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.
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