Anticipate David Bowie's BLACKSTAR

Love the best pets of Black Tie White Noise

Parts

woof

the emotions are muted Always sounded very intense, very exciting to me--he's jumping into the fire, and the void---the creative pushback, the overall musical effect is the expression and transmutation, not muting.

or jumping into the musical fire, knowing the void will come to him, whatever he's doing.

To me, he was mainly one of the great singles artists of his era---I like most of the albums I've heard, which is not nearly all---but I know I'd consider this one of his very best ever, regardless of release date.

(I think of "his era," radio star-wise, as late 60s-early-ish 80s.)

listening to the brilliant adventure box set and i am LOVING black tie, white noise, didn't really make much of an impact at the time beyond i remember liking "jump (they say)" but i really dig the whole thing, cool sounds

Nothing sounded like it in 1993: the Amy Grant album of my dreams. Then there's cuts like "You've Been Around" where Rodgers-Bowie destabilize the elements. Nothing unfurls as it should: the bass is mixed too high, Reeves Gabrels reduced to a surly growl, and the vocals are like a clown shouting from Everest. I love it.

If it's heretical to say I prefer Bowie's "Nite Flights" to Scott Walker's, burn me.

yeah it's such a unique sound, the arrangements always seem to zig when you expect them to zag

there's an unsettled quality to the whole thing, i guess if i had to find a point of reference in his catalog i might compare the overall feeling to Lodger?

Which is funny cause it’s his “I’m married to a supermodel and I’m happy” album

A classmate of mine interviewed/hung out with Iman like ten years ago and said she was like her best friend for the duration of that entire evening. So when Rob Sheffield argued that Iman gave him something to write about after years in the wilderness, I immediately thought of my friend's interview - like I can totally see how someone like that can suddenly turn your life into this huge ray of sunshine.

I'm not sure if I heard this before...I've heard from musicians that Bowie was really generous about singing guide tracks while they cut their parts, but not that most of the Blackstar tracks were truly live in the studio:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZE2QZwtuec

Even more impressive, Bowie's home demos are not too dissimilar.

Check out what he came up with on his own:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0FmXpbcRT0

What a lovely read this thread is from start to finish. Must be one of the finest on this esteemed message board.

Also from upthread and not about Blackstar but …

Xpost I listened to this is not America today and I love that fucking song

― banned on ixlor (Jon not Jon), Monday, 11 January 2016 23:58 (six years ago) l

I listened to this the other day and I agree

xp alfred it's not clear to me he performed the demo himself, did you read that somewhere or is it apparent from recording notes?

Yep. The band and Chris O'Leary confirmed it.

What we hear are sax, keys, and drum machine, all of which he could play.

It's a demo Bowie recorded by himself, Pushing Ahead of the Dame has lots of interesting information on it: https://bowiesongs.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/tis-a-pity-she-was-a-whore/

Although Bowie was in the studio in summer 2014 to record full demos with Tony Visconti, Zachary Alford and Jack Spann, the B-side of “Sue,” issued that November, was Bowie alone: the same home demo he’d sent McCaslin, full of keyboard presets and crackling with cheap distortion.”The B-side was a demo. It was just kickass,” Visconti said. “His production skills have gone up 5,000%.”

x-post :)

I really think Tis a Pity She Was a Whore could be the very best thing he ever did.

Anyone read this yet? Looks interesting: https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/blackstar-theory-9781501365379/

xp that's so cool thanks!!

Man, she punched me like a dude
Hold your mad hands, I cried
'Tis a pity she was a whore
'Tis my fate, I suppose
For that was patrol
That was patrol
'Tis a pity she was a whore