@leejohnson That's why I said IMO. I'm not saying ALL his 80's music was below his incredible capabilities; this song, for instance, is incredible, and I can name at least 10-12 others I like from that era. I feel that he was inconsistent at best during that time period. "Absolute Beginners," "Loving the Alien," "Under Pressure," "Modern Love," and a handful of others were excellent...but you can have all of Never Let Me Down and Tonight if you want 'em.
I'm with you, Joel - still love Scary Monsters and think it still stands up as a superb piece of work today ... But with the exception of a handful of songs, the rest of his output has been best overlooked.
@leejohnson@AlicejustMay - I respect both of your opinions, very much in fact. Alice, I obviously agree with you wholeheartedly. Starting with Black Tie White Noise, and onward all the way to The Next Day, Bowie became far more consistent and reliable. The Next Day, in fact, is his best work since Outside. I love pretty much all Bowie, skipping everything from '81 until '90 (including both Tin Machine albums, one released in '91). This jam is a rare exception. All of this being my opinion. :)
@joeldurhamjr I have a massive problem, being a massive fan as I am. As I recall saying during one Bowie Jam of mine in the past, I "deserted" him (he "deserted" me?) after the Killing of Ziggy. Serious hissy-fit, fit-of-pique - I would not touch him again until "Let's Dance" was released in 1983. That's the point where I learned to love the guy again. Just about everything he did between '74 and '82 is still anathema to me. But I tend to love the rest of his music, almost inclusively. Biased!
@leejohnson Oh, I get it. You can't HELP but to dig Bowie's 80's material. In fact, I believe I do remember reading that. But disliking his postglam 70's stuff? Heck, I consider Diamond Dogs just as glam as Ziggy and Aladdin, and it's probably my favorite album of his! I also love the Berlin trilogy...aw, what am I saying? I love everything Bowie did in the 70's! :)
@joeldurhamjr My dislike of "Diamond Dogs" onwards, through his American soul period, right up to (as I say) 1982, was a reaction to the genuine trauma I suffered as a Ziggy acolyte! Given my much more mature frame of mind in '82 - '83 (?coinciding? with my recovery from a first marriage crash'n'burn - divorce finalised 1981 - and I was ready to forgive him (though what's to forgive?). So, a very very personal journey from bitter back to sweet for me. ;)
@leejohnson Ah, I gotcha. Music has this way of attaching to your emotions. I understand your situation - in fact, I haven't been able to Rush at all ever since my girlfriend, who, like me, loved Rush (I took her to a concert, even) dumped me. That was in 1990! I've been very happily married since 1997, and I still dislike the 'feeling' that music from Rush invokes. So I quite understand your journey.
10 Comments (since 30 Sep 2013)
leejohnson
Subjective, though. Some say icky. Some say his most creative. We all have different ears and sensibilities. This, for instance, is a belter. IMO.
joeldurhamjr
@leejohnson That's why I said IMO. I'm not saying ALL his 80's music was below his incredible capabilities; this song, for instance, is incredible, and I can name at least 10-12 others I like from that era. I feel that he was inconsistent at best during that time period. "Absolute Beginners," "Loving the Alien," "Under Pressure," "Modern Love," and a handful of others were excellent...but you can have all of Never Let Me Down and Tonight if you want 'em.
joeldurhamjr
@leejohnson I'll happily take Scary Monsters, though. Anything after that, and before Black Tie White Noise, once again IMO, is on shaky ground.
joeldurhamjr
Gah. I'm repeating words and mixing metaphors. I'm way too sleepy to be attempting to communicate... :D
AlicejustMay
I'm with you, Joel - still love Scary Monsters and think it still stands up as a superb piece of work today ... But with the exception of a handful of songs, the rest of his output has been best overlooked.
joeldurhamjr
@leejohnson @AlicejustMay - I respect both of your opinions, very much in fact. Alice, I obviously agree with you wholeheartedly. Starting with Black Tie White Noise, and onward all the way to The Next Day, Bowie became far more consistent and reliable. The Next Day, in fact, is his best work since Outside. I love pretty much all Bowie, skipping everything from '81 until '90 (including both Tin Machine albums, one released in '91). This jam is a rare exception. All of this being my opinion. :)
leejohnson
@joeldurhamjr I have a massive problem, being a massive fan as I am. As I recall saying during one Bowie Jam of mine in the past, I "deserted" him (he "deserted" me?) after the Killing of Ziggy. Serious hissy-fit, fit-of-pique - I would not touch him again until "Let's Dance" was released in 1983. That's the point where I learned to love the guy again. Just about everything he did between '74 and '82 is still anathema to me. But I tend to love the rest of his music, almost inclusively. Biased!
joeldurhamjr
@leejohnson Oh, I get it. You can't HELP but to dig Bowie's 80's material. In fact, I believe I do remember reading that. But disliking his postglam 70's stuff? Heck, I consider Diamond Dogs just as glam as Ziggy and Aladdin, and it's probably my favorite album of his! I also love the Berlin trilogy...aw, what am I saying? I love everything Bowie did in the 70's! :)
leejohnson
@joeldurhamjr My dislike of "Diamond Dogs" onwards, through his American soul period, right up to (as I say) 1982, was a reaction to the genuine trauma I suffered as a Ziggy acolyte! Given my much more mature frame of mind in '82 - '83 (?coinciding? with my recovery from a first marriage crash'n'burn - divorce finalised 1981 - and I was ready to forgive him (though what's to forgive?). So, a very very personal journey from bitter back to sweet for me. ;)
joeldurhamjr
@leejohnson Ah, I gotcha. Music has this way of attaching to your emotions. I understand your situation - in fact, I haven't been able to Rush at all ever since my girlfriend, who, like me, loved Rush (I took her to a concert, even) dumped me. That was in 1990! I've been very happily married since 1997, and I still dislike the 'feeling' that music from Rush invokes. So I quite understand your journey.