David Bowie: Loving the Alien

[aith01]

Well, that's my recollection, yes. It does have a few strong tracks, but is, at least IMO, a largely inconsistent recording.

I've never heard the whole thing, so I was just curious.

Always loved the song "Blue Jean" though.

[jkelman]

^He is least appealing to me as a live act. Judging by his live albums (I too never saw him), Stage is really the only live album I return to consistently. (Black Out is good, too, but it’s basically the same set.). It’s great to hear Ronson tear things up on “Width of a Circle” on those Spiders live albums, but I generally prefer studio Bowie over live Bowie.

The relatively recently released Cracked Actor, a 1974 show that beats those in the box set, is also well worth owning, at least for my ears.

[jkelman]

I've never heard the whole thing, so I was just curious.

Always loved the song "Blue Jean" though.

And that was one of the good ones

[polmico]

The relatively recently released Cracked Actor, a 1974 show that beats those in the box set, is also well worth owning, at least for my ears.

I've got that one but, for one reason or another, haven't given it a proper listen.

[JKL2000]

I watched that recent documentary on Bowie on the BBC last week. I've never been a fan but I like musical documentaries and thought I might find something to like. I watched all the way through and remain ever so baffled as to what the appeal of this man is.

Wow! I'll support your right to dislike his voice and music, but it's amazing to me. I think he has one of the best voices in rock/pop. Also, just a very sensitive and effective overall artist. I'm wondering if you've somehow missed his best albums. BTW, I'm kind of indifferent about his different "looks" and "characters," and I wonder if sometimes that stuff (the makeup, etc.) is a turn off to some. It's all about the audio for me (and some excellent acting turns as well). But, whatever...

There's a truly great Bowie/Iggy song in this period called 'Shades'.

I love that song, and also really like most of that album. I've listened to it a lot since it came out. I actually do really enjoy most of the Iggy/Bowie cross pollination I've heard.


RE: Tonight, I think the best songs from that are Loving the Alien, Blue Jean, and Tumble and Twirl. There are a couple of other good ones. I actually forgot or didn't know how many songs on that album are co-written by Iggy Pop, and in fact from Iggy albums. I'm going to be listening to it again soon. It's an eclectic album, that's for sure.

[JJ88]

He had little material for Tonight, there's quite a few covers on there and some of them are dreadful. I guess it has more edge than Let's Dance and 'Loving The Alien' is a classic, but I think of it as perhaps his weakest album overall.

I've never really thought that much of 'Blue Jean' personally- has that fussy 80s sound again (although no syn-drums at least) which isn't to my taste. Clear out the clutter and leave the guitars and I'd probably like it more. However the Jazzin' For Blue Jean extended promo was a lot of fun, with Bowie playing two characters.

[JKL2000]

He had little material for Tonight, there's quite a few covers on there and some of them are dreadful. I guess it has more edge than Let's Dance and 'Loving The Alien' is a classic, but I think of it as perhaps his weakest album overall.

I've never really thought that much of 'Blue Jean' personally- has that fussy 80s sound again (although no syn-drums at least) which isn't to my taste. Clear out the clutter and leave the guitars and I'd probably like it more. However the Jazzin' For Blue Jean extended promo was a lot of fun, with Bowie playing two characters.

Yeah, I agree with pretty much all of that. The few best numbers on Tonight do sort of have more edge than Let's Dance, although of course Let's Dance is certainly a better album. It just felt ok for Bowie to completely pop-out for that brief period - he deserved it, and as I recall it was the same summer as Michael Jackson's Billie Jean - whatever that album was called. So it was a fun summer.

However, I'll never forgive Bowie and Mick Jagger for their Dancing in the Street. Holy crap!

[JJ88]

Yeah, 'Dancing...' was for charity and everything but I couldn't imagine ever listening to that for enjoyment. In fact, whilst one of rock's greatest artists, Bowie definitely has a few really rotten covers- that, 'God Only Knows', 'Across The Universe', 'If There Is Something'.

Let's Dance is good for what it is, I enjoy it as 'Bowie lite'. However the last track 'Shake It' is total garbage.

[JKL2000]

Yeah, 'Dancing...' was for charity and everything but I couldn't imagine ever listening to that for enjoyment. In fact, whilst one of rock's greatest artists, Bowie definitely has a few really rotten covers- that, 'God Only Knows', 'Across The Universe', 'If There Is Something'.

Let's Dance is good for what it is, I enjoy it as 'Bowie lite'. However the last track 'Shake It' is total garbage.

Wow, I don't even remember Shake it! Looking forward to that...not. I didn't know that Dancing in the Streets was for charity. I would have donated something for them not to be wearing those friggin bathrobes or whatever they are, and not doing ass bumps, etc. Pass the 80s mind bleach...

[SunshipVoyager1976]

Wow! I'll support your right to dislike his voice and music, but it's amazing to me. I think he has one of the best voices in rock/pop. Also, just a very sensitive and effective overall artist. I'm wondering if you've somehow missed his best albums. BTW, I'm kind of indifferent about his different "looks" and "characters," and I wonder if sometimes that stuff (the makeup, etc.) is a turn off to some. It's all about the audio for me (and some excellent acting turns as well). But, whatever...



I love that song, and also really like most of that album. I've listened to it a lot since it came out. I actually do really enjoy most of the Iggy/Bowie cross pollination I've heard.


RE: Tonight, I think the best songs from that are Loving the Alien, Blue Jean, and Tumble and Twirl. There are a couple of other good ones. I actually forgot or didn't know how many songs on that album are co-written by Iggy Pop, and in fact from Iggy albums. I'm going to be listening to it again soon. It's an eclectic album, that's for sure.

Extreme dislike of Bowie has always similarly surprised me. He did so much in so many different categories, you gotta find something to at least sorta like ( or at least appreciate ) ... and his singing voice even on his mediocre stuff is always on point.

[JKL2000]

Extreme dislike of Bowie has always similarly surprised me. He did so much in so many different categories, you gotta find something to at least sorta like ( or at least appreciate ) ... and his singing voice even on his mediocre stuff is always on point.

Yeah, somehow his voice is very unique and powerful. I kind of put him, Gabriel, and Freddie Mercury into a vocal triumvirate. Voices that just amaze me, or pull me in. There are lots of others of course. And I also love lots of American voices (usually less "honed" ones like Neil Young and Dylan). But Bowie is very unique, and...I don't know how to put it really, his voice is just ear candy for me. He has a very wide vocal range, I think.

[GuitarGeek]

I've never heard the whole thing, so I was just curious.

Always loved the song "Blue Jean" though.

The video for Blue Jean was pretty interesting. Actually, it's basically a short film, in the style of Michael Jackson's Thriller or Bad. Basically, Bowie has a dual role as a dork who is trying to woo this woman, and also as "Screaming Lord Byron", who attempts to seduce the woman. The video VH-1 Classic used to air, with Bowie miming the song onstage, backed by a trio (the guitarist playing a Fender Telecaster Elite, I believe), is actually sort of like the middle of the film. I guess that was when everyone was trying to turn "music videos" into some sort of "artform" that went beyond simply promoting your new single or whatever. Of course, Bowie had been one of the people who was instrumental in stretching music videos beyond simply miming the song on a soundstage.

[3LockBox]

Yeah, I agree with pretty much all of that. The few best numbers on Tonight do sort of have more edge than Let's Dance, although of course Let's Dance is certainly a better album. It just felt ok for Bowie to completely pop-out for that brief period - he deserved it, and as I recall it was the same summer as Michael Jackson's Billie Jean - whatever that album was called. So it was a fun summer.

However, I'll never forgive Bowie and Mick Jagger for their Dancing in the Street. Holy crap!

Hey, it was the 80s. No one was immune to the slick gated drum sound soaked in reverb. Even Neil Young laid a steaming turd (Landing On Water) in the '80s. Don't get me wrong, I like 80s music. And not all 70s acts who produced music in the 80s sucked, but many of them did.

[JKL2000]

Hey, it was the 80s. No one was immune to the slick gated drum sound soaked in reverb. Even Neil Young laid a steaming turd (Landing On Water) in the '80s. Don't get me wrong, I like 80s music. And not all 70s acts who produced music in the 80s sucked, but many of them did.

I actually liked Landing on Water. With Dancing in the Streets, Bowie and Jagger are just very annoying in the video, and the clothes are a part of it.

[SteveSly]

I actually liked Landing on Water. With Dancing in the Streets, Bowie and Jagger are just very annoying in the video, and the clothes are a part of it.

I have never thought this one is as bad as a lot of Young fans seem to feel. I mean, it is not a great Neil Young album, but it has some good tracks on it.

[SunshipVoyager1976]

The relatively recently released Cracked Actor, a 1974 show that beats those in the box set, is also well worth owning, at least for my ears.

I second the quality of Cracked Actor. The primary difference between Cracked Actor and David Live is that the latter features session pros Herbie Flowers on bass and Tony Newman on drums. Both very good, but Cracked Actor has Doug Rauch (Santana) on bass and Greg Errico (Sly & the Family Stone) on drums... and they crush it.

[JJ88]

Cracked Actor was known as Strange Fascination or A Portrait In Flesh when bootlegged and it's not from the same tour as David Live- it's from the 'Philly Dogs' tour of the same year. (This batch of performances were filmed for the BBC's Cracked Actor documentary, so the new official title makes sense.)

There was some sort of row among the band over fees for recording before the performances recorded for David Live. I like the different arrangements but I've encountered some who really don't like the album.

[SunshipVoyager1976]

Cracked Actor was known as Strange Fascination or A Portrait In Flesh when bootlegged and it's not from the same tour as David Live- it's from the 'Philly Dogs' tour of the same year. (This batch of performances were filmed for the BBC's Cracked Actor documentary, so the new official title makes sense.)

There was some sort of row among the band over fees for recording before the performances recorded for David Live. I like the different arrangements but I've encountered some who really don't like the album.

Yep, the two shows are clearly from different tour legs.

Other than the aforementioned rhythm section change, an absence of Michael Kamen and the addition of Luther Vandross (and friends) to the army of backing singers, the players (and set list) are virtually identical, but man is the energy on Cracked Actor better. I'm sure the Hijinks you mention played a large role in that!

[JJ88]

Anyone who has not seen the Cracked Actor documentary from 1974 should watch it if possible. It's never been released on VHS/DVD/BluRay but turns up on TV in the UK occasionally. It captures the fragile state he was in at the time (well into his cocaine addiction by this point) but also has some terrific live footage.

[GuitarGeek]

Anyone who has not seen the Cracked Actor documentary from 1974 should watch it if possible. It's never been released on VHS/DVD/BluRay but turns up on TV in the UK occasionally. It captures the fragile state he was in at the time (well into his cocaine addiction by this point) but also has some terrific live footage.

It's also never been issued on Betamax, Discovision or Laserdisc, too!

This would be the droids you're looking for, I believe:



Apparently, the occasional glimpses you see of the Diamond Dogs stage show in other documentaries actually originate from Cracked Actor.