Getting into Bowie (1 Viewer)

[Al B. C]

I dunno - "David Live: At The Tower In Philadelphia" is pretty damn good!

 

[Will_B]

Ray, I didn't mean to cause any undue alarm. The accidental reversing of the left and right channels on the new Ziggy anniversary package shouldn't actually cause any weird sonic problems, it is just quite a screw up for what was supposed to be a nice edition of a great album. As for the edits at the end and start of a couple songs, again this is nothing that anyone but a purist would have concerns (legitimate concerns, yes) about.

 

[Will_B]

As for how to know about recalls, ICE magazine's "CD Watchdog" column is the #1 source for info on mistakes.

 

[RayG]

Thanks for the info Will.

 

[Mike Broadman]

NP: David Bowie, Diamond Dogs

 

[Frank_S]

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.

You have Hunky Dory I believe. How do you rank that with the others. I would place Ziggy and Hunky Dory 1,2 on my favorite Bowie albums. As far as the High/Low voice, Bowie's earlier music was much more "high energy" and he really pushed his vocal limits but was always in control. His later material(China Girl,Heroes) is still full of energy but not as rockin' as the earlier stuff. I really like both approaches, they fit the material well.

 

[Mike Broadman]

Frank, Hunky Dory is a fun listen, but I don't rank it nearly as high as you do so far. It sounds very uneven to me, with the better material towards the end. I also am not feeling Ziggy as the masterpiece that some do. I like it a lot (I'm a sucker for concept albums), but I think it plays better for someone who was around at the time.

I dig the stuff that involves more fancy studio productions. I like the way Bowie's voice fits in with that better than in a more conventional rock setup, kind of like Peter Gabriel. The combination of Bowie with Eno seems to work best for me, with Fripp occassionally contributing.

My latest Bowie purchase, which I'm listening to now, is Scary Monsters. Now this... this I am liking.

 

[Al B. C]

Gee..................I wonder why?
Robert Fripp: Guitar - "Fashion" "It's No Game" "Scary Monsters" "Kingdom Come" "Up The Hill Backwards" & "Teenage Wildlife"
NP: Miles Davis - "Bitches Brew"

 

[RayG]

Got to see Bowie live at the Tweeter Center in Camden last night. It was great to see the crowd really get into the show and help fuel his performance. Everyone was having a great time.

 

[Kevin Leonard]

Just thought I'd bump this thread up since another compilation, The Best of Bowie, was recently released in both 1- and 2-disc sets. (And in about 20 different variations too: check out this link for tracklistings from each country...they're all different: http://www.algonet.se/~bassman/ca/bob2002.html)
While I have yet to hear it, from the tracklisting Best of seems to be a rather good overview of Bowie's career, picking up all his big hits, and also being the first compilation to include work from Tin Machine to Heathen. This comes at the expense of excising previous compilation mainstays like "Boys Keep Swinging," "Sorrow" and "Drive-In Saturday." Nevertheless, this looks like a fine compilation, and one that should serve Thin White Duke neophytes just fine.

 

[Yee-Ming]

child of the 80s that I am, the first Bowie songs that I heard were Let's Dance and Modern Love. absolutely love Modern Love, still do.

 

[Al B. C]

They did Bowie on "Biography" last night so I guess it's fitting to see this thread pop up again.
Also........."Low" was my CD of choice on my way to work this morning.
"Your such a wonderful person, but you got problems"
Great album seriously!

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

I love almost all of Bowie's work, and would very much argue that the man CAN sing. I wish I had his voice. The '80s stuff is pretty much crap (you know, the stuff that sold gagillions). The first album I'm not that keen on as a whole, but after that, each album has its own gems. MWSTW is classic. Low is my favorite. His more recent stuff is great too. You have to hand it to him for living on the edge for all this time (other than the sellout stuff which he admits is shite). A brilliant artist.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

There will also be a Best of Bowie 2-disc DVD released in mid novemeber, at least here in R2-land []. Boy, November will be expensive, with this, LOTR extended, AOTC and Minority Report...

 

[Wilson W]

for you adventurous Bowie fans, and for those who have heard it, anyone here like the Bowie's EP "Baal by Bertolt Brecht"?

it is, essentially, Bowie sings cabaret. it is not rock but the songs are beautiful and Bowie's voice was in great shape.

it's a little odd entry in his vast catalogue, and I can't remember him doing anthing similar. if anyone knows he had, please advise.

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

Well, the closest to Baal would be his versions of another Brecht song, Alabama Song, which is (or was) available as bonus tracks on the Ryko versions of Scary Monsters (a studio version) and Stage (a live version). Maybe his versions of Brel's Amsterdam (bonus track on Pinups) and My Death (on Ziggy Stardust the motion picture) qualify as well...

 

[Kevin Leonard]

"My Death" and "Amsterdam" are quite excellent, but "Alabama Song"--whether on Scary Monsters or Stage--is horrible; Bowie's singing has a very jokey, mocking tone to it, and the musical arrangement is incredibly bland and sloppy. Stick to the Doors' version.
Regarding the Baal EP; I'd love to hear it, but it is long OOP. I remember reading that EMI had a Bowie "Rarities" box set in the wings, so perhaps they could see fit to include the EP.

 

[Wilson W]

does "my death" available any where else other than on Ziggy Stardust the motion picture?

Baal was on RCA, would EMI have access to these songs if they release a Bowie rarities?