David Bowie R.I.P

This is meant to be amazing

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rnj10

So, despite some dodgy production decisions, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Never Let Me Down is a much better album than Tonight. I mean, it's still a pale shadow of his work from the former decade, but at least he wasn't sleepwalking through the thing.

Was talking earlier with a close friend of mine that I've known for well over 20 years, when we got onto the subject of Bowie. He was like "truth be told, I don't think I know any David Bowie songs... I know him as the Goblin King from Labyrinth", and I was like "You'll know more Bowie songs than you think you do... SURELY you've heard 'Space Oddity'? Everyone's heard that!" ... He replied "No?" ... and I said "Okay, 'Rebel Rebel'? You MUST know that one, surely?" ... "No?" ... "'Let's Dance'?" ... "Ah yeah, I know that one!"

i don't know if i was sure that 'fame' was by him, i mean i knew he had a song called that, but i probably heard it on the radio many times without having any idea it was the 'major tom guy'

I'm fond of this rearrangement of "Look Back in Anger" with Reeves Gabrels (first appearance on a Bowie album) and La La Human Steps recorded in 1988 -- the first tentative step out of the morass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vp3O-QH2Ac

...and it's on the Lodger reissue.

i'm being reminded this week of songs i forgot i knew, like "Join the Gang"

the 'major tom guy'

j. I am taking this as a username and it is with love fyi

So, despite some dodgy production decisions, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Never Let Me Down is a much better album than Tonight. I mean, it's still a pale shadow of his work from the former decade, but at least he wasn't sleepwalking through the thing.

Never mind going forward, what about going backwards to his 1st album? In fact, I'm going to listen to that right now.

i heard "Fame" sooooo much when that came out. i loved it. radio played the hell out of it. or at least new york radio did back then. i think in 1976 i had an armed forces radio double LP and it had fame and ballroom blitz on it. played that over and over for months. like one of those promo radio show things with a DJ introducing the tracks. that was the first bowie i had on vinyl, i think. i used to sit in my town library and listen to Ziggy over and over. i guess i didn't have the money to buy a copy.

suffragette city HAS to be the most played bowie on rock radio. right? it has to be. i think most rock stations played it at least once a day for decades.

anyway, he was very much a part of my 70's. also, i thought he was kinda spooky. which was part of the charm.

I've mostly been listening to his output from Black Tie White Noise onwards today, and feel it's his most underrated period.

yep

what about going backwards to his 1st album?

The one with Uncle Arthur, Rubber Band etc.? That's actually what I listened to when I first heard about his passing. It's been years since I last played it, I love those songs so much.

I mostly played 90-now on tuesday and wednesday. Am zig-zagging my way back. Currently on Lodger which I bought 2nd hand at the end of the 80's. It sounds magnificent. I've got two copies of Low that sound a bit murky, played that to death :-(
Anyway, earlier this evening I listened to the debut, loved it. Great bass player!

(Now on 2...3-4! in "Red Sails". This man has so many frog eyes moments in his songs...)

Love this early Bowie song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah07pbw1xws

(xxp) Indeed, I'm fond of it myself, I don't know where his head was at when he made it though, did he really think he'd become a pop star with songs like "We Are Hungry Men"?

without going all Steve Hoffman forums, is there an ilx-prefered remaster series? the 24 bit ones or the Rykos, or the fabled ones that came out before those? or even some other version i haven't chanced upon.

everyone claims the original RCAs are the best (although maybe the new stuff from the box set is better). EMIs sound bad to me, Rykos are tinny.

"Y'know, it's only 13 years for me to be 70."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DqX_CJC980

xp ah ok yeah, makes sense thanks.

i tell you what's weird; how incredibly *up* almost all of Scary Monsters is compared to Ashes To Ashes.

http://www.laweekly.com/music/henry-rollins-bowies-blackstar-is-on-the-level-of-low-and-heroes-6481055

Never liked Rollins the Writer much, but this is great.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-01-15-david-bowie-featuring-adventure-omikron-the-nomad-soul-is-free-this-week

(many x-posts)

Nice!

― Bewlay Brothers & Sister Ray (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, January 15, 2016 5:39 AM (17 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah really well done.

― Darin, Friday, January 15, 2016 7:48 AM (15 hours ago)

thank you!

J.D., a lovely tribute. That sense of we-can-be-heroes is certainly why so many of us fell hard.

Weird timing! I'm listening to Tonight for the first time ever, and 'Loving The Alien' specifically. It's a good song, but I wonder if there's a better arrangement/live version of it out there somewhere...?

― Professor Bworlph (Old Lunch), Friday, January 15, 2016 12:07 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8cENJO39Rs

This is meant to be amazing

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rnj10

― piscesx, Friday, January 15, 2016 9:04 PM (2 hours ago)

I'm half way in and it's fantastic. Very funny. The Angie/David "Cobbler Bob" sketch had me in tears of laughter.

If (and only if!) you appreciate this little cartoon then it'll be right up your street: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FODvjYoVEi8

Excellent piece on S&S. Morgan starts from the unpromising position of talking about his film roles, but she uses as a great jump-off point.

Good summary of the whole week as well.

I know it sounds pathetic but the Buxton thing was the first Bowie thing I could handle after the news. A cosy, affectionate couple of hours and really good on the very early Deram stuff.

thanks alfred -- that means a lot to hear, coming from a writer i respect so much.

My god, thank you for that 'Loving The Alien' video, Alfred. That was gorgeous and haunting and very nearly did me in.

Dovetailing w Turrican's story upthread, I heard a story today about a mid 20's coworker who was surprised to learn that David Bowie was a musician. "I couldnt figure out why everyone was flipping out that the guy from Labyrinth died." No idea that he was famous for singing, dude knew of zero Bowie songs. He said he doesnt listen to music ~at all~.

The power of the babe

I don't find it that surprising that someone doesn't know any Bowie songs (I doubt that my parents do) but I AM surprised that all of these people are apparently familiar with Labyrinth.

There must be someone out there that cant believe the guy from Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence has just died

very funny cartoon and i'd never even heard of Tony Visconti til this week

what the hell would the 80's have sounded like without him?

According to Mark David Chapman, if he didn't succeed in killing John Lennon, his plan was walk back to the theater where Bowie was performing The Elephant Man and shoot him. Supposedly a copy of The Elephant Man program was found in Chapman's hotel room along with a photo he took of Bowie leaving the theater.

O_O

xp as usual you've blown my mind

I feel like I'm living in an alternate universe now

happened to walk past the david bowie mural in brixton in the freezing cold at about 1am and there were around twenty people standing there singing 'suffragette city' together

didn't think it was possible for me to hate chapman more than i already do

Ken Scott says in his book that 95% Bowie's vocals were done in one take.

Sund4r and fgti, so sorry for tweaking you one more time about that stuff, I totally understand where you are coming from, my post was kind of tongue in cheek, I was reminiscing about the good times we had last year on the music theory thread. I guess if it elicited such a beautiful post from fgti it was worth it. But I am going to drop that line of response, not only was that the last such post of this thread, it's the last such post I'll ever do.

I tried to resist that cartoon up thread but had to give in when it got to Derek and Clive.

I keep getting sad again

one thing that makes me especially sad is that bowie never wrote a memoir -- i bet that could have been awesome

I wonder if he ever got started on one. There was a lot of time between Reality and The Next Day.

I keep getting sad again

― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl

me too, it's OK.

just came back from an 80's night tribute at the local arcade where I was sitting and crying quietly, finishing a beer while people young enough to be my kids danced to "Golden Years" and my wife (who is older and never grew up with Bowie or music fandom in general) fidgeted and cast worried looks at her inconsolable husband.

now we're gonna make chocolate chip cookies

three people I personally know have died/are dying this week, one of them a close friend

fuck

There's no better feeling of being among the living than "Golden Years" and chocolate chip cookies, even when mourning and missing those who are gone.

One-off from 2007:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HnjsULFHmM

"Queen Bitch" blasting out of a hippie shop on PCH in town tonight - people dancing as they walked past.

Couple nights ago I was at a late-night diner and the folks at the table next to me suddenly broke out into a "have you listened to Blackstar yet?" conversation.

<3 sleeve

i keep thinking I want to do some Bowie karaoke but me ugly-crying on my knees singing Starman prob isnt what ppl need to see