Seeing another thread on here got me thinking…..why do so many people, once a musician dies, they feel the need to obtain everything released by that artist?!?!
Everyone to their own of course but if it was that essential why didn’t they purchase them originally?
Ask Tigger – he’d never even heard a Bowie album before Blackstar came out the other week, and NOW look at him…
I’ve been disciplined enough to steer clear of most people on the Obituary Thread, notably Lemmy & Jefferson Whatever. Although I do have some Hawkwind!
🙂
Jefferson Whatever was a legend….. truly the Prince of Hearts.
Reminds me of the classic Viz letter that went something along the lines of “Have you noticed that when famous actors die they show lots of their films on television? I hope Clint Eastwood dies next. I think he’s brilliant”
Always a good career move
It’s a variation of The True Fans being pissed off when an act becomes famous/ has a hit/ “I preferred their early stuff”. bet Throbbing Gristle doesn’t get the sentimentalising, though.
I’m not sure I’d say I was “grieving” when Peter Christopherson died a few years ago*, but it did make me realise I’d taken him and his artistry for granted. When I played back his various contributions to TG, Psychic TV, Soisong, Threshold Housboys Choir etc, I began to see what I’d not taken the time to appreciate. I now have been delving more and more into the broad murky world of The Coil, on a belated tour of all his music I’d never taken the time to consider and appreciate before then.
* although I’ve never forgiven Word Magazine for not even acknowledging his demise in the obituary pages at the time.
I’ve been listening to so much Bowie since he died. I have (almost) all the albums. We also have three Bowie CD compilations in the house. The GLW still bought the 3CD version of Nothing Has Changed about four days after he died. She couldn’t explain why, except that it’s got a great overview of post-1993. Buying a record or listening to them allows you to acknowledge or remeber someone. It also recontextualises everything ([c] Pseuds Corner). People just want to feel connected when someone dies, I guess.
I bought a 2 CD version of NHC because it was a fiver in Tescos, I’m driving round the country and need some Bowie for the van
Was amazed to find it had the stereo version of Bowie’s take on All The Young Dudes after two releases of that weird mono version. Passed me by that it had emerged
You may as well ask why people buy the records at the top of the charts: when people (en masse) hear something repeatedly on the radio/TV they are more likely to buy it. Works the same as any other advertising.
As observed on another Dame thread people are buying certain things – Hunky Dory for ‘Life On Mars’, Heroes for the title track and going for The Best Of Bowie rather than Nothing Has Changed because its a more condensed version of the story
I’ve moved on to live stuff and currently stuck on a new vinyl boot of his 1997 BBC Session without Mary Anne Hobbs idiotic babbling. Babbling idiot version on ver Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUnkRSGJhMY
Yeah, I’m glad I still have enough rock snob in me to feel annoyed that people are buying Best of Bowie (horrific artwork!) instead of Nothing Has Changed. The fools!!
I finally caved and bought Aladdin Sane on CD last night, because I realised that the chances of stumbling across an LP for 2 quid at a boot sale or chazza are now smaller than ever.
The 2013 remaster is the best so far. Reminds me of the vinyl experience. Brilliant, dirty, filthy rock. Watch That Man, Drive-In Saturday, Panic In Detroit, The Gene Jeanie & Lady Grinning Soul are superb. Mick Ronson was never better. And what a cover!
Best of all is this. Play it loud.
I think this is the version I’ve been listening to on Spotify. And the CD is only a fiver!
Should have been paying closer attention, I filled in a lot of holes in my Bowie collection a couple of years ago when Amazon had lots of then to download for £2.50 each.
It’s not so strange really. Those, probably often younger people, who know next to nothing about the artist are intrigued by all the coverage and eulogising and want to investigate, they may also come across some of the hits for the first time that get played on the news, and elsewhere, and look on youtube, then want more. Also those who used to like the records years ago, but stopped listening, are moved to get them out of nostalgia/love for the music – having had the artist’s work brought to their attention again and thinking ‘actually they were really great, I really want to hear more.’ There’s reappraisal and reflection on what they acheived. Those lesser records, maybe they weren’t so bad? Nature’s PR.
Admittedly I was never going to lump on Bowie but I find I generally go the other way.
Play a CD a couple of times on hearing the news, give it one week/one month/six months (depending on the artist) for it to all quieten down, start listening to the artist again.
Right now, there’s more chance of me buying a Chelsea season ticket than getting out a Bowie CD. That said, Brian Matthew played the wonderful ‘When I’m Five’ on Saturday morning and I really enjoyed it.
There is also a school of thought that suspects that if one doesn’t grab what’s out there right now to fill in gaps, those buggers at the record companies will discontinue a lot of the less popular product and put out a remastered and extended edition in about five years (hah) time for three times the price, when all you really want to own is the thing as it was issued.
The other day in the radio I herd a Leicester fan complaining that everybody was suddenly taking an interest in the team. “I’ve got people coming up to me, telling me all about *my* team,” he moaned.
It struck me as typical of the football fan that they have to find something to complain about, even though everything’s going their way. It’s not ‘brilliant’ that suddenly everybody’s talking about his team, it’s a source of irritation.
Apologies for the spelling in that post, I’m tired.
Richard Thompson used to cover a song on this very phenomenon- “Now that I’m dead, I’m finally making a living…”
I know Ron Sexsmith slightly and have (jokingly) hinted it would do his record sales no harm at all!
@daff – I seem to have prompted this thread with my Tin Machine request (thanks @chrisf) so I’d better tackle this one.
My family have known for some time now that the death of three artists will hit me hard: Paul McCartney, Scott Walker and David Bowie. As it has proved.
I bought Blackstar on vinyl from a shop (Record Collector in Sheffield) the day it came out, went home and listened to it there and then. In fact, about six times from then until that fateful Monday.
I’ve followed the Pushing Ahead Of The Dame blog for some time, and started reading the Rebel Rebel book a few weeks ago (just in bits) which also gave me that desire to listen to everything he’d done.
I got that urge after his passing to see the whole arc of his career, before it gets tinkered with via posthumous releases. I admit that I am not an obsessive fan or a great completist in many ways, but when someone has died you reassess, you get the chance to see their whole career. I’ve already plugged some gaps (eg the Baal EP, which curiously is missing from the Bowibury list) and will continue to plug as the month goes on. And yes, that gap is Let’s Dance until Buddha Of Suburbia: the gap I had from there until Reality was plugged a few years ago. Previously, the best-ofs filled that space for me.
I have form of having done a Bowie listening spree before,so my hand has finally been forced to do it properly.
Put simply, I am still grieving, and this is my way of doing it. I doubt I’ll be doing anything similar with any other artist until Scott and Macca pass on.
Count yourself lucky you weren’t tempted to do the same thing when James Last died.
The same thought had crossed my mind!
Fair enough – I wasn’t having a go at you or anyone else.
I was never much of a Bowie fan but, as I tried to say, it was a general question. I was curious and, to be honest, thought I might get a lot of negative comments for daring to ask such a question!
Didn’t feel you were having a go – did feel like I wanted to explain why.
Doubtless people will feel the same way about (eg) the Stones one day. I’ll struggle to understand why then myself!
Part of it may be that there’s just so much stuff, we’re all in danger of turning into gadflies, flitting from artist to artist without giving any of them significant time or attention. So when some one dies we enjoy the novelty of immersing ourselves in that artist’s work.
I’ve noticed a similar experience immediately after seeing a band live – the fact that I’ve had nothing but that artist’s music played to me non-stop for an hour or more, makes me curious again about spending time with their records afterwards.
It’s happening again today. Both singles from Viola Beach are currently climbing the iTunes chart with one of them almost into the top 10. Most likely being bought by people who hadn’t heard of the band before this morning.
Haven’t heard them, even though I live in Warrington. Any good?