on Bowie; I have not studied many of his albums after "Let's Dance" (because they are... well, bad), so if you want to contribute your thoughts or corrections, please to be do so!
Background information
Bowie started out as a pop song writer, usually telling stories rather than sticking to usual song themes. Evidence of this was shown in the bizarre "The Laughing Gnome", or the song about giants, "We Are Hungry Men". He received commercial attention after releasing the single "Space Oddity", which was the sad story of Major Tom's accident in a space voyage.
Bowie would release three albums before he took the world by storm with his fourth, "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust", and the hit single "Starman". Not only did this album guarantee his future releases huge sales, but it also gave attention to previous albums as well, particularly "Hunky Dory", which many felt was a stronger album that lurked in the shadows.
Albums that followed ranged from a sequel of sorts to Ziggy Stardust (such as in "Aladdin Sane"), to totally reinventing himself to appeal to the American public ("Young Americans"). Fame went to his head, however, and heavy drug abuse caused him to record albums he barely has any recollection of, such as in the fascinating "Station to Station."
Recovering from cocaine abuse, Bowie recorded the album "Low" in Berlin, collaborating with Brian Eno (who has worked with many other artists in the past and future). This was the first of three albums that would be known as the "Berlin trilogy"... each album being different from anything else Bowie has ever recorded. While not being necessarily commerically accessible, they were, for the most part, rated well by the critics and public.
Following the Berlin trilogy, Bowie recorded "Scary Monsters" and "Let's Dance", which were two strong albums chock full of hits. However after these albums, it is generally a consensus that Bowie had lost something, and the many albums that followed were not strong material. But that does not matter, at least in my eyes; Bowie had already made an impact, and his best work will fondly be remembered as some of the best music ever recorded.
The albums
Here is a look of some of Bowie's most significant albums, whether good or bad. I have not included many of them since I have not yet given them the attention they deserve (or on the other hand, they don't deserve attention at all).
Hunky Dory
Released in 1971, the cover art alone was enough to raise some eyebrows. At the time, nobody knew what to make of Bowie (was he hetero? homo? asexual?) The music on the vinyl was enough to confuse things further, and despite what you may have thought of the man, it was inarguably some of his greatest work of all time.
The opener, "Changes", is to this day a pop song classic, as well as the ditty "Oh! You Pretty Things" and the rocking "Queen Bitch". The album also contains understated gems such as the poignant "Quicksand" and an ode to Robert Zimmerman on "Song for Bob Dylan". Any Bowie fan knows, however, that the standout song here is "Life on Mars?", a tale of a young girl who sneaks into a movie cinema after having a fight with her folks.
Bowie's vocals and piano playing skills are simply outstanding throughout the entire album, and the great range and diversity of the songs makes this album a great starting point for someone who is new to his music.
My score: 9/10
Standout songs: Life on Mars?, Quicksand, Changes
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
This is generally considered, by the public and critics alike, to be the highpoint of Bowie's career, and the influence of many albums from various artists to follow. Listening to this album now, it's hard to argue.
Concept albums tend to be very "touch and go", but when they are done right, they can have an amazing impact. In this case, the world is going to end in five years, but is saved from destroying itself by a pop star alien named Ziggy Stardust... who cannot save himself from the excesses of being a famous star.
With a heavier overall feel than the bouncy "Hunky Dory", this album details the fear of a world about to end ("Five Years"), receiving a message from space ("Starman"), one's insane desire to become famous ("Star"), the story of Ziggy Stardust's fame from his bands point of view ("Ziggy Stardust"), and his inevitable death as fame consumes him ("Rock N Roll Suicide"). The guitar is absolutely outstanding throughout the album, as well as, once again, the great variety of songs (which ties together strongly to construct the story).
Overall, this famous piece of glam rock is definitely up there with Bowie's finest, and one of the best albums ever recorded. The track in the middle, "It Ain't Easy", prevents it from being perfect, but otherwise, this is an essential album.
My score: 9.5/10
Standout tracks: Starman, Ziggy Stardust, Rock 'N' Roll Suicide
Aladdin Sane
The cover art shows an image of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust character, which should give a (somewhat mild) indication as to what the music will be like. Many of the same musicians who worked on the previous masterpiece have returned to produce music for this album, not to tell another story, but this time to simply produce some great rock music.
The result? Well, in a word... mixed. This album contains some strong tracks in the form of, say, "Drive-In Saturday" (which is apparently about people needing to be retaught how to reproduce), or the Velvet Underground influenced "Jean Genie". Marc Bolan also makes a guest appearance to play guitar on one of the albums stronger tracks, "The Prettiest Star".
Other tracks, such as "Panic in Detroit" and "Lady Grinning Soul", are at times uncomfortable to listen to, and the overlong "Time" slows the album down a bit. And while the songs don't necessarily HAVE to mesh well together to produce a good album (Hunky Dory definitely didn't), here the overall experience sounds disjointed and uneven.
Opinions are mixed about this album, and in the end, I'll give it a tentative thumbs up, if only for the strong standout tracks. But most of them you can find on a collaboration anyway, so this album, overall, is not essential.
My score: 7/10
Standout tracks: Drive-In Saturday, The Jean Genie, The Prettiest Star
Diamond Dogs
Can David Bowie do good rock and roll? He is had brushes with heavier rock music, such as in "Queen Bitch" and some of the tracks from Ziggy, but this album probably answers the question once and for all? So, can he? Well... sorta...
With one very obvious exception, the tracks on this album blend in very well with one another and do not stand out significantly, to the point where it's hard to withdraw hit singles from the track list, or enjoy the music when it's not played as a whole album. And overall the album is good, but is "good" really enough after some of his previous releases?
The album starts by setting the tone with the deliciously savage "Future Legend", linking into the title track, detailing a world in political ruin. Following this, we are hit by a one-two-three punch of songs that arguably construct the highlight of the album, but simply cannot be enjoyed as stand-alone songs.
After the next song, the obvious hit single "Rebel Rebel" (which, I admit, is one of his best songs ever), the album plummets into boring and, at times, just bad music (although the interesting "1984" remedies this somewhat). This is a Bowie experience that, while interesting, one could certainly do without.
My score: 6.5/10
Standout tracks: Future Legend, Rebel Rebel, 1984
Station to Station
After recording the lackluster but popular "Young Americans" album (which I did not review), Bowie became increasingly dependant on drugs, especially cocaine. This was to the point where he literally cannot recall much of recording this album. This is strange, because I am one of many who consider this album to be Bowie's finest work.
With only six long tracks on the album, the music sounds like Bowie is alienating himself from the listeners, with heavy use of synthesizers and ambiguous lyrics. The six tracks mesh well and yet stand out so vividly from one another, all having a dark, sombre tone, and yet, all having a glimpse of optimism and freedom. Music of this quality is extremely hard to find elsewhere.
The only commercially accessible song on the album is the fantastically soulful "Golden Years", which is popular even to this day, but is arguably the albums weakest track (which speaks volumes about the quality of the rest of the songs). In this album, we hear about Bowie's confusion as he loses himself within his own mind (the title track), his longing for help through faith ("Word on a Wing") or a loved one ("Wild is the Wind"), and his desperation ("Stay"). All these songs are so wildly different, and yet they piece together an essential listening experience. Even the bizarre "TVC15", detailing a hallucination of a girl getting sucked into a television set, has its place here.
Whether you are a Bowie fan or not, you owe it to yourself to check this album out. It really doesn't get much better than this.
My score: 10/10
Standout tracks: All of them
Low
The start of what became known as the "Berlin Trilogy", Bowie moved to a new recording studio (obviously, in Berlin), to record and collaborate with Brian Eno while recovering from heavy drug abuse. Bowie could not have felt more low at this point, hence the albums name.
The thing about Low is that it so perfectly reflects on Bowie's state of mind at the time; there is something so cold and empty about the music on this record, and yet it's hard not to fall in love with it. Taking a leaf from Station to Station, there was literally no album like it at the time. Synthesizers and unconventional instruments are used more heavily here than in any other album in 1977, and Bowie's vocals, for the first time ever, come at you sparingly. In fact, the second half of the album is pretty much instrumentals alone. It was a ground-breaking record at the time... no other artist had done so much with so "little".
It's hard to select any standout tracks because, like the mediocre Diamond Dogs, it's an album that should be listened to as a whole. This album was the great grandfather to fantastic pieces like Kid A by Radiohead; listening to this, the influence is obvious.
That being said, it's a difficult album, and it is not for everyone. You should definitely pick this up if you appreciate Bowie's more accessible material, and want to see how far he can push the envelope.
My score: 8.5/10
Standout tracks: Speed of Life, Sound and Vision
"Heroes"
The second in the Berlin trilogy, "Heroes" follows the same vein as the previous album, using unconventional sounds and recording methods to make an impact on the listeners. Despite not being commerically accessible or producing a lot of singles, Low was critically acclaimed by both critics and listeners, and so, "Heroes" took the formula further, using it effectively to achieve Bowie's creative goals.
This album is a lot more positive than Low; while the other was cold and detached, "Heroes", at the very least, is optimistic and passionate at times. While some of the instrumentals on the last half of the album, like the disjointed "Neuköln", come off as cold and forbidding, they are juxtapositioned against warm pieces like the beautiful "Moss Garden". As with Low, the second half of the album is mainly instrumentals, while the first half involve Bowie's vocals a lot more... this time, however, the result is a lot more appealing and easier to listen to than what the last album was.
The title track, a tale of two lovers on the opposite sides of the Berlin wall, will always be remembered as a classic song; the music Eno produced is so heroic, and Bowie's lyrics catapault the song into another dimension. Unusual songs like "Joe the Lion" and "V-2 Schneider" are conventional songs perhaps in structure only, but are unlike anything else Bowie have produced. The album closes, surprisingly, on the dancable "The Secret Life of Arabia".
All in all, while this album is more accessible than Low, it remains less impressive on the whole. While Low went ahead and did something outstanding for it's time, "Heroes" borrowed its formula and fine-tuned it somewhat. And while it is many years later now, the impact the two records make on you can still be distinguished. Still, a very fine album.
My score: 8/10
Standout tracks: "Heroes", The Secret Life of Arabia, Moss Garden
Lodger
The last album of the Berlin trilogy, and perhaps the most bizarre and experimental of all. A disjointed and extremely difficult piece of music, Lodger was recorded in different studios, and incorporated different types of music styles. Apparently at this point, the relationship between Bowie and Eno was starting to become cordial, producing some less inspiration ideas between them. So how is the record?
All in all, this is simply a difficult album to review. The wild variety and bizarre nature of these songs makes it feel like a collaboration of outtakes from the past two albums... comparable to Amnesiac, an album by Radiohead. However, unlike that album, Lodger has something undearing about its strange, uneven sound. And while the last two albums were great, they definitely had an over-produced, glossed over feel... for better or for worse. Lodger seems rough and edgy, and while they all seem to hold together with thin wires (a lot of the songs are related to travel), it all together has a more natural sound.
With no instrumentals this time around, the songs range from an inspriational opener ("Fantastic Voyage"), murky odes to other cultures ("Yassassin" and "Move On"), difficult songs about marital abuse(!) and greed ("Repetition", "Red Money"), or just straight up Bowie pop ("DJ", or the hilariously camp "Boys Keep Swinging"). None of the songs (or indeed, Lodger as a whole) held up well in the publics eyes, and the critics, at the time, didn't "get it".
As much as I enjoy and admire this album, I barely "get it" either. It is just very strange, difficult music. I recommend this one if you are looking for a challenge. Sure, Bowie returns to his roots in some ways (such as heavier use of guitars and his vocals), but as a whole, Lodger compares to absolutely nothing else he has recorded. Try this one if you like his other Berlin stuff.
My score: 7/10
Standout tracks: Boys Keep Swinging
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
If you've heard of this album, you probably would have heard the phrase "Bowie's last great album" used as well. Indeed, Bowie's sales did go downhill after this album, and his creative spark as a musician seemed to go with it. Whatever happened after this one does not stop this from being one of his greatest albums in his catalogue, and a true masterpiece.
This package can be described as "Ziggy Stardust in Berlin", incorporating a heavier rock sound with the tricks and gimmicks he used during his collabarations with Eno. When recording Scary Monsters, Bowie made a conscious effort to produce an album more commercially accessible than the ones he made with Eno, and listening to the CD, it could not be more obvious. But who ever said that was a bad thing? Bowie was still definitely producing the music he wanted to produce, and this time it could be enjoyed by all, as opposed to Lodger, which required a lot of dedication.
As for the songs themselves, Scary Monsters contains some of the best in his entire catalogue. "It's No Game" is broken up into two parts which are used to open and close the album, letting the experience start with a bombastic blast, and closing in a subdued snarl, both using the same lyrics. The danceable rocker "Fashion" and the aggressive tale of two incompatible lovers in the title track are definite fan favourites, as well as "Ashes to Ashes", which gives us a hilarious truth regarding Major Tom from Bowie's oldest hit, "Space Oddity". "Teenage Wildlife" is a soaring song about adolescence, and "Up the Hill Backwards" remains one of Bowie's best and most intriguing songs of all time.
The 80's would later prove to be unkind to Bowie and unresponsive to his music, and yet this album will fondly be remembered as one of the best in his catalogue. While the Berlin albums were great, it's been a long time since Bowie had sounded this good. Essential.
My score: 9.5/10
Standout tracks: Up the Hill Backwards, Scary Monsters, Ashes to Ashes
Let's Dance
As unfortunate as it is, the critics might have been right when they said that Scary Monsters was Bowie's last great album. That being said, there are glimpses of this artists brilliance in his later albums too, and while it is not always worth seeking out his records to discover these gems (ie: any album after this one), sometimes it can be extremely rewarding.
If Scary Monsters was an effort on Bowie's part to produce more commercially accessible material, he was really overdoing it here. The songs here are all bouncey and danceable, I suppose, but it seems to me like he was conforming (to a certain extent, of course) to the popular music of the time. Well, you know, he wasn't the only one (check out Queen's absolutely awful "Hot Space" album).
Still, no music by Bowie is really bad music, and the standout tracks are definitely worth seeking out. The title track, for one, is a good one (even though the single version is far superior to the overlong album recording), as is the spiritual and insightful "Modern Love". The real winner on this album is "China Girl", a song that Bowie and Iggy Pop had written in the past. This chilling song about heroin abuse is amongst the best Bowie has ever recorded.
And the rest? Sorry to say, but it's expendable. Sure it's pretty good... even very good at times. But after some of his other mind-blowing recordings, "very good" doesn't seem to cut it anymore. Sad to say, but you could definitely go without this album. That being said, the standout tracks are worth seeking out.
My score: 4.5/10
Standout tracks: China Girl, Modern Love
Well, this is my guide for now; I may review some more of his albums in the future and update this, but I would rather cover another band or artist first. So, hope you enjoyed reading, and I most certainly hope you'll pick up some of his stuff =)
