It's easy to look at the 80's era Bowie and say that it was his weakest. You'd probably be right, there was nothing in this time period that comes close to the likes of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Space Oddity, or Station to Station. Still, there are some real gems during this four album cycle. Among the stronger tracks here are the "Ashes to Ashes," "Cat People," "China Girl," and "Loving the Alien." Also included is the instantly recognizable collaboration with Queen, "Under Pressure," whose famous bassline was famously appropriated, sans credit, by rapper Vanilla Ice (who insisted that he came up with it, and that it was "completely different" from this song).
While these songs are good, they fail to become great. If there is one thing that seems to define this era, it is that the songs all have a danceable groove. They are very easy to listen to, they are go down smoothly. Despite the often silly lyrics, and more mainstream stylings, this supremely pop version of Bowie is still a delight. I believe that, had he not set such a lofty bar through the prior decade, these songs would be held in much better regard. Again, I cannot say any of this is outright bad, it's not.
The most interesting track on the set, and one that I had never heard before, is Bowie's cover of "Alabama Song," previously recorded by The Doors. The song is from Bertold Brecht’s opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, of which Bowie is a fan. He recorded the song and released it as a single in 1982, with an acoustic version of "Space Oddity" as the B-side, all in an effort to get closer to the end of his RCA contract. The song is utterly bizarre, I cannot say I have heard anything quite like it, I love it. The odd timing, drums and guitar out of synch, while the vocals do their own things. Quite odd, and oddly, quite fitting.
Article comments
1 - handyguy
Some of us think "Absolute Beginners" is one of the 3 or 4 best singles he ever recorded. [And the brilliant opening dance number of the uneven movie musical it came from makes the DVD worth renting.]
2 - Pablo Jubany
I agree with the notion that this is Bowie's weakest period, that's something everybody knows: he wasn't at his peak. I also agree with the spirit of this review, because it remarks that it wasn't that bad. But I think that the videos in the compilation are, indeed, what you would call great videos, because of their historic relevance. To mention "Ashes To Ashes" as an example of "goofiness", being this video considered as fundational, one of the greatest videos of all time, that's something no one can agree with. It seems that, at that point, this review lacked of historic perspective.
3 - haha
Yer FaTT.