The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)

TRACKS:

1. Five Years: Perfect opener. Perfect (this has been scientifically proven boys and girls). It’s the simple format of guitar, bass, drums and piano that gets me going, not to mention the pummelling climax which really makes the spiky red hair stand up on end. Again with the Ken Scott partnership, a partnership that really works by the way - Hunky Dory and now this. A despairing tale of humanity enduring an apocalyptic countdown launches us into the loose “concept” that is the Ziggy album. 9.0

2. Soul Love: Drum fades out, drums fade into a gorgeously melodic song, with ‘the Spiders’ laying down their signature sound, Bowie’s enchanting sax ‘dubs underneath and subsequent solo. He’s quite suspicious of love in this one. No ‘I love you, you love me’ shit going down here. There is, but much more complex than that. And more interesting. Track down the amazing Tokyo ‘78 rendition. 8.0

3. Moonage Daydream: Masterpiece #8. The colossal side-one showpiece launches this album deep into glam rock outaspace. Ziggy’s sci-fi tour-de-force, with an arrangement by Mick Ronson that is simply a triumph. Piano, strings and thunderous guitar, before flying off in a face-melting solo. 10.0

4. Starman: A fine pop song, and Bowie’s first hit since 'Space Oddity'. This album could’ve been called ‘Round and Round’ had it not been for the late addition of this and some other key tracks (eg: Suffragette City) that pulled the Ziggy album together. They couldn’t miss with songwriting like this. The chorus and refrain melody is pop perfection and started a tremendous run of singles. 8.5

5. It Ain’t Easy: So far Brit-American nihilism, so good. Written by southern American songwriter Ron Davies 2 years earlier, ‘It Ain’t Easy’ had already been covered by numerous artists such as Three Dog Night and Long John Baldry. At what first seems a bizarre selection here (and marginalised somewhat by the little oogie community), this cover left over from the Hunky Dory sessions turns out to be a decent blues rocker. Correct me if I’m wrong but his version on the essential John Peel sessions teaming with Warren Peace is very listenable. At worst a singalong-able infectious addition to the Ziggy repertoire. 7.0

6. Lady Stardust: Masterpiece #9. Ziggy’s song to Marc Bolan. It doesn’t get much better than this. As strong a melody as Bowie has written and an absolute masterpiece that should be on any number of the diahreaticly released Bowie ‘best of’s of the years. A lovely song. The early demos of this are interesting too. 10.0

7. Star: The I’m-going-to-be-a-stratospheric-rock-star-just-watch-me number-one punch and begins the unstoppable gallop down Ziggy’s home straight, and the pinnacle of the 1978 Stage world tour set. 7.5

8. Hang Onto Yourself: The Bolan theme continues here with Bowie’s breathy vocals and frenzied riffage. They would go one step further into T.Rex terrain with a couple of tracks that never made it on here, eg: 'Velvet Goldmine' and 'Sweet Head'. A previously uninspiring version had flopped as a single, which brings me to the unfathomable exclusion of 'John I’m Only Dancing' (9.0), which would’ve made this album even better (!). 7.5

9. Ziggy Stardust: Masterpiece #10. Ronson as usual is exemplary, but the classic opening riff is all Bowie. There’s nothing I can say about this song other than it encapsulates the entire plot of the rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars in it’s lyrics. The centrepiece of the album and one of the all time great rock songs. 10.0

10. Suffragette City: Masterpiece #11. Scorching dirty riffs, paranoid hostility and a blueprint for rock stardom all in the one blistering track. Unfathomably turned down when offered to Mott the Hoople so Bowie recorded it himself - and thank god he did. The purest of rock and roll songs. 10.0

11. Rock and Roll Suicide: Masterpiece #12. Bowie presents Ziggy’s downfall with a breathtaking theatricality and a thrilling climax to an album with not a note out of place. I love the icy, offbeat “…you’re a rock n roll suicide’. It’s the definitive anthem for glam rock decadence and tragedy, and a kiss-off to the album. “What if Ziggy had quit?”. There’s no better way to sign out. 10.0

ALBUM RATING: 10.0

VERDICT: “To be played at maximum volume”. The complete album and a landmark in the history of rock from the most important and influential artist of our generation announcing his greatness, and was Bowie’s ticket to superstardom. It has recording techniques that set the blueprint for many a band as well as an abject lesson in how to record and layer vocals, for starters. The timeless album cover has a tinted 50s sci-fi comic look that captures Ziggy just fallen to earth in a dark and empty Heddon Street. The release of this album followed an exhausting (non-stop and strangely non-European) year-long tour that would end with an onstage retirement at the Hammersmith Odeon in London 1973 - last captured in Ziggy Stardust the Motion Picture.

NEXT: Ziggy does USA!

Hunky Dory (1971)

TRACKS:

1. Changes: Masterpiece #4. Bowie has an uncanny knack of picking the perfect songs to kick his albums off with. Just think of it, Space Oddity, Width of a Circle, Station to Station etc, and on this album particularly he has announced straight away, from the first song that this is what the album will be like, which is an extraordinary thing. This is why I love this guy, for songs like Changes. It may not be a masterpiece on the same level as “Heroes”, but when you think of this album, regardless of your overall opinion, you can't help but feel as though there's no other song that should be here. A perfect start to this album and incredibly only recorded a mere 6 months after ‘The Man Who Sold the Word’ wrapped up. It certainly wouldn’t have belonged on that. Nothing here would. A perfect pop tune and with a timeless quality and underlying humour (and some great sax). 10.0

2. Oh, You Pretty Things!: Masterpiece #5. No one's ever written songs like this. Apart from Bowie of course. It's almost like a glorified demo, but it doesn't need to be anything more than that to convince me of its greatness. Might I also mention that this song’s got the cleanest singing of Bowie’s career? It's effortless pure genius. 10.0

3. Eight Line Poem: A lovely little ditty between two timeless classics. Always loved Mick’s country-tinged lead, and that’s Bowie on piano. Beautiful live version appears on one of his ‘Live at the Beeb’ bootlegs worth tracking down. 8.0

4. Life on Mars: Masterpiece #6. They’re coming thick and fast now aren’t they? This song is just about the most beautiful thing he's ever written. There’s a live version online you can watch from 1980 on the Johnny Carson show that is one of the best performances of any song by any artist I have ever seen. So much talent. This is supposed to be a re-write of ‘My Way’, but ‘My Way’ is horrible and this is perfect. Just perfect. But really, this is Bowie’s song, and easily sits among his five greatest. 10.0

5. Kooks: Fun tune for ‘little z’. Good little song. Fits nicely on this album. 7.5

6. Quicksand: Masterpiece #7. “I’m closer to the golden dawn, emersed in Crowley’s uniform of imagery”. And BOOM, Bowie announces his greatness. What an introduction! There's so many things to get worked up about in this song. You can focus on the piano solos (an instrument that dominates this album - which is awesome), Bowie’s 12-string guitar shapes, or you can focus on the amazing lyrics. You can even focus on the delivery - which is among Bowie’s finest. I like to think of it on a whole, as one of the greatest triumphs in rock and roll. And if that seems like I'm overreacting then you really need to listen to this song again. 10.0

7. Fill Your Heart: A Biff Rose cover and a guilty pleasure. Guilty? Not sure why. Pleasure? Absolutely. Those rolling piano moves from Rick Wakeman keep me coming back, as does Bowie wry delivery. Not the best song on the album by a long shot, but a lot of fun and a great way to kick off side two. 6.5

8. Andy Warhol: Great strum-athon from Bowie and Mick. And was Andy pissed! A song about Andy Warhol when most of Britain had never heard of him. 7.5

9. Song for Bob Dylan: There’s nothing remotely bad on this album, but if I was to pick a least-favourite, Bowie-written, track this would be it. I love the sentiment and the Zimmerman voice but this track kinda falls apart around the chorus ‘Here she comes, here she comes, here she comes again’. That’s not to say I still think it’s great. 7.0

10. Queenbitch: Unrepresentative of the album, but points the way ahead. And how about those guitars! Buzzing like chainsaws throughout the song, perhaps taking your mind off the nonsensically brilliant (more) Dylanesque lyrics. Bring on the Spiders From Mars! 9.0

11. Bewley Brothers: Revisiting themes raised on ‘All the Madmen’ from his previous album, hard to make sense of some of the spikey imagery he’s throwing around but there is a method to the madness, quite literally. Damn, this album's perfect. Gotta listen to it again. 9.5

ALBUM RATING: 10.0

VERDICT: Recorded and released quickly, Hunky Dory captures Bowie in transition from the proto metal of ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ to the grand concept of ‘Ziggy Stardust’, and is simply a perfect album full of beautifully performed songs at a time when singer-songwriter’s were all the rage. It’s Bowie’s acoustic album, displaying his enormous potential, made up of songs about and for old friends, love, and a love of mysticism and rock n roll, all mixed up to create a gem of an album, one I've never been tired of hearing.

NEXT: Rock n Roll Star!

The Man Who Sold the World (1971)

TRACKS:

1. Width of a Circle: Masterpiece #2. This is one of the great opening tracks on any album, let alone a Bowie album. Having said that, listening to this back to back with one of it’s hard rocking contemporaries (eg: Led Zeppelin IV or Black Sabbath’s Paranoid), the band (including producer Visconti on bass and Ronson on guitar) sounds razor thin and almost a little lightweight. Still, the lyrics slaughter anything Zep ever came up with. I don’t recall them singing about having sex with the Devil in Hell. 10.0

2. All the Madmen: It’s about his brother and he seems to be questioning the whole idea of ‘sanity’. A great song. The little spoken word interlude after the soaring chorus gives it a beautiful demented quality (“..they followed me home..”). Fared well when trotted out on the Glass Spider tour. 8.5

3. Black Country Rock: “Pack your packhorse up and rest up here…”. Cool Bolan-esque vocal effect and a decent guitar/bass rocking number without peeling the paint off the wall. Riff-heavy blues based rock. 7.0

4. After All: This creepy little gothic nursery rhyme ballad fits into the general theme of the album quite nicely. Bowie’s voice is rather delicate and lovely, tackling some disturbing themes that would be revisited later on the following album’s Quicksand. 7.0

5. Running Gun Blues: Bowie’s strangled voice and demented, paranoid lyrics along with the off centre mix and bass-heavy blues rock make this track one hell of a tongue-in-cheek riot. Hit and miss stuff coming from Bowie at this early stage, but he was definitely on the right track. 6.5

6. Saviour Machine: Who has ever written a song like this? Heavy apocalyptic track and downright frightening as Bowie sings from the POV of the machine before it destroys humanity… or something. Thought provoking stuff and amazing vocals. 6.5

7. She Shook Me Cold: Masterpiece #3. This track kicks all kinds of ass. Ronson isn’t Clapton and Visconti isn’t Jack Bruce, yet this is as awesome as 70s hard rocking blues gets and the mind-blowing, tackle out, instrumental interplay suits Bowie’s twisted, sexed up lyrics. Never been played live. 10.0

8. The Man Who Sold the World: Ambiguous meaning again but contains my favourite ‘cheese grater’ moments ever. Not quite a certified Bowie classic and like Dylan, other artists seem to have had more success with his track. The definitive version remains his 1979 SNL Klaus Nomi performance. 8.5

9. The Supermen: Great finishing to the album but not my favourite song ever. Bowie pretending to understand Nietzsche. The whole “..so softly a supergod cries” with Mick Ronson harmonising (especially live) wears a bit thin and has become highly irritating. By no means a Bowie classic but a suitable closer to this album. 6.0

ALBUM RATING: 7.5

VERDICT: It’s a concept album about a shaven headed transvestite, as opposed to a concept album about a flame haired Martian rock star. It is a logical precursor to Ziggy Stardust but still a long long way off it’s brilliance. The whole production on this album is a bit of a let down and Visconti would soon relinquish bass and production duties and return several years later around Young Americans. I don’t think newly-wed Bowie was fully behind it, and was left a bit thin rather than a fully formed, fleshed out masterpiece. Having said that I still hold a special place for it (and it’s many albums covers – but none as good as the original) and consider it the start of the classic Bowie phase.

NEXT: Greatness!

Space Oddity (1969)

David Bowie album reviews - Reviewsonebowie. His output has been consistently brilliant over a long period of time with only a few missteps along the way. There's the 60s Ken Pitt inspired vaudeville beginnings resulting in his first self-titled album, then the solo career proper takes off (that’s where my reviews begin), the unfuckwithable 70s, the blow-wave superstar years of the early 80s, the years where it all went horribly wrong, the underrated 90s, and everything else since. I will not be de-coding Bowie’s songs for meaning or messages, more a look at the quality and enjoyment of each song on it’s own merits - and all in my humble opinion.

Let's begin where it all really started.

Space Oddity (1969)



TRACKS:

1. Space Oddity: Masterpiece #1. Bowie's first stone cold classic and still sounds great today. Scared the hell out of me as a kid and still has an element of menace associated with it. Put Bowie on the map as his first hit single, and for a time seemed to be his only hit. Was to go on and re-record a stunning Lennon-esque stripped down version in 1979. 10.0

2. Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed: “Spy spy pretty girl..”. A fine song and really rocks along in the Dylan-esque country rock and heavy rhythm style Bowie was dabbling in at the time, including his embracing of all things hippy (which may unfortunately have resulted in less showering). Also includes some ripping Benny Marshall harmonica. Ditty ‘Don’t Sit Down’ (3.5) follows. 7.5

3. Letter to Hermione: Direct love song about former love Hermione Farthingale, and can be quite affecting when listened to in a dark room, alone. Quite a moving piece, but I don’t like Bowie’s voice in this one too much. Again with the Dylan angle. 7.0

4. Cygnet Committee: The definitive Bowie dystopian rant. I think you needed to be born in the 60s to fully appreciate his sentiments on this one. He seems to be describing the ironies of the hippy movement of peace and love and how even the hippy movement was forceful and controlling. It’s heavy going Cygnet Committee but it’s a stunningly passionate vocal performance. 8.0

5. Janine: Echos of Ziggy in the intro and light bouncy pop has never sounded so good. I like the reverb on the vocal. All in all a pretty unassuming song and somewhat reminiscent of Hey Jude towards the end. 6.5

6. An Occasional Dream: Another gentle love song about Hermione Farthingale again but not as effective as ‘Letter to…’. Time gently washes and erodes the past until the once heavily-passionate affair becomes the subconscious musing of an occasional dream. This piece was an early attempt by Bowie to convey, in direct terms, the effect that rejection in love had upon him. His later work becomes surreal and obscure so I am grateful that we are permitted to share his personal feelings towards a fellow human being in such an unadulterated manner. 6.5

7. Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud: A personal favourite and while there have been any number of versions recorded, this remains the best (except perhaps for the live medley version on ‘..the Motion Picture’ which is worth the price of admission alone). 8.0

8. God Knows I’m Good: Probably based on a story Bowie read in the newspaper. Using religion when it suits you, in this case an old lady. Not the strongest moment on the album, probably the weakest. 6.0

9. Memory of a Free Festival: Someone thought this would make a good single (although the single version, Part 1 and Part 2 is superior to what is here). That’s how much bliss was being passed among the crowd at the Arts Lab Beckingham Free Festival in 1969. With its Hey Jude-esque singalong outro, this track was last seen opening the Philly Dogs tours in 1974. 7.5

ALBUM RATING: 7.0

VERDICT: Within the individual songs there is not a truly weak moment, and such an unfocussed album it’s still strangely impressive as a whole. Would’ve been even stronger had some additional tracks recorded around the same time been included eg: Let Me Sleep Beside You (6.5), London Bye Ta Ta (6.0), Conversation Piece (7.5) or The Prettiest Star (6.5). A rag-bag collection of psychedelic folk rock from an artist still finding his true voice. Still prefer the 1972 “Ziggy” re-release album cover (and new title) rather than the 1969 perm and horrendous (Man of Words, Man of Music) title.

NEXT: Heavy Metal!

Best of Bowie: 1992 and beyond

http://www.sendspace.com/file/g7jycr

1. New Angels of Promise
2. Sunday
3. Buddha of Suburbia
4. Outside
5. Nite Flights
6. A Foggy Day (In London Town)
7. Untitled No.1
8. Heathen
9. Ian Fish, UK Heir
10. Strangers When We Meet

Pavement in Melbourne - 12 & 14 March 2010

Deerhoof at the Spectrum 9/3/2010

One One (2010)

http://www.sendspace.com/file/61lytk



One One at East Brunswick Club Melbourne 4/3/2010

Deerhoof Corner Hotel 3/3/2010

Pavement 2010

nice overview of songs



Review: Pavement at Auckland Town Hall

While the world lurched to the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the Smashing Pumpkins, the Californian-born five-piece quietly went about their noisy business. They substituted art for angst across half a dozen albums of loopy guitar pop and occasionally risked a genuine hit to break them out of cultdom.

But that's largely where they stayed until the band fell apart near the end of last century, having made numerous playing visits to these shores.

And here they were again, ten years on and playing a screwy, celebratory first show of a reunion world tour at a sold-out Auckland Town Hall, a venue they would have struggled to fill in their heyday.

But out front was an audience largely made up of nostalgic Gen-Xers who might be wondering why they've become such a target market of late with this show coming in between reunion visits to Auckland by Faith No More and the Pixies.

While guitarist and sometime singer Scott "Spiral Stairs" Kannberg admitted to some first night nerves, the band delivered a 20-plus song set centred largely on their early albums with only a few false-start glitches - and Pavement were always a group where haphazard energy ruled over technical precision.

And one of true personality, largely care of frontman-guitarist Stephen Malkmus and his cryptic lyrics aligned to nifty pop hooks and raygun riffs.

Having continued post-Pavement fronting his own band the Jicks, Malkmus wasn't lacking for stage confidence, throwing all sorts of shapes while showing more guitar muscle than he might have had in the good old days. His voice packed up a little towards the end, though, blaming a cold.

After a slightly ambling start the set soon found its own momentum, saving the almost-hits of Cut your Hair and Stereo for the finale and encore Along the way Kannberg's own earthier songs offered a pleasant reprise from the band's trademark zaniness while percussionist/keyboardist/slide whistle player and backing singer, er, shouter Bob Nastanovich was a sideshow in himself.

It was a show of many magic moments, whether it was the best tennis-inspired indie rock song ever (Stop Breathing) or the tsunami guitar surge beneath Grounded, or the countrified Range Life with its lyrical skewering of some of those aforementioned "important" bands of the Lollapalooza era ("it's not a protest song," pleaded Malkmus). Altogether, that made for one happy reunion of band and fans and oddly enduring songs.

Likewise, in support reformed Dunedinites the 3Ds and their tunes proved they had made it through the 90s rock wormhole intact and energised, with the likes of Outer Space and Hellzapoppin reminding that there's still plenty of gunpowder and stray sparks in their musical fireworks.