Bowie enters the Archives!

 

There is one small error in album titles. Outside is actually called 1. Outside (as it was the intend to create 5 albums, but the other four never got made)

 

 

 

For some of us 'of a certain age', Bowie represented everything that was wrong with rock at the time (style over substance).  Fortunately we had prog to turn to when we wanted to hear 'good' music.  I have since that time softened my stance (hey, when you are a teenager and a musician you can be very opinionated about what is right with music and what is wrong).

 

I have no problem with his addition, regardless of my somewhat tongue-in-cheek comments above.  In fact now I'll have incentive to listen to and perhaps review the couple of Bowie albums I have. 

 

Now about that XTC band...

 

In terms of style over substance, I'm only referring to Bowie's early years.  There was a sense amongst some of us that glam was taking over (e.g., early Bowie, T. Rex, Slade, Alice Cooper and I am sure others who don't come directly to mind but if someone here mentions them I'm sure I'll all too sorrily remember).  There was in a sense battle-lines being drawn (as there were at the time in many other ways...was a person a Young Republican Nixon-backer in favor of the war in Viet Nam, or not?).     

 

But back to the music...

 

In 1971, which albums would I buy:  Hunky Dory or perhaps The Yes Album, Tarkus, and Islands?

In 1972, which albums would i buy:  Space Oddity and Ziggy, or perhaps Fragile, CTTE, and Trilogy?

In 1973, which albums would I buy:  Aladdiin Sane, or perhaps Brain Salad and LTIA?

 

Looking back, well we can re-evaluate and I have.  I find a lot of merit in those albums that I don't find in Slade or Alice Cooper, though man do I love Electric Warrior and Slider (Metal Guru!)  However, at the time, there was no question what a fan of progressive music was listening to, and I can assure you Bowie was not in the mix.

 

 

Well we are tripping over each other's posts here.

 

With hindsight, I still don't consider Bowie progressive in the classic sense.  But prog-related I'll buy that.  Why not?  Ever changing, making good if not challenging music along the way.  Station to Station, Low, Heroes, Lodger...these are all fine albums (in no small part due to the company he chose to keep at the time, but that's the case with any musician).  The earlier stuff, not so sure about the prog aspect.  For me, Nirvana gave the earlier stuff some credibility in my book by the cover they did on the Unplugged album.  Not saying Nirvana is the arbiter of what's good, but the fact that Kurt chose to cover Bowie says something about the timelessness of some of the early stuff, which frankly was lost on me prior to that.  But it gives impetus to re-listen to those early albums, without the either/or prejudices, and though I'll still stick with my Zephyr or Joe Walsh or any number of other fine rockers of the era, I can appreciate it now. 

 

I should mention I had the same problem with Eno back in the day and now that I'm ancient enough to not care whether these guys were wearing make-up and sporting platform shoes and and/or pumping out a stage act that featured more theatrics than music...well I can just listen to the music and I'm much more forgiving than I was at the time. 

 

As I posted before on another thread, given that my mindset was substance over style, you can imagine my apoplexy when I saw ELP in concert and actually up there before my eyes witnessed the spinning grand piano.  That's when I started listening to jazz and fusion.  But I guess we're getting off the Bowie track here.

 

So long-winded post, Bowie will never be in my favorites.  I suppose there's too much water under the bridge.  But there are a few core Bowie albums that we should all be aware of -- as frequenters of this site.  And I like ABBA as well.