bogusman

The review is very interesting, well done! Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to adore this album... perhaps because I've never managed to get past the soul atmospheres that for about two years, this DD will infest Bowie’s records, until the partial rebirth of Station, right before the explosion of LOW. A sense of death and decay? Well, yes, there’s plenty of that here, and it could even be a nice album if three years later the same sick and depressed atmospheres had not been expressed by Mr. Bowie with a synthesis completely absent here and at an infinitely higher expressive level. Then DD has always had the flaw, in my eyes, of being too unbalanced between parts inspired by "plastic soul" and sudden (and stylistically a bit trivial) rock’n’roll outbursts like the too-Rolling-Stone-esque Diamond Dogs and Rebel Rebel... Some can handle the coke well and some a little less... :-)

An absolute masterpiece. As you say, it’s not quite punk rock in every sense (a gritty, streetwise sound but still more connected to the past than projected toward the future): all the ingredients were there, it just needed a little more "time" to cook, and in my opinion, it was perfect as it was. Among the most beautiful songs ever to come out of the New York basements are "Frankenstein" and "Jet Boy." A live performance from Paris in '74 is worth recovering if you get the chance.

I fully agree with the negativity surrounding the character "MORGAN," but I was struck by the sincerity and the infatuation behind this work, which, while not shining in originality, can reveal a certain intelligence when listened to without prejudice. I don't remember who had already mentioned it in some posts of previous reviews... it should be viewed a bit like PSYCHO by Gus Van Sant: not a citation, not a remake, but a precise and simultaneously free and creative cloning of every detail, which does not aim to rival the original, but rather continuously pays homage to it. In my opinion, of course.

p.s. HOW I LOVE THESE RED HERRING ISSUES!!!

Station to Station and Scary Monsters (the first being a "premise" that Bowie himself would have preferred to be different, the second a report already directed towards more pop solutions) are, in my opinion, rather excludable from the experimental intentions of the trilogy. But deep down, I see Lust/Idiot as a narrative in itself in relation to the trilogy, which, as it is composed, seems perfectly complete to me.

yes, indeed... so with before and after science we go up to 6... then let's add Stage (even though Eno isn't there... but he wasn't there in lustfor/Idiot either...) agreed on 7? :-)

Um.. I realized a bit late about this excellent review. I haven't read all the comments, but I would like to add that my absolute favorite is Under The Pink: an album with absolutely perfect writing, interpretation, and arrangement choices. In this BFP, I think there's a bit too much going on, although there are still some great moments.

thank you, Fosca! I agree on the strength of that "can't forget you", personally I'm captivated every time by that "He used to be my boss and now he is a puppet dancer, I am a DJ, and I've got believers... I've got believers..." a hug to you as well, also for your lovely review of Boys For Pele! :-)

...Out of curiosity, what do you think the "Berlin pentalogy" is made up of, besides the three classics? Perhaps it also includes the two albums by Glass?

I don't share all of your enthusiasm (in my opinion, the bouncy SlowBurn isn't 'that great,' and among the unfortunate Bowie covers, I'd include Cactus as well), but I must admit that I've fallen victim to the same charm you identify, at least in the best moments of this Heathen. At first, I found it really bland, lacking both the precise retro identity of Hours and the techno-goth ambiguities of Outside and Earthling, but over the years it has gained a certain depth, especially in the more static moments, like Sunday or the title track. However, I must admit that it doesn't go through my player all that often...