Stan Deely on 12 Bowie Albums in 12 Months – Earthling
Picture the scene. Young Stan aged 14 is at his first festival – Reading 1978, hanging out with his older sister and her 18 year old post A level mates. Friday saw a new wave smorgasbord – Radio Stars, Penetration, Sham 69, the Pirates, Ultravox and the Jam – pretty impressive stuff. Saturday is quite different. The bill is much more old wave. I think Greg Kihn, Foreigner, the Motors headlined by Status Quo.
Lunchtime is spent out of the festival at a riverside pub and Stan has a pint or two. After this it gets a bit hazy. I don’t think vomiting ensued but there was certainly drunkeness and some stupid behaviour involving chucking shoes into the said river followed by a long nap.
Coming around later that evening Stan makes his way back into the festival not long before Status Quo are due on. It’s really exciting. The Quo Army are in the area. A low pitched “Quo – wow – wow” is the chant. Possibly dry ice before they hit the stage.
The heroes come on. They are loud and fast and rocking. First song Caroline “Fuck me, this is the best band I’ve ever seen!” Second song, Roll Over Lay Down, still great but a little less exciting. Third song, not sure what “This is getting a bit samey now.” By the end of the fourth song Stan had sloped back to bed.
A similar experience occured at Glastonbury 2009 when Stan saw the Prodigy headline the Other Stage. The audience of 9 year old boys accompanied by their mums should have been a giveaway. They came on at 100%, in terms of energy – loud, light show, rapping, shouting, dancing. It was exciting. However, where does one go from 100%? They maintained the same level of intensity but with decreasing results. Once again, I lasted three to four songs before slinking off to see Baka Beyond play a cafe.
So what’s this got to do with the album Earthling.
Earthling, coming after, the return to form, Outside continues the industrial techno and jungle and template of in a more palatable, condensed form. It features nine songs over 50 minutes.
Featuring mostly the same band who played on Outside, who are now tour hardened the sound is impressive, if a bit samey and the songwriting solid if at times formulaic and unexceptional. However, like the two concerts mentioned before, sameness of pace and lack of variety make it a duller experience than it should be.
Each song individually is pretty good but after the a similar process occurs. After a while it gets a bit samey with diminishing returns.
LITTLE WONDER
Repeats the ‘Hearts Filthy Lesson’ trick of an insanely catchy melody over a hard dance beat, in this case recalling and possibly sampling the Prodigy Firestarter. Featuring Gabrel’s sampled industrial guitar stabs, mockney vocals, fairly nonsense lyrics and a stadium style 70’s operatic refrain. It works, it’s exciting. Closer listening reveals not eally a song but a series of unrelated segments but at this stage in the album, that’s okay by me. Probably my favourite on the album and rightfully released as the lead off single. However, placing it first makes it hard for the rest of the album to maintain the standard.
A couple of video extracts to give you an idea of what Bowie was about at the time
David Bowie – Little Wonder (Official Video)
The official music video for David Bowie’s – Little Wonder. Taken from Bowie’s 21th studio album ‘Earthling’ released in 1997, which featured the singles ‘Telling Lies’, ‘Little Wonder’, Dead Man Walking’, ‘Seven Years in Tibet’ and ‘I’m Afraid Of Americans’. Subscribe to the David Bowie channel for all the best official music videos, live …
www.youtube.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX3-LHO0OLw
David Bowie ’96 Fashion Awards- Little Wonder.
David Bowie u0026 Band doing “Little Wonder”
www.youtube.com
LOOKING AT SATELLITES
Starts with mantra style chant namechecking popular throwaway culture. Lyrics seem to allude to popular culture and technology usurping religion in our society. Which I agree it has done. I believe that we have elevated our Rock Gods, our Dylans, and Bowies to supernatural status and swap their tales – motorcycle accident, Watts punches Jagger, Bowie stores piss in fridge etc ad nauseum into oft repeated mythical tales. Once going it’s quite agreeable. Recalls the sound of the previous album, a slightly queasy electro groove, spoken word segments, disparate melodies, Achieves an hypnotic effect and builds up effectively. It doesn’t really need or benefit from the mantra/chant which I find annoying and a distraction. Gabrels does a pretty good extended guitar solo towards the end.
BATTLE OF BRITAIN (THE LETTER)
Once again we are back in Prodigy territory. Drums sound like live drums mixed in with drum machine and a sort of 1970’s Man Who Sold the World mockney accent which is appropriate as it’s apparently a song about his exile from the UK. A bit OTT with sinister treated backing vocals once again recalling the Prodigy. Seems to be about three disparate songs at least. A superb bonkers piano solo from Garson. I would have loved to have heard him in a stripped down, intimate, possibly acoustic setting with Bowie.
SEVEN YEARS IIN TIBET
A welcome change of pace and style. A low key even jazzy setting to start, which reminds me a bit of Neil Young’s mellower songs on the This Notes for You’ album. It tells a story and paints a picture. However, after gaining our attention, after about a minute and a half there’s a change that reminds me of the Aerosmith/Run DMC ‘Walk This Way’ video – industrial band from the studio next door clangs in with a guitar break from a totally different song at seemingly twice the volume. Then repeat formula
Another song referencing religion. It seems to me, at this stage in life, Bowie’s materially well off, married, a happy man by all accounts. What is he going to write about?. He’s not yet ready for the growing older/contemplating mortality gambit so it’s the conundrum of religion. A sax line that recalls V2 Schneider and some nice synth on the coda/outro. You can tell that the band must have rocked live.
DEAD MAN WALKING
Starts with the squiggly synths or possibly even sampled guitar. Return of the banging beat. A 70s style Diamond Dogs vocal line with a Never Let Me Down, /Glass spider counter vocal and underneath the electro beat but mixed a bit lower. One of the most melodic tunes, some harmonising backing vocals recalling ‘Panic in Detroit.’ Is that Bowie? A bit high for him, impressive if it is but my money’s on Gail Ann Dorsey. It’s a good song if a bit busy. A breakdown at 5 minutes. Would work well live as a work out for the band, chance for them to show off their chops. Ends on a Garson piano solo that recalls Aladdin Sane. I think the problem here is that he has chucked so much in the songs there’s at times too much overload of extenous detail. I would have appreciated it simpler
TELLING LIES
Starts with an industrial military marching beat and then into a Man Who Sold the World style verse. We seem to have a bit of a formula on this album. I can almost tell how the song will go. Generally a mix and match of a) Semi spoken verse recalling a 70s song over muted drum and bass b) Stadium style chorus that is a little bit too obvious c ) The full monty – jungle/ industrial a go go, turn band up to 11. At some point include chants and possibly a reduced instrument break down. This one includes all of these. It’s okay and the sonic overload makes it seem longer than it’s five minute length.
THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD DO
Synth burbles and squiggles, squiggly dee, squiggly dum. Playful, slight, a bit throwaway but I like that. Unfortunately in the middle of this pleasing noise there is an interjected sample of a voice saying “Yeah” that reminds me of Timmy Mallett’s ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.’ This ruins my enjoyment of this song. Also features an incongruous like almost punk rock rama lama guitar break that verges on the ridiculous but I like it.
Second half repeat this formula with the sample interjecting and annoys me by ending on the sample.
IM AFRAID OF AMERICANS
An out-take not from the Outside sessions or even before and one of the more realised works on this album. I suspect it is Nine Inch Nails influenced but to be honest I have never heard their work.
The only time I saw Bowie live, Glastonbury 2000, this was the final song he played after a greatest hits set so he must have rated it. It’s got a bit of a groove but there’s not much I feel I can say about it. Makes me think of ‘Repetition’ from the Lodger album, another song about a generic ‘Johnny’ figure. It’s funny I always assumed that the couple in Repetition were American although I’m not sure why.
LAW (EARTHLINGS ON FIRE)
Takes us back to Outside with another annoying vocal sample. An electro dirge in the style of ‘Pallas Athena’ with lots of chanty vocals. A bit of a weird anti-climatic end to the album. Might have worked better as an opener.
SUMMATION
A good album but not a great one. The impressive sound gets a bit samey. After the renaissance of Outside I was expecting a bit more but I think it sounds both too fussy and yet unedited. Coming soon after Outside and its tour. In some ways this is second album syndrome, a road hardened band back in the studio rushing it a bit.
Maybe the fault is with me, listening to these albums sat in my living room in full sequence (or at times on shuffle). Maybe I should listen on shuffle out and about. I suspect the album would make a good soundtrack for a 10k run.
My hopes for Hours is that he will dial it down a little
Any opinions on this album? Anyone see the tour?
I have not had time to read past the first song, sill save this up for later. I will just say that in Little Wonder Bowie tasked himself to place the names of the Seven Dwarves in the lyric. He succeeded, but the end result is still nonsense. A thrilling nonsense.
Back for more later: these review-an album-a-month threads are a great idea, arent’ they folks?
Have the album but never played it too much, the last time would have been 6 years ago when I went through all his albums following his death.
Always quite liked Little Wonder with the Anthony Newley Mockneyisms, a throwback to his earlier stuff. Of course with very different music and production. I’m Afraid of Americans became a bit of a banger live and I think it’s title is fairly apposite these days. Like it too.
Will have to give the rest another listen, but I think this is bottom half Bowie. I enjoyed reading your review of it.
It seems that he had been following rather than leading for some time, but he’d had a good run behind him in his heyday so fair enough. The ginger look with goatee was pretty bad. Supposedly always cool but he wasn’t really. Quite a few misses over the years. I’m Afraid Of Americans stands out in my mind as a strong song from his 90s. And a decent video. I find it memorable.
Earthling, loud with savage guitar and jungle drum & bass, is designed to unleash the power of his awesome band. Bowie seemed to want to be part of a gang that included Goldie, A Guy Called Gerald and Tricky, pre-empting Gerri Halliwell with his ragged Union Jack coat. It was uncomfortable listening to him following a trend but it’s more of a misfit than any other in his catalogue. He turned fifty in 1997 and he sounds bitter and grumpy, like a man determined to beat the kids at Crash Bandicoot as he rants about religion, death and decay. Listening to it twenty-five years later, its songs may be too long but it’s sharp, witty, and totally bonkers.
This is the one when I nearly lost the faith. I didn’t buy it for a long time. You are right to point out its same-iness. Most Bowie albums are coherent and hang together well, but have plenty of variety. Earthling borders on the repetitive. Also, drum ‘n’ bass was too fast for me as I approached forty. I didn’t see him on the tour and I now wish I had.
The tour was insane. Small venues, fantastic setlist of deep cuts and reworked hits. Long shows. Close up.
The Bowie album that entirely justifies the ability to programme a CD player to play the tracks in an order that differs from that imposed by the disc itself. In this way it is possible to listen to the album from many different directions of travel, allowing the listener to get three or four (different) tracks into it before succumbing each time to tympanofessic exhaustion.
Little Wonder is, I think, the basis for the Stupid Little Fat Man song he did for Ricky Gervais.
Yup, with added Where Are We Now.
Bowie: always looking backwards and forwards, and even demos new songs 6 years before release in a sitcom cameo
When recording Earthling he redid two Tin Machine tracks (Baby Universal and I Can’t Read) and made another attempt of Being Me The Disco King.
I believe released a few years back was an ep of Earthling out-takes that I’m thinking about listening to and reviewing. is this worth doing? In other words, what are those two Tin Machine tracks like?
Universal Baby has never been released to my knowledge.
I Can’t Read 1997. Said to have inspired the remix/’re-recording of Never Let Me Down.
Is it Any Wonder? is a six-track EP by David Bowie that was released in early 2020. It is composed mostly of older Bowie songs that Bowie re-recorded during his Earthling (1997) recording sessions and Earthling Tour rehearsals in early 1997.
“Baby Universal ’97” – 3:13
“Fun (Clownboy mix)” – 3:11
“Stay ’97” – 7:30
“I Can’t Read ’97” – 5:27
“Nuts” – 5:21
“The Man Who Sold the World (Live Eno Mix)” – 3:33
Of course!
Doh.
@Tiggerlion
Hard to imagine that he could have improved Bring (Being) me the Disco King…the first one was faultless…is the second attempt available to hear anywhere?
Is that the one on Reality six years later?
EXTRA SPECIAL * BONUS REVIEW*
Here’s a little something in 1972/2022 for you to assess how much Bowie had progressed since his 1972 breakthrough:
David Bowie: The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars 1972/ EARTHLING 1997
James Johnson, New Musical Express, 10 June 1972 /STAN DEELY June 2022 (CAPITALS)
Bowie at his best/NOT QUITE SO GOOD
With most of his material either dealing with the flashier style of city living or looking far into the future, Bowie must rate as our most futuristic songwriter. Sometimes what he sees is just a little scary, and perhaps there’s a bit more pessimism here than on previous releases, but they’re still fine songs.
‘LOOKING AT SATELLITES set in a decaying world, is a real downer to start with, but Bowie brings a new approach to the rather overworked theme.
Certainly all the tracks, written by Bowie are never less than entertaining. ‘SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET’ features some withdrawn sax and deals with the destruction of a rock star TIBETAN MONK, while ‘Hang On To Yourself’ ‘LITTLE WONDER’ is a real little sexual gem. Also included is Bowie’s current INTERNET single, ‘TELLING LIES’.
Of course there’s nothing Bowie would like more than to be a glittery superstar, and it could still come to pass. By now everybody ought to know he’s tremendous and this latest chunk of fantasy can only enhance his reputation further.