David Bowie succumbs to cancer.

[Hoggles]

RIP Bowie. You were pop-culture for nearly 50 years. We lost one of the all-time great, creative forces of nature.

 

[Honch]

Well, if 2015 was the grim-reapers bassist year.... he seems to have started off this year with having a go at singers. Should 2016 turn out to be the lead singers turn to bite the dust?

David Bowie to me was a sort of ambiguos and ambivalent artist. While a true artist, and some of his material was stellar, I can't help but thinking he was more interested in the whole image instead, like taking his acting career into music. He was more interested in the visual side of things. I can't help think that "No, he didn't create drum'n'bass" as he did a whole album of it in the middle of the 90s. And "no, he didn't invent soul, funk" or the thin-white duke era plastic soul. And "No, he didn't invent glam-rock". It was just rock with a different visual side to it. It sounded like ordinary rock as well. Can't help thinking that this chameleon never was at ease with whatever style he chose. He tried to hedge his bets, and be a jack-of-all-trades but master of none. I e to me there was no real David Bowie, ever, I would've love to see David Jones instead shine through in his work. He put on masks all of the time. Musical as well as visual. Albeit extremely good at it, if not the best.

 

[000_Unknown]

They are dropping like flies. The good news is death is merely a transformation of energy from one form to another..

 

[Jay2U]

Another great performer has left the world stage. Old stars die, but they don't fade away. Instead they become a supernova, shining brighter than ever before. R.I.P. David.

 

[Ikkir]

I was so sad to hear this. Genius is such an overused word but David Bowie was a musical genius in every sense of the word. I've never heard a bad word said about him as a person either.

The world is a sadder place without him.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Probably my favorite live version of Fame. If this doesn't funk, nothing does. The two Bowie tunes I always wanted to cover, and never did except in my own bedroom.


And this one too:

 

[justjake]

now..........there's a starman waiting in the sky..........

 

[Hues]

 

[boylebass]

Thanks for the music!

I played in a band back in the 80's that did Blue Jean and Suffragette City on almost every gig. I listened to a bunch a stuff from that period in his honor and memory today and, wow, when Lets Dance came on I reeeeealy cranked it up.

 

[Basshappi]

Ziggy played guitar.

Rest In Peace

 

[Skeptismo]

The stars will look different from now on.
RIP

 

[mellowinman]

Though I never met the man, and I wish him well now, my view of David Bowie's career and stature as an artist is mixed.

My opinion of David Bowie's work:

In the best tradition of English rock musicians, Bowie "stole from the best". And in the much older English tradition, also embodied by his contemporary countrymen rockers, he employed theater and costume; especially cross dressing in any form, and gender bending in any case. To that extent, he was part of an artistic or cultural tradition rather than being such a singular phenomenon as was commonly thought.

Bowie's brilliance was as an organizer and a curator. He had great taste, considerable intelligence, and a very strong will. If without the instrumental chops and musical pedigree, he was sort of the Miles Davis of British rock. Like Miles, from phase to phase in his career, he found and retained some of the most talented and innovative players, collaborators, and producers for creating his albums.

Using these two central aspects of his approach, stealing and curation, though implying a lack of basic originality, Bowie nonetheless gave the world some gems and few were the wiser for the trick.

Whereas his contemporary countrymen directly or indirectly stole from black American music, tropes, and dialect as he did, Bowie also stole or borrowed from the German Bauhaus and Swiss dadaists, both the originals (e.g. Oskar Schlemmer) and their modern interpreters (e.g. Klaus Nomi). Unaware of the precedent, nearly all of the many Americans who viewed Bowie's 1979 Saturday Night Live performance thought his costumes were wholly new and original.

For me, David Bowie's important work comprises most of the album Low and the title track from the album "Heroes". Though I like a track here and there from his other albums that I heard (admittedly I stopped trying much after Let's Dance), it is that one small arc from 1977 through 1978 I find to be exceptional. The production team of Visconti/Bowie/Eno and the larger team of musicians were unbeatable. At the height of their powers, together they created something that none of them might have done alone. I credit Bowie with seeing to it that they did.

(Correction: Bauhaus, not Expressionists)

Well you know what they say about opinions. David Bowie had a level of originality that was far beyond almost any other artist I can think of. He rarely borrowed or stole. Because whatever influences he had, he found ways to deconstruct and reinvent, and to say he had anything close to a lack of originality is absurd, and wholly off the mark. Take the blues progression in Jean Genie. Wikipedia says, "the song's chugging R&B riff is often compared to The Yardbirds, especially their cover of Bo Diddley's 'I'm a Man.'" I'm afraid Wikipedia has missed the mark as well. It starts out that way, but the turnaround is far more satisfying. David Bowie's important work comprises a lot more than "most of the album Low and the title track from the album 'Heroes'".

• Ziggy Stardust - One of the greatest concept albums of all times, it tells the story of a rock star who acts as a messenger for extraterrestrial beings. Mankind has five years left to live, and covers nearly every aspect of hedonism, drug culture, sexuality and yet constantly stays true to a theme of peace, love and looking for higher consciousness. It is an artistic achievement rarely matched.
• Aladdin Sane - The title is a pun on "A Lad Insane," and is already a huge departure from Ziggy Stardust. It includes a mix of avant-garde jazz, tough working class rock, and Brechtian cabaret, along with huge guitar riffs, fantastic lyrics, and very little hint of "glam," which is exactly what Ziggy was only a year before.
• Diamond Dogs - Another amazing concept album. He have have borrowed elements from Orwell, but again, he deconstructed it, and brought back the glam with a dystopia that was equally chilling and fashionable. Not a bad moment on this album, musically speaking.
• Young Americans - Stolen soul music. Are you kidding? How about completely reimagined soul music? Bowie almost derogatorily refers to this music as "plastic soul," but trust me, that's more of a description than a slam, because instead of soul lacking in depth, we're talking about a level of smoothness that would have seemed musically impossible before he invented it.
• Station to Station - the transition from Young Americans into his vaunted "Berlin Trilogy" period, this album is brilliant. I'm not even going to go into the levels of different influences he blends effortlessly here, as the above words, "implying a lack of basic originality" sting the senses of any real musician who actually listens to these tracks instead of trying to be impressive in critical skills.
• Low
• Heroes
• Lodger - the much vaunted Berlin Trilogy has far more than I have time to describe in terms of pure musical experimentation; lyrical craftwork; explorations of themes and more importantly, the ability to pull it all together into three different but completely coherent albums. This work stands on the foundation of the albums before them, and rises to new heights. The level of creativity and originality becomes downright scary here, with absolutely nothing to reference in so many of the feats accomplished. He borrowed the costumes? What? Who cares? These albums were something new, like nothing that had been heard before them, and wile wholly different from the albums referenced above, were no better. Just a long, consistent arc from 1972-1979 of near-perfect albums, all of which had their roots in Rock and Roll, but rose so far above that.
• Scary Monsters - Maybe just one tiny notch down from all the brilliance that came before it; maybe not. It depends who you ask. As a rocker, I like the work on Ziggy through Lodger just a bit more, but this is still a fantastic album.
• Let's Dance - Although not my cup of tea, if you look at the year it was released, it was better than anything out at the time. It is also where I lose some interest in Dave's career, for a while at least, but come on; over ten years of solid albums, with almost no missteps, and everything standing on its own, and yet having continuity at the same time? David Bowie is by far the most original, most creative, and most interesting artist in the history of Rock Music.

You don't even have to be that big a fan to see it. He is clearly identifiable in every single recording he does, and he rarely rested on his laurels. And so many great artists were inspired by him. "Bowie's brilliance was as an organizer and a curator" is the single most wrong statement I have ever read in the entire time I have visited this website.

Bowie's brilliance was as a singer, a songwriter, a musician, a conceptual artist, a lyricist, an actor, a performer, and as a human being.

I printed the quoted review for no other reason than I am now going to BURN IT.

 

[KB1UHJ]

Artist: Erin Huminston

 

[Kmonk]

I was never a big fan of his. He had a couple of songs that I liked but not many. There is no doubting his creativity and influence.

 

[IPA]

I would've love to see David Jones instead shine through in his work. He put on masks all of the time. Musical as well as visual. Albeit extremely good at it, if not the best.

There in lies the brilliance. David Jones was nothing more than a child of normal parents with a normal upbringing. In his personal life David Jones wanted nothing more than any of us. A wife of years and healthy children. The personas he invented showed us that you don't need a tortured past or a mystical origin to become the fantastic. You need only to invent it, believe in it, and share it with the world.

 

[pacojas]

Well you know what they say about opinions. David Bowie had a level of originality that was far beyond almost any other artist I can think of. He rarely borrowed or stole. Because whatever influences he had, he found ways to deconstruct and reinvent, and to say he had anything close to a lack of originality is absurd, and wholly off the mark. Take the blues progression in Jean Genie. Wikipedia says, "the song's chugging R&B riff is often compared to The Yardbirds, especially their cover of Bo Diddley's 'I'm a Man.'" I'm afraid Wikipedia has missed the mark as well. It starts out that way, but the turnaround is far more satisfying. David Bowie's important work comprises a lot more than "most of the album Low and the title track from the album 'Heroes'".

• Ziggy Stardust - One of the greatest concept albums of all times, it tells the story of a rock star who acts as a messenger for extraterrestrial beings. Mankind has five years left to live, and covers nearly every aspect of hedonism, drug culture, sexuality and yet constantly stays true to a theme of peace, love and looking for higher consciousness. It is an artistic achievement rarely matched.
• Aladdin Sane - The title is a pun on "A Lad Insane," and is already a huge departure from Ziggy Stardust. It includes a mix of avant-garde jazz, tough working class rock, and Brechtian cabaret, along with huge guitar riffs, fantastic lyrics, and very little hint of "glam," which is exactly what Ziggy was only a year before.
• Diamond Dogs - Another amazing concept album. He have have borrowed elements from Orwell, but again, he deconstructed it, and brought back the glam with a dystopia that was equally chilling and fashionable. Not a bad moment on this album, musically speaking.
• Young Americans - Stolen soul music. Are you kidding? How about completely reimagined soul music? Bowie almost derogatorily refers to this music as "plastic soul," but trust me, that's more of a description than a slam, because instead of soul lacking in depth, we're talking about a level of smoothness that would have seemed musically impossible before he invented it.
• Station to Station - the transition from Young Americans into his vaunted "Berlin Trilogy" period, this album is brilliant. I'm not even going to go into the levels of different influences he blends effortlessly here, as the above words, "implying a lack of basic originality" sting the senses of any real musician who actually listens to these tracks instead of trying to be impressive in critical skills.
• Low
• Heroes
• Lodger - the much vaunted Berlin Trilogy has far more than I have time to describe in terms of pure musical experimentation; lyrical craftwork; explorations of themes and more importantly, the ability to pull it all together into three different but completely coherent albums. This work stands on the foundation of the albums before them, and rises to new heights. The level of creativity and originality becomes downright scary here, with absolutely nothing to reference in so many of the feats accomplished. He borrowed the costumes? What? Who cares? These albums were something new, like nothing that had been heard before them, and wile wholly different from the albums referenced above, were no better. Just a long, consistent arc from 1972-1979 of near-perfect albums, all of which had their roots in Rock and Roll, but rose so far above that.
• Scary Monsters - Maybe just one tiny notch down from all the brilliance that came before it; maybe not. It depends who you ask. As a rocker, I like the work on Ziggy through Lodger just a bit more, but this is still a fantastic album.
• Let's Dance - Although not my cup of tea, if you look at the year it was released, it was better than anything out at the time. It is also where I lose some interest in Dave's career, for a while at least, but come on; over ten years of solid albums, with almost no missteps, and everything standing on its own, and yet having continuity at the same time? David Bowie is by far the most original, most creative, and most interesting artist in the history of Rock Music.

You don't even have to be that big a fan to see it. He is clearly identifiable in every single recording he does, and he rarely rested on his laurels. And so many great artists were inspired by him. "Bowie's brilliance was as an organizer and a curator" is the single most wrong statement I have ever read in the entire time I have visited this website.

Bowie's brilliance was as a singer, a songwriter, a musician, a conceptual artist, a lyricist, an actor, a performer, and as a human being.

I printed the quoted review for no other reason than I am now going to BURN IT.

+1,... you go Boy!
great retort, Mellow.

 

[Eric Swaim]

Sad to hear it. I remember playing "China Girl" on bass as the first Bowie song in a cover band back in the mid 1980's.

 

[mellowinman]

I just listened to his latest album, and it's wonderful, and really different. How many musicians in the rock/pop world release something fresh at the age of 69...?

This is one of the best videos I've seen in a very long time.



Only Dave could make his death into an artistic statement.

 

[David Jayne]

I can't make it through that video. Just can't. So sad. : (

 

[kesslari]

I'll add that I had the odd experience of having David Bowie come to one of my gigs... Playing in a 10 piece African band at an after-hours underground club (of course!) in L.A. Bowie and a small entourage came by after his concert appearance. He was shooting pool and appeared to be enjoying the music.
No, I didn't talk to him when we took a break. He was on his downtime.