Everytime Davey Jones(not he of the Monkees) enters the conversation I automatically think of that Bongwater tchoon "David Bowie Wants Ideas". Like a Glam Rock Madonna,I get the impression that anyone who comes in contact with the Great David was liable to lose the good bits of their work cherry pick pocketed by the artful vampire.The Song sounds a bit lame, ship in Robert Fripp,not weird enough ,milk Eno for his new stuff, no classic riffs,remove Mick Ronson from the credits and Insert D.Bowie.
Fine performer as he undoubtedly was, his so-called constant reinvention was also a tad over-egged;and let's face it he was rather shite from 1980 onwards,after Fripp, Eno,Tony and Mick had full diaries,and had to make do with Nile Rodgers rehashing Chic for the thousandth time.
That said, controversially, the body of collective work from 1969 to 1980 was rather special in places,if guilty of slightly Tinny production values,courtesy of "Co-Producer" Tony Visconti ,"doing a lot more than people think on these records". Check the very amusing cartoon here!
This Tribute to the godlike Mr. D. Bowie, slash 'Jones',by Sludge miesters, Melvins,are actually better than the originals,lending a much needed heaviness to the proceedings.This is what I expected 'Tin Machine' to sound like.......unless this is Tin Machine? I'm not too conversant in the works of David Bowels I'll admit. I was too young to get into this end of the Glam market.I was much more attracted to the Yob element of Glam, like Slade and The Sweet ;and being a happy prepubescent the sexual politics and gender ambiguous bollocks went straight,geddit?,...over my head.
I can appreciate the potential power of the music now in my autumn years,and have a vague understanding of its uncomfortable place in post-empire 70's Britain. However my father would only leave the room if The Sweet were on Top of the Pops,but stayed for that "Starman" moment which Boy George et all talk about.....ooooh he pointed at me Tee Hee Hee!
The riff on Station To Station,however, cannot be done wrong in any hands,and Buzz duzz a grand job,recreating a brutal version of Tin Machine fronted by the tiresome Jim Foetus doing a fine David Bowie impression.
Side B, I know not.
Some research reveals it as the single off that live album from 1976......"Stage" I believe it was called.
Also pretty good as it happens, Show casing another immortal guitar riff? Both tunes could have benefited greatly from being slower,but I'm just being a picky twat.
One more observation, about The Bowie himself is that I always thought he was tall. Turns out that he's a tad vertically challenged ,like his mate James Osterberg (iggy poop). This fact oozes Self-Esteem problems...poor tortured little sods.
A Station To Station
B Breaking Glass
B Breaking Glass
Sexual politics - even stupider than the usual kind.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Billy Bragg is still a misogynist. He wants to do a UK benefit tour of ladies lavs to raise funds for the election of his mate Eddie (I'm a lady) Izzard.
It takes him back to the days of Thatcher and the miner* strikes.
*He thought it was for the "minors".
Thank you do you have or can you get the latest Melvins album Bad Mood Rising?
ReplyDeleteNope,I only do old stuff.
ReplyDeleteJZ
People on the streets of Montesano, Wa, are talking that Dale and Buzz once went to Brixton (was it 1997 or 1998 remains unclear) in order to meet one David Bowie, but their true intention was to get in touch with one Brian Eno and ensure prestigious Eno Collaboration (tm). Matter of fact, Brian heard of that and agreed he would do production and whatever else is needed, but every song had to include sounds of 10 minutes of rain in Puget Sound, Wa. Dale and Buzz had a long and hard thought about it, and eventually pulled away, people of Montesano are speculating.
ReplyDelete