MB Essential Guide Poll: ***David Bowie***

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KEM

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David Bowie


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"Bowie means a crap load to me for... no real specific reason apart from he made incredible songs. Such is the sheer mass of stuff he did there is always something for whatever mood i'm in. I'm pretty sure that he has done a track that ANYONE can enjoy no matter what their taste is or what their background is, for that he is as close to being a genius as a musician can come." Piss me Off

Recommended Tracks:

1) Life on Mars? (Hunky Dory)

2) "Heroes" ("Heroes")

3) Space Oddity (David Bowie) / Station to Station (Station to Station)

4) Ziggy Stardust (Ziggy Stardust) / Sound and Vision (Low)

5) Subterraneans (Low) / Rebel Rebel (Diamond Dogs)


Recommended Album:

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
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Similar Artists:


Lou Reed & Brian Eno


Further Info:

David Bowie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David Bowie – Listen free at Last.fm
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:giftxqw5ldde~T1

Final Thoughts:

"I basically have David Bowie to thank for expanding my horizons musically. If it weren't for him I simply wouldn't be as hooked on music as I am these days. His back catalogue is also one of such diversity, which more often than not yielded truly remarkable results, something you simply can't say for a lot of singer/songwriters down the years" Bulldog

"Anyone who refuses a Knighthood gains kudos points but the main reason is his willingness to always expand his musical horizons whether he fails or not and have the warmth and intelligence to back his choices up. Vocally he is not the best but for a near 40 year career he is still one of the best British artists to grace our shores" Jackhammer

[FONT=&quot]"Mr Bowie is my all-time favorite artist. He grabbed me in the early 70's, shook the crap outta me and changed my world forever. A true genius, extraordinarily prolific, and one of the most influential musical artists of all time. Enough said." onedrummer[/FONT]


[Diamond Dogs: Piss Me Off, ToeAndno, Double X, Bulldog, jackhammer, Demonoid, Brad Stengel, Minstrel, sweet nothing, Seltzer, Molecules, onedrummer]

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Tracks:

1. Starman (Ziggy Stardust): I think this was the song that i first really fell in love with from him. One of the best songs from his glam era, this is a perfect example of the out of space, charm filled song writing he did so well.

2. Drive-In Saturday (Aladdin Sane): One of my favourite ballad sorts by him, almost like a waltz really the way it strides.

3. Subterraneans (Low): Possibly my favourite out of the more arabient stuff he did, the mood and textures in the music is gorgeous and it's influence can be seen in tons of artists that followed.

4. Station to Station (Station to Station): A track of epic proportions, it builRAB and builRAB with such stride and the end product results in a track that is very underated.

5. Let's Dance (Let's Dance): Because it does exactly what it implies, it makes you want to dance your feet off. Anyone who says it's dated can feck off.

Album:

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

It's the obvious choice but to be fair this album has such a stupid amount of tunes, confidence and charm that it's hard not to pick. It's the first album by him i got and it's made a lasting impression, to the extent i still see it as one of my favourite albums of all time.

Similar Artists:
T-Rex: Marc Bolan was just a less cool version of glam Bowie (in my eyes though, i'm sure others would disagree)
Brian Eno: Worked with Bowie on a few albums and his solo stuff is certainly similar.

Bowie means a crap load to me for... no real specific reason apart from he made incredible songs. Such is the sheer mass of stuff he did there is always something for whatever mood i'm in. I'm pretty sure that he has done a track that ANYONE can enjoy no matter what their taste is or what their background is, for that he is as close to being a genius as a musician can come.
 
I'm no bowie expert, but anyways, I'll just go ahead and vote -

Top 5:

1. Life on Mars?(Hunky Dory): Kinda an obvious choice, but this was the first bowie song I heard and fell in love with.

2. Station to Station(Station to Station): Epic! No other description is needed.

3. Warszawa(Low): I guess a weird choice but there's just something i love about this.

4. "Heroes"(Heroes): A great song...Love Fripp's guitar work.

5. Starman(Ziggy Stardust): la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la :p:

Album: Hmm tough one, but rite now, I'd say Station to Station, followed by Low.(It keeps changing between the two)

Similar Artist:
Brian Eno

Station to Station, Low & Heroes are my favorite bowie albums...Not much of a fan of his earlier stuff, other than a song or two here and there.
 
Tracks:

1. Starman (Ziggy Stardust)
2. Life on Mars? (Hunky Dory)
3. Changes (Hunky Dory)
4. Rock 'N' Roll Suicide (Ziggy Stardust)
5. Heroes (Heroes)

 Album:

Hunky Dory


Similar Artists:

Lou Reed
Brian Eno

David Bowie is one of the most important figures in my musical journey. He is a true genius, a fact that remains a constant throughout his career. He is never afraid to change his sound and his image and yet he reels off great song after great song, awesome album after awesome album. His entire discography is so diverse and has influence so many people. One of the most important solo artists in music history.
 
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....and that is all i have to contribute
 
Five Tracks:

1. Heroes
EPIC JAM

2. Starman
Another great epic jam. of Montreal cover this really well.

3. Ziggy Stardust
This song actually made me go out and buy a Bowie album.

4. Rebel Rebel
I dont care if its on the radio alot, its one of the best riRAB of all time.

5. Space Oddity
Spooky noochies.


ALBUM:
Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars


SIMILAR ARTISTS:
T. Rex
Lou Reed

BRIEF PARAGRAPH:

David Bowe is the sort of artist that lets me know its okay to try on womens underwar, and have a pre-occupation with Nazi fashion. Without David Bowie, there would be no glitter in rock n' roll. Next to David Bowie's epic jams, the Arcade Fire sound like a wet blanket. Who was your favorite rock band in 10th grade? David Bowie most likely had sex with them. Unless it was Heart. This is what makes David Bowie great.
 
Tracks:

1. Sound and Vision (Low)
2. Heroes (Heroes)
3. Slow Burn (Heathen)
4. Ziggy Stardust (Ziggy Stardust)
5. Starman (Ziggy Stardust)

Album:

Low

Similar Artists:

Lou Reed
Brian Eno
 
Tracks:

1. Life On Mars? : A virtually perfect song, on the candidate list for greatest song ever. It shows off his weird lyricism, epic flair and pop aesthetic.

2. Five Years : A wonderful ballad that has a compelling urgency and soaring melody.

3. An Occasional Dream : Another great, early ballad that has a dreamy (appropriate!) melody and a chiming sound.

4. Space Oddity : One of his most famous songs, it hinted at the dramatic nature that would become his trademark, while also capturing a contemplative mood about the space race.

5. Lady Grinning Soul : Exotic and gorgeous. This is the very definition of lush pop melody, yet it has a surreal, swirling element. Just very compelling.


Album:

Space Oddity

While one of the triumverate of Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane and Ziggy Stardust tenRAB to be selected for best Bowie album, I think Space Oddity has become overlooked and under-appreciated. I've lately been listening to it more, and it's packed with brilliance.


Similar Artists:
Jobriath
T-Rex


Thoughts
I like Bowie a great deal because he corabined a fusion of different rock and pop sounRAB with tremendous theatrics and showmanship. His albums are potpourri of epic productions, dirty blues and even McCartney-esque Vaudeville ditties. He's a lot of fun to listen to, he's rarely boring.
 
Top 5 (in no order):

1. The Heart's Filthy Lesson from 1.Outside

Not just because it's the outro song to the film 'Se7en', it is also a brilliantly multilayered song that could appeal to rock and Electronic fans. There are some great sound f/x and loops which always sound good and never out dated.

2. Scream Like A Baby from Scary Monsters

It's built around a standard but eminently catchable guitar riff but what I love about the track is the odd keyboard lines that seem completely out of sync. Yet they fit. The manipulation of the vocals works too.

3. John, I'm Only Dancing . Single release available on ChangesBowie.

I am not a huge fan of his glam rock era but this catchy nuraber works on a classic glam guitar sound punctuated with some simple but effective guitar work. Outside of his big hits, this track struck me early on in my life.

4. Subterraneans from Low

A wonderful piece of arabient bliss from his Berlin years. Simply gorgeous and atmospheric. His sax work on here is brilliant too.

5. Don't Look Down from Tonight

A very odd choice for me as it is essentially Bowie does Reggae and as a big Reggae fan I don't normally like what is known as 'Cod-Reggae'. Yet somehow Bowie pulls it off and it is just a great upbeat tune from him.

Album: Station To Station

I don't want to eleborate too much on this as a review may be needed in the future ;) but it remains for me one of his most interesting albums and was quite experimental for Bowie. Outside is very close to being my favourite too.

Similar Artists:

Where do you start?

No chameleon-esque Bowie no Radiohead methinks.

Why?:

Anyone who refuses a Knighthood gains kudos points but the main reason is his willingness to always expand his musical horizons whether he fails or not and have the warmth and intelligence to back his choices up. Vocally he is not the best but for a near 40 year career he is still one of the best British artists to grace our shores.
 
Tracks:

1. Sound and Vision (Low)
One of the best enserable performances by a backing band I've ever heard. The Alomar-Davis-Murray rhythm section really strikes gold here. It's simply 3 minutes of musical perfection

2. Joe the Lion (Heroes)
Robert Fripp's lead guitar here is absolutely insane, and it drives the song superbly with the help of a terrific group of musicians working with him and a white-hot vocal performance from Bowie

3. Jump, They Say (Black Tie, White Noise)
The man's last top 10 hit, it's a very lively and buoyant tune (like a 90s version of Let's Dance), propelled by virtuoso trumpet performance from the chap's namesake, Mr. Lester Bowie

4. Kingdom Come (Scary Monsters)
Bowie's vocal performance here is one of his finest (the notes he hits here are inhuman!). This lively cover of Tom Verlaine's solo tune also features the wonderful Alomar-Davis-Murray rhythm section propelling it

5. Space Oddity *acoustic version (Scary Monsters, rykodisc reissue)
I actually think the more popular, orchestrated version of this tune is a little on the overcooked side. This simplistic guitar-drums-piano reworking serves the meaty lyrical subject matter a lot better

Album:

Heroes
I'm probably going out on a bit of a lirab here, but this is probably my personal favourite. A mix-up of some razor-sharp, at times pretty crazy songs and some wonderfully moving instrumental pieces, it really does benefit so much from repeated listening

Similar Artists:

Gary Numan: This chap was influenced heavily by Bowie's collaborations with Brian Eno

Talking HeaRAB: In collaborating with Eno themselves, these guys were always (certainly in my eyes) in a very similar musical ball-park to Bowie. They even started writing pop songs with prominent horn figures around the same time that Bowie did

I basically have David Bowie to thank for expanding my horizons musically. If it weren't for him I simply wouldn't be as hooked on music as I am these days. His back catalogue is also one of such diversity, which more often than not yielded truly remarkable results, something you simply can't say for a lot of singer/songwriters down the years
 
Tracks:
1) Cracked Actor
2) Hang Onto Yourself
3) Rebel Rebel
4) Black Country Rock
5) Life On Mars?


Album:
Aladin Sane

Similar Artists:
Lou Reed
Iggy Pop
 
I have....:p:

It's more about 5 songs that best represent him, his different styles or just one of his styles. If someone has never heard one Bowie track, which 5 would you reckon he would like and would get him interested?
 
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