Reason #248: Let’s Dance
Aside from responding to the posts of others I have refrained from offering my opinion on the death of David Bowie here on this blog for a number of reasons, all of them personal. Suffice to say that I consider the music of Bowie to be on the same level as The Beatles, The Kinks, Elvis, Sinatra…anyone who has ever made a popular record, basically. Most have stated the obvious, that being how important and influential his music was. That it was, but I also found his music to be enjoyable as well, and oftentimes quite life affirming. He was a master craftsman of perfect left field pop music and I am sad he is gone. I have not listened to Darkstar as of this writing, but It’s been ordered and I am looking forward to it as much as I am dreading it’s arrival. It’s going to be a hard listen, that much is certain.
I remember vividly the moment the music of David Bowie touched my soul. I was 12 years old and someone had brought a cassette of ChangesOneBowie on the school bus and played it through one of those massive double cassette “ghetto blasters”. The song that did it for me? Changes. In fact, at that age I’m sure I was going through a few myself. That mind blowing experience began an on again/off again affair with the man who sold the world/fell to earth/gave multiple generations some of the best and most influential music to ever be recorded, and Let’s Dance, while unavoidable at the time, was where I (briefly) got off the Bowie train.
I bought and subsequently played this to death, and still rate it highly. It’s his poppiest effort up to that point, but listening again a couple of days after his death I find Let’s Dance to be ahead of it’s time as well, and one of the nerviest offerings in his discography. Let’s Dance, Cat People, his version of China Girl; really kind of left field pop, and still sounds great to my ears. Only Modern Love seems tied to the times, and even that song remains enjoyable to say the least. And the cover, well, perhaps that’s a tad dated as well.
Like many of my peers I am listening to a whole lot of Bowie lately. He will always be remembered for his work in the 1970’s, and for his Dark Star, his swan song. But in between that, especially in the ’90’s and ’00’s, you’ll find a whole slew of good to great songs to embrace. You just have to look a little harder.
David Bowie Rest In Peace.
Well said.
Thanks 1537.
Spot on. Seen as his ‘poppiest’ album but actually took a lot of risks.
Yeah, I think so too, Matt.
I had heard a few songs here and there, but this was my first Bowie album and I was blown away. I went from here to ChangesOneBowie to Diamond Dogs and just kept going…
That’s what tends to happen to a lot of people, myself included, ML. Once you fall down the rabbit hole it’s hard to slow down. Just curious…did Bowie lose you during the Tin Machine years, or have you kept with him through thick and thin?
They all have good songs, but they all have some real duds. I like the first Tin Machine album and I like Outside, as long as I ignore the interludes and the ridiculous story. The rest of that era, I just put the good songs together on my ipod.
Couldn’t get into Tin machine. By that point I had definitely given up on Bowie and filed most of his mid-late ’80’s stuff in the washed up cabinet. Yeah, I can see your filler point on a few of his albums, but still maintain he released at least 5 perfect 10 albums over the course of his career.
I was referring to his post-Let’s Dance work, specifically. Sorry if I didn’t make that clear.
I’m not familiar with an awfy lot of Bowie’s albums, but I know this one and like it a whole lot. The cover almost says “not very good 80s output”, but the songs are brilliant.
Hey J! I think you’ll find a lot to love once you start diving in. I would love it if you would keep us all updated on your progress if you do decide to give Bowie a whirl.Glad you like Let’s Dance, it’s a beaut!
I will do! I shall no doubt write a little bit about them as I go along (or at least get to know them well enough).
Similar memories, E. I used to shoot baskets in the driveway while listening to Let’s Dance on my boom box. I bought the cassette at Kmart… which I got to by bike… and used money I made from my paper route. Those were the days. I have all the 12″ singles from the era as well. The A-sides didn’t differ at all from the album, but there were coveted B-sides, such as a live version of Modern Love and a remix of Shake It. Still got ’em.
I used to bike to the mall record store all the time before I got my drivers license, or take the GO train to Toronto for the day. I can remember biking to Oakville from MIlton (can’t remember how many freaking KM’s that was, but it took all day to get there and back, I remember that!) to buy Signals from Rush on the day of release (and maybe another that escapes me now). Instead of a paper route, my LP cash came from picking zucchini on the local farms ($3.75/hr back in the early ’80’s, not too shabby for a summer gig back then!!).
How great that you still have those 12″‘s. Very cool,. Brian.
“Let’s Dance” was likely where I first heard Bowie, but it was diving into the back catalog soon after that changed my life. Here’s what I said about “Rise and Fall . . .”:
“Oh how I sighed . . .”
I think everyone should read the above post by nycavri…a much better posting on Ziggy than I ever could..plus, this is an ’80’s blog, after all.