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Bowie General > Images Vol. 18

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homebrewPosted at 2025-03-29 17:09:25(7 wks ago) (Bowie General / Images Vol. 18)


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These articles appear just as they were posted in the Usenet group alt.fan.david-bowie by group member Jamie Soule aka aladInsaNE. I have made no attempt to alter the formatting, spelling, grammar or edit in any way.

Images: Part 18

It wouldn't take very much, all one would have to do is go back and look
at the archives.  You would pretty much have to if you were sincere in
your efforts to learn and there are many questions to be answered. In
any attempt to aquire a deeper understanding of this work it is
necessary to look at things as they were in 1977. This is a great start
if one wants to learn all they can in an effort to fully appreciate the
relevance of this work. When a person truly understands just  how
revenant this work really was then it is only a short step to fully
understand the artist behind it .Low can easily be found in the
dictionary, it is under "genius" as the definition.

Once upon a time there were no shelves for "ambient" or "New Age" music
in the record stores.  Why? Well, because it didn't exist. I would be
mistaken to tell you that it did not exist in the mid seventies, it
did.  Now, existing, and being known to exist are two different things.
The pioneers in "experimental music"  had been composing work that was
musically in the same vein as Low since the early seventies. The music
though was still unknown, except to a very small group of fans , such as
the cult following that Brian Eno had at the time. This music,  like the
truly great artists in the music business, would remain virtually
unknown, and this rings true even today. Sad. For what it is worth the
term  experimental music," which is used to describe works similar to
this Bowie and Eno collaboration is about as pleasing to me as the
catchy, descriptive, wonderful all encompassing  phrase "Alternative
music." First off, they may have experimented with new ideas but this
work is far too deep to be the result of some sort of "experiment" by a
"mad musician." I may be picking at straws here but I tend to view this
as music which was created by a series of "innovations" and not an
"experiment" where results are often haphazard.Say, in 1970,  Led
Zeppelin, The Who or The Rolling Stones put out an album of original
material that sounded like something written by Ludwig Von Beethoven,
keeping in mind that no one had heard anything by Beethoven before.
What do you imagine the reaction would be like? If you think that a band
recording an album where the music is so opposite of what is popular is
an impossibility, then you better think again. This is why history is so
important, do you know what everyone was listening to at the beginning
of 77? The top album is Songs In The Key Of Life by Stevie Wonder. The
top songs for the year are "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" by Andy
Gibb, "You Light Up My Life" by Debbie Boone and the "Star Wars Theme"
This is also the year when the band Chic featuring Nile Rogers and Tony
Thompson released Dance Dance Dance which sold one million copies in one
month propelling them to the top of the Disco scene.  Low was released
during the Disco era and in 1976 Punk Rock was also attracting a
following. The reaction was the same one you would expect to get if
Zepplin  released an album of classical music. We can thank the
personality traits of Bowie's character for Low. There was no manager to
control him now and the arrogance of The Thin White Duke, coupled with
a belief that he was superior, and therefore not having to obey anything
that would limit his creativity.  Bowie was free to pursue his
creativity without any interference. Low was "unrestricted."

Low was ground breaking because it was the first album by a major
recording artist that explored this area of music. Bowie was one of the
first to work with the concepts which appear on Low and he pioneered
many techniques and refinements relating to this style. No one must be
allowed to trivialize Low because of what it did to music as a whole.
Low contributed immensely to the birth of a whole  new type of music and
it  was one of the works done by a handful of  artists that literally
changed the course of modern music. It spurned a whole generation of
copy cats. Low also had no songs on it.  Yes, you heard me correctly,
there are no songs on Low.

On the album, Low, we would refer, "naturally," to each individual
compassion as a "song." Wow, is that ever enlightening, you learn
something new every day from smart people like me. Bowie refers to the
tracks on Low differently. I think what he calls them gives a lot of
insight about his perspective of the music and exactly what it is he was
trying to achieve when making Low. After I first heard this, and then
listened to the album, it is my sincere opinion that Bowie definitely
succeeded in getting what he was after. Bowie calls the tracks on Low,
"FRAGMENTS," and he went on to say that  each one of them was, "A
personal experimental challenge."  This statement, of course, makes the
irritation I endure caused by my distaste for Low being called
"experimental" a personal psychosis.  Obviously it is a feeling not
based on facts. I still prefer "innovative" though. Now,  at times I
have heard the contention from some "Bowie Intellectuals" that Low is
more of an Eno album, than a David Bowie album. Well, I know they aren't
worth much, but nevertheless, I would like to add my humble opinion of
that statement.

I promised myself something and I have failed. I promised when I started
writing these articles that I would do my best to limit my personal
opinions and stick to the details of the subject matter. I am well past
the point of denial, I am unable too because I am too opinionated and
high strung to control myself. I have seizures of self importance that
elevate me to a  level of Godliness and while I am in this state  I do
not  care what the "little people" think.  I am going to go on a tirade
now and if you wish to spare yourself I advise you to skip the next
seven paragraphs then it will be safe for you to read again.

To those who think that Low is more of a Brian Eno album than A David
Bowie album I have something for you. A gift, so to speak. I would like
to give you a twelve inch vinyl Japanese pressing of Low to keep, along
with my sentiments. I would like to give you this little gift by kicking
it someplace where the sun doesn't shine,  sideways, and without the
benefits of any lubricant.  I don't believe I just said that, it was
very rude and I apologize and I take it all back. Let me be more polite
and just say this. You don't deserve to own a copy of Low so give yours
to someone who does.  Then go listen to Hours until you die of boredom,
in a week or so. There, I feel much better now. I don't give a fuck that
I just said that because the people that it applies to are all on
BOWIEZOIDNET, not over here, so they'll never see it, although I do wish
they would. <hee, hee> Their conclusions are derived at like this. These
people compare Low to Eno's work in the early seventies and note that
Bowie had never before written anything similar to this style. They then
rationalize, in what is left of their brains, that Bowie needed Eno's
contribution to Low in order to help write the material so he could get
the "ambient sound he was looking for. So, since Low sounds more like
Eno's previous work, and Eno is on the album, then that makes it more of
an Eno influenced album. Really? DUH! The lines of reasoning people use
in order to "prove" that Low is more Eno than Bowie  re ripe with the
evidence that these people lack a bit of knowledge. Simply put, they
don't understand Bowie. In addition they do not have the foggiest notion
about Bowie's work, they just can't grasp it, and they are at a loss  to
understand it.  Much of Bowie's work is wasted on these people and Low
goes way over their heads, along with a few to many other Bowie albums.
I will recognize the fact though that there are some albums that do not
escape them, such as the work Bowie produced between 1984 and 1987, and
some of his work that was done recently.

Low is a David Bowie album, and arguably more of a David Bowie album
compared to his others. That is Bowie's, not Eno's, picture on the front
cover of the album by the way.  BOWIE WROTE LOW . HE WROTE IT, NOT ENO.
If you look at the credits on Low you will discover that  Bowie wrote
all of the fragments himself  except two. Eno appears on six of the
eleven tracks on Low and is given credit for co-writing Warszawa while
Dennis Davis and George Murray co-wrote Breaking Glass. Low is a
beautiful example of Bowie's creative ability. He was able, on his first
attempt, to write these tracks in a totally different style than
anything he had previously done, and write them so well that many
consider Low to be his finest album.  If you contend that Low is more
Eno than Bowie then you are failing to give Bowie the credit he deserves
for writing a masterpiece like Low.  I do not understand how any idiot
can call themselves a serious Bowie  listener and be so stupid as to
deny Bowie credit for this brilliant writing. They do it though, I have
seen it first hand.

In case you were born yesterday let me say that Bowie is a perfectionist
when it comes to what he releases. Even though he has put out shit from
time to time it is high quality shit. To his credit Bowie does not have
an ego when it comes to his talents and this is an enormous benefit to
us as listeners because of the quality of work we get from him.  You
see, by not having an ego it allows Bowie to recognize he has
limitations. Bowie will not allow his name, in most cases, to be
attached to anything of an inferior quality. Since he is a
perfectionist, and maintains such high standards, he is not afraid to
solicit the help of those who have the skills he needs for some of his
work, but he does not have. Take Heroes for example and the use of
guitarist Robert Fripp. If you do not already know then allow me to
explain.  Robert Fripp was never supposed to play on Heroes at all.
Originally, it was decided that Bowie, along with Carlos Alomar, would
do the guitar work on Heroes and that is how the sessions started out,
with him and Alomar. Quite a bit of recording was done, however Bowie
was not satisfied with the results they were getting, There was "a
certain sound" Bowie was after and even with repeated attempts they
failed to get exactly what he was looking for. Because of the artist he
is he would not settle for anything other than what he wanted. It was
Eno who suggested that they bring in Robert Fripp to try and solve the
problem. As we know it was solved.  By not being pretentious has left
Bowie with a willingness to use other skilled artists and this is one
reason I believe that his work is so far ahead of what most artists
produce. The use of others has also allowed him to change musical styles
from album to album. If he needs a certain sound he just brings to the
studio best musicians around who can play the style he is looking for.
Young Americans is a prime example with the use of David Sandborn and
Luther Vandross. Nile Rogers on Let's Dance. I do not think that Station
To Station would be near the album it is without Roy Bittan and add to
that Adrian Belew on Lodger, Fripp on Heroes and Rick Wakeman on Hunky
Dory. Oh, and one more I almost forgot, Brian Eno on Low.

I am in no way attempting to take any credit away from Eno, the
contributions he made are enormous, and I believe that Low would not be
as good an album as it is without him. Bowie needed   him. Eno has a
certain sound that is his, and it can't be duplicated by others. It was
this sound that Bowie wanted and he was smart to get him. This recording
between the two almost never happened due to the recommendation of Eno's
management.  Eno's management was contacted first by Bowie in the
efforts to get him into the studio to work with him on Low. T They in
turn relayed the message to Eno and at the same time advised him that it
would be an unwise career move. They thought that his image would be
sullied if he was seen working with a "Pop Star."

There is a complete sense of artistic freedom on Low, the "fragments"
are not structured and restrictive. What is very special about this
album is  the way it communicates to the listener. Bowie communicated
his ideas on some tracks without words, using instead phonetic sounds,
as in Warszawa, or foregoing lyrics entirely and opting instead for
strictly instrumental pieces.  I go back to a question I said I asked
people. This one, "Do you think that music is any good if it doesn't
have any lyrics?" Do you know the common answer I get is no? You see,
many people just don't get it.  They don't understand that the answer to
the question should never be no, because the LYRICS HAVE NOTHING TO DO
WITH MUSIC.  These people are not into MUSIC, they are into cute phrases
set to a catchy beat. I have discovered that there are few and getting
fewer people who approach music as it should be approached, but then
again there are  less artists turning out music these days. This is not
a new problem but it is getting worse. Side two of Low, as well as
Heroes are scorned by people, EVEN MANY BOWIE FANS, because they are
instrumentals and they find little value in something that does not tell
them what to think. The whole point is missed on them. Music is art, and
art is to be INTERPRETED by each individual, it can mean many things to
many different individuals. Fucking MTV and the rest of the  imbeciles
who thrust these hideous music videos on the brains, little ones of
course, of the record buying public have destroyed music. There is no
more interpretation, the videos tell you what to think.  I am afraid to
admit it but I fear that many do not care to think, being told is
easier, and this accounts for the reason music is shunned.


I am going back to this quote which I heard a long time ago and  one
that I included in Part 17 of Images.  It went, "Bowie fans seem to all
say that Low is Bowie's finest album overall from a creative standpoint,
it rates as number one. Low is also the album that most Bowie fans don't
listen to." True, in my opinion and I know for a fact that a good
percentage of Bowie fans do not like the instrumental tracks on Low.
How? By listening to other fans discussions on it. Many go with the flow
and agree that Low is brilliant because they feel that it is the
"intellectual" thing to do, but in reality they never listen to it
because they don't like it,  which really means they don't understand
it.  Station To Station, Low and Heroes are the three albums that make
Bowie most accessible to his listeners,  however it does take a bit of
work.  People who understand these albums will all tell you that It was
well worth the effort.  Those who have are rewarded with a  rare glimpse
of the "real" Bowie, his soul, without all of the bullshit.  Bowie has
stated many times that Low is his most personal album, so to understand
it is to understand Bowie. I feel sorry for any fan that dismisses side
two of Low and Heroes because if you do you don't understand Bowie.
Uh, oh. Am I in trouble now? Don't answer that, I already know the
answer.

I can see the look on a few faces out there over what I just said. Oh,
by the way, I can see you reaching for anything that may be utilized as
a weapon against my person. How do I know? Let's just say from
experience and leave it at that.  Now, to defend their position, those
who disagree with me will say that this is all just my opinion.  Right?
No. Wrong.  I am sorry to rain on your parade but I must tell you that
my opinion happens to be the right one. No? Well it is according to
Bowie. Here are some excerpts from an interview on page 35 that Bowie
gave to New Musical Express in the September 13, 1980 edition. He said,
"I still adopt the view that music itself carries its own message,
instrumentally I mean. Lyrics are not needed because music does have an
implicit message of its own; it makes the case very pointedly. If that
were not the case then classical music would not have succeeded." He
stated that music carries. "some definite point of view, some attitude
which presumably can't be expressed with words." Bowie puts the
importance of what he writes into his music, the lyrics are secondary
and they DO NOT convey the ideas, or message he wants them to by
themselves. I quote, " lyrics taken on their own are nothing without the
secondary sub-text of what the musical arrangement has to say." He went
on to say, " when people  concentrate only on the lyrics that's to imply
there is no message stated in the music itself, which wipes out hundreds
of years of classical music. Ridiculous." If for some reason you still
disagree with my statements, I ask you to do me a favour. Since Bowie
and I share the same viewpoint please take the matter up with him as you
have a much better chance of succeeding. I'm much to stubborn.

This next part is hard to believe but it is absolutely true. If some
people had their way we never would heard Low. EVER!

AladinSANE

To be continued..........


""I don't begrudge any artist for finding an audience"
- David Bowie abt. 1987
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professormouseDonatedPosted at 2025-04-04 18:49:07(6 wks ago) (Bowie General / Images Vol. 18)


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Is this real ?
I never knew this mix existed !
🤔
https://youtu.be/TnoLEeqpA64?si=TGNPCZaAcnSZoCIP

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