929 David Bowie - Black Tie White Noise (1993)

 929 David Bowie - Black Tie White Noise (1993)

Studio Album - Art Rock




About the Act:

David Bowie was a British Pop/Rock star from Bromley in Kent. He first started to come to prominence in the late 60s/early 70s, and was musically active up until his death in 2016.  Bowie was noted for his ever-shifting style, and constant reinvention of himself musically and adopting a variety of public personas. His popularity waxed and waned over his career, as the styles and personas he experimented with were more or less attractive. Some might accuse him of style over substance, but it is more true to say that the style was the substance. He released 27 studio albums, including two credited to the band Tin Machine.  He also had a career as an actor, and was an active artist and art collector. As one of the world's pop megastars, his history, public and private life have been endlessly picked over.


About the Album:

This album came after a rather less successful patch in Bowie's career, after a break from solo work, and after a new marriage. It was produced by Nile Rodgers. who was famous for being the driving force behind Chic, and then an influential producer. 


My History with this Album:

I knew of it, but I don't think I had heard it before.


Review:

Apparently this was Bowie's attempt to create something new, "melodic house". House music had been really popular, and Bowie wanted to produce a version that had melodies in it as well as just dancy elements. Truthfully, as I listen to it, I can hear those rhythms in there, often quite complex and definitely dancy, with syncopated elements and so on, but to me it feels a bit more like the poppy stuff of the era, KLF, Happy Mondays, Stereo MCs even, rather than "Pump up the volume" - although this may be as a result of my own misunderstanding of House, being more aware of Acid House and Techno from the UK charts. I would say that this has elements of funk and electronica in it, and that it has very carefully chosen snare drum sounds.

And crazy sax. Apparently, despite not being a sax player, Bowie insisted on playing the sax, to the bemusement and I think at times frustration of Nile Rodgers who produced it. It's fairly simplistic, and not always in tune (or key), but actually a really nice addition, it is evocative and adds a human element amongst the more automatic sounds.

There are some good songs on this album. I found it instantly likeable, and strong, really confident and gutsy. The funkiness speaks to my feet, the excellent production speaks to my aesthetic sense, and the originality speaks to my brain. Like much of Bowie, it's all about style, but the style is excellent. And ooh, that snare, it speaks to my spine. Actually, if you get past the style, and listen to the words, some of them are about things.

My favourite song on the album is the cover of "I feel free" by Cream.


8/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1yFItZkb7DBAkQ5RB8OJv9

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfIDINzT3xf0Mx8oWPcOIWMKWR-GCkHll

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tie_White_Noise


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