I’ve had this album for some time. It is not what one would call an easy album. By that I mean it’s not one you can just jump into uninitiated. It is a very unique David Bowie album beside the fact that he made it while knowing he was dying. For one thing, there is a very strong Jazz feel along with a sort of Beat poet element. The first thing that strikes one is the strange stutter beat and the chant-like vocals that greet you at the start of title track. The somewhat cryptic occult-like lyrics prompted some reviewers to show off their ignorance by announcing that he was revealing his interest in the occult. Oh wow, like that’s a revelation. Just listen to his first couple albums! But, nonetheless, the lyrics are intriguing.
The movements in the middle of the song are very Bowie. The music is very cinematic. One could visualize a scene/landscape/ event/ whatever without the aid of the video. He even takes a stab at wordplay revealing a dark humour. Just when the song winds down there is a sigh and the next song begins. The songs are not so much connected as they just effortlessly move from one mood to the next. The Jazz element, however, is very strong throughout. The musicianship is great (I’m also very thankful that he left the saxophone to someone else!).
A friend of mine got the album the day it was released. She had heard rumours that Bowie’s health was in decline but upon hearing the album she was enthused. She thought this album would spawn others because of its freshness. She didn’t pay much mind to the preoccupation with death in the lyrics because David Bowie had always written about death (very personally, I might add). Only in retrospect would one read it as his farewell. He was in superb voice throughout the album. David id not seem like an artist falling apart or on his deathbed. It definitely was not a “Woe is me” sort of album. In fact, it was only halfway through the sessions that Tony Visconti (Bowie’s longtime producer and friend) picked up on the theme of the lyrics (Visconti was one of the privileged ones to know of his condition). Visconti looked at the lyrics and said, as quoted in Rolling Stone “You canny bastard! You’re writing a farewell album!” Bowie’s response was laughter. According to Tony Visconti, the sessions were nothing but professional. It was like any other album. Bowie gave no indication that he was dying except his increasing visits to his doctor. Interestingly enough, a week before he died Bowie scyped Visconti and played him five recorded demoes saying that there might be enough time for another album if they hurried. Alas, it was not be (a real shame). It tells you how important all this was to him in the end.
After acclimating yourself to the album, it’s amazing how quickly it zips by. Strangely, as summer weather has moved in, I have discovered that this is best listened to at night, in the dark, with the windows open and the light hum of the fan. Many good albums work that way. This is a very special album whether it was Bowie’s last or not. Cheers in the great beyond, David!
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Thank you very much for your feedback. It is sad that this album came out only two days after David Bowie’s death. I am pleased and comforted by the fact that he got to see and hear the finished product before he died. Even after the album was finished he continued to write new music. It would be nice if those demos were released.
Thank you once again for your response.
Cheers!
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