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Album Club
01-05-2016, 18:28
The Album Club choice for May come courtesy of Laurence (Hackney RF) with a timely and appropriate tribute to David Bowie and his final album - 'Black Star'. As always, please listen to the album in its entirety before you vote.


David Bowie - Black Star


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/97/Blackstar_%28Front_Cover%29.png/220px-Blackstar_%28Front_Cover%29.png

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstar_(David_Bowie_album)



I had a very long time to think about my suggestion and had changed my mind numerous times. I really did have some cracking stuff lined up! However events on January 10th stopped me in my tracks and left only one choice.

I woke up that day to find my dear old Dad John, who had been a big influence on my music tastes, had passed away. I also woke up to discover we had lost one of our most, if not the most influential artists of our time. Choosing 'Black Star' was easy for me. An emotive choice perhaps but a simple one.

Ok it's well known that Bowie had on occasion not produced work that was up to his very high standards. However with 'Black Star' it seems he may have left his best until last. Opening with the Scott Walkeresque 'Black Star' it's clear that this ain't going to be no crowd pleasing Rock/Pop record. I have been trying to pick out highlights, but have failed miserably. Personally I feel there is not one weak song on this album but if pushed I would say the last two 'Dollar Days' and 'I Can't Give Everything Away' are perhaps two of Bowie's most gorgeous songs ever put onto record.

Tony Visconti has said that this was Bowie's parting gift to us. It certainly feels like that to me.

It's a thing of beauty.

What do you think?



https://open.spotify.com/album/2w1YJXWMIco6EBf0CovvVN

johnB
01-05-2016, 19:36
The Album Club choice for May come courtesy of Laurence (Hackney RF) with a timely and appropriate tribute to David Bowie and his final album - 'Black Star'. As always, please listen to the album in its entirety before you vote.


David Bowie - Black Star


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/97/Blackstar_%28Front_Cover%29.png/220px-Blackstar_%28Front_Cover%29.png

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstar_(David_Bowie_album)



I had a very long time to think about my suggestion and had changed my mind numerous times. I really did have some cracking stuff lined up! However events on January 10th stopped me in my tracks and left only one choice.

I woke up that day to find my dear old Dad John, who had been a big influence on my music tastes, had passed away. I also woke up to discover we had lost one of our most, if not the most influential artists of our time. Choosing 'Black Star' was easy for me. An emotive choice perhaps but a simple one.

Ok it's well known that Bowie had on occasion not produced work that was up to his very high standards. However with 'Black Star' it seems he may have left his best until last. Opening with the Scott Walkeresque 'Black Star' it's clear that this ain't going to be no crowd pleasing Rock/Pop record. I have been trying to pick out highlights, but have failed miserably. Personally I feel there is not one weak song on this album but if pushed I would say the last two 'Dollar Days' and 'I Can't Give Everything Away' are perhaps two of Bowie's most gorgeous songs ever put onto record.

Tony Visconti has said that this was Bowie's parting gift to us. It certainly feels like that to me.

It's a thing of beauty.

What do you think?



https://open.spotify.com/album/2w1YJXWMIco6EBf0CovvVN

Blackstar is a stunning album (more later) - but Dark Star (see subject line) is also a great movie...can a moderator change the title line please?

Barry
01-05-2016, 21:55
Blackstar is a stunning album (more later) - but Dark Star (see subject line) is also a great movie...can a moderator change the title line please?

Done - perhaps, subconciously I had the film in mind when I posted Laurence's Album Choice! Mea culpa

Marco
01-05-2016, 22:55
Blackstar is a stunning album (more later)

I agree, and especially stunning on vinyl... A much nicer overall product to own, too! :)

Marco.

Tim
02-05-2016, 03:56
I don't need to listen to this before voting as I have played it dozens and dozens of times, superb from start to finish and for me unquestionably 10/10.

Sent from my XT1580 using Tapatalk

johnB
02-05-2016, 07:05
Where the fuck did Monday go?

Can we vote more than 10/10 please?

lovejoy
03-05-2016, 14:22
Looks like I'll be the first miserable git here. I bought this on vinyl a few weeks back and was listening to it yesterday afternoon, but at the moment I only like half of this album.

Some of it feels like a continuation of The Next Day - which is an album I played and played and played when it came out and I still really like. There's definitely a link between the first track on both albums and I really like the track Blackstar. I also agree that I can't give everything away is one of the best songs he wrote in at least the last 20 years and was the track that made me buy the album. The harmonica in that track is so haunting and seems to have some weird reflective power over his entire output. When I fidst heard it I thought it was an old song, it just felt so familiar. For that track alone it scores well. But I just can't (currently) get on with tracks 2, 4 or 5 which makes it a bit scrappy for me. Maybe in time it'll click, but this album as it stands scores a 6 whereas The Next Day was an easy 8.

The Black Adder
03-05-2016, 18:30
Black Star.

Bowie is gone but he keeps on giving...

Leave your copy of Black Star out in the sun and something beautiful happens...

http://i.imgur.com/DWfh36J.jpg

Source: http://www.gigwise.com/news/106754/david-bowie-blackstar-vinyl-stars-appear-when-left-in-sun-reddit#.Vyi47nfSSvc.twitter

struth
03-05-2016, 18:35
Lol, don't try this in Scotland ;)

Got it in my prime library to listen to later

paulf-2007
04-05-2016, 18:51
Mm mm, didn't grab me, one or two tracks might grow on me should I persevere. But then there are only a handful of Bowie tracks I like tbh. He was a talent and a pioneer, I remember him saying years ago he would cut words from a newspaper and juggle them around to form lyrics for songs, an unlikely way to get results but it worked. Was probably his earlier work.

Mike - H
07-05-2016, 13:43
I consider myself a Bowie fan, having most of his earlier work. But I'm afraid I don't like this, maybe a bit too jazzy for me. 6/10

Spectral Morn
08-05-2016, 18:45
I have this, but have yet to listen to it. I will do so soon.

Idlewithnodrive
10-05-2016, 11:16
I'm a big Bowie fan too.

Whilst this is a very good record and is the best of his recent Album output by a loooong way, IMO it still isn't up there with his best Albums, which for me are Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane and Ziggy.

I guess you can't keep on being the inventor / originator of a vibe and Black Star just doesn't hang as well together as some of his earlier stuff, almost as if he is trying a bit too hard to create something he hasn't done before, to try and force a final days / funereal type vibe and it doesn't quite work for me. A bit harsh but maybe just a bit too self indulgent perhaps.

Anyway, it's certainly his best work since Scary Monsters and ideally, I'd be giving it 7 1/2 but it's a solid 7 / 10 from me.

high.spirits
19-05-2016, 08:46
I loved his early work but this is too dark for me. 5/10.

struth
19-05-2016, 08:48
Not the best Bowie album for me but not the worst either.

RichB
31-05-2016, 22:52
I finally found myself in the right frame of mind for this one. It went past me when first released and following his death I revisited his more classic material. This however grew on me so a 7. R

Floyddroid
01-06-2016, 21:08
I simply don't like it. 3/10:scratch:

Virtual-Symmetry
01-06-2016, 21:25
I just cannot cope with anything after his 2nd eponymous LP [Space Oddity]

fatreg
17-05-2017, 21:29
Only discovering Bowie through passing a few years ago (70s pop was/isn't my scene) I like his later stuff, black star is dark though, there's a very different voice in there from previous work, there's a fragility to his voice through the whole album, 7/10 for me.