Getting into Bowie (1 Viewer)

[Jim_C]

There are a lot of good compilations of Bowie's music but I think that you should experience the songs in the context of the original album. There are so many great songs that don't make the greatest hits discs.

IMO this is the order to buy them in:

Ziggy Stardust
Hunky Dory
Low
Heroes
Lodger
Scary Monsters
Diamond Dogs
Aladdin Sane.

 

[Jim_C]

>>Same here, and you are not the only ELvis Costello fan on htf

 

[Nigel McN]

I heartily recommend Labyrinth, but then, that is just me

 

[Jay W]

Definately pick up the new Ziggy if you haven't, great treatment for a great album.
And here's another Costello fan, aren't those new reissues great?

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

If you liked Low and the experimental stuff he did with Eno, don't miss 1.Outside from when he (briefly) reunited with Eno in 1995. He did promise one new disc every year until the new milleium, but only Outside came out...
Also The Buddha of Suburbia is a very underrated Bowie album. It is basically just him and Erdal Kizilkay (sp?).
And I just want to say for the record that he can sing, actually I think he has one of rock's great voices, but that's just me

Basically, if you have the Rykodisc versions of Ziggy Stardust, The Man Who Sold the World, Pin-Ups, and the box set Sound + Vision, you have everything on the second disc of this set

Except for the new remix of Moonage Daydrem...not sure if that one is worth it though, it was remixed for use in some commercial, so obviously not remixed by Bowie.

 

[Rachael B]

I think one of the most intresting Bowie albums is PIN UPS. It's his album of cover songs. Stuff like the Who's I CAN"T EXPLAIN, The Yardbirds' SHAPES OF THINGS, The Kink's WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD TIMES GONE. It's killer IMO, he tears up HERE COMES THE NIGHT! I like him out of his more usual elements. Try it Mike! Best wishes!

 

[Mike Broadman]

Over the weekend at Best Buy I picked up the 30th anniversary of Ziggy Stardust. I've listened to it once- it's pretty cool, pretty much what I expected, having heard a couple tracks before. And, of course, I'm a sucker for concept albums. I haven't listened to the bonus disc yet- I'll wait until I'm more familiar with the album.

I gave Lodger a couple more spins, but I just still don't get it. So far, it's my least favorite of the Bowie I have.

How is the album The Man Who Sold the World? I am only familiar with Nirvana's cover of the title track. When I first heard it, thinking it was their tune, I was surprised at what a good song it was because I very much dislike Nirvana (I know, I know, rock blasphemy, so sue me). I am curious to hear the original, but I don't see that album mentioned much in Bowie discussions.

NP: Wynton Marsalis, Village Vanguard, disc 4

 

[Jeff Keene]

I heartily recommend Labyrinth, but then, that is just me

Not just you. I love the Labyrinth soundtrack. It's a perfect collaboration between Trever Jones and Bowie. It's fun but not stupid, musical but not pretentious.

I played the vinyl version til it wouldn't play no more when I was younger. It's a good'un.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

How is the album The Man Who Sold the World?

I'd call it his 'progressive rock' album, not really hard rock, but almost, in some songs. Produced by Tony Visconti, and, if various books are to be beleived, made under the influence of cannabis.
You may want to check out the following Bowie links:
Ziggy Stardust Companion for more info on Ziggy specifically, and Link Removed for reviews and opinions on all albums. Pretty good site, actually, although I don't always agree with him...

 

[Timon Russo]

The Man Who Sold The World is a fantastic album. Every single song. I would only put Ziggy ahead of it, personally. But I also like Space Oddity and Hunky Dory, but less and less of his later material. So the reverse is probably true to some degree - if your favorite album is Station to Station, you won't appreciate his first 3 or 4 albums like I do. Just my two cents. I have most of his albums, and appreciate them for what they were, but MWSTW is not only dark and innovative, it rocks very hard. They were an awesome unit musically.

 

[Mike Broadman]

Thanks for the link.
Gee, that guy really likes Diamond Dogs, doesn't he?

I got Ziggy in my car now.

So far, I've been liking some songs on all the albums, but the only two that completely capture my interest so far from beginning to end are Low and Heroes.

 

[Kevin Leonard]

IMHO, The Man Who Sold the World is a very flawed album, made when Bowie was still a struggling singer-songwriter. Many of the songs have flashes of greatness, but are either stretched out for far too long ("Width of a Circle") or just simply go nowhere ("Black Country Rock," "Running Gun Blues").
Some tunes, like the title track, "Saviour Machine," "After All" and especially "The Supermen" are fantastic and rank among Bowie's best, but on the whole this seems like some lame effort by Bowie to jump aboard the "heavy metal" train.
To be honest, the songs I enjoyed the most were two bonus tracks on the Ryko reissue of MWStW: "Lightning Frightening" and "Holy Holy," both of which are excellent pieces of work.
EDIT: That link Mikael gave is an excellent review site, but if you're looking for info on Bowie's life, music and activities (film, art, etc.), you can't get much more comprehensive than Bassman's Bowie Page:
http://www.algonet.se/~bassman/

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Many of the songs have flashes of greatness, but are either stretched out for far too long ("Width of a Circle") or just simply go nowhere ("Black Country Rock," "Running Gun Blues").

Have you ever heard the version of "Width" from the Ziggy Movie? Cripes - if you think the album version goes on much too long, you ain't heard nothing yet! However, the edited version heard on the Ziggy Movie CD is absolutely brilliant. I can barely stand to listen to the original album track anymore - the ZM edition ranks among my all-time bits of Bowie.
I'm also very fond of the "Glass Spider" version of "All the Madmen". Say what you want about the tour, but at least Bowie trotted out someone genuinely unusual tracks that year, and most of them worked very well.
A lot of World seems badly dated. Musically, I like "Running Gun Blues", but the Vietnam-influenced lyrics must make Bowie grimace these days. "After All" is my least favorite track on the album - "oh by jingo" indeed!
Ultimately, I felt a little let down by World when I listened to it last week, but it still remains a favorite. The live versions of most of the songs work better than those on the record...

 

[Kevin Leonard]

I haven't heard the Ziggy album in awhile Colin, due to the fact that I loaned it out to a friend who moved away without returning it! But I do remember liking it quite a bit.
The thing I've noticed about Bowie live is that he always gave a lot more performance and energy when playing live in his earlier days (see Bowie at the Beeb for evidence), but seemed tired and bored when playing his later material (see Stage).
Some of the renditions on Ziggy and Beeb blow the roof of their studio counterparts, whereas his art rock period sounds sluggish and weak when played live, if Stage is any proof. (And that's some of my favorite Bowie music too!). Maybe he was just tired that night.

 

[Will_B]

I prefer Bowie when his voice got lower. The Space Oddity/Hunky Dory era material is just so nasal and high pitched, and I am sorry but that's my opinion - he didn't have a voice then. Eventually his range got lower and his delivery improved and then I liked it.

A word of warning about the new 30th edition of Ziggy. The bowie newsgroup is aflutter with the news that the left and right channels are (accidentally?) reversed, the countdown leading into one of the songs was (accidentally?) cut off, and they added a fade down to a song that used to just cut right into the next song (also, one assumes it was an accident). People are going wiggy over the ziggy mistakes, to coin a phrase. Also some complaints that one of the songs appears to have the high end seriously removed.

On the plus side, aside from all the mistakes, apparently the low and mid range are nice. But I wonder if there will be a recall, at least to fix the flipped channels.

 

[Al B. C]

"Ziggy" is a masterpiece - period!

It is probably the most innovative and influential album to come out of the seventies.

It really stirred something in me 30 years ago. I remember listening to it for the first time and thinking "So this is what rock n' roll ought to sound like!" Holy cow! It was like getting hit be a steam roller. I'd never heard or seen anything like that before.

I've never heard or seen anything quite like that again.

Happy anniversary Ziggy! The Klipsch will be rockin' tonight.

"Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am"

 

[Mike Broadman]

Speaking of Ziggy and Bowie's voice, I noticed while listening to Ziggy in the car these past couple of days that Bowie was doing a little of both voices on that album, as if he was transitioning. I also prefer the lower voice. Actually, it's pretty cool when he uses both.

NP: Wynton Marsalis, Live at the Village Vanguard, disc 6

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

That link Mikael gave is an excellent review site, but if you're looking for info on Bowie's life, music and activities (film, art, etc.), you can't get much more comprehensive than Bassman's Bowie Page

Also check out Link Removed.
It is nice to see a Bowie thread again now that he's back on the market and the road. I saw him in Norway (July 3) and he is still great, although he played a little too much of the predictable hits, and not enough of Low which he has, occasionlly on this tour, played in its entirety...

 

[RayG]

I've really got into Bowie of late and the new 30th Anniversary Ziggy CD is one of many I just bought. I was wondering if anyone has more information on the changes done to it, and if they're considered significant enough to ruin the music. Also if there is a recall how would we find out? I'd really hate to have to return it, but if the changes are bad I may have to go with an older release.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

The thing I've noticed about Bowie live is that he always gave a lot more performance and energy when playing live in his earlier days (see Bowie at the Beeb for evidence), but seemed tired and bored when playing his later material (see Stage).

Methinks you have it backwards! Bowie's only gotten better live with age. I think Stage is much better musically than earlier live releases, as Bowie matured and took better control of his singing and stage (no pun intended) presence. However, that era looks somewhat weak compared to later live Bowie - his 1997 shows were the best I've ever seen (dating back to in-person concerts from 1983 to date). Kevin, have you ever been to a Bowie show in person? Ain't nothing better!