Appreciating David Bowie

[Zzzptm]

OK, seriously, are my ears broken or something? Because I don't really get into David Bowie. Of all his tracks, I pretty much can only listen to "Suffragette City" and "Young Americans" on a regular basis. I get the importance of stuff like "Space Oddity" and other singles, how they can't really be ignored in rock history. But listening to most of Bowie's stuff just doesn't work for me. Genesis with Peter Gabriel is the same, as is Soft Machine. These are all majorly important/influential acts, but I'm just meh after listening to them. At least with Bowie, I can pick out two singles of his that I like.

It carries over to Mott the Hoople. Their only big hit was one Bowie wrote, "All the Young Dudes". Again, I get its importance, how it put Mott on the map, but I much MUCH prefer Ian Hunter's compositions like "Rock and Roll Queen", "Driving Sister", and "Sweet Angeline". I love how Bowie was ready to help out friends - witness also his rescue of Marc Bolan - and think Bowie was an awesome dude for that kind of stuff. I just can't get into his music the way so many other people do.

I know Billy is encouraging me to keep trying... so, if "Suffragette City" and "Young Americans" are the ones I like most, where do I go from there if I want to keep trying?

[Billy Underdog]

Two very different tunes, though, the Glam Rock N' Roll of SC to the "plastic soul" of YA. Though you didn't like the albums as a whole, it could be a good idea to check out the albums in a similar style, so for SC/Ziggy Stardust: Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs, and continuing the funk/soul style of YA - Station To Station, which is also moving into electronic territories. And given you have a taste for electronica you should also check out the "Berlin triology" - Low, "Heroes" and Lodger. Some startes atleast, along with the albums i mentioned in the "listening"-thread.
And don't dismiss them after just one listen. Give them time.

[Vyn]

And don't dismiss them after just one listen. Give them time.

Indeed. The "process" in A Clockwork Orange should be your example of what is required.

[Zzzptm]

Tell you what, Billy, Station to Station is doing it for me right now. Hope the rest of the album works out like the title track.

[Billy Underdog]

Tell you what, Billy, Station to Station is doing it for me right now. Hope the rest of the album works out like the title track.

I'm glad, and i hope so too. Far from my fave, good as it is, but that's (as said) the thing with Bowie...

[Vyn]

Hey Billy, don't you have a first pressing of Bowie's debut album?

[Zzzptm]

Tell you what, Billy, Station to Station is doing it for me right now. Hope the rest of the album works out like the title track.

I'm glad, and i hope so too. Far from my fave, good as it is, but that's (as said) the thing with Bowie...

So far, so good, and "Golden Years" finally makes sense to me, fit in after the opening track and with the "Word on a Wing" following. It does make me want to follow up with the Berlin Trilogy, since they're supposed to be in a similar vein. But this is really good stuff, I'm glad I took your advice on this.

As for Vyn...

[Billy Underdog]

Hey Billy, don't you have a first pressing of Bowie's debut album?

I wish. I do have the mono/stereo remaster, though. A sadly forgotten album, even left out of the discography by Bowie himself for a long time.

It does make me want to follow up with the Berlin Trilogy, since they're supposed to be in a similar vein. But this is really good stuff, I'm glad I took your advice on this.

Great. The Berlin Trilogy is some of his most experimental stuff, though, so don't be surprised if it (yet again) isn't what you expect. Being a fan of Brian Eno helps alot, though.

As for Vyn... I'm oblivious when it comes to dissing Bowie, so let the kid have his fun...

[Zzzptm]

Perfect smiley for vyn:

 

And perfect smiley for *me*, now that I've abused Ibsen and trolls for the sake of some Internet jolly times...

 

Back to Bowie, I'm also wondering about his film, "The Man Who Fell to Earth". I've always been intrigued by it, never had a chance to see it.

[Billy Underdog]

Back to Bowie, I'm also wondering about his film, "The Man Who Fell to Earth". I've always been intrigued by it, never had a chance to see it.

Never seen it, only heard good things about it. It's from that movie he derived the character "the thin white duke", which was his alter ego during the Young Americans - Station To Station era. With the Berlin Trilogy he simply became "David Bowie" (a character in himself), though jumping between genres kept on until the late 90's/early 00's.

[Zzzptm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUtJ5FnwfCk

David Bowie gets billed as "Phenomenon of Our Time".

Well, if that's not high praise, I don't know what is...

[Zzzptm]

Listened to Low, it was pretty good when it wasn't *too* experimental.

Then I listened to a garbled version of Heroes for about 5 minutes before I realized it wasn't experimental, it was totally messed up.

Found a good version of Heroes, sounds MUCH less experimental.

[Zzzptm]

Heroes was quite enjoyable, Lodger is shaping up to be the best of the three, though. VERY 80s in sound.

[Billy Underdog]

Well, then Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) will be a logical next step. It's putting Bowie on a poppier path, while also defining the 80's in many ways. Also a huge influence on the Goth rockers you like. The Banshees and Sisters Of Mercy owe ALOT to that album...

[Zzzptm]

Well, then Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) will be a logical next step. It's putting Bowie on a poppier path, while also defining the 80's in many ways. Also a huge influence on the Goth rockers you like. The Banshees and Sisters Of Mercy owe ALOT to that album...

Indeed, I'm hearing quite a lot of stuff that points to them in the Berlin Trilogy.