Billy Bragg: Best of Billy Bragg at the BBC 1983-2019 (2019)

Here we have 38 tracks, culled from various BBC sessions. I just picked it up and listened to it once. It's a really great collection.

SIDE 1
1 A New England (John Peel session, 27th July 1983)
2 Fear Is A Man’s Best Friend [Cale] (John Peel session, 27th July 1983)
3 Love Gets Dangerous (John Peel session, 27thJuly 1983)
4 Like Soldiers Do (David Jensen session, 22ndDecember 1983)
5 The Man In The Iron Mask (w/ Dave Woodhead) (David Jensen session, 22ndDecember 1983)
6 The Saturday Boy (David Jensen session, 22ndDecember 1983)
7 A Lover Sings (John Peel session, 18thSeptember 1984)
SIDE 2
8 Between The Wars (John Peel session, 18thSeptember 1984)
9 A13, Trunk Road To The Sea [Troup/Bragg] (w/ Wiggy) (Saturday live, 13th October 1984)
10 There Is Power In A Union (John Peel session, 20th August 1985)
11 Days Like These (John Peel session, 20thAugust 1985)
12 Scholarship Is The Enemy Of Romance (Janice Long session, 18th December 1985)
13 Greetings To The New Brunette (John Peel session, 2nd September 1986)
14 Ideology (John Peel session, 2nd September 1986)
15 The Warmest Room (John Peel session, 2ndSeptember 1986)
SIDE 3
16 She’s Got a New Spell (John Peel session, 30th August 1988)
17 Valentine’s Day Is Over (John Peel session, 30th August 1988)
18 The Short Answer (John Peel session, 30th August 1988)
19 Rotting On Remand (John Peel session, 30th August 1988)
20 The Few (John Peel session, 12th May 1991)
SIDE 4
21 Accident Waiting To Happen (w/ Wiggy) (John Peel session, 12th May 1991)
22 Tank Park Salute (w/ Cara Tivey) (John Peel session, 12th May 1991)
23 Brickbat (John Peel session, 13th October 1995)
24 This Gulf Between Us (John Peel session, 13thOctober 1995)
25 Goal Hanger (London Music Week live, 1st May 1997)
26 The Boy Done Good [Bragg/Marr] (London Music Week live, 1st May 1997)
SIDE 5
27 From Red To Blue (London Music Week live, 1st May 1997)
28 The Busy Girl Buys Beauty (Janice Long Paris Theatre London Live, October 1999)
29 It Says Here (Janice Long Paris Theatre London Live, October 1999)
30 Lonesome Traveller [Hays] (John Peel session, 8thDecember 2004)
31 Goodbye, Goodbye (Phill Jupitus live, 30th March 2007)
32 Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key [Guthrie/Bragg] (Bob Harris live, 6th May 2012)
33 No-One Knows Nothing Anymore (Latitude Festival live, 18th July 2014)
SIDE 5
34 Levi Stubbs’ Tears (Glastonbury live, 26th June 2015)
35 Why We Build The Wall [Anais Mitchell] (Tom Robinson live Buxton Opera House, 21st January 2017)
36 I Ain’t Got No Home [Guthrie] (w/ CJ Hillman) (Radio 2 Folk Awards live, 5th April 2017)
37 The Space Race Is Over (Tom Robinson Now Playing 6Music ‘Billy Bragg Takeover’, 14th July 2019)
38 St. Swithin’s Day (Tom Robinson Now Playing 6Music ‘Billy Bragg Takeover’, 14th July 2019)

Billy Bragg & Joe Henry: Shine A Light, Field Recordings From The Great American Railroad (2016)

This is a hit and miss collection. In other words, some tunes are great and some are not. I love the idea of the project:

In March 2016 Billy Bragg and Joe Henry, guitars in hand, boarded a Los Angeles-bound train at Chicago’s Union Station looking to reconnect with the culture of American railroad travel and the music it inspired. Winding along 2,728 miles of track over four days, the pair recorded classic railroad songs in waiting rooms and at trackside while the train paused to pick up passengers. [source]

But, the results, as mentioned, are mixed.

Billy Bragg: Tooth and Nail (2013)

Like most Bragg albums, I have two copies: the US pressing, which is evidently a limited edition, as is the UK pressing. I have no idea how limited it is. On Bragg's website, it says: "Limited edition includes a free album download card - lovely!" That wording leads me to believe that the future vinyl editions will simply lack the download card, making the one with the download limited. I also own the deluxe CD edition, described on Discogs as follows: "Deluxe edition includes a DVD and is packaged in a book with lyrics and a collection of articles written by Billy for Q magazine."Discogs does not define this as a limited edition, but Bragg's website does: "Limited Special Edition Bookpack featuring CD & DVD."

Anyway, the damage done to my opinion of Bragg with the release of England, Half English was reversed with Mr Love & Justice, an album I really enjoy. I was greatly relieved to discover that Tooth and Nail is a really great record.

Billy Bragg: She's Got A New Spell (1988)

This limited edition 12" single contains She's Got A New Spell and an extended mix of Must I Paint you a Picture (originally from Workers Playtime), plus Wishing the Days Away (from Talking with the Taxman About Poetry), Sin City (which I believe made it's first appearance here), and Day's Like These (Original Version).  This record is not essential, unless you are a Bragg fan, like me.

Billy Bragg: Mr Love and Justice (2008)

This record was a bit of redemption after the disaster of England, Half English, which is the only Bragg record I hate, but I am getting sidetracked. I also have the double CD version, wherein disc two contains all of the tracks performed solo. I like both versions. Oddly, I can only find the solo version on youtube. I'd rank this as one of the best Bragg records.

Billy Bragg: William Bloke (1996)

William Bloke is one of my favourite Billy Bragg records. His next record, apart from the fantastic Wilco stuff, was abysmal. I can't even listen to England, Half English anymore.

Oddly, the LP version of William Bloke has an additional track -- Qualifications -- not found on the CD. A copy of this record is currently for sale on Discogs for almost $48. I paid no where near that much. A Pict Song is one of my fav Bragg tunes:

Billy Bragg: Workers Playtime (1988)

The title should really be Worker's Playtime or Workers' Playtime.

There was a time when I was absolutely sick of this record and I would have paid money so that I would never have to hear it again. I heard this album thousands of times back in '88 and '89, and it was killing me slowly. I even saw the tour for this record.

I guess this is Billy's love album, though there are three overtly political songs on it. Billy has always written love songs and mixed them in with political tunes. But, the music and production of this record seems to suggest that love is the major theme.

The three political songs are uneven. There is the really awful Tender Comrade, a song that I just cannot listen to. Rotting on Remand is marginally better, though it is not up to his prior political outings. The best of the political track is Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards, a song that is truly funny and serious at the same time.

I listened to this album for the first time in ages, and I can say that it's pretty good, though it wouldn't make it into my top five Bragg records. My copy is a UK pressing.

Billy Bragg: The Internationale (1990)

The Internationale is probably Bragg's most revolutionary release, and I mean that in terms of subject matter, not music. Apart from The Marching Song of the Covert Battalions, the songs are all cover version (some with Bragg re-writes and edits), with the highlight for me being Blake's Jerusalem. Unusually, for a Bragg release, there are tracks that I dislike. These are: I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night and Nicaragua, Nicaragüita. Since I also dislike Bragg's Chile Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto (from the Help Save the Youth of America EP), and Tender Comrade (from Workers Playtime - where is the apostrophe, Billy?), all this makes sense. A cappella Bragg has never worked for me. The Internationale is an interesting record. It sees Bragg at his most fervent. Parts of it work, but at times, it's a bit ridiculous. There's no denying the jaunty quality of The Red Flag, but it all seems a little naive or hopelessly idealistic and probably outdated.

Billy Bragg: Levi Stubbs' Tears (1986)

This UK 12" single differs from the Canadian version in that it contains only four tracks, and is, therefore, lacking these two track:

Scholarship Is The Enemy Of Romance
I Don't Need This Pressure Ron

Oddly, the running times of the four shared tracks are slightly different, but it is only a few seconds here and there. Who knows why? That's all I will say about this.

Billy Bragg: Levi Stubbs' Tears (1986)

One dark night he came home from the sea
And put a hole in her body where no hole should be
It hurt her more to see him walking out the door
And though they stitched her back together they left her heart in pieces on the floor

Thankfully, Billy knows how to use an apostrophe. After browsing the internet for any length of time (especially comments on various posts) it becomes clear that grammar is dead. I'm not talking about typos. I have my fair share of typos. I am referring to people who cannot construct a sentence and fail to use any punctuation. It makes me sad for the future.

Think Again, Bragg's cover version of the Dick Gaughan track, appears on side 2 of this 12" single. It's a song in the same tradition as The Box's Ordinary People and Sting's Russians. I prefer Bragg's live version on the Help Save the Youth of America EP, but this one is OK. The centerpiece, though, is Levi Stubbs' Tears, which is a really moving song.

A1 Levi Stubbs' Tears
A2 Walk Away Renee (Version)
A3 I Don't Need This Pressure Ron

B1 Think Again
B2 Scholarship Is The Enemy Of Romance
B3 Between The Wars (Recorded Live At The Festival Des Politischen Liedes In Berlin (GDR), February, 1986)

Billy Bragg: Talking With the Taxman About Poetry (1986)

The "Difficult Third Album" from Billy Bragg is one of my Bragg favourites. Bragg brought in other musicians, most notably, Johnny Marr of the Smiths, something that irritated Morrissey, or so I have read. As such, there is much more here that just Billy and his guitar and the echo from the room. The album features Greetings to the New Brunette, a killer Bragg track.

"I'm celebrating my love for you
With a pint of beer and a new tattoo
And if you haven't noticed yet
I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet"

By the way, I read some misheard Bragg lyrics years ago, one of which features the verse above, but misheard as "I'm more impressionable when my semen is wet." That's probably true. Some other great tracks from this record are The Warmest Room, Levi Stubbs' Tears, and (despite what Allmusic thinks), Help Save the Youth of America.

As you can see, I have a UK pressing, complete with the charming "pay no more that £4.49." I think I paid more.

Billy Bragg: The Peel Sessions (1987)

In 1991, another LP entitled The Peel Sessions Album was released on various formats, the CD version of which contains the entire contents of this brief six-track record. I have the CD version of the aforementioned album. The six tracks on this release are:

A New England
Strange Things Happen
This Guitar Says Sorry
Love Gets Dangerous
Fear Is A Man's Best Friend
A13, Trunk Road To The Sea

I couldn't believe that Bragg covered John Cale. To me, that was unexpected, and it's not a bad version at all, though quite different from the original.

Billy Bragg: Help Save the Youth of America: Live and Dubious (1986)

For some reason, Help Save the Youth of America is one of my favourite Billy Bragg releases, which is odd, because it is an EP and it contains a song that I hate. Allmusic describes Chile Your Waters Run Red Through Soweto as "an a cappella tour de force..." I really dislike the song.

On the other hand, Help Save the Youth of America is a fantastic song, though perhaps a bit dated. It's interesting to hear him sing that song to a Russian audience when the cold war was still ongoing.

And the cities of Europe have burned before
And they may yet burn again
And if they do I hope you understand
That Washington will burn with them
Omaha will burn with them
Los Alamos will burn with them

Bragg covers Think Again, the Dick Gaughan song. I've always appreciated that track, though there are moments when the lyrics are frankly way too simplistic.

Do you think that the Russians want war?
These are the parents of children who died in the last one
Do you think that it's possible, knowing their past
That they'd ever consider repeating the last
When 20 million were slaughtered by Nazi invasion?
They died fighting on our side, you know,
In a fight to defend humankind
Against Nazi terror and hatred

In the name of humanity, bitterly torn
In the name of our children as yet to be born
Before we do that which can never be undone I beg of you
Think, think again, and again and again and again and again

Do you think that the Russians want war?
They're the sons and the daughters of parents who died in the last one
Do you think that they'd want to go through that again
The destruction, the bloodshed, the suffering and pain?
In the second world war out of every three dead one was Russian
If we try with all of our power
Can we not find a way
To peacefully settle our difference?

Do you think that the Russians want war?
Will the voice of insanity lead you to total destruction?
Will you stumble to death as though you were blind?
Will you cause the destruction of all humankind?
Will you die because you don't like their political system?
There will be no survivors you know
No one left to scream in the night
And condemn our stupidity

The line "They died fighting on our side, you know" is really misleading. I think we can say that we shared a common enemy, but Stalin's war aims were certainly not shared in the west and vice versa.

Of all of the tracks, Days Like These (D.C. Remix) is perhaps the most dated. On this EP, the lyrics are largely rewritten adding references to El Salvador and Reagan: "It's no bloody consolation if Reagan cannot run again." But, the song resonated with me at the time and it remains one of my favourite Bragg tracks.

Billy Bragg: Accident Waiting To Happen (Red Star Version) (1992)

I own the 7" version, the double CD version, and this UK 12" version of Accident Waiting To Happen, drawn from Don't Try this at Home. The 7" and 12" versions are identical.  Disc one of the Australian CD version is has the same four tracks as the 7" and 12" releases:

Accident Waiting To Happen (Red Star Version)
Revolution
Sulk
The Warmest Room (live)

Disc two has live versions of:

Accident Waiting To Happen
Levi Stubbs Tears [with no apostrophe]
Valentine's Day is Over [with an apostrophe]
North Sea Bubble

Billy Bragg: You Woke Up My Neighbourhood (1991)

The corresponding CD single, which I also own, contains one extra track, a cover version of Seven and Seven Is. This 12" single only contains four tracks:

You Woke Up My Neighbourhood (co-written with Peter Buck or REM)

Ontario Quebec and Me (this may be one of the few times Bragg had something to say about Canadian politics)

Bread a Circuses (co-written with Natalie Merchant)

Heart Like a Wheel (written by Anna McGarrigle)

Billy Bragg: Don’t Try this at Home (1991)

This is a hard one to find, as it was pressed in the death of vinyl era. This is not my fav Bragg record, but it contains my fav Bragg song. If I said elsewhere that a different song was my fav Bragg song, that was wrong. Cindy of a Thousand Lives is my fav Bragg song. There a couple of tracks on this record that are failures to me, and I say that with much respect to Billy, who reminas one of my favourite singer/songwriters. Rumours of War and Tank Park Salute do not work for me. Highlights are The Few, You Woke Up My Neighbourhood, and Sexuality.

Billy Bragg: Days Like These (1985)

This is a 12" single, released in 1985. It contains Days Like These, I Don't Need this Pressure Ron, and Scholarship is the Enemy of Romance. The latter two tracks were uncollected until finally compiled on Reaching to the Converted (Minding the Gaps). Should I mention that I do not like I don't Need this Pressure Ron . It's another tiresome Bragg a cappella tune.

Billy Bragg: Back to Basics (1987)

I paid more than £5.99.

"Back to Basics is a 1987 collection of Billy Bragg's first three releases: The albums Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy and Brewing Up with Billy Bragg and the EP Between The Wars. This collection did not contain any new material, but did document Billy Bragg's early "one man and his guitar" approach. The songs collected on this release demonstrate major recurrent themes in Bragg's work: highly critical commentary on Thatcherite Britain, laced with poetic love songs. The collection was re-released in November 1993 on the Cooking Vinyl label" [source]

In other words, I already have all of these tracks on other releases, and I own the CD as well.

Billy Bragg: Greetings to the New Brunette (1986)

Greetings to the New Brunette is one on my favourite Bragg tracks and it features Johnny Marr of the Smiths, one of my favoutite guitarists, on guitar. Somewhat fittingly, Bragg covers Jeanne, a Smiths track on this EP. There's also a couple of covers and an instrumental version of There is Power in a Union. Here is a live version of Jeanne:

Billy Bragg: Life's a Riot / Between the Wars (1985)

I bought this record in downtown Kitchener at some sort of mall record shop, likely a Music World, or some such place. I think it was indeed for sale at a "special nifty price" as advertised. Side one contains all of Life's A Riot With Spy Vs Spy and side two contains the four tracks from the 7" Between the Wars EP. In other words, side two is far more political than side one.

I guess I should point out that I have seen Billy in concert several times. I have even had three conversations with him in person. Somewhere, I have a ticket stub with his signature. I also have a bunch of CDs with his signature.

I have the DVD from which the following segment is taken.

Billy Bragg: Life's A Riot With Spy Vs Spy (1983)

The was Billy's first LP, or "7 Track Album," if you like. It was released in November 1983. The hit (if you can call it that) from this record is the original version of A New England. The other six tracks are great too. I guess it's not necessary to own this record since all of the songs were later released on the Life's A Riot / Between The Wars compilation, which I have. But, I'm happy to have it.

Billy Bragg: Brewing Up with Billy Bragg (1984)

I guess Billy is better known as a political songwriter, but he wrote some fantastic love songs. This album has a mixture of both. There aren't many real videos from the Bragg camp back in the day, for some reason, though there were more later. But, there are plenty of Bragg live clips on the web, which is great.

I have in excess of 30 Billy Bragg CDs, including reissues with bonus discs and/or DVDs, best of packages, a collection of b-sides, some official (and unofficial) bootlegs, live recordings, promotional releases, CD singles, and the collaborations with Wilco.

Sometimes, Billy sounds like a one-man punk band.

Boys Brigade: Boys Brigade (1983)

Boys Brigade (from Toronto) only managed to record one record. Somewhat amazingly, it was produced by Geddy Lee. Malcolm Burn, the lead vocalist, went on to do much work with Daniel Lanois. This is an easy record to find and it's inexpensive. You should be able to find a copy for $1. If so, buy it.

The Box: Closer Together (1987)

The Box's third album contained two hits, as far as I can tell. I don't normally concern myself with hits, but these are probably the songs that most people know. I often prefer album tracks to the singles. I am not sure if that is from over-exposure to the single or simply that other tracks on certain albums are better. For example, I wouldn't even place Stairway to Heaven in my top ten Led Zeppelin tracks. I like the song, but it's way way down the list. Anyway, I am sure that you have heard Ordinary People and Crying Out Loud for Love.

Ordinary People is a Cold War song, I guess. For years, I thought the song was a relic of a distant past, but with recent events in the Ukraine, I am not so sure. Of course, Sting's Russians, with a similar message, appeared two years earlier than this song.

The Box: All the Time, All the Time, All the Time... (1985)

 
"Non coupable, pour cause d’aliénation mentale."

The second Box record contains a bunch of good songs, most notably, L'Affaire Dumoutier (Say to Me), which might be the best song they ever recorded. The other big song was My Dreams of You, containing the refrain "all the time all the time all the time." Whenever I look up an old band, I am either stunned to find that they are still touring and sometimes amazed to discover that many have released albums much later on than I had expected. I had no idea that the Box had a post-1980s output. Of course, I haven't heard any of it.

The Box: The Box (1984)

I thought that The Box--whom I saw in concert at least once--were a very solid Canadian New Wave band. I think the single from this record was the first track, Must I Always Remember. Why is it that so many record labels insist that the lead-off track must be the single?

After I saw the Box years ago, my friend, Pete, asked one of the band members (I'm not sure which one) if any Box albums would be released on CD. The band member said that he couldn't even afford to buy a CD player. That says a lot about life as a musician in Canada in the 80s. By the way, if there was an award for a video that bears no relation to the song, this one would be in the running. The video is incomprehensible.

David Bowie: No Plan (2017)

No Plan is a single-sided EP with four tracks all on one side. Side two contains an etching. Despite the sticker promising that a download card is included, my copy came without such a card. That sucks. The tracks are:

Lazarus
No Plan
Killing a Little Time
When I Met You

I like it. It's sad, however, to listen to it.

David Bowie: ★ (Blackstar) (2016)

Look up here, I’m in heaven
I’ve got scars that can’t be seen
I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen
Everybody knows me now

Look up here, man, I’m in danger
I’ve got nothing left to lose
I’m so high it makes my brain whirl
Dropped my cell phone down below

Ain’t that just like me

By the time I got to New York
I was living like a king
Then I used up all my money
I was looking for your ass

This way or no way
You know, I’ll be free
Just like that bluebird
Now ain’t that just like me

Oh I’ll be free
Just like that bluebird
Oh I’ll be free
Ain’t that just like me

- Lazarus, David Bowie

On January 9th, I held in my hands a copy of ★ (Blackstar) on vinyl. I put it back on the rack, thinking that I would pick it up later because I had something else in my hands that I wanted to buy, though I can no longer remember what that was. The next morning, I looked at the newsfeed on Facebook. The first thing I saw was "RIP David Bowie." I really thought that one of my friends had written a short, macabre review of the new David Bowie record. However, scrolling down the page confirmed that Bowie was dead and I was stunned, absolutely stunned. After all, his new record had just been released.

Over the subsequent hours and days that followed, light was shed on the fact that Bowie had been suffering from cancer and that this record was a parting gift, a last, great piece of art. How many people get to go out like that? He turned his death into art. It's really an incredible and courageous and giving act. But, it is also profoundly sad. I've never felt so upset about a celebrity death since the murder of John Lennon.

Of course, once Bowie died, finding a copy of this record on vinyl or CD was impossible. I had to wait for a repressing, which I finally obtained. I have been listening to it and I really like it, but listening to this record is a profoundly saddening experience. Although I have had a copy for weeks now, it has take me some time to write something about it.

I felt the same loss when Lou Reed died. I heard about his liver transplant, but I still hoped for a new record. I felt that some of his later records were among his strongest: Ecstasy, Set the Twilight Reeling, but not The Raven (well, maybe parts of it). Also, Lulu confounded me, but I will admit that parts of it work. Suddenly, he was gone, like the friends Reed memorialized in Magic and Loss.

But, back to Bowie. The Next Day was a welcome surprise, after Bowie's ten-year absence. When I heard about the new record, I thought that we all could look forward to several more fabulous Bowie records. This is not to be the case, sadly. It's extra sad because I loved the later Bowie output. Many Bowie "fans" were never really fond of his later period, but I loved in all. I really liked Earthling, Hours, Heathen, Reality, and, especially, Outside. I wanted Bowie to keep making records.

I consider myself lucky for having seen Bowie in concert during the Earthling tour in Toronto in a small venue. We saw the David Bowie Is exhibit in Toronto when it came through. That was also really interesting.

By the way, I watched part of Lady Gaga's Grammy's "tribute" to Bowie on Youtube. What a train wreck that was. It was simply horrible and I switched it off after about 2 minutes. To begin with, I really hate melodies. But, more importantly, I think she was the wrong person to do a tribute. I just do not see how anyone could imagine that these two singers have anything in common, despite the theatrical elements. Lady Gaga's music, to my ears is, frankly awful.

Bowie was one of my favourite musicians. He will be missed.

I wrote everything above some time ago, but I delayed in posting is. I think I wasn't entirely comfortable writing about his death. And then, Prince died last week, and we are going through this all over again.  Now I worry about all of my favourite aging rock stars, like Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, the remaining Beatles, Stones, and Zeppelin, etc. An entire generation of music will pass away in the next ten to fifteen years. But, Prince was way too young.

David Bowie: The Next Day (2013)

I can't believe we had to wait ten years for a new Bowie Record after Reality. I suppose it was worth the wait, because The Next Day is brilliant, despite what Allmusic might think. The Allmusic reviewer concludes "...but The Next Day isn't a career capper; it lacks the ambition to be anything so grand. The Next Day neither enhances nor diminishes anything that came before, it's merely a sweet coda to a towering career." I have to disagree. I think, perhaps with time, that this record will be regarded as classic, essential Bowie.

David Bowie: Heathen (2002)

I can't believe that this record came out in 2002! What happened to the time? I first had a copy on CD, which I bought the day it came out. I opted for the two-disc US version with the bonus EP.  Apart from the original 2002 pressing, it was released on vinyl a few times. I have the 2016 US pressing on clear vinyl. The jacket has some shelf wear (not noticeable in the image), from being shuffled around the record bins, but I paid only $8.75 for a sealed copy, so I am not complaining.

Heathen is one of my favourite later Bowie releases. It just has a fabulous sound with a really great feel. Oddly, I first heard the CD in a car as I and some colleagues were being driven across Toronto by a co-worker. We needed to get way up to York University from downtown Toronto, a true battle in rush-hour traffic. But, the trek was made far more enjoyable by this album that I had just purchased.

Heathen contains three interesting cover versions, one of which is better than the others. Cactus is one of my favourite Pixies tunes, but I just cannot get behind Bowie's interpretation. It loses a lot in the translation. The pangs of emotion are gone; the longing is gone; the plaintive feeling of desire is lost. On the other hand, Bowie's rendition of I've Been Waiting for You, the Neil Young tune, is right on. But, finally, it's amazing to me that anyone could transform the original version of I Took a Trip (on a Gemini Spacecship) and make it into something enjoyable. Let's just say that the original track, by the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, leaves much to be desired.

The record is filled with fantastic tunes.

David Bowie: Fame 90 (1990)

It's funny how at least a decade had passed before I ever knew that these remixes existed. The US 12" has five versions:

David Bowie With Queen Latifah Fame 90 Featuring – Queen Latifah Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – D.J. Mark "The 45 King"*

Fame 90 (House Mix) Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Arthur Baker

Fame 90 (Gass Mix) Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Jon Gass 

Fame 90 (Hip Hop Mix) Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Arthur Baker

Fame 90 (Absolutely Nothing Premeditated / Epic Mix) Remix – David Barratt

They are all pretty good, but it's too much to listen to them all in sequence. 

David Bowie: Tonight (1984)

While Tonight is arguably a weaker effort from David Bowie, I still appreciate it, mostly because I had a friend is residence with truly awful taste in music. When given the chance to pop a cassette into his tiny boom box, I would always choose this, so that I could avoid Madonna and Bananarama and the other garbage littering his shelf of cassettes. I think that this is a record that has improved with age, especially if you skip the title track.

The other question I have, vis-a-vis the title track, is why were people so eager to record with Tina Turner back in the day?

David Bowie: Let's Dance (1983)

I admit that I was disappointed with this album. I found it to be overly-commercial. On the plus side, there is the China Girl video, which I think is fabulous. On another note, the album is entitled Let's Dance, and yet Bowie looks like he is ready for a fight. I saw Bowie in concert on the Earthling tour. I think I have every Bowie album on CD.

David Bowie: Fame And Fashion (David Bowie's All Time Greatest Hits) (1984)

This is a pretty solid compilation, covering 1970-1980, or so. I have a Canadian pressing. It's a good collection.

David Bowie: ChangesTwoBowie (1981)

Oddly, the CD release of this record is worth more than the vinyl. I don't think that happens too often. Apparently, the CD was summarily deleted. The cover seems to be an advertisement for the Philip Morris Company. In any case, this collection has some good songs, as well as my favourite Bowie song. My only issue with the song is that it is way too short.

There have, of course, been covers of this track. I was unimpressed with Beck's cover. The cover by Franz Ferdinand is OK, though I will admit that I like the video. But, the best cover has to be from The Sea and Cake.

David Bowie: Scary Monsters (1980)

I rely on Allmusic.com for lots of music information. At times, I wildly disagree with reviews. Even though I agree with the 5 star rating Allmusic gives Scary Monsters, I take great exception to this statement in the review: "...Scary Monsters is Bowie's last great album." That is just garbage. Outside, Earthling, Heathen, and The Next Day are all great records. This record has some great songs, like Ashes to Ashes and Fashion.

Bowie: Chameleon (1979)

 
Chameleon was only released in the antipodes, that being Australia and New Zealand. The tracks are:

Starman
Aladdin Sane
Sorrow
Diamond Dogs
1984
Breaking Glass
Heroes
V-2 Schneider
Beauty And The Beast
Boys Keep Swinging
D.J.
Look Back In Anger

It's a pretty solid collection of some of his well known songs up to 1979.  I don't think that this is a rare record, judging by the moderate prices on Discogs ($11 to $32), but I have only ever seen one copy, and I bought it, for a very reasonable price.

David Bowie: Lodger (1979)

Someone once told me that he hated Lodger. I found this odd, coming from a self-proclaimed Bowie fan. I really like this record. Sure, it's more accessible than the first two record in the Berlin Trilogy. It has no instrumentals. Instead, it has some real pop songs.

On Discogs, this album is categorized as "Leftfield, Synth-pop, Disco." I am OK with Leftfied and synth-pop, but disco? Seriously? WTF!

Fav songs might be Fantastic Voyage, D.J., and maybe Look Back in Anger. I have the original Canadian pressing.

David Bowie: Heroes (1977)

Heroes is a fantastic record. Of course, I like pretty much everything he ever recorded. Robert Fripp's guitar really adds an interesting dimension to the title track. The instrumentals, as on the previous two of the Berlin trilogy recordings, are also great.

David Bowie: Stage (1978)

Sometimes, a review is just so way off it sounds like the reviewer was listening to a different record. Check this out:

The second of two inessential double live albums David Bowie released in the '70s, 1978's Stage is a different beast than its 1974 predecessor, David Live. That album captured Bowie in a transitional phase, sliding from glam to stylized soul, while Stage was recorded in the thick of his Berlin phase with producer/collaborator Brian Eno, and Stage is an attempt to translate that sleek, angular, arty studio-bound sound to the live arena. This means not only are Low and Heroes given live treatments, but about half of both Ziggy Stardust and Station to Station are given new arrangements here. On these older tunes, the new flair -- the synthesizers and Adrian Belew's tangled, mathematical guitar -- doesn't sound sleek, it sounds chintzy and cheap, not quite fully formed. The newer songs suffer from this, too, and that's because the performances are too direct and the recording is too crisp and clear, removing the dark, foreboding mystery and assuredness that made Low and Heroes thrilling, compelling listens. Consequently, Stage winds up as a curiosity, and not a very interesting one at that. [source]

This review makes absolutely no sense.  B ut, as a fan, maybe I am biased.

David Bowie: Low (1977)

Low is the first LP in the so-called Berlin Trilogy and the first after his cocaine years, or so I have read. This is a challenging electronic and avante garde record that did not sit well with critics upon release. As usual, time assisted the critics understand this record and it is now generally praised. I have always loved this record, right from the first few bars of the first track, Speed of Life. That is a truly amazing instrumental.

Side two has more of an eclectic, ambient feel, brought to life by Brian Eno. I have nothing bad to say about this record. It's a 10/10, a true masterpiece. I listened to it the other day and it still sounds incredible. The highlight for me has always been Sound and Vision. I wish someone would create an extended mix of that tune.

David Bowie: Changesonebowie (1976)

What can I say? This is a required Bowie compilation. It contains a whole slate of classic Bowie tracks: Changes, Rebel Rebel, Space Oddity, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, The Jean Genie, Diamond Dogs, Fame, Young Americans, and the new track, John, I'm Only Dancing.

David Bowie: Station to Station (1976)

I once watched an interview with Bowie (sometime after Earthling was released) in which he said he had no memory of recording Station to Station. Such is the power of cocaine. Imagine not remembering recording an entire album? I have many gaps in my memory, but, even though I can only remember snippets of being in Kindergarten, for example, I still remember something. Alice Cooper has reported a similar experience with his so-called "blackout" albums.

I also find it amazing that he didn't remember recording a record that is one of his best. I love this record. There are only six tracks, but they are all top notch Bowie.

The return of the Thin White Duke
Throwing darts in lovers' eyes
Here are we, one magical moment, such is the stuff

From where dreams are woven
Bending sound, dredging the ocean, lost in my circle
Here am I, flashing no color

Tall in this room overlooking the ocean
Here are we, one magical movement from Kether to Malkuth
There are you, you drive like a demon from station to station

David Bowie: Young Americans (1975)

Bowie described his recent album Young Americans as "the definitive plastic soul record. It's the squashed remains of ethnic music as it survives in the age of Muzak, written and sung by a white limey." [source]

I had no idea that the term plastic soul was a term coined by unnamed black musicians to describe Mick Jagger. It makes some sense. Bowie, then, described some of his output as plastic soul.

Lots of people argue that this record has some weak songs on it. I disagree. We get Young Americans which is one of my favourite Bowie tune. Plus, you get Win, Fascination, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Across the Universe (the Lennon and McCartney tune) and Fame (co-written with John Lennon). I remember the look on my dad's face when that song came on the radio on one of our lengthy car trips to get to our annual late August campsite. Also, the album cover rocks.

Have you have been an un-American?
Just you and your idol singing falsetto 'bout
Leather, leather everywhere, and
Not a myth left from the ghetto
Well, well, well, would you carry a razor
In case, just in case of depression?
Sit on your hands on a bus of survivors
Blushing at all the afro-Sheilas
Ain't that close to love?
Well, ain't that poster love?
Well, it ain't that Barbie doll
Her heart's been broken just like you have

Bowie [David Bowie]: Dimaond Dogs (1973)

"This ain't rock 'n' roll, this is GENOCIDE"

Sometimes, Allmusic gets it totally wrong. The critic concluded that this LP "is the first record since Space Oddity where Bowie's reach exceeds his grasp." [source]  Huh. This is the LP that contains Sweet Thing, Rebel Rebel, Candidate, Diamond Dogs, 1984, etc. Speaking of 1984, there is, indeed a Nineteen Eighty-Four theme here. Maybe my love of that book is one reason why I think the Allmusic review is way off base. It also reminds me of Outside, truly one of Bowie's best records. This is a great LP, not Bowie's greatest, but really fine.

Oddly, he was billed on the record as simply Bowie, in an Eno-esque way. I wonder why.

David Bowie: Pinups (1973)

It's funny that Wikipedia refers to this LP as Pin Ups, rather than Pinups. The entry also says this: "also referred to as PinUps." It certainly looks like one word on my copy, though I did see a cassette once where pin and ups were clearly different words. Anyway, this is an album of cover versions, containing some of Bowie's favourite tunes from 1964-1967. He covers the Kinks, Pink Floyd, The Who, Them, the Yardbirds, etc. It still seems a strange thing to do for a man who has such a singular voice. I like the record, but not as much as some of his other records.

PS. That's Twiggy on the cover, by the way.

David Bowie: Aladdin Sane (1973)

1973's Aladdin Sane was Bowie's sixth record, following The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Even people who know nothing about Bowie will probably recognize The Jean Genie. Some people have criticized the jazzier piano pieces, but these people know nothing. This is a very good record. Sadly, my Canadian pressing lacks the lyrics sheet that was originally included. Obviously, I bought this used, not knowing who Bowie was in 1973.

David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is probably my favourite Bowie record. It's packed with excellent tracks: Five Years, Teenage Moondream, Starman, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, etc.

Described as a loose concept album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is about Bowie's titular alter ego Ziggy Stardust, a fictional androgynous bisexual rock star who acts as a messenger for extraterrestrial beings. The character was retained for the subsequent Ziggy Stardust Tour through the United Kingdom, Japan and North America. The album, and the character of Ziggy Stardust, were influenced by glam rock and explored themes of sexual exploration and social taboos. A concert film of the same name, directed by D. A. Pennebaker, was recorded in 1973 and released a decade later.

Considered Bowie's breakthrough album, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and number 75 in the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart. As of January 2016 it had sold 7.5 million copies worldwide. The album received widespread critical acclaim and has been considered one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2017, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically, or artistically significant" by the Library of Congress. [source]

It should be noted that there are variants in some of the pressings. I have a Canadian repressing from an unknown date, but my guess is that it's mid-1970s maybe as early as 1973 or 1974, but I could be wrong about that. There are nine Canadian pressings, according to Discogs.

David Bowie: Hunky Dory (1971)

This is one of my favourite Bowie records, and it contains one of my favourite Bowie tunes, Life on Mars? The record also contains Changes, a big Bowie song that everyone knows. Of course, as a big Velvet Underground and Lou Reed fan, I am partial to the track, Queen Bitch. Reed and Bowie performed this track at Bowie's 50th birthday. I watched that video a few times after Reed's death.

I have a Canadian pressing from 1980, which is not surprising, since I was way too young to have been buying records in 1971.

David Bowie: The Man Who Sold The World (1970)

Although released in 1971, I have a UK pressing from 1982. On the rear jacket, it says: "Chronologically, this is the second of David Bowie's rock and roll albums..." It's really his third record. Oddly, it was released in 1970 in the US but 1971 in the UK. That seems backwards to me. There are a number of different cover images. I prefer the one used on the first UK pressing, rather than the image on my copy.

The most famous track on this record is probably the title track, mostly because of Nirvana's  phenomenal cover during that unplugged performance. In fact, that is probably Nirvana's finest performance. There are no real hits n this album, but I view it as one of Bowie's best records.

I really loved the sound Bowie achieved in this record. It sounds raw and primordial.  Wikipedia makes this statement, attributed to David Buckley: The Man Who Sold the World has since been cited as inspiring the goth rock, dark wave and science fiction elements of work by artists such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Gary Numan, John Foxx and Nine Inch Nails. [source] This makes sense to me, though I hadn't considered that before.

David Bowie: Space Oddity (1969)

Bowie's second record from 1969 was called David Bowie, Man of Words/Man of Music, or Space Oddity, depending on when and where it was pressed. My copy, a 1976 repressing from Canada, carries the latter title. Most people will only ave ever heard the title track, one of Bowie's most famous compositions. However, they are a number of great songs, even if the album has too many directions.

Regarding its mix of folk, balladry and prog rock, NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray have said, "Some of it belonged in '67 and some of it in '72, but in 1969 it all seemed vastly incongruous. Basically, David Bowie can be viewed in retrospect as all that Bowie had been and a little of what he would become, all jumbled up and fighting for control... [source]

It's not bad, but he got better as his career progressed.