Where albums are concerned after 1976 only 'Blackstar' went down for 100%. Most of the singles were above par though. Despite that I bought all his albums until the mid-1990s, there are simply not many that I like as a whole. And they are all found in the 1971-1976 time frame.
Before 1978, I did not have money to spare to buy a lot of albums. I did have 'David Live' at a discount, first with two identical albums in the sleeves! That album brought me my first glimpses of Bowie's albums and still sounds exciting when I play it. In 1976 I went to my first real rock show, David Bowie played Ahoy in Rotterdam and despite not knowing most songs at the time, I felt like something had altered in my life. Experiencing live music is fantastic. But, not to stray, this post is about two of Bowie's albums from the early 1980s.
Let's Dance
For some reason 'Let's Dance' entered my head earlier this week and had me singing out loud. The song comes by regularly in one way or another, but I realised I hadn't played the single for years and years. Let alone the album. My memory told me 'great singles, a less good version of 'Cat People' and fillers'. Playing the album, I was proven right. Sure I can listen to the tracks on side 2, what I heard was not a man leading the pack, but someone who tried to incorporate some Duran Duran and disco into songs, that sounded strained. On side 1 there are four singles, three that made the Dutch charts and one that didn't. 'Modern Love' is still a great song, with an enormous drive. 'China Girl' assisted in filling Iggy Pop's bank account but is so much better that the original on Iggy's 'The Idiot'. I like the song better than the number 1 hitsingle 'Let's Dance' that has an extended album version, which is a lesser version than the single edit. The surprise was 'Without You', a song I never really noticed after all the excitement preceding it. For some reason it hit home immediately. The overall view is that my opinion of Let's Dance only varied slightly from what I remembered from the 1980s.
Bowie's album preceding 'Let's Dance' is Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). My experience told me exactly the same. Great singles, all filler. I decided to give a try also. My memory was proven wrong. Also here the division was great A-side, filler B-side, so I thought.
The A-side is fantastic. There is no other word for it. It contains the song that contends for best song by Bowie, 'Ashes To Ashes'. The song is so fantastically subtle and mysterious. Lyrically a follow up to my introduction to Bowie, 'Space Oddity'. Musically a world apart. Even after 45 years it is still possible to hear a subtle extra hidden somewhere in the music.
The album kicks off with a blast and in Japanese as well. First some weird noises and then a rhythm that seems to drag through sucking mud and Bowie singing in answer to Michi Hirota's like his life was depending on it. If anything, it is Bowie's response to punk, postpunk, new wave and is utterly superior to anything else produced at the time. The backing vocals, led by Bowie himself, are fantastic and that guitar work with Robert Fripp in his totally frippy way is the cherry on a delicious musical cake.
'Up The Hill Backwards' is an okay song. It is the title song and third single of the album that marks the second highlight of the album. If ever a nightmare was set to music in a way that makes one feel what it is like, it is this song. The darkness is everywhere, that feeling of being chased by something unknown is all over the song. The pace is in the acoustic guitar, the scariness in Fripp's lead guitar. The man really lets it rip here, perhaps released from the straightjacket King Crimson could be for him. Just straight ahead and steady as she goes and out comes a fabulous guitar part and solo. Next comes the second single 'Fashion' which I liked a lot better than I did at the time, so I noticed. The song swings in a very peculiar way but wants to make me move and does.
It is the quality of side B that surprised me. It is too early to go into much detail, as I need more time to familiarise myself more with the songs. What I noticed, is me going into each of the songs in a way that 'Station To Station', what I call my personal first Bowie album, and 'Ziggy Stardust' never fail to do. To all appearances Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) may get to the same level and that is worthwhile mentioning 45 years after the album's release.
Wout de Natris - van der Borght
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