A Little Treasure (Lodger - David Bowie)

Member Name: dave27

Product:	Lodger - David Bowie
Date:	09/03/04 (247 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great songs, performances

Disadvantages: A bit patchy

After his retirement from Ziggy and his dalliance with the States and blue eyed soul music, Bowie returned with the European ballad and dance of Stationtostation before re-emerging, repackaged and re-engineered with Brian Eno with his cycle of Berlin albums. Low and Heroes were supreme works of a master back on form, and even though Lodger let the side down slightly the third chunk in the recreation of Bowie was a wonderful little treasure, just the thing to switch off the alienation and cool electronica to exchange it for rich textures and patterns, global world view and heavy rock guitar ... it was a blissful triumph, with none of the harrowing isolation of its predecessors ... I loved it.

The man is a maestro and singularly well equipped to create wonderful rock music out of nothing much at all, a bizarre chameleon who wandered about picking up bits from here, pieces from there and weaving them all into his own peculiar little bitches brew of something individual and unique. By the time of Lodger he'd long since outgrown the hollow little innocence of the Ziggy Glam thang and become a SERIOUS ARTISTE.

Personnel: David Bowie (vocals, guitar, piano, Chamberlain, synthesizer); Tony Visconti (guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Adrian Belew (guitar, mandolin); Brian Eno (guitar, trumpet, horn, piano, synthesizer, sound effects); Carlos Alomar (guitar); Simon House (mandolin, violin); Stan (saxophone); Sean Mays (piano); Roger Powell (synthesizer); George Murray (bass); Dennis Davis (percussion). Recorded at Mountain Studios, Montreaux, Switzerland.

Bunch of werdoes for the most part, but hey, could they play guitar...

The rhythmic glories of Murray and Davis provided
a gorgeous danceability to Bowie's sound on this here album and made it a whole new world of enjoyment for the little Ziggy-ites with whom he grew up, we were no longer seeking life on Mars, more funk in the dunes, and a rip roaring breath taking dance stance - he knew what he was doing did Mr B, it's just such a shame he eventually lost his way with that dire reappearance on EMI. Low and Heroes had hinted at supremacy, Lodger came in a close second and even Scary Monsters echoed his former triumphs, but Let's Dance, China Girl and Modern Love just make me want to wretch. How the mighty are fallen!

Lodger is a rhythmically wonderful and scratchily charming pop rock album, with that gorgeous soulful voice leading the band where he will go, triumphant and urgent, longing and deep, chunkathunka, I get knocked down, I get up again, nothing's gonna keep me down, BLISS....


Go over to CD Universe (http://www.cduniverse.com) and you can check out some neat samples of all the songs on this album, a lovely touch in this day and age to prevent you fouling your shelves with redundant CD (or vinyl, if that be your poison)... check out the price as well, you can get it there for a tenner

Fantastic Voyage - Modern day pop ballad from Mr Bowie, soulfully sung over sweeping synth and guitar lines, not all that good by Bowie's standards but certainly much better than the vast majority of today's pop pap - even on his old time bad days David was just supreme, a great songwriter, singer and performer.

African Night Flight - Oddly affecting and racing, great rhythmic guitar lines over ethnic and peculiar vocal lines - disturbing and different from the norm, Bowie was always one to try out new stuff and this is like a Middle Easte
rn variation of the cool electronica DB pioneered with Eno on Low and Heroes.

Move On - Looping and oddly paced rocker with those clashing synths and guitars, DB goes wandering globally in best throaty crooner style - the man was a real class act and certainly knew what he was about - that voice, that style, that atmosphere, OOOOO.

Yassassin - Best track so far and a huge, thumping dance floor sound - he's just plain weird, that's all - he was chopping and chacking all over the place with this odd combination of Middle Eastern mystery and dance floor funk. YA-SSA-SSIN, He's just a moody guy, makes me go OOOOO again.

Red Sails - Gritty and pacy pop with teh distinctive Bowie drawl and bloated Alomar guitar, a bit too American heavy metal for me, but certainly a decent track.

DJ - OOOO up front this time, this is a belter, a huge slab of the finest Bowie pop, sufficient to kick you in the belly and knee cap you to its whims - the man is pure genius. I am a DJ, I am what I play. Say it again DB. This one hearkens back to the gorgeous white eyed European soul of Fame, Golden Years and Stationtostation. I loved Bowie's best pop songs and this was certainly one of them.

Look Back In Anger - Oasis before Oasis and a grown up man to the Gallagher's boyish thugs - it's fairly naff pop with a stylised Bowie vocals but blissful to dance along to.

Boys Keep Swinging - DJ part two and even more popular on the dance floor, a reet little belter from Mr Jones with all the bands swapping instruments and laying down a lovely groove, Boys always work it out. Just the most blissful bass an
d singalonga pop, I dares you to dislike this one.

Repetition - Unpleasant and moody lyrics over a riddling, rattling, breakaway rock track, this is DB getting all macho and mysoginist, just like we love him to be.

Red Money - A rip roaring closer to a marvellous album, with huge, soaring vocals and a diamond hard rock track, unforgiving and spiteful, jagged guitar lines and pumping rhythmic fare.

1.2.3.4
Heaven loves ya
The clouds part for ya
Nothing stands in your way
When you're a boy

Clothes always fit ya
Life is a pop of the cherry
When you're a boy

When you're a boy
You can wear a uniform
When you're a boy
Other boys check you out
You get a girl
These are your favourite things
When you're a boy

Boys
Boys
Boys keep swinging
Boys always work it out

Uncage the colours
Unfurl the flag
Luck just kissed you hello
When you're a boy

They'll never clone ya
You're always first on the line
When you're a boy

When you're a boy
You can buy a home of your own
When you're a boy
Learn to drive and everything
You'll get your share
When you're a boy

Boys
Boys
Boys keep swinging
Boys always work it out

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