Bowie - Blackstar

I always kept a distance with Bowie, thinking (naively) his theatrical passions to be too much for me.

After Bowie's passing (RIP) I decided to give Blackstar a listen, just the first couple tracks. I was so entranced by it that I stayed on through the entire album. It's an enigmatic and surreal listen, much like Radiohead and Coil, which I didn't expect. And the layered sax lines are like icing on the cake.

So I've been exploring his discog, starting with the Berlin trilogy. My god, it's full of stars. I realize now just how much I've been missing out. Every album is wildly different than the next, musically and conceptually, making each new experience very fresh and exciting. Nuances abound. Intellectual lyricism.

I've got a long way to go, but it seems the deeper you get in his catalog, the greater understanding you have of his vision, and the word "transcend" comes to mind. This guy was an absolute genius.

I had no idea.

Now this is 80's - like a WWF match
Madonna and M. Jackson vs Bowie and Jagger - POW !

This album blew my mind. I was really grateful that I got to spend a few days with it before news of Bowie's passing came through. The songs take on a whole different resonance through that lens.

Fortunately, I got to experience them on their own merits. The only drag about it is that I was thinking, "This is an amazing album. I can't wait to see what he does next!" In fact, I'm pretty sure I was listening to the CD in my car in a parking lot and thinking that very thing when I got the text about his death.

What a bastard - drops a great piece of work and then shuffles off. It was almost a "Hey, guess what you'll all have to live without," gesture.

I suspect he was diagnosed shortly after the Next Day was released. I was very bummed when i heard of his passing. I agree Blackstar is an awesome piece of work definitely can tell his mortality was his muse. He did track demos for 6 songs hoping he would have enough time to do 1 more album I am sure those 6 songs will see the light of day one day.

RIP Mr Bowie you will be missed

Addy wrote:

I suspect he was diagnosed shortly after the Next Day was released. I was very bummed when i heard of his passing.  I agree Blackstar is an awesome piece of work definitely can tell his mortality was his muse.  He did track demos for 6 songs hoping he would have enough time to do 1 more album I am sure those 6 songs will see the light of day one day.

RIP Mr Bowie you will be missed

In part, I wonder if The Next Day suddenly dropping when it did with almost no fanfare had to do with him already knowing he was unwell.

I'm not sure if I want to hear those other six songs or not. Blackstar is such a great record - really self-contained - that I don't know if it would add or take away to have more stuff drop now.

Now, be that as it may, I'm still going to be the first in line with a massive *ahem* "display of my enthusiasm" in tow if they choose to release the complete sessions from the Outside album. I want to say it was trimmed down from three hours of recordings and I'd like to see what those were all about. There have to be other fans who have their own wishlists of "vault" recordings they'd like to see out there legitimately too.

Oh Ill be in line for any future Bowie release.

As far as his health I dont know he had battled it for 18 months according to wikipedia it was Liver cancer. Next Day was out for like 2 years so I just guessed that he was diagnosed shortly after but its possible he did that album knowing he was in the twilight of his life.

Sue in the Season of was already previously released on the last GH that came out which i need as it had like 5 other new songs previously unreleased.

I think for me I would be curious to hear the stuff that didnt make the Ziggy Stardust and Diamond Dogs albums

Did you know that before his death he was planning future releases for after his death? I guess some anthologies were in the works.

I saw a good Bowie documentary on showtime called 5 Years it shows just how iconic IMO he truely was. There will never be another one like him

I do recall reading that the series of box sets coming out now were planned with him - presumably up until the end of the series.

Speaking of, the Five Years box sounds amazing. Pinups really kicked my ass this time around (it was ok before) and sounds phenomenal. They managed to bring out the sound of a great rock band kicking the crap out of a solid set of covers.

Id like to get those have you seen the documentary called Five Years (or something to that effect) its a good Bowie documentary Oh wait I mentioned this in my last post ugh memory must be going hehehe

I love going through the catalog and listening as I always seem to pick up on a song that becomes a fav. Last time I did that i listened to Station to Station and got hooked on Wild is the Wind.

Id love to get that box set, along with that Best of Bowie DVD my ex wife had that and it was nothing but David Bowie videos before the divorced i made a copy but need to buy a genuine copy

Right after he passed, I went through the Berlin trilogy again. I still can't dig Lodger for whatever reason, but Low and Heroes really popped out at me. Beautiful albums.

Then again, we're talking about something involving Brian Eno when he was hanging out with all those Germans and there are a LOT of albums with his stamp on them from that time that ooze beauty. I know that sounds like an awful health condition, but it's really good stuff.

Low for me is the best of the Berlin Trilogy, I keep saying it was ahead of it's time.

Lodger is one of the few albums I dont own a physcial copy of. Well Lodger and one of the Tin Machine albums

Not letting technicalities like death keep him down. Bowie has just dropped a new EP and it's great!

Seriously though the three songs on the No Plan EP are all featured in the Lazarus stage show and he recorded them during the Blackstar sessions.



If they were throwaway clunkers I'd be the first one crying 'Record company cash in!!' but the songs are all great and it's a no think purchase for me.

I need to get that soundtrack

He also scored 5 Grammys last night his legacy lives on