Entertainment For Lively Minds
David Bowie´s Heathen
I have found myself listening to Heathen a lot lately. It´s much better than anyone has the right to ask of someone who´s supposed to have peaked in the seventies. Maybe I´ll have to regret this, but I think it´s one of the five best he´s made.
I like its atmosphere, which seems to me like a grown up and more content Low. Also, an aspect perhaps overlooked, he can really sing. Like REALLY sing. It seems his voice gets better with age. Or possibly got better with age. With no new material since 2003 it appears he quietly opted for retirement without making a fuzz about it, which is clever, in case one regrets it.
Sunday, Slip Away (the chorus is absolutely beautiful), Slow Burn (great guitar by Pete Townshend - and listen to the way Bowie´s voice opens up on the word burn), Afraid´s great string arrangement, I Would Be Your Slave, the charming Everyone Says ´Hi´, and Heathen (The Rays).
Also well chosen covers in Cactus (Pixies) and I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship (The Legendary Stardust Cowboy).
The only song I don´t like is I´ve Been Waiting For You. Funnily enough, being the Neil Young fan that I am. Or maybe that´s why.
Heathen was one of these dreaded "return to form" albums from a legend that actually WAS a return to form. His best since, and all that. A great album from a great man.
And at 63 he still looks better than I have ever done or will ever do. The bastard.
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Yep
A special favourite of mine, it has a sort of sad valedictory air to it. He did some great songs even in teh wilderness 80s and 90s but the albums sort of made me cower a bit until this one, which I find very affecting. 'Reality' isn't bad at all but doesn't work as an 'album'.
I concur
The one song you didn't mention - which is a particular favourite of mine - is 5.15 The Angels Have Gone, which again has that wistful atmosphere he creates so effectively. And the re-recording of Conversation Piece on the bonus disc is an absolute gem.
Definitely in The Dame's top 5.
Agreed
It's a very polished album. It appears effortless - you feel like you're in safe hands. Conversation Piece is sublime, as is the Moby treatment of Sunday - a song that stops dead and then starts again is always a winner.
A great album.
I totally agree about Conversation piece. It's great that Tony Visconti is back on board. That track would quite possibly laid lying dust if they hadn't got back together.
As Usual
you are right Ola. It's a really good album. Cool and warm.
You are very kind
Can I quote that first line in my CV?
Of course.
But tell me as a Swede - where do you stand on Abba? As you may know, I would happily stand on them and a pile of their broken records.
I don´t really stand at all on Abba
Intellectually I realise Benny (with Björn) was a great songwriter. But despite this I don´t feel like turning the radio up, dancing along or playing air piano when I hear their music. I don´t even feel nostalgic about them really. (Maybe because I hate nostalgia and feel music is much more important than that.) However, I do like Take A Chance On Me, especially the intro, and The Day Before You Came, mainly for the lyrics.
My verdict is that they were brilliant, but not for me. Hope that makes sense.
Just as I realise Neil Young probably can´t sing to save his life, but I still love his voice.
I think I´m slightly younger than some others here, and older than some others surely, but I grew up with Roxette. In the late eighties/early nineties they sold about 300 000 000 albums in Sweden alone and I never really got them either.
But back to Benny. For my money THIS is the best song he´s written. He was in another band before Abba. http://open.spotify.com/track/4vBsw7CIDmC11waasyOY4h
Mmmm, Bizarre
I had it on in the car today and remarked to myself how good it was. Except the George Harrison one,Try some, Buy Some. A shocker.
Spooky!
Agreed.
It's one of my favourite DB albums. I really should listen to Reality, but I never seem to manage it.
Never heard it
but it's only £3.66 brand new on Amazon, so I'm going to risk it. Semi lubricated online shopping on Friday nights will be my downfall..
It's all been downhill
since The Laughing Gnome.
IMO, of course;-)
Everyone Says Hi
Is a lovely little song and one of the bowie tracks i listen to regularly.
Not familiar with the rest of the album so i should maybe head over to Amazon as well.
I posted about Everyone Says hi before
The song is beautiful and makes me cry.
I posted this last night
but after 2 hours and not one hit, I withdrew it
s'up to you but I thought it was pretty coherent (for me):
Was having a trawl through Spotify tonight, I fancied a bit of late Spirit and found their Made in Germany which kinda fitted what I was after. Then for some reason I entered 'Bowie' as a search, because although I'm pretty well versed with the man, there's a lot of blanks - 'Cygnet Committee' being one. Then I noticed All Saints, now a friend did a cassette of this for me years ago but I never knew it was an actual album, I thought he'd just compiled it for me.
Blimey it's good!
any thoughts Massif?
and yes Ola, he is a bastard!
compare and contrast
some great stuff I'd never heard before on All Saints, but I was most struck by the similarity between Crystal Japan and one of my favourite Nine Inch Nails songs, A Warm Place:
Ouch!
I shoulda spotted that Stuart.
In a Warm Place was one of the tunes that really hooked me to NIN
trent...
...freely admitted that this song was a direct lift
Sunday is brilliant
the song you play when and if folk say he's 'lost it'.
Slip Away
Every time I hear Slip Away from Heathen I think it's based on some classical piece and I've just realised what it is. Ave Bloody Maria, unless I'm mistaken:-)
Sunday
One of the best songs ever, let alone one of Bowie's best. Absolutely beautiful in its simplicity and subtlety.
Also want to make mention of "A Better Future" which no one seems to have mentioned yet. Its the song I first heard off the album, and started to get me properly into Bowie in a big way. Up to that point I only had the best of 69-74. After hearing "A Better Future" I needed more of Mr Jones in my life.
Interesting thoughts
one and all, but what would you class at the last great Bowie song - to date anyway!
This?
If that doesn´t count I would go for The Loneliest Guy and Bring Me The Disco King, my personal favourites of his last/latest album Reality.
If he really has retired the song from Extras was the last new composition he gave us. That WOULD be very Bowie, wouldn´t it?
1986
Bargepole would suggest that one would need to go back as far as this.....
With respect
I don't think Bargepole has been paying attention.
Witness for the defence:
Prisoner of Love/I Can't Read - Tin Machine
Baby Universal/You Belong In Rock 'n' Roll/Goodbye Mr Ed - Tin Machine 2
Jump They Say - Black Tie White Noise
Buddha Of Suburbia/Strangers When We Meet*/Dead Against It - Buddha of Suburbia
Hallo Spaceboy/I Have Not Been To Oxford Town/Through These Architect's Eyes/SWWM* - 1.Outside
Little Wonder/Dead Man Walking/I'm Afraid of Americans - Earthling
Thursday's Child/Survive/The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell - "...Hours"
Plenty of songs from Heathen, as discussed above
New Killer Star/Fall Dog Bombs The Moon/ Bring Me The Disco King - Reality
All these are great Bowie songs. I'm sure others could choose alternatives which are just as valid. The message is that he's produced some fabulous work in the 24 years since '...Beginners'; you need to, ahem, 'try some, buy some'.
A man with great taste made this (trust him)
http://open.spotify.com/user/m%c3%b6%c3%b6%c3%b6%c3%b6%c3%b6%c3%b6%c3%b6...
Arrived today..
and it's ace. Thanks for the recommendation Ola.
I didn´t actually expect people to go out
and buy it when I posted.
But I´m really glad you like it!