Stan Deely on 12 Bowie albums in 12 months – The Buddha of Surburbia
In 1993 I returned to the UK after two years spent abroad in Central America. Coming back it felt like I was seeing British society with new and fresh eyes. I felt more myself and happier in my skin than ever before. I was enjoying every aspect of life more – even simple things like having a shower. I remember being deeply affected by and enjoying certain TV programmes I saw then. One that I enjoyed was the BBC adaptation of Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Surburbia.
This featured the title soundtrack song by David Bowie. Languid, baroque pop, referencing his 1970’s output it seemed like a return to form after the rather arid stilted singles from Black Tie White Noise. I’m not sure I was aware that there was an accompanying soundtrack album. The Buddha of Surburbia album slipped out in late 1983 packaged as a soundtrack album with an amateurish ‘Will this do?’ cover featuring a composite photo of cast members and with zero promotion.
First impressions. It continues the upward curve from the initially promising but ultimately unsatisfying Black Tie White Noise. Knocked off in a couple of weeks with regular accomplice, multi-instrumetalist Erdil Kizilcay, it is playful and experimental. The album featured reworkings of the discarded motifs and incidental music that Bowie had originally composed for the series. In fact, none of the tunes apart from the title track were used for the music of the series.
THE BUDDHA OF SURBURBIA
Over a melody recalling Absolute Beginners the lyrics reference the book/series. Bowie does Man who sold the World style vocals over a tune that could have fitted into that album or Space Oddity. Features Bowie on sax. The lyrics refer to a teenage boy feeling isolated and lost in surburbia. Is he writing about the protagonist of the novel or his own experiences in Bromley and Beckenham late 1960’s early 1970s? Whatever it works a treat. Features a Ronsonesque guitar solo that is presumably Kizilcay, and musical quotes/references to Space Oddity and All the Madmen. Bowie showing he can still do the business when he wants to.
SE X AND THE CHURCH
Here we get into soundtrack weirdness. Spoken intro, then a repetitive beat and then a repetitive mantra or chant. Like A Pallas Athena from the previous album it’s an insistent repetitive mood piece. Initially this was my least favourite on the album. I found it boring, repetitive and overlong however now I find it quite inspired. There are a lot of little touches and nuances that come out on repeated listens and keep it fresh. It mIght have worked better further down the album – track two is maybe a bit too soon for challenging experimentalism. Does probably last a minute too long though.
SOUTH HORIZON
Now we’re talking jazz daddio. Bowie’s plaintive saxophone repeats a simple refrain whilst Mike Garson tinkles away. Repeats the Low trick of making what sounds like an intro into a complete song. It really is a jazz odyssey with lots of little diversions and excursions. At 2.30 a beat kicks in, along with an electro pulse, more Garson, some nifty jazz bass, the saxophone, comes together nicely. You could imagine this soundtracking some scenes from the series. For about 5 minutes in the early 1980’s fake jazz was a thing – the Lounge Lizards, James Chance and various New York Ze label bands and this would fit into that. Me I don’t mind it as I like a bit of fake. Shouldn’t work but it does. Probably because of Garson’s piano playing.
THE MYSTERIES
Fourth tune and fourth style on the album. Maybe it’s better to judge it as a compilation or sampler or soundtrack rather than coherent album. Supposedly Subterraneans on Low is all that remains of Bowie’s rejected soundtrack for the Man Who Fell to Earth This one is in a similar mould featuring the icy synth sound that started the whole cold wave/new musik/post punk, synth duo thing. I can see Thomas Jerome Newton on his bleached out planet in this one. Lasts 7 minutes and doesn’t feel too long.
BLEED LIKE A CRAZE, DAD
The melody and arrangement hark back to Never Let Me Down which is not surprising considering that Kizilcay was a collaborator on that album. A bit of a mish mash. A 1970’s style vocal melody and a bit of OTT Frampton-esque lead guitar – played by Kizilcay I suppose and Garson’s piano which redeems it a bit. Quite soundtracky. The opposite of Sex and the Church in that it works quite well as background music but when I focus on it, it becomes unsatisfying, less than the sum of its parts. Probably the least successful track on the album.
STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET
After the experimentation a vaguely conventional song, the first of three pop tunes. Pleasant, lightweight catchy synthpop. The vocal reminds me of ‘Be My Wife’. Although I was enjoying the experimentalism it’s a relief to have Bowie back singing a conventional song. Re-recorded for 1995’s Outside and released as a single then. It’s competent catchy pop but lacks something. Possibly coming after it the experimentation it’s just too straight.
DEAD AGAINST IT
Another pop tune and even more insanely catchy. It starts with a melody that sounds like a speeded up version of Strangers When We Meet. Very catchy and reminiscent of an early 80’s synthpop band playing a Shadows or Tornados instrumental. Pretty non sense lyrics. In his sleevenotes Bowie states that half the lyrical content was used just because he liked the sound of the words. Works well but it possibly a bit overlong at five and a half minutes. It would probably have worked best a couple of minutes shorter.
UNTITLED NUMBER 1
Third in a row of fairly convetional pop tunes. This one with backing vocals etc is like a Never Let Me Down song performed in the production style of Black Tie White Noise but on a lower budget – cheaper synths, drum machine rather than drummer etc. Nonsense-y lyrics again. A bit repetitive but some nice synths and backing vocals. Quite dreamy. Would have fitted in on the last two albums and would have been one of the best tracks.
IAN FISH UK HEIR
After the pop interlude we’re back to soundtrack world. A brooding Berlin period style instrumental reminiscent of Moss Garden. Buried in the mix is part of the melody line of the song Buddha of Surburbia.
10 BUDDHA OF SURBURBIA (ROCK MIX)
Slightly quicker and sounding a bit more edgy and with more treble than the version that starts the album. More echo on the vocals but pretty much the same arrangement. Solo by Lenny Kravitz who was having big moments in 1992/93. Doing his patented Hendrix/Prince repackaged/bowdlerised for the 90’s. At this stage in the game Bowie’s use of wig out OTT guitar is like getting to me. I can handle the post punk Reeves Gabrel but the 60’s throwbacks – Frampton, Kravitz – why? Fades out suddenly redolent of the end of Its No Game on Scary Monsters. Unnecessary really. Why bother with a more raggedy version. I would have preferred the album to close with the previous instrumental.
SUMMING UP
Obviously Bowie’s having fun – experimenting away on the cheap, getting his mojo back. Probably the best album since Scary Monsters but even so a bit unsatisfying possibly down to the sequencing. The various styles work well but it is overlong and about half the songs could have lost a minute or two and the album would not have suffered. I would probably lose Bleed like a Craze Dad and the second version of Buddha of Surburbia and re-sequence, perhaps bookended by the two instrumentals for a better listening experience.
Bowie said in 2003 that it was his favourite album. Was he having a laugh or is it really his lost classic? Your opinions as ever are highly welcome.
I really like this album (and your review of it).
I’ll take you up, however, on your dismissal of Frampton when you characterise him as a ’60s throwback’. I think that’s deeply wrong; he’s a lovely lyrical player with a style all of his own, and rarely if ever what I would consider OTT. Kravitz is a great emulator, but nowhere near in the same musical league as Frampton.
I know what you mean when you say this album ‘slipped out’ – I remember seeing it in the rack, probably in Rival Records in Bristol, and thinking to myself that I didn’t even realise it was coming out. I was subsequently very happy that I chose to buy it – once it had slipped out, like many soundtracks it didn’t seem to hang around in the shops for too long, and soon became quite a difficult album to find.
Deffo it’s also my favourite of his, post Scary Monsters.
Excellent review – and, like the foxy one, this would be one of my two favourites, post Scary Monsters (sometimes it’s Outside, sometimes it’s this…)
For me Blackstar which is better than Scary Monsters which falls away on side 2.
As for this album I didn’t even know it came out at the time. Need to give it another listen. Am kind of hoping 1.Outside gets a bit of a kicking as I think it is rather overrated.
Cheers, Dai! Since we’re off the OP already, I’ll just say that I think Blackstar is/was over-rated (probably due to the surrounding circumstances)…but hey-ho, it’s boring if we all think the same…
You may be right, I was initially underwhelmed (@Tiggerlion corrected me), however it was probably my most played album of 2016 as I listened to it when I was out running, was pretty much the exact duration I needed. I grew to be rather obsessed with it (and my running improved a lot)
On Dai’s comment on 1.Outside I am just about to start on this and am somewhat trepidatious as what I know so far, – arty Bowie, a pretentious concept, lots of tracks – doesn’t exactly match my preferred minimalist tastes. I intend to give it a fair hearing but fear that if it might be a bit indigestible or too ‘try hard.’
My advice: focus on the ‘songs’ not the ‘interludes’.
I’ll try to explain myself on my Frampton comment. as it was a bit of a cheap throwaway shot. I don’t really know much of his work having only been exposed to his work twice. In 1976 and looking for something exciting to listen to in the pre-punk desert (Being 12 years old I wasn’t aware of pub rock etc being only exposed to Radio 1, Radio Luxembourg and Top of the Pops. I wouldn’t start reading the NME until 1977 – precocious me – which was a game changer). Being imspired by the exciting single Show Me the Way, my sister and I went halves on a copy of Frampton Comes Alive. I found that Show Me the Way was the best and most energetic track on it and the rest of it was kind of fey, AOR soft rock that didn’t do it for me. I put my time in with this album as you did back then when one only owned a small amount of vinyl but then punk happened and I have never again heard the album nor anything else by him.
Secondly his kind of playing on the Never Let Me Down album and on the bits of the Glass Spider Tour video I saw are just not my thing and I don’t think they fit in or enhance David Bowie’s work. But then I am a child of punk favouring angular and quirky over well played virtuosity.
I agree Frampton did not fit with Bowie on the Glass Spider tour. He seemed to be playing with a different band.
See if you can appreciate this measured, lyrical cover (without any lyrics!):
Never mind the cheesy video.
Started reading NME at 13? Bit long in the tooth, there, chum.
I’ve never actually listened to this one – I am now. Not bad at all.
Thanks for the review and the inspiration to fill another gap in my ears (and only 8 quid on Amazon too).
This is one of my favourite Bowie albums. It’s Bowie in the raw. It’s weird, experimental and deliriously Pop with great melodies.
It was an exciting album at the time because it had no promotion. It was the Bowie-maniacs’ little secret.
I think you are right that a couple of tracks are a minute or so too long and the reprise of the title track is surplus. However, Bleed Like A Craze Dad fits right in. Keep it, I say.
As a footnote I am generally listening to these albums at home on my hifi but recently on a road trip listened to it in a car. The two instrumentals which I feel break up the pace of the album and are possibly overlong sounded absolutely fantastic cruising down the M6 on a grey overcast day with the Yorkshire Moors and Lake District surrounding us.
I wonder if there’s an environment where listening to all the Glass Spider stuff makes sense?
Nose inside a big bag of cocaine, perhaps?
When you’re holidaying in the Zi Duang province of an eastern country.