If I were TV, I’d be doing the same thing, especially in regards to Heroes and Low. A lot of people used to think Brian Eno produced those records.
I don't mind NR and TV playing up their roles a bit (I've heard both of them do it, though in different ways stylistically). I think most people discount how much of a group effort some of this surely was -- and it's not as if Bowie did everything himself. Much as I absolutely *adore* Blackstar, for instance (and all the 2000's albums that TV was involved in) -- I cannot fathom Blackstar being the album it is without TV at the production helm. Not suggesting it's because Bowie was 'compromised' during its completion either (perhaps he was, but without evidence to the contrary, I'm assuming Bowie was 100% 'all in' on as much of the decision-making behind Blackstar's production, as ever. Some evidence I will cite is how aimless so much of Hours seems to be, in terms of the production. I simply adore 90% of everything Bowie did in the 90's and 2000's, with the one exception being Hours, most of which I find to be fairly lackluster -- but especially in the "production" department. TV's efforts and influence with Heathen and Reality speak volumes. Yes, I know David and Reeves co-produced Earthling, which I do really love -- so I'm not suggesting Bowie was a horrible producer. But I think David took the work he and Reeves were doing together in a rather vapid direction after Earthling (with a couple specific exceptions from Hours: "The Dreamers" and "If I'm Dreaming My Life" are both divine). I have to think TV does deserve more credit than is widely assumed. And I do think NR probably deserves quite a bit of credit too, knowing how Bowie worked in a collaborative way, not unlike someone like Miles Davis -- particularly after Trane left, and especially all through the mid-to-late 60's and early 70's.
Wait until you see the documentary "The Sigma Kids" about the making of "Young Americans". You'd swear it was a Carlos Alomar album with DB doing guest vocals.
Before long someone will post the Tony Visconti “producing” cartoon again. It is funny as is the Cobbler Bob one .
I have the original Canadian pressing and on my system the new one sound greatly improved. They pressing is very good as well. My old vinyl was looked after well as I taped it and played it most frequently on cassette tape on my walkman back in the day. The other side of the tape was Ocean Rain by Echo and the Bunnymen. The Echo side finished with Do it Clean Live (it was the b-side of the 12" of the Killing Moon). The Tonight side finished with This is not America. I always hated leaving to much space at the end of a tape.
Never bought the Loving The Alien box, but am curious about if the versions of Let's Dance and Tonight from the box sounds better than the 1999 remasters?
The cover pic on "Re:Call4": Is this identified as to time and place somewhere in the sleeve or in the LTA book? I ask because I like to use different pics of DB in the studio for my fake ReCalls, and I had a heck of a time finding anything identified as or looking like it could have been of DB recording NLMD. But the above pic kinda does look like a candidate: there's a mullet in training... and those pants. In the end I settled for David with Conga Drum and moustache recording "Tonight", but generic "pics of David in the studio" seem to have dried up for a while there after "Labyrinth".
This one was made for a particular reason, to fight for a radio channel. However, it does have the killer lines 'I'll have a life on mars bar, or some revel revels'
'It's starting to interfere with my id!' 'An aspect of my psyche' 'The groovy gardener!' 'A fluid from his collar bone...like a bonding agent' Genius.
You can compare for yourself while they are both still up on Streaming services for a few more weeks (the standalone albums are the '99 remasters, for a couple more weeks anyway, and the box itself is available to stream in full)
Thank you for your advise, but I don't do any streaming. There's always Youtube, but the SQ on that site is crap. I guess I will buy them and copare them that way instead.
Nah - Bowie made a nice comeback in the 90s! And I'm not an "80s Bowie hater" - that's the era when I became a fan and I enjoy it. I'm one of roughly 13 people who loved the 1987 tour! But favorite Bowie era? That's serious territory right there!
I'm honestly just curious - if you ever stream music on YouTube why not go to a "real" streaming site? Again, just curious...(I use TIDAL/ROON myself whenever I don't HAVE to physically own something)...
I've not seen/read too much about/from him so I am interested in his book as he is the common denominator to a lot of great records...(and some crap ones, too, I'm sure)...
I would think more than 13 people loved that tour. Over the top sure but it's Bowie. I grew up in the 70's so i'm familiar with his Classic work in fact my first album of his was Young Americans. I really liked the Thin White Duke period. Just love the dance Pop Commercial Bowie. He was just Huge and visible in a Good or bad way depending on your tastes.
