A third listen to David Bowie's Lodger
1. Fantastic Voyage
A low key start. I can't dismiss my idea that it inspired the low-key, Bowie-like opener on Pavement's Wowee Zowie. "I've got to write it down/And it won't be forgotten", he says. I suppose "it" hasn't been forgotten yet at least. Good melody.
2. African Night Flight
There is a very annoying start to this song. Eno at his most whimsical. Gets better after a minute or so, but not that much. At least it is not PC in its African imaginings. Some quite decent buzzing noises coming out of the right-hand speaker.
3. Move On
Bowie sounding good at the bottom of his vocal register. Seems to be done in 2 alternating sections. Memorable chord progression in the first section. The second section feels nicely out of step and tuneful.
4. Yassassin (Turkish for: Long Live)
This track is built on an off-beat, hence has a reggae feel that comes across more strongly than the occasional Middle Eastern effects. I have never heard David Bowie try to sound like Damo Suzuki before. I don't really like this and again, I mostly blame Eno for being whimsical here. Although the song is credited to Bowie! The first track on the album that I feel like skipping past.
5. Red Sails
An excellent attempt to sound like Neu!, but with a charming Chinese theme. Some fine wah noises on the guitar. Bugs me in the way it happily evokes communism. Lovely washes of synthesizer and guitars over the driving beat, though. One of the best songs on the album.
6. DJ
The dated backwards string sounds belong to the other end of the 70s but I suppose they are supposed to sound disco, like the bass and guitar. The chugging piano does not quite fit. The lyric and chorus is boring and reminds me of Robbie Williams. But as a piece, not as bad as I have made it sound.
7. Look Back in Anger
A driving hard rock rhythm, possibly modelled on Jaki Liebezeit. A real, early New Romantic vocal from Bowie which works very well. My ear keeps going back to the beat, which could have been mixed louder; I also keep noticing the cymbals and fills. I don't like the way the song has borrowed its title, but this is probably the highlight of the album. Sweeping and echo-ey sounds work so well over hard rhythms.
8. Boys Keep Swinging
More piano-chugging, presumably borrowed from the Velvet Underground. The notion of fashionably bisexual boys "checking each other out" seems quaint. It sounds like Eno is doing the backing vocals and he sounds pretty good. Apparently this is a reasonably well-known song, but like the rest of the album, until last week it was all new to me.
9. Repetition
Nothing to do with the song by the Fall that must have come out slightly before this. A strong bass riff, with very simple drumming, and the guitar gets its wang bar interfered with a lot. Not bad.
10. Red Money
Another red song. What is so good about the colour red? "Project cancelled", he sings. Quite dull. After a minute and a half, I'm still waiting for something to happen. After 3 minutes... still waiting, although it has managed to gradually build... just before it ends, I have to admit it does make sense as a closer.
The verdict:
I was hoping for something as good as the first half of Low. None of it is quite on that level. It is a better album than its individual tracks, but just a tiny bit too much of its time. There is no song as spine-tingling as the song Heroes, from the same time. But it makes me want listen to the album Heroes, which I have never taken to, again. So I am obviously not quite done with David Bowie.
A low key start. I can't dismiss my idea that it inspired the low-key, Bowie-like opener on Pavement's Wowee Zowie. "I've got to write it down/And it won't be forgotten", he says. I suppose "it" hasn't been forgotten yet at least. Good melody.
2. African Night Flight
There is a very annoying start to this song. Eno at his most whimsical. Gets better after a minute or so, but not that much. At least it is not PC in its African imaginings. Some quite decent buzzing noises coming out of the right-hand speaker.
3. Move On
Bowie sounding good at the bottom of his vocal register. Seems to be done in 2 alternating sections. Memorable chord progression in the first section. The second section feels nicely out of step and tuneful.
4. Yassassin (Turkish for: Long Live)
This track is built on an off-beat, hence has a reggae feel that comes across more strongly than the occasional Middle Eastern effects. I have never heard David Bowie try to sound like Damo Suzuki before. I don't really like this and again, I mostly blame Eno for being whimsical here. Although the song is credited to Bowie! The first track on the album that I feel like skipping past.
5. Red Sails
An excellent attempt to sound like Neu!, but with a charming Chinese theme. Some fine wah noises on the guitar. Bugs me in the way it happily evokes communism. Lovely washes of synthesizer and guitars over the driving beat, though. One of the best songs on the album.
6. DJ
The dated backwards string sounds belong to the other end of the 70s but I suppose they are supposed to sound disco, like the bass and guitar. The chugging piano does not quite fit. The lyric and chorus is boring and reminds me of Robbie Williams. But as a piece, not as bad as I have made it sound.
7. Look Back in Anger
A driving hard rock rhythm, possibly modelled on Jaki Liebezeit. A real, early New Romantic vocal from Bowie which works very well. My ear keeps going back to the beat, which could have been mixed louder; I also keep noticing the cymbals and fills. I don't like the way the song has borrowed its title, but this is probably the highlight of the album. Sweeping and echo-ey sounds work so well over hard rhythms.
8. Boys Keep Swinging
More piano-chugging, presumably borrowed from the Velvet Underground. The notion of fashionably bisexual boys "checking each other out" seems quaint. It sounds like Eno is doing the backing vocals and he sounds pretty good. Apparently this is a reasonably well-known song, but like the rest of the album, until last week it was all new to me.
9. Repetition
Nothing to do with the song by the Fall that must have come out slightly before this. A strong bass riff, with very simple drumming, and the guitar gets its wang bar interfered with a lot. Not bad.
10. Red Money
Another red song. What is so good about the colour red? "Project cancelled", he sings. Quite dull. After a minute and a half, I'm still waiting for something to happen. After 3 minutes... still waiting, although it has managed to gradually build... just before it ends, I have to admit it does make sense as a closer.
The verdict:
I was hoping for something as good as the first half of Low. None of it is quite on that level. It is a better album than its individual tracks, but just a tiny bit too much of its time. There is no song as spine-tingling as the song Heroes, from the same time. But it makes me want listen to the album Heroes, which I have never taken to, again. So I am obviously not quite done with David Bowie.
posted by Peter at 18:42
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