EART HL I NG

Wait, Bowie likes NIN? He's dabbling in industrial rock? I can remember the fervour which surrounded the release of Earthling, which saw Bowie reinvent himself, and his sound, yet again. The album celebrates its 24th anniversary today, so I'm going to delve back into it. 

Recorded shortly after the end of his 1.Outside tour, Bowie co-produced the record with fellow Tin Machine member, guitarist Reeves Gabrels, and NY musician Tony Plati. Gabrels and Bowie had been working together since 1987, during which period the two Tin Machine albums were released and the aforementioned 1. Outside record. He only contributed a guitar solo to 1993's underrated Black Tie White Noise, but would go on to appear on 1999's Hours before the two parted ways.

Joining the trio in the studio(s) would be bassist Gail Ann Dorsey and drummer Zack Alford (who were both recruited for the 1. Outside tour), and longtime Bowie band member Mike Garson on keyboards. Any saxophone you hear is courtesy of Bowie as well. 

This was also the first Bowie album to be wholly digital recorded, allowing Bowie and Gabrels to write songs quickly and also experiment with loops and electronic sounds. The whole thing was recorded in three weeks, apparently. 

Now, while this is an album that I'm very fond of, I don't think that it's very cohesive. I feel that there are four excellent songs here, one half-decent track and the rest are either just curious or not quite realised. The cover would almost imply this as being some sort of concept record, but it isn't. However cool that jacket is, it doesn't mark the arrival of a new Bowie persona.

So, let me start with the good. The opening track, Little Wonder, was the first song I heard off the album, and I think it could have been from back in the days I still listened to Triple J. I'd only moved back to Perth about six months earlier, and it was either via the radio or TV (or maybe Max on Foxtel - before it sucked) that I was exposed to the new Bowie single. I remember thinking that it was quite a different direction for him (I know, right?) but I liked it. I liked it a lot. I've grown to really dig it over the years. That jarring keyboard intro, those loud guitar sounds, that repetitive 'so far away' reprise, it's all good. Apparently part of Dorsey's bassline on the track came about while she was messing with her pedal board, unaware she was being recorded. 

The next song that came along was the third single, Dead Man Walking. Again, this is a fantastic track with some amazing drumming from Alford, squealy guitar lines from Gabrels and an excellent piano outro from Garson. I think on the strength of those two tracks, I sought out the album. After a few spins, other favourites revealed themselves, particularly the wall of guitar noise that greeted me in the opening few moments of Battle for Britain (The Letter). Now revered as a classic, I'm Afraid of Americans was another highlight for me. The arrangement of that song has changed somewhat between this recording and the 2003/04 Reality tour. Not sure which one I like better. Bizarrely, the first appearance of the song was on the Showgirls soundtrack in 1995??! A rough version, which eventually got worked into the song we know and love today. 

I have a bit of love/hate thing with the final track, Law (Earthlings on Fire), as it can be sometimes hypnotic, and at other times annoying. I do dig the repeated, distorted vocal 'I don't want knowledge/I want certainty!' though. Looking For Satellites has a cool gimmick of repeated words sung in almost monotone ('Nowhere/Shampoo/TV/Combat/Boyzone/Slim tie/Showdown/Can't stop...'), but it doesn't really go anywhere. It just seems to give Gabrels another chance to unleash some squealy guitar riffing. Telling Lies is a noisy slice of ominous atmospherics and The Last Thing You Should Do employs a relentless loop that doesn't let up for the whole track. It gets a little much after a few minutes. Now, Seven Years in Tibet has its moments. I really like the saxophone lines and the way the band kicks in for the mood shift. One of the few songs where you can hear Dorsey's backing vocals as well, with Dead Man Walking being another. 

I recently discovered that there were plans for Bowie to re-record some older songs to fill up the album, but the prolific sessions bore more new material. A couple of Tin Machine tracks were actually in line to be included in the album's final tracklisting; I Can't Read from their debut album and Baby Universal from their follow-up. The recordings were officially released on last year's Is It Any Wonder? EP. Bowie did another version of I Can't Read the same year for The Ice Storm soundtrack. Maybe he felt he never found the right arrangement for the song, or just began to enjoy it more, as it found its way into setlists during the late 90s on several occasions. 

So, in my mind, this record is a flawed effort, but the good outweighs the bad. 3/5, would listen again. 

NEXT UP: Young Americans - 7th March