A wistful David Bowie anniversary has come and gone – Reality was released five years ago on September 15, 2003. I can hardly believe that five years has come and gone with not a peep about a new album. *sigh* A lot has happened in those five years, but one of those things was not a new David Bowie album. David, please record a new album! Don’t make me beg. It won’t be pretty.
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4 responses to ““Reality” Anniversary”
Dear Mistress,
It strikes me that in the case of an artist who seems to have done his best work in conditions of extreme turmoil and personal anguish, is it fair to ask that artist to reopen the vein? Not that I wouldn’t love a new album, but one of the things I respect about Mr. Bowie is that he doesn’t seem to take on a project unless he damn well feels like it. We may have to learn to live with the (as one of my friends said) underutilized resource.
I suppose it depends on what you consider to be his best work. My favorite album of his (and my favorite album, period) is 1.Outside, which he recorded during some very happy years. The same can be said about Black Tie White Noise and Buddha of Suburbia. And while his recent work isn’t really his best it too is quite good with some truly brilliant moments (Brilliant Adventure, Something In The Air, Fall Dog Bombs The Moon, Bring Me The Disco King). In short, he’s an entertainer who has done great work at all times of his life, I’m a huge fan, and I want him to entertain me! I miss having new work from him! I think that is fair.
Perhaps my view is colored by my listening lateley to a lot of Berlin-period stuff as well as reading Hugo Wilken’s lovely little book on “Low” (Continuum, 2008). They have a whole series of books on single albums, a very eclectic list.
I have a mild disagreement with Wilken, though. He sees Bowie’s Eighties work as a sellout…I hear it as a natural outgrowth of the Berlin work, and if it was incredibly successful, well, that’s what Bowie is.
I have a deep, deep love for the Let’s Dance album. The bass on that entire album, especially Criminal World, is some funk that Bootsy Collins would approve of.