Today I played Blackstar for the first time. I wanted to allow my first listening to be untarnished and uninfluenced the hyperbole surrounding its release.
He has since died.
It is a masterpiece. It is superb. It is an amazing, considered epitaph. What a glorious exit.
Never a great Bowie fan, but I was knocked sideways when I first heard ‘Stage’ in the late ‘70’s or early ‘80’s and today found a spliced DVD of the live album on YouTube. The production is not great, but it contains everything you need to know about his importance, his place and his impact in popular music.
Rock n’ Roll.
Thank you.
Goodbye David Bowie
If you’re a Bowie fan it must be considered one of his best.
He’s died?! Shit why didn’t anyone say?
Stage is tremendous – everyone should hear it who is even slightly Dave-ified. Terrific muscular versions of the Berlin material, and a few older standards, dominated by the mighty Dennis Davis.
The boy’s right. It’s a corker.
“older standards” – the Ziggy stuff was six years old then. That’s like difference between 2010 and now. 2010 ended about last Tuesday as far as I’m concerned.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. David Bowie never released anything other than great live albums, from David Live to A Reality Tour. They all have their merits but I think my favourite is the BBC concert.
We could have a good discussion on Bowie masterpieces. I’d say, Hunky Dory, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, Station To Station, Low, “Heroes” and Blackstar. Oddly, the two albums I love and play the most, Aladdin Sane and Young Americans, don’t quite attain masterpiece status because of two weak tracks. By contrast, find it hard to love Ziggy but cannot deny its greatness.
Ziggy – great? Nah. It Ain’t Easy clunks like a clunky thing, the title track & Suffragette City are just riffs (cf Rebel Rebel) and thus quickly become veeery tiresome. It’s not age, I felt this when I first heard the LP aged 15 or so.
I know what you mean.
Nah, it’s brilliant. Starman, Star, yes Ziggy and Suffragette, 5 years, Rock n Roll Suicide, Moonage Daydream, Soul Love …. A perfect pop album.
Yes but IMO it has at least 3 duff tracks so it isn’t a masterpiece. So there.
I just spotted the copyright notice way down there at the bottom of the page(?) – it’s a nice touch. Has it been there long?
Agree about Blackstar. The more times I listen the better it gets…
Yes, I’m enjoying Blackstar, too.
To my shame, I realised that it was the first David Bowie album I’d listened to properly, all the way through, since Scary Monsters in 1980
May I recommend you try Buddha Of Suburbia and 1.Outside next.
Thanks for the tip, Tigger.
I thought I might borrow “Live at the BBC Radio Theatre, London, June 27, 2000” set from the library too, as that looks rather tasty.
Indeed it is tasty. The live concert is wonderful.
I keep going back to the Blackstar Nights In. It started at 7am on the 8th Jan. People freely expressed their opinions on its merits and demerits for a couple of days, then everything changed on the 11th. The Nights In became a discussion of the album in the context of his death (how could it be otherwise), plus some wretched grieving mainly by me and Moose. In many ways, it is such a shame Blackstar will always be heard through the ears of the grim reaper. It is a fabulous album that rises above that context.
It will do in time. After all, we can now freely judge Double Fantasy for the piece of crap it really is.
Well, I, for one, can’t wait for the equivalent of Milk & Honey. Maybe, in four years. What do you think?
I think Mr Jones is going to carry on surprising and delighting us for some time yet.