Absolute Beginners - David Bowie appreciation thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by AFOS, Jan 20, 2018.

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  1. footprintsinthesand

    footprintsinthesand Reasons to be cheerful part 1

    Location:
    Dutch mountains
    Will the person who retrieved his empty pack of Zebra cigarettes from the Thames please report to this thread ?

    Fantastic track studio and live (not so much on the GS tour). Most splendid version is from the 2002 NY burroughs tour, this one from Queens, flirting with Gail Ann

     
  2. Kiss73

    Kiss73 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scotland
    One of my favourite Bowie songs....if not the favourite.

    Great, great song.

    I am also partial to this very simple piano version from Carla Bruni, that really highlights what a great simple love song it was.

     
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  3. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    Good stuff.

    Many years ago I heard/watched someone doing an equally stripped version on almost Edge/Michael Brook/Eno/Daniel Lanois style “infinite” guitar in the street, outside Marks and Spencer on Oxford Street, London.

    I was in awe, it was heartbreakingly beautiful. I gave her some money. If I’d had the facility I’d have given her a record deal.
     
  4. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    He’s lucky he didn’t get fined the £80 Westminster Council charge for discarding litter.
     
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  5. adm62

    adm62 Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    No. 2 actually
     
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  6. JeffMo

    JeffMo Format Agnostic

    Location:
    New England
    I've long felt that is a hugely underrated song since it came out in a period of his career that wasn't as highly regarded.
     
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  7. JeffMo

    JeffMo Format Agnostic

    Location:
    New England
    Fascinating - I'm quite sure it bombed on this side of the pond.
     
  8. mBen989

    mBen989 Senior Member

    Location:
    Scranton, PA
    How good is "Absolute Beginners" ? Well, did you ever hear the bit digging through a pile of manure looking for peppercorns? That's Bowie in the '80's summed up.

    I did enjoy the movie, even if it was a bit of a mess. One of these days I'll get the book as well.
     
  9. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    Bowie US vs UK chart positions and exposure are often very different throughout his career, the 1970s, 80s and 90s. That’s partly why he settled in NYC. Apart from liking the city, he never had the consistent level of deep, mass fame and success in the US as he had at home, and could still have relative privacy in NYC.
     
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  10. Price.pittsburgh

    Price.pittsburgh Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    Dancing In The Streets is all the Bowie, and Jagger for that matter, you need.
     
  11. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    Even if you just take albums and forget huge UK hit singles like Ashes to Ashes and Absolute Beginners, there’s many many disparate album positions. The few not listed here are closer in UK / US chart position. It’s pretty surprising really.

    The Man Who Sold the World
    UK 24 / USA 105

    Hunky Dory
    UK 3 / USA 57

    The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
    UK 5 / USA 21

    Aladdin Sane
    UK 1 / USA 17

    Pin Ups
    UK 1 / USA 23

    Low
    UK 2 / USA 11

    "Heroes"
    UK 3 / USA 35

    Lodger
    UK 4 / USA 20

    Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
    UK 1 / USA 12

    Tonight
    UK 1 / USA 11

    Never Let Me Down
    UK 6 / USA 34

    Tin Machine
    UK 3 / USA 28

    Tin Machine II
    UK 23 / USA 126

    Black Tie White Noise
    UK 1 / USA 39

    Outside
    UK 8 / USA 21

    Earthling
    UK 6 / USA 39

    Hours
    UK 5 / USA 47

    Heathen
    UK 5 / USA 14

    Reality
    UK 3 / USA 29
     
    Binni likes this.
  12. CBS 65780

    CBS 65780 "Could I do one more immediately?"

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Well yes, and it is Rick Wakeman on piano as on that album.
    One of my favourites of post SM&SC Bowie singles.
    A buddy of mine and his wife had it as their first dance at their wedding. Sheer bloody genius!
     
  13. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    Not much of a dig for me.

    1980-1989

    It’s No Game
    Up the Hill Backwards
    Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
    Ashes to Ashes
    Fashion
    Because You’re Young
    Teenage Wildlife
    Under Pressure
    Let’s Dance
    Blue Jean
    Loving the Alien
    Baal’s Hymn
    The Drowned Girl
    Alabama Song
    China Girl (1983 remake)
    As the World Falls Down
    Absolute Beginners
    Never Let Me Down
    Time Will Crawl
    Look Back in Anger (1988 remake)
    I Can’t Read
     
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  14. PlushFieldHarpy

    PlushFieldHarpy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Indiana
    So, Bowie sucked in the 80s, but managed to write one of his best songs ever during that time? Not to mention he made himself a top MTV star at its peak and lose the dead weight of the 70s, which were dead weight at the time, believe me. One wonders how he managed to carry on his career for 3 more decades after his shameful fall from glory.
     
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  15. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    Exactly. Even when by his own admission he didn’t much care (Tonight and Never Let Me Down), there were some gems, and a No 1 and No 6 LP in the UK charts.

    As Brian Eno said in 1995 regarding criticism of various periods of work:

    “At the end of the day, we (Bowie and Eno) have to accept we are very good at what we do”
     
  16. LeBon Bush

    LeBon Bush Hound of Love

    Location:
    Austria
    Beautiful, beautiful song. Quite simply.
     
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  17. Spruce

    Spruce Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brigg, England
    Yep, I am aware that it's Rick Wakeman. Just think that that song "stripped" would have been a great bedfellow on Hunky.
     
    CBS 65780 likes this.
  18. Torontotom

    Torontotom Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    One of my all-time favourite Bowie songs. A beautiful love song and a terrific soundtrack. I'm partial to Bowie's '80s period because, well, that's when I discovered him. I was about 7 or 8 when Let's Dance came out and I just loved the singles, and then Blue Jean, then Labyrinth and even Never Let Me Down.

    Over the years, I've grown to appreciate the Labyrinth soundtrack. There are some terrific songs on it. I was amazed to learn the CD is out of print!

    I wonder if the Labyrinth soundtrack/era will be part of the next Bowie box set.
     
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  19. TonyCzar

    TonyCzar Forum Resident

    Location:
    PhIladelphia, PA
    Cheesy and contrived, yes, but all these years later, a guilty pleasure.
     
  20. Merrick

    Merrick The return of the Thin White Duke

    Location:
    Portland
    Tonight is my Bowie guilty pleasure. A much more enjoyable record than most people give it credit for.
     
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  21. Nielsoe

    Nielsoe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Aalborg, Denmark
    If that was truly all we had of them I’m absolutely certain no one would ever want more of them.
     
  22. oldturkey

    oldturkey Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gone away.
  23. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    Gosh, yes I forgot This Is Not America on my list. I quite like Underground and Cat People (and When the Wind Blows), but I hardly ever play them so they didn’t make it :)
     
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  24. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    It was reissued on vinyl last year, on Universal, last seen filling bargain bins in HMV’s January sales, so presumably the current lot (“Parlophone”) don’t have the rights to it? They might do now, I have no idea and am only guessing.

    My copy of the Universal vinyl was terrible by the way. I enjoyed listening to the music for the first time in years, but the pressing had permanent loud pops and was severely dished.
     
  25. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    One of my top five 80's Bowie songs. Great song.
     
    AFOS likes this.
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