Released on September 21, 1999 by Virgin Records, ‘hours…’ is the twenty-first album by David Bowie that marks a major shift in his musical direction from the world of electronic music and a return to straight-forward rock with elements of folk. Produced with Reeves Gabrels, the albums marks Bowie’s final collaboration with Gabrels following a decade of albums that included two albums they did as part of Tin Machine. Featuring contributions from collaborators in Mark Plati and drummer Sterling Campbell, the album would also feature contributions from a young lyricist in Alex Grant who won a contest from Bowie’s website for one of the songs on the album.
The album’s leading single Thursday’s Child along with the two other singles in the album in Seven and Survive are all ballads as Thursday’s Child is a more mid-tempo ballad with soothing synthesizers, Sterling Campbell’s steady drums, and Bowie’s somber vocals that are reflective about loss and memory that features backing vocals by Holly Palmer as it is one of his finest singles. Survive is a more folk-based ballad as it includes some bopping drums and Bowie’s calm vocals as it features lyrics that are dream-like as it includes a fantastic guitar solo from Gabrels. Seven is another folk-based ballad in a slower temple that also has lyrics that are reflective as it has references to Bowie’s family as it includes a sliding solo from Gabrels and an ambient keyboard in the background.
The track Something in the Air is one of Bowie’s darkest songs with its presentation of smooth but warbling electronics, a tapping beat, and Bowie’s raspy vocal as it features evocative and dreamy lyrics that includes Gabrels’ wailing guitar solos. If I’m Dreaming My Life is a track that starts off slow but would up its tempo for something mid-tempo with its bopping rhythm, melodic keyboards, and Gabrels’ driving guitar textures with Bowie singing in a soothing vocal to lyrics of ambiguity and wonderment. The track What’s Really Happening that features lyrics by contest winner Alex Grant is this mid-tempo rocker led by Gabrels’ wailing guitar slides, Bowie’s eerie vocals, bopping rhythm with Mike Levesque’s drum fills, and some dark lyrics. The album’s second single in the fast-paced rocker The Pretty Things are Going to Hell is a full-on blast of rock with its hard-hitting drums, blazing guitars, and Bowie’s snarling vocals as it play into some very dark and chilling lyrics.
New Angels of Promise is a mid-tempo that recalls some of Bowie’s work in the late 70s in terms of his vocal performance as well as some of the musical presentation in its swirling synthesizers, slow but steady drums by Campbell, wailing guitars, and some haunting vocals as it is killer album cut. Brilliant Adventure is this Asian-inspired instrumental that features a lot of Japanese-inspired instruments in its string and percussions with some ambient-textures that once again recalls Bowie’s work in the late 70s. The album closer The Dreamers is a mid-tempo cut with some time signatures in its rhythm as it starts off slow and then into a more steady, bopping rhythm with some funk-based guitars from Gabrels as well as some warbling vocals that bears elements of very eerie lyrics.
The 2005 deluxe edition of the album features a second disc filled with remixes, B-sides, alternate takes, and bonus tracks from different editions of the album. Three of these remixes appear in the 1999 video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul as it includes a slower version of Thursday’s Child, a soul-based version of New Angels of Promise with some additional keyboards, and a longer version of The Dreamers that features an added intro with its beats and keyboards. The rock remix of Thursday’s Child includes some droning bass in the background as well as additional guitar flourishes in the background as well as some additional textures into Bowie’s vocals. A remix of Something in the Air for the 2000 film American Psycho features some additional piano flourishes from Mike Garson as it’s a more eerie version of the song. Marius de Vries’ remix of Survive features some piano flourishes by Garson as well as some more warbling mixes on the guitars and drums.
The song Seven appears in a demo version as well as three different remixes where the demo version is amazing as it’s just a twelve-string guitar, a drum machine, and Gabrels’ sliding guitar proving that the demos can be just as good as the original. Marius de Vries’ remix of the song is a more upbeat tone with some bopping rhythms, swirling keyboards, and added guitar flourishes as it is includes some multi-track vocal mixes to give the song something richer. Beck contributes two remixes of the song as the first one features elements of slow and pulsating beats, soothing synthesizer flourishes, and soul based keyboards while the second one is a wilder version with warbling synthesizers, crashing pianos, bopping live drums, hand claps, and noisier guitars.
There’s three versions of The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell in a single edit of the song as well as two other versions from the 1999 film Stigmata as it’s first version features additional synthesizer flourishes and a different vocal mix while the second version replaces the original drums with more pulsating electronic beats and synthesizers for an industrial-rave version. From the Japanese edition of the album is a bonus track in We All Go Through is this mid-tempo track with elements of electric-folk guitars, soothing synthesizers, and different vocal pitches from Bowie that play into somber lyrics that would feature a melodic-swooning guitar solo from Gabrels.
The three B-sides for the singles in Thursday’s Child and The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell in 1917, We Shall Go to Town, and No One Calls. 1917 is this bopping, mid-tempo instrumental with funk-based rhythms, swirling synthesizers, driving guitar riffs, and Bowie’s distorted vocals while We Shall Go to Town is this eerie track filled with slow but warbling rhythms and brooding vocals from Bowie that is accompanied by eerie synthesizers as well as these dark lyrics. No One Calls is this slow yet bopping electronic piece that include these string-like synthesizers and some low-key industrial beats where Bowie sings in a dreamy vocal style that displays a sense of detachment in the song’s lyrics.
‘hours…’ is a remarkable album from David Bowie that showcases his fondness for electronic music while returning to more organic instrumentation into his music. While it isn’t as consistent in comparison to the other albums he did in the 1990s, it is still a strong album that showcases a continuing evolution into the music Bowie was making in the 20th Century. In the end, ‘hours…’ is a marvelous album from David Bowie.
Studio Releases: David Bowie (1967 album) - David Bowie (1969 album) - The Man Who Sold the World - Hunky Dory - The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - Aladdin Sane - Pin Ups - Diamond Dogs - Young Americans - Station to Station - Low - "Heroes" - Lodger - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) - Let’s Dance - Tonight - Never Let Me Down - Tin Machine - Tin Machine II - Black Tie White Noise - Outside - Earthling - Heathen - Reality - The Next Day - *
Live Releases: David Live - Stage - Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars - Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby - Bowie at the Beeb - (Live at Fashion Rocks (w/ Arcade Fire)) - (Live Santa Monica ‘72) - (Glass Spider Live) - (VH1 Storytellers) - (A Reality Tour)
Soundtracks: Christiane F. - Labyrinth - The Buddha of Suburbia
Miscellaneous: Peter and the Wolf - Baal - Sound + Vision - (Early On (1964-1966)) - (All Saints) - Toy - (Nothing Has Changed)
© thevoid99 2016
Released on February 3, 1997 by Virgin Records, Earthling is the 20th studio release from David Bowie that marks a milestone for the artist as he had turned 50 less than a month earlier. Produced with Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati, the album is a continued exploration into the world of electronic music and its many sub-genres from dance and drum n’ bass as well as elements of rock and industrial. Featuring members of Bowie’s live band from his 1996 summer tour that includes guitarist Reeves Gabrels, pianist/keyboardist Mike Garson, bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, and drummer Zachary Alford.
The drum n’ bass sub genre that features an array of pulsating, rapid beats, and bass grooves are key factors to two of the album’s singles in Little Wonder and Dead Man Walking. The former is a mixture of that sound with Gabrel’s driving guitars, Garson’s playful piano textures, and a thundering rhythm section from Alford’s drums and Dorsey’s bass with Bowie singing in a rapid tone with some very playful and offbeat lyrics. The latter is a more mid-tempo cut that features swirling drum and synthesizer loops with Bowie singing lyrics filled with eerie imagery as it is one of his finest singles in terms of its presentation as it shows Bowie providing his own spin to what was a hot genre at the time. The album cut Battle for Britain (The Letter) also play into the world of drum n’ bass with its rapid, pulsating beats that include some intense live drumming from Zachary Alford and warbling guitar textures from Reeves Gabrels while Bowie sings these dark yet blazing lyrics of chaos that is followed by these flourishing pianos from Mike Garson.
The other two singles in the drum n’ bass-inspired Telling Lies and the art-rock based Seven Years in Tibet as the former opens with rapid beats that is followed by more steady, hammering beats with Bowie singing some haunting lyrics with some vocal spurts in the background as he is accompanied by smooth keyboards and pianos with Gabrels’ wailing guitars The latter is this mid-tempo track with a mixture of warbling bass lines by Gail Ann Dorsey, smooth and steady beats, guitar textures, and Bowie on the saxophone as he sings calmly and detached at first to some great imagery until Alford’s drums kick in where Bowie sings loudly. Looking for Satellites showcase the fusion between rock and electronic music with some steady and bopping rhythms along with driving guitars and abstract lyrics by Bowie.
The album’s fourth single I’m Afraid of Americans which is co-written by Brian Eno from the sessions for Outside is this mid-tempo track with a bopping rhythm, warbling synthesizers, driving guitars, and Bowie singing about the sense of paranoia and fear about a European in America as it’s one of his best singles. The mixture of drum n’ bass and industrial-based beats for The Last Thing You Should Do is among the highlights of the album as it features calm vocals by Bowie on some somber lyrics that is followed by Gabrels’ swirling and driving guitars. The album closer Law (Earthlings on Fire) is this upbeat and intense track filled with warbling synthesizers, pulsating live drums, and squealing guitars with Bowie singing some lyrics of chaos and terror as it also features distorted vocals.
The 2004 bonus tracks edition of the album features four different remixes of some of the album’s singles as it includes a remix of I’m Afraid of Americans by the industrial act Nine Inch Nails with its mastermind Trent Reznor providing additional vocals as it include industrial beats, drum n’ bass beat loops, and grimy synthesizers as it’s one of the best remixes provided by NIN. Danny Saber’s dance mix of Little Wonder is a track filled with an array of wavy synthesizers, layers of pulsating beats and percussions, and playful takes on Bowie’s vocals as it is about dance and nothing else. Moby’s twelve-inch remix of Dead Man Walking for U.S. clubs is inspired by the world of rave with its warbling and wavy synthesizers as well as some hammering beats that give the track some punch. The fourth remix in the 2004 edition of the album is a remix of Telling Lies by English DJ Adam F. as it this ambient-trance mix that features wavy synthesizers with bopping beats as well as some swirls in the synthesizers.
The 2007 deluxe edition features a second disc of material including remixes, alternate takes, and a couple of live cuts. From the 2004 bonus track edition includes two versions of the NIN remix of I’m Afraid of Americans as the other version is a clean mix made for radio with a few added instrumentations as Moby’s twelve-inch mix of Dead Man Walking and Danny Saber’s dance mix of Little Wonder appear in the 2007 bonus disc. Two other mixes of Little Wonder include a single-edited version of the song for its music video as well as a club remix by Junior Vasquez that features swirling synthesizers and pulsating club beats that also feature some unique placements in the vocals and different ranges in its mix. A second remix of Dead Man Walking by Moby as it displays some hard-hitting, pulsating beats as well as wavy synthesizer textures as well as providing different pitches to Bowie’s vocals. The two remixes of Telling Lies as the first mix by producer Mark Plati emphasizes a lot on the drum n’ bass sub genre with an array of rapid beats from clanging metallic ones to driving dance beats as well as some synthesizer swirls in the background.
The second mix by Gerald Simpson under the A Guy Called Gerald moniker as it is this mix filled with pulsating break-beats and ambient-based synthesizer swirls as Bowie’s vocals warble through the instruments where it’s a track that owes a lot to the world of late 80s/early 90s rave music. An alternate version of Seven Years in Tibet is actually the same version as its original version but it is sung in Mandarin with translated lyrics by Lin Xi under a concept by Elvin Wong as it has Bowie providing some unique vocal flairs into the language while it’s also kind of superior to its original. An alternate version of I’m Afraid of Americans from the 1995 film soundtrack to Showgirls as it features more clanging beats, noisy guitars by Gabrels, and different vocals and lyrics from Bowie as it’s a version of the song that is unique though it sort of pales to eventual final version and the NIN remixes.
The last two cuts of the bonus disc are live tracks performed by Bowie and his live band under the moniker Tao Jones Index for a show at the Phoenix Festival in 1997 as it includes a performance of the instrumental V-2 Schneider from "Heroes" where it features throbbing beats, wavy synthesizers, and ambient-based synthesizers with Bowie singing the track’s lone lyrics and playing saxophone on the track. The performance of Pallas Antheas from Black Tie White Noise as it is led by ambient synthesizers from Bowie and Garson with some throbbing beats, low-groove bass lines by Dorsey, funky guitars by Gabrels, and an array of instrumentations from the original track to a mixture of distortion and ambient as it’s one of Bowie’s best reinterpretation of one of his great cuts.
Earthling is an incredible album from David Bowie that shows an artist at the age of 50 not only feeling vital and making music that is adventurous and daring. It’s an album that showcases Bowie making many of his contemporaries look older than they actually are while providing his own spin into a genre of music that he helped shape and make it his own. In the end, Earthling is a dazzling album from David Bowie.
Studio Releases: David Bowie (1967 album) - David Bowie (1969 album) - The Man Who Sold the World - Hunky Dory - The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - Aladdin Sane - Pin Ups - Diamond Dogs - Young Americans - Station to Station - Low - "Heroes" - Lodger - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) - Let’s Dance - Tonight - Never Let Me Down - Tin Machine - Tin Machine II - Black Tie White Noise - Outside - ‘Hours…’ - Heathen - Reality - The Next Day - *
Live Releases: David Live - Stage - Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars - Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby - Bowie at the Beeb - (Live at Fashion Rocks (w/ Arcade Fire)) - (Live Santa Monica ‘72) - (Glass Spider Live) - (VH1 Storytellers) - (A Reality Tour)
Soundtracks: Christiane F. - Labyrinth - The Buddha of Suburbia
Miscellaneous: Peter and the Wolf - Baal - Sound + Vision - (Early On (1964-1966)) - (All Saints) - Toy - (Nothing Has Changed)
© thevoid99 2016
Released on July 2, 1992 by London Records, Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby is a live album from Tin Machine that was recorded through several shows during the band’s world tour in the fall of 1991 to early 1992. Produced by David Bowie, Reeves Gabrels, Max Bisgrove, Tom Dube, and Dave Bianco, the album is a live album that has Bowie, guitarist Reeves Gabrels, bassist Tony Sales, and drummer Hunt Sales along with rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Eric Schemerhorn play eight songs from the band’s two studio releases as the album would mark the band’s final release.
The album features half of the material from the first album and the other half is from the second album as the songs that are chosen don’t go back and forth but rather play into a certain feel at a show. Even as it shows a band play these songs in a very raw and loud fashion as it is clear that Tin Machine is a band first and foremost. Notably in songs like I Can’t Read, Under the God, the Hunt Sales-sung Stateside, and a twelve-minute version of Heaven’s in Here is an example of the tight musicianship between the band where it is a band coming together with Hunt Sales providing some amazing drum fills, Tony Sales providing some heavy bass lines, Gabrels in wailing guitar solos, Schemerhorn filling in with some rhythm guitar, and Bowie also providing some guitars and just being part of a unit while still singing. Even as Heaven’s in Here is given some unique tempo changes that adds so much to the performance.
Performances of songs like Goodbye Mr. Ed, Amazing, You Belong in Rock N’ Roll, and a cover of Roxy Music’s If There is Something are also key examples as it shows Bowie’s power as a vocalist and the band just sounding very tight and loud. Though one of the album’s key flaws is in the sequencing and fade-outs between songs despite the positive reaction from its audience. It still manages to be very engaging though there is one song from the tour that isn’t in the album as some believe to be one of the best covers the band did in the Pixies’ Debaser that has Tony Sales singing vocals with Bowie providing backing vocals in some parts.
Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby is a superb live album from Tin Machine that showcases the band at their most raw as well as being loud. While it is flawed, it is still a record that manages to be a lot of fun as it showcases what kind of band Tin Machine is as they had something special to deliver live. In the end, Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby is a fantastic live album from Tin Machine.
Studio Releases: David Bowie (1967 album) - David Bowie (1969 album) - The Man Who Sold the World - Hunky Dory - The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - Aladdin Sane - Pin Ups - Diamond Dogs - Young Americans - Station to Station - Low - "Heroes" - Lodger - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) - Let’s Dance - Tonight - Never Let Me Down - Tin Machine - Tin Machine II - Black Tie White Noise - Outside - Earthling - ‘Hours…’ - Heathen - Reality - The Next Day - *
Live Releases: David Live - Stage - Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars - Bowie at the Beeb - (Live at Fashion Rocks (w/ Arcade Fire)) - (Live Santa Monica ‘72) - (Glass Spider Live) - (VH1 Storytellers) - (A Reality Tour)
Soundtracks: Christiane F. - Labyrinth - The Buddha of Suburbia
Miscellaneous: Peter and the Wolf - Baal - Sound + Vision - (Early On (1964-1966)) - (All Saints) - Toy - (Nothing Has Changed)
© thevoid99 2016
Released on September 2, 1991 by Victory Records, Tin Machine II is the second and final studio release from the band as it marks a continuation into loud, abrasive rock n’ roll as well as experiment into the world of industrial rock and other forms of music that was part of the culture of alternative rock. Produced with Tim Palmer and Hugh Padgham, the album has the band not just up the ante into their sound but also add more melodic elements as vocalist/guitarist/saxophonist David Bowie, guitarist Reeves Gabrels, bassist/vocalist Tony Sales, and drummer/vocalist Hunt Sales along with guitarist/keyboardist Kevin Armstrong provide an album that is all rock and nothing else.
The album’s three singles in Baby Universal, One Shot, and You Belong in Rock N’ Roll showcase a band coming into its own as Baby Universal is this fast, upbeat rocker with some hard-hitting rhythms, soaring guitar work, and Bowie’s blaring vocals as it includes some very intense lyrics about a world gone wrong. One Shot is this mid-tempo cut that owes a lot to the style of the Pixies in terms of being soft in some parts but loud in other parts with Bowie singing joyful yet fun lyrics with his voice and some bopping rhythms from the Sales brothers that really make the song stand out. You Belong in Rock N’ Roll is a song that mixes elements of folk with a bopping rhythm that includes Tony Sales’ melodic bass lines and some guitar spurts from Gabrels as Bowie sings some very cool lyrics that expresses the world of love. A cover of Roxy Music’s If There is Something has the band giving the song a more upbeat approach with some hard-hitting drums while Gabrels provides some blazing solos with Bowie bring very calm in his vocals until its coda as he sings Bryan Ferry’s abstract lyrics as it’s a fantastic cover.
Amlapura is this slow, folk-based ballad that has Bowie singing some calm, somber lyrics while playing a 12-string acoustic as it is later filled by some intense instrumentation by the Hunt brothers and Gabrels’ soothing yet wailing guitar. Betty Love is a track that features mid-tempo rhythms, crunchy guitar riffs, and soothing vocals from Bowie that also has him playing saxophone while the more driving rocker You Can’t Talk as Bowie sing some weird vocals with some pulsating rhythms as well as displaying some playful riffs with him and Gabrels where the latter provide some solos. Shopping for Girls is one of the album’s darkest tracks as it relates to the world of child prostitution where it’s this mid-tempo track with some swirling guitars by Gabrels and folk-based guitars where Bowie sings very fast as it plays into some dark imagery in the song.
Hunt Sales sings lead vocals on two tracks in the blues-based Stateside that features a slow, steady rhythm, only to go fast in its bridge, with some wailing solo from Gabrels with Hunt providing some bluesy lyrics to a growling vocal with Tony Sales and Bowie singing backup. The other in Sorry is this folk-based track with acoustic textures and low-key saxophones from Bowie while Hunt Sales sing some somber lyrics in his wailing vocals with Gabrels providing soft textures into the guitar. A Big Hurt is this hard-hitting rocker with blazing drums and squealing guitars with Bowie being very confrontational and playful while singing in a wailing snarl that showcases a sense of energy to the song. The album closer Goodbye Mr. Ed is this driving, mid-tempo track that has Bowie sing some strange, dream-like lyrics as it plays into the world gone wrong as it features a steady rhythm as well as some cool guitar textures from Gabrels. The song would feature a secret track called Hammerhead as it is this upbeat instrumental filled with bopping rhythms, wailing guitars, and a blaring saxophone from Bowie.
Tin Machine II is a marvelous album from Tin Machine. Not only is it a more focused and realized album from the band but it also showcases that the band can provide something that is accessible but also loud. In the end, Tin Machine II is an excellent album from Tin Machine.
Studio Releases: David Bowie (1967 album) - David Bowie (1969 album) - The Man Who Sold the World - Hunky Dory - The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - Aladdin Sane - Pin Ups - Diamond Dogs - Young Americans - Station to Station - Low - "Heroes" - Lodger - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) - Let’s Dance - Tonight - Never Let Me Down - Tin Machine - Black Tie White Noise - Outside - Earthling - ‘Hours…’ - Heathen - Reality - The Next Day - *
Live Releases: David Live - Stage - Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars - Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby - Bowie at the Beeb - (Live at Fashion Rocks (w/ Arcade Fire)) - (Live Santa Monica ‘72) - (Glass Spider Live) - (VH1 Storytellers) - (A Reality Tour)
Soundtracks: Christiane F. - Labyrinth - The Buddha of Suburbia
Miscellaneous: Peter and the Wolf - Baal - Sound + Vision - (Early On (1964-1966)) - (All Saints) - Toy - (Nothing Has Changed)
© thevoid99 2016
Released on May 22, 1989 by EMI Records, the self-titled debut release of the band Tin Machine marks a creative turning point for David Bowie following a period of mediocrity and compromise during the mid-1980s. In a band Bowie formed with guitarist Reeves Gabrels, bassist Tony Sales, and drummer Hunt Sales as the last Bowie had played in the late 70s as part of Iggy Pop’s backing band at the time. The project marks Bowie making a return to rock music but in an uncompromised and brutal fashion. Produced with Tim Palmer and featuring contributions from collaborator Kevin Armstong on additional guitars and keyboards. The album is a confrontational recording that has Bowie, Gabrels, and the Sales brothers go all-out while speaking about the ills of the world and everything they encounter.
The album’s opener and single in Heaven’s in Here and its third single in Tin Machine are these songs that has elements of blues-based guitar licks but all presented in a very hard and rocking as the former is a slow, blues-based track with wailing guitars from Gabrels while the latter is a fast, hard-hitting track that has Bowie singing in a snarling fashion. Even as the Sales brothers provide some heavy rhythms with Gabrels providing swirling guitar solos. The album’s first single in Under the God is another fast, upbeat track that features driving guitars, heavy drums, and Bowie singing some very confrontational lyrics about faith with some growling vocals. The album’s fourth single in the mid-tempo ballad Prisoner of Love has this steady rhythm with some lavish fills by Hunt Sales and low-key bass lines by Hunt Sales as it is a somber but enchanting song that definitely owes a lot to American alternative rock.
Cuts like Crack City, Video Crimes, and a cover of John Lennon’s Working Class Hero are songs that have very socially-conscious lyrics with Crack City displaying some changing tempos as it is slow for the most part with some intense time signatures in the drums and guitars. Working Class Hero is given a more, funk-based rhythm with some driving guitars as it is a remarkable interpretation to Lennon’s song as Bowie definitely brings an added snarl to Lennon’s lyrics. Video Crimes is a track that is filled with these noisy guitar textures from Gabrels and a bopping, mid-tempo rhythm that has Bowie singing some very dark lyrics with some crunchy riffs. The mid-tempo track I Can’t Read is a somber tune that features Bowie singing some melancholic lyrics to textures of guitar noises from Gabrels and a steady rhythm from the Sales brothers. Amazing is a mid-tempo ballad with guitar spurts from Bowie and walloping drum fills by Tony Sales with Bowie singing some lyrics that expresses love and anguish.
The short, fast-paced Bus Stop is a straight-ahead rocker with upbeat rhythms and driving guitars that feature some dark lyrics that play into the decay of the world. Pretty Thing is another fast-paced rocker with some intense guitars and hard-hitting rhythms with Bowie singing some very sloppy but fun lyrics that play into the idea of what rock n’ roll is about which is going after girls. The mid-tempo track Run is a track that has Bowie on an acoustic guitar singing some very abstract lyrics to a slow but hard-rocking song features hard-hitting rhythms and Gabrels’ soaring guitars. Sacrifice Yourself is a full-on, upbeat hard-rocker that has Bowie singing in a snarling fashion to some angry lyrics with loud, raw drums and some driving guitars that include some squealing guitars from Gabrels. The album closer Baby Can Dance is a mid-tempo track with bopping rhythms and loud guitar riffs with Gabrels’ wailing guitar squeals while Bowie sings some weird but uplifting lyrics as it based on pure rock n’ roll.
The 1995 reissue from Virgin Records features a bonus track in a country-based version of Bus Stop that was recorded during the band’s 1989 tour as it was also part of B-side for a maxi-single release for Tin Machine as it presented in a very playful version with Gabrels providing some country licks and Bowie singing in a country style as it‘s really damn good. Another track from that single is a live cover of Bob Dylan’s Maggie’s Farm as it is this mixture of rock and country with Bowie singing in a growling vocal style where it has some country guitar lyrics until it goes into a full-on rock track.
Tin Machine’s self-titled debut is a phenomenal album from the band. It’s an album that is all rock n’ roll as it’s loud, sloppy, uncompromising, and confrontational. It’s exactly the kind of thing in what rock music is about as it’s an album that knows what it is as it’s also a fucking kick in the balls. In the end, Tin Machine’s self-titled debut is an album that doesn’t just fucking rock but it’s also an album with all frills and no filler.
Studio Releases: David Bowie (1967 album) - David Bowie (1969 album) - The Man Who Sold the World - Hunky Dory - The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - Aladdin Sane - Pin Ups - Diamond Dogs - Young Americans - Station to Station - Low - "Heroes" - Lodger - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) - Let’s Dance - Tonight - Never Let Me Down - Tin Machine II - Black Tie White Noise - Outside - Earthling - ‘Hours…’ - Heathen - Reality - The Next Day - *
Live Releases: David Live - Stage - Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars - Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby - Bowie at the Beeb - (Live at Fashion Rocks (w/ Arcade Fire)) - (Live Santa Monica ‘72) - (Glass Spider Live) - (VH1 Storytellers) - (A Reality Tour)
Soundtracks: Christiane F. - Labyrinth - The Buddha of Suburbia
Miscellaneous: Peter and the Wolf - Baal - Sound + Vision - (Early On (1964-1966)) - (All Saints) - Toy - (Nothing Has Changed)
© thevoid99 2016
