The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars

The album that catapulted David Bowie into super glam rock stardom celebrated its 49th anniversary a few days ago, June 16th - to be exact. In the years since its release, this record has lost none of its fervour or impact. 

On a personal note, this was the album that really kicked off my love of Bowie. I had been something of a casual fan before I was given this record on CD as a birthday present. It must have been early 2000s, methinks; the specific year I'm unsure of. The album was reissued on CD in 1999 as part of The David Bowie Series - 24 Bit Digitally Remastered range, and it's these editions that now dominate my Bowie collection. 

Furthermore, this album is also very special to me because it was the first one that I learned and performed in full to a live audience. In fact, the Wesleys just celebrated 7 years since we played this record for the then-Newport Record Club in Fremantle. Time, it marches ever on.

Having been released four years before I was born, I marvel at what a ripple this record would have sent through the world. Not only was there delicious candy for the ears to enjoy, but also a mysterious, androgynous figure delighting in blurring the lines between genders and sexuality. Someone who outsiders could identify with and take strength from. The sexual revolution of the 1960s had paved the way for experimental behaviours and with it, some sense of abandon and freedom. Before that freedom had a severe sting in the tail when the harsh consequences of unprotected sex hit in the early 1980s, this was an era were many felt they could find their true self and their own sense of identity. 

Bowie lit the way for many who felt they didn't belong anywhere, and in the creation of alien rock star Ziggy Stardust, he personified the ultimate outsider. Ziggy is lost in the rock n' roll lifestyle on a planet that only five years of life left. The opening song Five Years sets the scene beautifully with little vignettes of how different people react of this news. Not only one of favourite Bowie songs, I think it's one of my favourite album openers ever. Bookended by fading in and out drums, it's just brilliant. I love the slow build, I love the lyrics, I love the arrangements and production. What else can I say? It's tops.

Some of Bowie's best-known material from the early seventies are on this album. Starman, Suffragette City and, of course, the stunning title cut (kinda). One of the greatest Bowie songs to come out of the Ziggy era, Ziggy Stardust also has the distinction of being my wife's favourite song. Like, ever. The first time I heard the words "Now, Ziggy played guitar..." was on the TV advertisement for the new Changesbowie compilation album, around 1990. It was intercut with other snippets of songs; some I knew, some I didn't. I ended up buying a copy of it on cassette while my family and I were in Bali, and the songs from this album that appeared on that tape I then heard for the very first time.

One song from this album that has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in recent years is Moonage Daydream, after it featured in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Deservedly so, too; it's a cracker! It even found a home on 2014's Nothing Has Changed retrospective Bowie collection. Definitely a big highlight for me. Once the opening lyrics hit: "I'm an alligatorrrrr!", you're hooked and you jump on for the cosmic journey. Great stuff, with a suitably out-of-this-world guitar solo from Mick Ronson at the song's end.

Ronson would also add piano, organ, synth, backing vocals and string arrangements to this album. Along with the rhythm section of drummer Mick 'Woody' Woodmansey and bassist Trevor Bolder, Bowie had his backing band known as, you guessed it, The Spiders from Mars. A different line-up of the group without Ronson (or Bowie) released a self-titled album in 1976. Except for the uncredited harpsichord from Rick Wakeman and backing vocals from Dana Gillespie on It Ain't Easy, the whole record was the product of the Bowie and the three Spiders. 

It Ain't Easy is a bizarre choice to include on this album. Written by American songwriter Ron Davies, it sticks out like a sore thumb. It doesn't seem to fit with the album's loose narrative, and I'd have to say that it's the weakest track here as well. One wonders if it was chosen for filler, to bring the album to a decent length. But why was it picked over cracking tracks like John, I'm Only Dancing and Velvet Goldmine, which didn't find homes on an album? I think if you remove It Ain't Easy and replace it with either one or both songs this record would be even better.

Other big highlights for me include the ode to Marc Bolan, Lady Stardust and the anthemic stomper Hang On To Yourself. What a rockin' tune! Of course, another jewel in the album's crown is closing track Rock 'N' Roll Suicide, which ties every up in a neat little package. Bowie's rousing delivery of "Oh no, love, you're not alone" is one of his most iconic moments. When the strings signal the end of the song, and with it the album, you feel like you've gone on some kind of journey. Whether you feel thankful that you're not a dead alien rock star or not on a planet doomed to live for only five more years, you can certainly be thankful for the music.

I give this 4.5/5 and I will no doubt listen to it again. 

NEXT UP: Tonight - September 1st

(yes, quite the gap now, huh? I'll have to blog about something else in the interim)

Heathen

One of only four studio albums that Bowie released this century, Heathen turns 19 today. Seen by many as a return to form after 1999's meandering Hours..., this record boasts some of Bowie's strongest late-era material. It was Bowie's highest charting album in the US since Tonight in 1984. The cover artwork is quite striking as well, but good covers don't necessarily equate to good records. I'm looking at you, Aladdin Sane! He he he...

The album is bookended by two excellent Bowie numbers, Sunday and the title track, Heathen (The Rays). Both rely on creating unsettling sonic landscapes, and are fairly simple and unassuming...but effective. They were also regularly performed during Bowie's A Reality Tour in 2003/04. The record opener seems to be constantly leading up to some sort of crescendo, and when it finally arrives the track fades out. Interestingly, the song contains the lyric "nothing has changed" which was the title given to Bowie's 2014 compilation sets. 

There are three cover versions on this album, and I only really like one of them. I'm not much of a Pixies fan, and his go at Cactus does little to change that. The Legendary Stardust Cowboy song I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship also gets  an airing; an obvious tip of the hat to a hugely influential performer for Bowie (who inspired the name Ziggy Stardust). However, the track itself is underwhelming and comes across as album filler. The cover of Neil Young's I've Been Waiting For You is fantastic, and I love what Bowie and co. did with it. The original track appeared on Young's 1968 self-titled debut album, and while it had a quiet menace about it, this version puts that emotion front-and-centre. Understandably, the song was released as a single in Young's native Canada. Also, it has Dave Grohl playing guitar on it!

Heathen was produced in an era of CD dominated releases, so there was no real need to worry about its sides. Having procured the vinyl edition earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the flipping of the record serves the album. Ending the first side with that Young cover is excellent. It's quite a good closer, but gives a great sense of 'we'll be right back'. The second side starts with I Would Be Your Slave, an almost deliberate juxtaposition in tone from the track proceeding it. In an interview with Michael Parkinson, Bowie revealed ...Slave to be his favourite cut on the album. While not my favourite, it's still a good one, benefiting from some excellent bass work from co-producer Tony Visconti.

Speaking of bass work, the wonderful Tony Levin guest basses on album highlight Slip Away. A great track that reminisces about The Uncle Floyd Show, an American variety/comedy TV program that ran from 1974 to 1998. Not something I'd ever heard of until this song came along, to be honest. That doesn't take away from the melancholic longing felt throughout the song though. 

Getting back to sides of the record, I feel that the second half is stronger. Aside from the aforementioned LSC cover, it's all killer. Two of my big favourites follow, 5:15 Angels Have Gone and Everyone Says 'Hi', and I rate them both as some of Bowie's best work of the 21st century. The former is a great showcase for Bowie's vocals and in the hands of other artists, the latter could have been written off as poppy schmaltz. The first time I heard it, I felt a big grin on my face. The song just makes me feel happy. Other highlights on this album for me are the first single Slow Burn (featuring Pete Townshend on lead guitar) and the penultimate 
A Better Future.

The bulk of the music is performed by Bowie, Visconti, guitarist David Torn and drummer Matt Chamberlain. Contributions also came from musicians who would go on to be in his band for the A Reality Tour, namely guitarist Gerry Leonard and drummer Stirling Campbell. The wonderful string arrangements are performed by The Scorchio Quartet, and the brass comes courtesy of The Borneo Horns. Old mate Carlos Alomar turns up on a couple of tracks, and session muso Lisa Germano adds some violin.

All in all, the good definitely outweighs the bad, and this album is one of the strongest offerings in Bowie's catalog. I give this 4/5, and I just listened to it again!

NEXT UP: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars - June 16th (ish)

Diamond Dogs

Bowie's eighth studio album turned 47 years old just a few days ago (24th May). It is the first record of his to not feature Mick Ronson since 1970's The Man Who Sold The World. Also absent are the other members of Ziggy Stardust's band The Spiders from Mars, bassist (and sideburn enthusiast) Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick 'Woody' Woodmansey. The rhythm section on Diamond Dogs consists of legendary session bass player Herbie Flowers and the excellent Aynsley Dunbar on the drums, who had played with Bowie the previous year on his covers album Pin Ups. Dunbar also played with Frank Zappa for much of the early 70s as part of the new Mothers line-up(s). Drummer Tony Newman also contributes and Mike Garson continues to keep his spot as Bowie's keyboardist. 

This album also sees Bowie handling all of the guitar duties. Something I was not aware of until quite recently. It was an offhand remark from a fellow behind the bar at a gig that made me dig out my copy and read the liner notes. Bugger me, he was right! Guitarist Alan Parker (not the film director) does splash some wah-wah magic onto the track 1984, and has also been credited with adding the last three notes to the riff of Rebel Rebel. In addition to the guitar, Bowie plays saxophone, Mellotron and Moog synthesiser as well. Except for Rock 'n' Roll With Me, which was co-written with Geoff McCormack (AKA Warren Peace), Bowie penned all of the album's songs.

I've never really held this album in high esteem, partly because I never really dug the title track, which initially put me off the record as a whole. While I like it a little more now, it's far from my favourite Bowie song. However, the record itself has grown on me considerably in recent years, partly because of my 'late-to-the-party' fondness for the Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (reprise) suite. The aforementioned wah guitar on 1984 certainly helps too. 

Diamond Dogs is the last glam rock album Bowie recorded, and the end of the Ziggy Stardust persona (despite a very Ziggy-esque looking human/dog hybrid appearing on the cover). A possible new character is revealed as Halloween Jack in the title track, but it's not someone who remains part of the album's loose concept. Bowie had intended to create a musical version of George Orwell's novel 1984, but was shut down by Orwell's widow. Some of the ashes of this project remain in the form of the songs 1984 and Big Brother. 

Similarly to the Ziggy Stardust album opener Five Years, Diamond Dogs begins with the brief mood-setting, and somewhat unsettling, Future Legend. Basically, it's an eerie monologue with creepy sounds and effects that gives way to the noise of a live audience and the famous shouted line: "This ain't rock 'n' roll...this is genocide!". After the semi-classic title track we are treated to, in my opinion, the best moment of the record, Sweet Thing.

What a song! It's become of my quintessential Bowie tracks. I love how it starts with a fairly slow musical build, adding to its theatrical feel. Bowie delivers the opening line in a lower register, teeming with quiet menace: "It's safe in the city/To love in a doorway", conjuring up images of depravity, and an ominous sense of what the futuristic metropolis where the album takes place must feel like. When Bowie jumps up an octave, it gives me goosebumps every time! That chorus gets stuck in my head from time to time too. Watching Bernard Fowler perform Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (reprise) on the livestreamed A Bowie Celebration in January this year was absolutely amazing. His rendition captured the spirit of Bowie, but he made it his own at the same time. That moment was my absolute highlight of the whole show.

While Sweet Thing works quite well on its own, the following Candidate and reprise don't so much. Repeating themes and lyrics from the former, they need to be heard as a whole suite to work. One wonders why it wasn't just one big track. Like when Silverchair had Those Thieving Birds pt1/Strange Behaviour/Those Thieving Birds pt2 as one song on 2007's excellent Young Modern album. If you have the Diamond Dogs album on your iPod or favourites playlist on a streaming service, it's a little jarring to hear Candidate away from the Sweet Thing(s). Minor quibble, but there you go.

The first side ends with the bonafide classic Rebel Rebel, delivering one of the most satisfying 'Side A's in the Bowie catalogue. Things get a little hit and miss from here on the flip side. Rock 'n' Roll With Me and We Are the Dead aren't anything sensational, with the former arguably being the least interesting track on the album. I do quite like 1984 and Big Brother though, and one wonders what Bowie would have come up with, had his Orwellian musical been able to reach fruition. 1984 has an almost pre-disco feel and the anthemic chorus sounds like it indeed belongs in a musical. 

The short final track Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family is not much more than repeated bursts of 'shake it up' or 'move it up' or 'brother/bro'. Maybe it was somehow tied to the 1984 narrative, but it's an odd way to end the album. Bizarrely, I find the song's title more creative and entertaining than the actual track.

Anyway, while the album's loose concept doesn't really come off, there is a sense of a dingy, apocalyptic world in the future. There is a lot to like here, and I will offer up the controversial opinion that it's more listenable than Aladdin Sane. 

So, I give this 3.5/5 and will be listening to some parts quite a bit in the future. He he he..

NEXT UP: Heathen - June 11th

Lodger

Bowie's 13th album Lodger was released forty two years ago last week, on the 18th of May. I was unable to get a-bloggin' about it then, so here is my a-blog now. Fair enough? The final offering of the supposed 'Berlin Trilogy', even though it was recorded in Switzerland and New York City. One of the big factors connecting the three albums (Low, "Heroes" and Lodger - for the uninitiated) is Brian Eno, who Bowie met in 1976. While Eno co-wrote several songs on these albums, they were helmed by multi-instrumentalist and frequent collaborator Tony Visconti, who produced the albums with Bowie. 

This record stands out from the three as arguably the weakest entry, and the only one not to feature any instrumental tracks. There's also a pop sensibility that permeates the music, despite some experimental sounds and Middle Eastern influences. Another difference is the addition of guitarist Adrian Belew, who Bowie had recently poached from Frank Zappa. Other contributing musicians include bassist George Murray, drummer Dennis Davis, violinist Simon House and pianist Sean Mayes. Frequent Bowie band member Carlos Alomar is also on guitar duties and co-wrote a couple of tracks as well. 

Wow, my thumb obscures the album's title - rookie move.
(Although you can make out 'Lodger' in four different languages below)

I must confess to not being the biggest fan of this offering, but there are a handful of songs I absolutely love. Seeing as it's been a fair few years since my last full listen, now seems like an excellent opportunity to remedy that. Let's go song by song: 

1. FANTASTIC VOYAGE
One of my favourite opening tracks from a Bowie album, and my pick of the songs here. Featuring an absolutely brilliant vocal performance from him, this would probably be in my Top 20 Bowie songs as well. Apparently the track has several overdubbed mandolin parts, three different musicians playing three parts each! Doesn't feel like that much mando, in fact, the song's production feels quite simple to my ears. I was stoked to see Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross do an understated performance of this song for the livestream event, A Bowie Celebration, early this year. It was included in Bowie's live document A Reality Tour as well, much to my delight. Short and sweet, I actually hit repeat twice before listening to the rest of the album. The song is also the first of six songs that were co-written with Brian Eno.

2. AFRICAN NIGHT FLIGHT
There's a lot going on here. Bowie's vocal delivery borders on annoying and there's too many lyrics to take in at times. I'm sure it's the product of Eno's bizarre 'Oblique Strategies cards', but it feels like noisy filler. Interesting Middle Eastern hook, but it's a bit of mess, for mine.

3. MOVE ON
Another song that's not that memorable. Some nice vocal harmonies and a pleasant enough listen, but nothing that sticks with you. 

4. YASSASSIN (TURKISH FOR 'LONG LIVE')
Not the greatest track here, but I do like the melody of the repeated 'yassassin' with the call and answer responses: "I'm not a moody guy/I walk without a sound". Almost a ska/reggae vibe on this one, complete with wobbly organ part. 

5. RED SAILS
Now, I don't mind this one. The vocal line is quite hooky and I found myself singing the "thunder ocean" bit repeatedly after my first re-listen. The melody-mirroring saxophone was provided by Stan Harrison, not Bowie himself. I do find it bizarre when he doesn't play the sax. Belew sounds like he was finally let off the chain a bit here too. The album itself starts to get a bit more interesting from this point on. 

6. DJ
One of a handful of songs that started to appear deriding the radio industry, the attitudes of those who helm the song choices and the decisions of what makes the airwaves. I first heard this track on the 1993 compilation Singles Collection Vol. 2, and took a while to warm to it. I dig it a lot more now, and it's certainly one of the album highlights. Co-written with Alomar, this song features a lot of guitar work from Belew and a memorable chorus line: "I am a DJ/I am what I play". 

7. LOOK BACK IN ANGER
Not a bad track, but doesn't really go anywhere. It seems like it stays in the same place without really moving forward, despite the galloping feel of the song. Bowie's vocal performance is terrific though, and the sound production of the band is pretty good.

8. BOYS KEEP SWINGING
Possibly the album's most renowned track, and another big highlight for me. The instrumentation and arrangement reminds me of early Roxy Music. I really love the bassline, which was re-recorded by Visconti after the experimental idea of the musicians swapping instruments didn't quite work. That's Alomar on the drums! He he he... I only just learned that this song also has the same chord progression as Fantastic Voyage. Now, I can't stop swapping the two songs around! 

9. REPETITION
A harrowing account of domestic violence, belied by the track's bouncy bassline. Bowie's near-emotionless vocals are especially chilling, as it would seem the song's narrator has no qualms about beating his wife. Not really an enjoyable listen, but an interesting one. 

10. RED MONEY
The album's final offering isn't too bad, and has Eno playing that synth sound throughout. Some nice crunchy guitar, and overdubbed vocals. Again, like some previous tracks, it feels a little meandering and comes across as filler. Its fadeout is almost merciful, as the song feels like it could just keep going. 

All in all, it's not brilliant, but has its moments. I give it 3 out of 5. Would listen to some of it again.

NEXT UP: Diamond Dogs. Eeep! This one was a little late...

Be kind. That's it.

I'm seeing more signs like this in shops and drive throughs around Perth, and it makes me very sad. Why do people need a reminder to be nice and treat others with respect? What really chills me is imagining what some customer service employees have been subjected to. What events have transpired to motivate management to make and display a sign to tell (potential) customers to mind their manners? 

Are we becoming angrier or less patient as a society? Is technology to blame? Are we becoming accustomed to some processes of daily life taking less time and expecting other areas to follow suit? The world is in a fair bit of turmoil at the moment, and I have no doubt that COVID-19 with its restrictions, border closures and deaths are making many feel stressed and anxious about the future. However, feeling stressed is not a license to take out your frustrations on the next person you interact with. 

The strife and chaos in headlines at home and around the world are enough to fill the average person with dread and anger. The sexual abuse of women in Parliament House, Aboriginal deaths in custody, people struggling to find housing, the senseless killing of George Floyd, the bungled COVID-19 vaccination roll-out in Australia, the devastation of Kalbarri by Cyclone Seroja, the rising instances of domestic violence, to name but a few. While watching the news, I think I usually let out at least one audible 'far out' during a viewing. There's an anger, and also a sense of fear, that is permeating through more and more people. 

I was shocked, but not entirely surprised, with the incredibly high amount of shootings in the US recently. Over 20 separate incidents across the country in the last month or so. That's a very scary statistic. Americans must be scared to leave their house! I know I would be! It would be so hard to send your children to school.

But, on a local unarmed front, why are more people letting fly at those trying to serve them? Why was there a need for the 'No One Deserves a Serve' ads around Christmas time? Having worked in retail in the past, I know that customers can be fickle or difficult, but I don't think I ever got abused. Christmas can be a stressful time of year for many people, and getting everything sorted for the holiday period seems to bring out the worst in some. We all get frustrated when things don't go the way we hope or plan, but what makes someone throw manners and courtesy to the side and just let spray. No consideration for the other person's feelings (or in extreme cases, well-being). No care if the person they're addressing is personally responsible for the issue or not. No concern of who sees them blow their stack. 

What goes through someone's brain to think it's okay to unload all their frustrations onto a complete stranger? Is it the lack of ramification? Knowing that there will be minimal consequences, while hiding behind 'the customer is always right'? Maybe my past as a retail worker makes me more empathetic towards people in customer service. I hate seeing people being rude to those that are employed to serve them. Those who feel some are beneath them. It's horrible to see that contempt. There's an old saying that you can judge a person's character by how they treat others who can't do anything for them. Or something like that.

Another disturbing trend of late is bagging out movies or TV shows that aren't exactly what fans expect. Or abusing actors online because they don't like what their character is doing in their favourite program. Sometimes the fact that the character even exists is an affront to the person with the issue. Or chewing out directors or writer or producers for 'ruining their childhood' with the latest offering of a franchise. I totally understand being disappointed by a film or an episode of something, and I have myself expressed those feelings online. However, I've never targeted a particular individual and subjected them to various outpourings of venom and vitriol. 

One fairly recent example of this was what was happening to Wyatt Russell, who starred in Disney+'s recent The Falcon and the Winter Soldier streaming TV series. He portrayed the role of John Walker, the new Captain America. Rather than separate the person from the character, Russell himself received death threats and his social media accounts were being bullied. Russell is not actually on those platforms, and it was the fake accounts that were inadvertently being targeted. 

Apparently, Russell has taken these barbs in his stride, enjoying the fact that people have hated Walker (or 'fake Captain America') as much as they have. That was the point. You weren't supposed to like him. Russell's so good at his craft that he made people angry at him. But it's a TV show! It's not real! What makes someone go, 'Dang, I hate this character! I'm going to abuse the actor bringing it to life'. I was horrified when I learnt what some 'fans' of Star Wars did to Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose in Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. Such was the abuse she was subjected to, she deleted her Instagram posts and left social media entirely. Not only did they criticise the character, some felt compelled to attack the actor's performance, and others made comments of a personal nature. Who wants to be exposed to horrible racial trolling on a daily basis? No one.

In the age we live in, it's so much easier to interact with celebrities, and in some cases, that's not a good thing. For all the lovely messages of support and encouragement famous people receive on social media, there's almost certainly a percentage of nasty and toxic ones. 

I don't have any solutions or answers to the questions I've posed, but I felt like expressing my feelings. We're all in this thing together, and no one is getting out of here alive. So, while we're sharing the planet with one another, let's remember our manners. Let's think of other people. I had the hypothetical idea a while ago that The Meaning Of Life was to learn to live together in harmony. It costs nothing to be polite or civil. No one really knows what is going on in someone else's life, particularly a stranger's. 

Be kind. That's it.

I'll leave the final words of this post to the frontman of The Church, Mr Steve Kilbey. In a recent interview with X-Press Magazine he expressed regret at his actions as a younger musician, feeling that being aloof and difficult was the wrong way to handle success. "It was a mistake. I should have been a nicer person all along. Being a nice person is the best thing in life and I didn’t understand that." 

Nuff said.

Never Let Me Down

Generally seen by many as the nadir of Bowie's output, Never Let Me Down celebrates its 34th birthday today. Released at the height of 80s excess, this album has some truly baffling moments. The cover being an obvious one, but the biggest of which is probably Mickey Rourke delivering a 'rap' on Shining Star (Makin' My Love) - true story! It sits at an interesting point in Bowie's career; his second album after 1983's smash Let's Dance and his last before forming Tin Machine. The record marks the first time Bowie played an instrument on an album of his since 1980's Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), picking up the guitar and keys again.

It's worth noting that while Bowie had enjoyed massive worldwide success in the wake of the Let's Dance album (and the subsequent Serious Moonlight tour in 1983), he was also appearing on the big screen fairly regularly. From 1983 to 1986, Bowie starred in no less than six movies, including Labyrinth, Absolute Beginners and Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence. This heavy workload could be a factor in the decline of the quality of some of his output in the eighties. 

Amongst Bowie's band are old mate Carlos Alomar on guitar, bassist Carmine Rojas, Phillipe Saisse on piano, percussionist Errol "Crusher" Bennett and Robin Clark returns on backing vocals alongside Diva Gray, Lani Groves and Gordon Grody. Clark did contribute to Bowie's previous effort Tonight, but up until that point she had not been on a recording of his since 1975's Young Americans. Multi-instrumentalist Erdal Kızılçay makes his first appearance on a Bowie album here as well, playing keyboards, drums, violin, trumpet as well as doing a bit of bass work and backing vocals. Renowned session muso Sid McGinnis plays lead guitar on three tracks, and Peter Frampton(!) also adds some guitar and sitar to the proceedings. 

I haven't spent a lot of time with this record over the years. I think I have only ever listened to it in full once or twice. So, it's been an interesting one to revisit. The first two tracks, Day-In Day-Out and Time Will Crawl are fairly enjoyable, and catchy enough to sing along to. Both songs were released as singles with the former managing to break the Top 20 in the UK, and the Top 5 in Sweden and Finland though. Depending on which chart you look at, Day-In Day-Out cracked the Top 5 in the US as well. Deeply entrenched in the eighties production styles of the era, both these songs are arguably the album's highlights. Even the next track following those two, Beat of Your Drum is fairly listenable, although its main hook is very reminiscent of Springsteen's Glory Days and the lyrics are less than subtle: "I'd like to beat on your drum/I'll like to blow on your horn". 

The title track, co-written with Alomar, was also released as a single, and is a pleasant enough track. Featuring some harmonica lines from Bowie himself, the vocal take was apparently influenced by John Lennon, with the song an expression of gratitude to Bowie's PA Coco Schwab. As with most of the album, a subtler approach to the track's production could have brought its nuances to the fore, rather than bury them with noise. Rather than simply being a nice listen, it could have really been something. The single would be the last original solo Bowie release until 1992. 

Bowie's penchant for the theatrical gets an airing with Glass Spider, another cluttered track with an opening monologue. The song would give its name to the next tour he would embark on. That's about as memorable as it gets. The rest of the album is a mishmash of overproduced eighties pop that buries much of its potential by eating itself. 

It's certainly a product of the era it appeared in. While it isn't a brilliant offering from Bowie, it's not all bad. Unfortunately, the bad outweighs the good. I give this 2/5. May not listen again.

NEXT UP: Lodger - May 18th *

EPILOGUE: Apparently Bowie was dissatisfied with how this album came out and wanted to re-record it with Reeves Gabrels shortly after they went 1987. This notion was flirted with a lot over the years, and while it never eventuated in his lifetime. In 2008, Mario J. McNulty remixed Time Will Crawl for an iSelect compilation, and Bowie is said to have remarked that he should do the whole Never Let Me Down album while was at it. So it came to pass that a new remixed and re-recorded version of the record was released in October 2018, some 31 years after the fact. The sessions were produced by McNulty with musicians including Gabrels, Sterling Campbell, David Torn, Nico Muhly, Tim Lefebvre and Laurie Anderson. Bowie's original vocals were kept intact, as well as other minor musical elements. Never Let Me Down 2018 was released as a separate album, and was also part of the Loving the Alien (1983-1988) box set. As yet, I have not released to it.

* I was bedridden with a back injury, and missed the 18th May release date. Got there in the end!

Let's Dance

When I was a kid my dad had a taped copy of this album. I have a feeling the other side of the cassette had Queen's Hot Space on it. Ahhh, the early eighties. This was the record that pushed Bowie into super-duper stardom. Add to that the boom of MTV, the rise of the video clip, and Bowie was everywhere! You could write a decent post purely on the impact the Let's Dance video had at the time. It's hard to believe that today marks 38 years since the arrival of Let's Dance. Well, maybe not that hard, but my my, the time do fly!

Indeed some of my first Bowie experiences were with songs from this album. You couldn't escape the first three singles on the radio or the TV. The only earlier Bowie tune I remember before this album was Ashes to Ashes, and I would have been four years old when that was released. I have vivid memories of watching the clown in slow motion on Countdown in our old lounge room in Morley. 

Let's Dance was, and remains, Bowie's biggest selling album, hitting the No.1 position on charts around the world. The following Serious Moonlight Tour ran from May to December of 1983, and played throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Bowie spent half a month in the country of Japan, where his popularity was at a career peak. He even played three shows at the Perth Entertainment Centre in November of that year. I think I remember black and white posters in the Sunday Times or the West advertising the concerts. I was living in Albany at that point, and wasn't the Bowie fan that I am now. And I would have been seven years old and short on cash and transport, he he he.

But, let's take a look at the album. Co-produced by Bowie with Nile Rodgers, this is one of the few Bowie records where he doesn't play an instrument. The band assembled for the studio sessions include Carmine Rojas on bass, Robert Sabino on keys, the double drumming attack of Omar Hakim and Tony Thompson, percussionist Sammy Figuera, oh, and some guy called Stevie Ray Vaughan on lead guitar. There was also a powerful horn section and backing vocalists a-plenty. 

The very first noise we hear is that of SRV's guitar as Modern Love kicks the record off. His distinctive sound and style adds a lot to the early eighties production, and some songs have aged well; while others have not. The first three songs, Modern Love, China Girl and the title track, were also the first three singles of the record. They also form the strongest part of the album. The fourth and last single, Without You, is largely overlooked, but it's not a bad track. It's just hard for anything here to stack up against those three songs. Interestlingly, it's not Rojas on the bass, but Bernard Edwards, who co-formed Chic with Rodgers. 

The quality of the songs dips somewhat on the second half; or side, depending on your format. Cat People (Putting Out Fire) was originally recorded for the soundtrack of the 1982 film The Hunger, which also starred Bowie. Apparently, he wasn't happy with how it came out, hence it's re-recorded appearance here. I initially preferred this version, but after seeing its use in Inglourious Basterds, I now like the original better. Richochet and Shake It are pleasant enough to listen to, the former using some interesting syncopation, but the latter comes across as pure filler. The only cover is a version of Metro's 1977 song Criminal World, which seems to be a baffling choice, for mine.

When this record came out that I started to realise there were album versions and single versions of the same song. The version of Let's Dance on my dad's cassette was longer than the one I saw on TV. I didn't know that was a thing that record companies had started doing. Obviously, songs were commonly cut to either fit radio formats (Billy Joel's Piano Man was famously edited down on its initial release) or TV spots, but I was largely unaware until this album. Bizarre to think that is one of the memories I associate with Let's Dance. I also remembering wondering what the heck 'serious moonlight' was. In fact, I still wonder. He he he...

I give this 3/5. Would dabble a little again.

NEXT UP: Never Let Me Down - 27th April