David Bowie - Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) [Box set #5]

I'm using a VPN to stream the single. "Karma Man" sounds pretty garbled and overly busy in the verse. Chorus sounds nice and sweeping, though. I am reserving final judgment until I have the box in hand, but I think Plati may have overcooked the mixes...

 

Endless greed. Fk them, quite frankly.

 

The original "Karma Man" is an ungainly composition, to my ears - an advancement in Bowie's writing style but still a far cry from where he would be in a few years - and the verses have always sounded cluttered IMO. Too wordy. Still, I'm really curious to hear how he reworked it in 2000.

 

Is the Karma Man track and 'b-side' available for download?

 

it's streaming, so if you have the software....

 

yes, I think Karma Man, Let Me Sleep Beside You and In The Heat Of The Morning are a massive leap in quality from what he was doing prior (notwithstanding the groovy 60s production). Morning especially which sits comfortably with his best tracks. I think they are better than most of the tracks on the second David Bowie album (my favourite from that album is Janine which is stylistically similar to that trio)

 

Loving Karma Man. Holly and Emm are lovely in it, and the intro sounds just like I had imagined it in my mind all these years.

 

If you know how.

 

Well, I like both of those, but it's crazy that the alternate ending Silly Boy Blue isn't on Toy Box! Re:Call 6 perhaps...

 

my god, that is horrible.

I had to check the playback speed when I first heard the vocals. Surely he's taking the pi55? I can sing better than that, and I can't sing.

Hate the production too. Zero character. Smooth, dull, flat, no unexpected movements. Generic as fk. Sounds exactly like you would expect a load of middle aged session musicians to sound like.

The originals are infinitely better. If this was somebody else covering these in this fashion, Bowie fans would slaughter them.

 

I love a bit of Karma Man but need to get used to this version I think. It’s bit too fast (“like a brain-hatch”) and I am not sure about David’s vocals on the verses. I wish I had a nice stereo mix of the original (the stereo mix on the Deram special edition from a few years ago is really bad with the vocals mixed much too loud). Maybe one day!

 

OK, so I've heard the Toy "Karma Man". Quick thoughts...

Pro: I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority here, but I've always liked the lush Toy arrangements, with all of their obvious nods to classic 1960s pop recordings, even if they are often too busy. "Karma Man" fares well by this measure. Also, the chorus is gorgeous.

Cons: Like the original single, the verses are ungainly, and Bowie's made some very unusual choices in his vocal here. It's improved a bit with repeated listening but I found it very disconcerting at first.

"Silly Boy Blue (Alternative Ending Mix)" is, as someone noted above, apparently the same as the leaked Toy mix. It's overwrought when compared to the elegant original, to its detriment. Still, I love the "chimee chimee chimee" part and the "whoo!" that follows.

 

Ironically, I was thinking just please ‘slow down ‘ all the way through that.

Not bad. Silly boy blue a bit overdone though.

 

To be honest I like the new versions just as much as I like the originals and both of these songs in their original guise rank highly among his 1964-68 recordings for me.

I know some folk are put off by the overbearing marketing of Bowie, the limited edition malarkey and all that and I do get why they feel that way. But I’m not at the stage yet where any of that affects how I feel about any new music that comes along.

Hearing these have got my Friday off to a good start and I’m looking forward to having an official version of Toy in the coming weeks.

 

I was looking forward to "Toy" before I heard these stupid streaming streaming singles.
The originals are far superior than these tired modern reworkings.

 

I couldn't agree more, I'm genuinely stunned at how bad it is, it is ****ing dreadful...... this is "Never Let Me Down" unlistenable for me

 

Sorry. I love these versions. They are MOR, yes, but very rich in sound and arrangements. Comparing it with Never Let Me Down??? Seriously?

 

Very serious, I will go as far to say the record company probably did him a favour by not releasing it (judging by what we've heard so far and the leaked "Toy").

Bowie is my hero, adore the man....but this is just bad imo


EDIT: Ive just listened to it again.....hated it a bit less now that the shock has worn off but I still think its terrible really, there's a weird sped up effect on his vocals at first, then when we can properly hear his voice it sounds very thin and flat for the most part.....

Musically its session musician stuff, as in the guys who used to re-record popular songs and release them on cheap records/CDs

Thank Christ Tony Visconti was around the corner is all I can say really

 

Really ?
I get the feeling someone in the studio said: "Hey boys and girls, let's really get that sixties sound, it'll be a blast !"

And what about that - what is it even - nose flute ?

I've never minded the leaked Toy album, but surely would've picked different tracks to promote it. Overall there's far too much going on, Bowie's vocal doesn't sound particularly good and even these YouTube versions on my phone don't sound like the disc on my system will sound excellent. We'll see.

 

That, alas is the entire Toy album. I’m happy for any Bowie, and to have it finally released with proper mixes and decent audio quality, but it is (in my opinion) one of Bowie’s poorer offerings. I think it was right to shelve it at the time - following up ‘hours…’ with Toy could have been one too many lack lustre albums in a row and tarnished Bowie’s career. Having Heathen come out instead pulled Bowie right out of a nose-dive.

 

I hear you and share some of your thoughts, to be honest I never felt Karma Man was such a great song to start with...it's a bit all over the place...I would have traded it happily for the Laughing Gnome, but this is what we're getting...

It is likely most of the songs on Toy will have lush arrangements because after all it's the general concept, isn't it ?
somehow cd3 with the " trimmed " versions might be worth it then.
I suspect if DB could have afforded it , all the original tracks way back when in the 60's would have had that sound ( lush and/or clogged ) because it was a trend then.

anyway, I've tried usually to stay away from those internet releases and play the physical product on a decent system before having an opinion,
( and no, the Toy leak was not the real Toy )

 

After checking this post I realize it's probably a salute to Tibetan lama Chimi Youngdong Rimpoche, Bowie's exiled friend in London. I had never noticed the lyrics about Tibet, despite having been there.

 

Isn't the clue in the title "Karma Man"?