David Bowie
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URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=48234
Printed Date: April 25 2024 at 03:51
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Topic: David Bowie
Posted By: burtonrulez
Subject: David Bowie
Date Posted: April 30 2008 at 16:18
| Hey. I've seen in the forums many threads about the musical chamelon, comedian, corinthian and charicature that is David Bowie, but they all end up on the theme of wether or not he should be included on the archives. This is not the purpose of this thread. I want people to discuss there views on this artist who has given us such wonderful music over the past decades. I am not, I repeat NOT claiming that Ziggy/The Thin white Duke/Aladdin Sane et al. is prog. He isn't (most of the time). |
Replies:
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: April 30 2008 at 16:36
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He's one of if not my favorite artist. I know he does have the most
technically outstanding voice, but he's up with Hammill and Gabriel as
my favorite vocalist. I think he makes great decisions while singing
and adds very many subtles that distinguish between a good singer and a
great singer. Musically he gives you plenty of variety to feed on, which is one of the most important things in an artist to me if I'm following their entire career. Another is consistancy which he mainted up until lodge IMO. I used to be able to state a favorite album of his, however now it fluctuates between Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust, and Young Americans depending on my mood. ------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. " |
Posted By: burtonrulez
Date Posted: May 01 2008 at 10:43
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Hmmm... I wonder why you say up to Lodger? I think Scary Monsters is a great album.
I could definitely pin down Hunky Dory as my favourite album, but The Man Who Sold the World comes close.
By the way any thoughts on DBs self-titled debut. A bit diferent isn't it?
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Posted By: Linkzie
Date Posted: May 01 2008 at 11:49
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David Bowie is an amazing artist & Outside is his best album, IMO. I wish he would release the outtakes he recorded from Outside (known as the "Leon" tapes) as a boxset sometime soon!
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Posted By: Easy Money
Date Posted: May 01 2008 at 12:22
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I agree with your policy of "let's not turn this into an argument about PA inclusion", having been in a few of those arguments when I first joined the site, I really don't enjoy discussions like that at all. Having said that, I am an older guy and was around when progressive rock was just getting started and we always pretty much considered Bowie to be "progressive rock". I think he lost his good standing with the Let's Dance album and I am sure many younger people who grew up when that bland album was everywhere would have a hard time seeing him as progressive. There you have it, a little history for you younger folks and maybe some insight into why people see him different ways. It might also be hard for people to imagine that early in his career Elton John was considered to be fairly progressive. ------------- Help the victims of the russian invasion: http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=28523&PID=130446&title=various-ways-you-can-help-ukraine#130446 |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: May 01 2008 at 13:07
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What got me into Bowie was when I first heard some tracks of Heroes on a local progressive radio show. I pretty much like everything he's done whenever he gets together with famous progressive musicians. Heathen, Heroes, Low, Outside, Scary Monsters, Lodger are tops with me.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: burtonrulez
Date Posted: May 01 2008 at 16:10
| Yes I can see how tracks from ''Heroes'' would definitely be attractive to a prog fan. |
Posted By: Dean
Date Posted: May 01 2008 at 17:31
He worked with nearly "famous progressive musicians" on the Space Oddity album - the most notable being Rick Wakeman and John Lodge, but Tim Renwick, Keith Christmas, Herbie Flowers and Paul Buckmaster also have prog connections. ------------- What? |
Slartibartfast wrote:Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: May 01 2008 at 19:00
There are a few albums I haven't heard yet, and that is actually one of them, I've done a pretty good job collecting albums from Heroes forward, still have much exploring to do in the other direction. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: BroSpence
Date Posted: May 01 2008 at 23:54
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Bowie is awesome! I got to see him on the last tour which was great. He is not only one of the best recording artists ever, but an omega ba BOOOOM performer. Even in a big stadium he can make you feel like its a tiny room. Aladdin Sane, Lodger, Never Let Me Down, Heathen are my top picks for best Bowie albums. |
Posted By: Equality 7-2521
Date Posted: May 02 2008 at 02:00
I liked Scary Monsters very much, however I didn't enjoy Lodger. When I said up to I did not mean up to and including. ------------- "One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. " |
Posted By: burtonrulez
Date Posted: May 02 2008 at 02:09
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you like Never Let Me Down, BroSpence. That's a horrifyingly BAD album in my opinionPosted By: BroSpence
Date Posted: May 03 2008 at 01:57
I don't see what is so bad about it. Bowie is great on it. The guitar playing is excellent. Its also a good segue into the Tin Machine era which I also enjoyed (minus the Lennon cover). I also though Black Tie White Noise was pretty good. |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: May 03 2008 at 17:07
Never Let Me Down falls into the category of "it could have been a lot better if he had progged out on it". Maybe relatively bad but it stays in my collection, plus I got it used for a reasonable price. ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: May 03 2008 at 18:03
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"Lodger" is by far the most prog album of Bowie and definitely my favourite.
-------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: DocJ
Date Posted: May 05 2008 at 16:04
| " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Ziggy_Stardust_and_the_Spiders_from_Mars - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars " is his best album. I don't care if it's Prog or not. |
Posted By: Guzzman
Date Posted: May 07 2008 at 04:07
It was The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars which really got me into David Bowie back then (which is almost 36 years ago  ) and it is my favorite DB-album. To me it still sounds fresh every time I put it on. I also like Heroes a lot, but after that I somehow seem to have lost track on Bowie. Maybe I should dig deeper into his later works.------------- "We've got to get in to get out" |
Posted By: Avantgardehead
Date Posted: May 07 2008 at 14:48
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So far, I only like "Space Oddity" (the song), the ambient halves of Low and Heroes, and the first track from Heathen. This guy's discography is so varied (even within the albums) that it gets pretty frustrating...
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Avantgardian |
Posted By: burtonrulez
Date Posted: May 07 2008 at 16:31
| hmmm... I guess 'Never Let Me Down' has a few good moments here and there, but nothing comparing to the greatness of 'Man Who Sold the World', 'Hunky Dory' and of course 'Ziggy Stardust...' |
Posted By: ClassicRocker
Date Posted: May 07 2008 at 22:09
Hell, I'm only 16 but i don't find the idea of Bowie being progressive so far-fetched! "Space Oddity" always sounded a bit different from typical pop to me, as does Low and (parts of) Diamond Dogs. Obviously there are others as well. (And just remembered "Memory Of A Free Festival" - really great) As for Elton John (even though it's "mainstream") I have four words: "Funeral For A Friend"  But yes, back to the topic. I ♥ the Bowie. Currently # 9 in my last.fm! ------------- 
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: May 07 2008 at 23:20
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I've gone over this territory before, in at least one previous thread, so pardon the repetition.
Amongst prog listeners (at least those I knew) back around 1970, Bowie represented everything that prog was not. To put it another way, he was the embodiment of the whole style-over-substance problem and was regarded in my prog circles anyway as nothing more nor less than perhaps a warmed over Alice Cooper or T Rex.
With 30 years' hindsight, I have of course come to recognize the errors of my ways, though it took collaborations with Eno/Fripp for me to accept Bowie. I would think the 'Berlin' albums qualify as prog-related.
Bowie got a bit of a boost rep-wise when Nirvana covered wha? -- Man Who Sold the World?
But I'd put Bang A Gong or Metal Guru up against that early stuff and maybe cover the point spread.
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Posted By: Peter
Date Posted: May 08 2008 at 08:50
 I love loads of Bowie's music! 
Among my favourite albums, in rough order, are:
The Man Who Sold the World (Width of a Circle is one of my all-time fave classic, epic R&R songs, plus we get the late great Mick Ronson on lead!)
Ziggy Stardust (Starman -- that singing Ronson lead hook! Soul Love! Five years!)
Hunky Dory (so many essential, iconic songs here!)
Lodger (very cool -- very varied & "progressive," with some absolutely classic, but often neglected songs like Red Money, Boys Keep Swingin, Red Sails, etc! Belew's in the band!)
Heroes
Low (On both of these, perhaps unlike many die-hard proggers here, I prefer the more accessible "pop" songs, but it's all cool.)
Stage (the version of Station to Station is KILLER, and, by itself, worth the ticket price! Play it at a party, and for gawd's sake, TURN IT UP!!)
Scary Monsters (The Frippster! What a cool lead on the title track! & Major Tom returns!)
Heathen (he's still got it -- in spades!)
Plus LOTS of other superb stuff!
 ------------- "And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy. |
Posted By: salmacis
Date Posted: May 08 2008 at 13:56
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Been a fan for years, have most of his work. I don't think you can label him as being any one genre as like Frank Zappa and The Beatles, I think he's in a class of his own and has done so much it seems daft to put him one genre.
Favourite albums? 'Station To Station' is my personal favourite, with 'Low' chasing just behind.
The worst thing about 'Never Let Me Down' is the production, which is simply ghastly- the worst example of 80s over-production I've ever heard. The first half of the album is actually not at all bad; indeed, I'd say 'Glass Spider' (daft narration notwithstanding) is an overlooked classic, and the title track is a nice ballad let down by terrible keyboard/drum sounds. The second half is crap, to be blunt but I'd still rate it higher than 'Tonight'.
Came away with a new appreciation for 'David Live' and 'Stage' in their reissued, remastered formats; never cared for either in their original versions, particularly 'Stage' which infamously had the applause mixed way down ('Warszawa' originally had audible crowd boos, allegedly!) and what's more, bizarrely shuffled the setlist around so it didn't resemble what was played live. The reissue with extra tracks sorted all that out.
His back catalogue, like Queen and The Rolling Stones, is in a bit of a mess IMHO. Lots of B sides that have fallen by the wayside or songs that were issued as extra tracks that are no longer available. Live Bowie material is still somewhat poorly represented too. Perhaps it's better not to get me started on what a terrible, inconsistent mess The Stones' back catalogue is in, though...
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Posted By: micky
Date Posted: May 08 2008 at 13:59
very wise James.. struggling with that very idea on a unrelated... to this thread.. matter. ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: May 08 2008 at 14:08
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David Bowie.........................UB40
------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: burtonrulez
Date Posted: May 10 2008 at 06:53
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what's Ub40 got to do with anything? |
Posted By: ziggystardust360
Date Posted: July 23 2008 at 14:25
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He's a true genious. My favorite album is Lodger.
Scary Monsters is also very excellent.
Young Americans is great.
The Man Who Sold The World is amazing.
Aladdin Sane is a masterpiece.(but not as good as Lodger)
I also liked his debut with the songs ''Uncle Arthur'',''She's Got Medals'',and ''We Are Hungry Men''.
If i could get rid of one album though it would be Let's Dance.
------------- ''I always had the repulsive need to be something other than human''-David Bowie |
Posted By: Spiritinthesky
Date Posted: July 23 2008 at 15:57
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Have you heard the new Live in Santa Monica album, it is fantastic. Recorded by a local radio station in 1972. All the band are on fire, and Mick Ronson...what a player! ------------- "I gave up drugs when the doctor told me I had 6 months to live" Keith Richards |
Posted By: Zargus
Date Posted: July 23 2008 at 18:19
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I always seen it as an unwriten law that every serius music fan shuld have atleast 10 bowie album in his/her collection. Yust as with the beatles, rolling stones, Led zep, pink floyd and so on... he is sutch a iconic and major artist you yust cant ignore him. ------------- 
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