Search - David Bowie :: Lodger Jewel Box

A occasionally frightening, occasionally genreless masterpie

Said Head | MN, USA | 01/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After the years I've come to consider this my favorite Bowie album. As experimental music enthusiast, I regard this album best of two worlds: Bowie and forward-thinking music. Low and Heroes are good, yes, and at first I was bummed that this album had none of the fantastic instrumentals, but I came to realize that the art rock and experimental material of those two albums were just more fused together in Lodger.



Some of the music herein is along punk boundaries, but in the way that seems to say 'Call this what you like, it's still what it is regardless'. Surely a lot of people would call The Berlin Trilogy a flop with Bowie at the wheel on a road to nowhere, but this outcome is in my opinion his strongest album. While the other two albums are not in the least shaky or poorly produced, as would the albums sound by anyone other than Bowie, but Lodger just feels more refined, taking back some pop characteristics while retaining the strong desire to try new things.



Fantastic Voyage is about the most pop-sounding track in all of the Berlin Trilogy, and with that a misleading first step into the album; still a great song though. It's grown on me after a while and I love it.



African Night Flight overshadows the light flavor of FV with jungle-esque percussion, fast-paced and chanting vocals and additional moody atmosphere provided by heavy synths. One of my all-time favorite songs, it's both catchy and odd at the same time.



The music for Move On was inspired by playing 'All the Young Dudes' backwards; with that said, this makes for another strange listen. It features some strong vocalization by Bowie, as usual, with a tint of something unplacebly foreign sounding. After all times I've listened to this song I just can't understand what makes this song so great.



Yassassin (Turkish For Long Live) is perhaps the most culture-tinged piece of the album, with some odd Mid-Eastern feel, hence the name. This song was actually released as a promo single in--guess where--Turkey. It's obvious that Bowie was determined to get a certain feel out of this song as concerned with style, and he pulled it off well.



Before I'd gotten this album I had Red Sails on a compilation LP called Golden Years. I thought it was one of the strangest tracks Bowie'd ever accomplished, until I got the rest of the album. It does boast a surfer exploitation, but as I said before nothing on this album is exactly what it is, as this song carries a lot of influences.



DJ will be, to me at least, among the very best of his singles. It shows to all the Ziggy fans that Bowie can be creative, modern, and radio-worthy all at once.



For some reason Look Back In Anger has never been a song I'm that fond of. Something about the mixing, I think, that just doesn't feel right, like as how Move On has that great hidden something that speaks to me every time I hear, to me this song has a bad hidden component that just doesn't do it for me.



I'm surprised Boys Keep Swinging had become such a big hit despite how fun it truly is; it's weird with slurred guitars and keyboards, but through the vocals and structure keeps a poppy feel. Very cool song, single, and video.



Repetition sort of feels to me like a strange finale for the album, with heavy and somewhat disturbing lyrics and music. One of the best tracks on the album in my opinion, again it has that indescribable something. The lyrical content is a little edgier and angrier, which feels like a precursor to the Scary Monsters persona.



Red Money is actually Bowie's version of the song Sister Midnight originally released by Iggy Pop, along with Bowie's later super-hit China Girl which they both wrote and produced. Kind of a weak track, it just sort of sits at the end of the album, with little of the general feel of Lodger. It's a great song, but to me feels rather out of place.



But you cannot forget the two amazing bonus Ryko tracks: I Pray Ole, a solid album outtake that would've fit perfectly well into the mix, and the 88' version of Look Back In Anger which is about the best recording he'd done before Tin Machine; actually I feel that this recording may've been a boost of morale for Bowie, as it took his work back into a harder edge. Even though two bonus tracks are nice I would've liked to have gotten more, like the '79 session outtake of Panic In Detroit and whatever gems may lie in Bowie's vault, but I'm still very grateful.



I love this album and consider it one of the few albums that I cannot live my life without. Everytime I hear it it sounds fresh, with something new to take in every time. I only wish that Bowie had maintained his desire to create something new, then maybe his 80's catalogue wouldn't have been so bad."

Disjointed, but hip

Pieter | 04/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bowie's "DJ" is the stunner on this one. Bowie, as you may recall, was one of the first artists to perform on video, pre-MTV days. Bowie is portrayed as a DJ thrashing about, tearing up his studio. "I've got believers, believing me," rings throughout. "Fantastic Voyage" could be heard playing in Hollywood theaters before movie showings back in 1979. "I Pray Ole" is not on the original album. "Boys Keep Swinging" was popular in L.A., and a remake by Susanna Hoffs was recently produced for a tribute album to Bowie. "Look Back in Anger" is passionate and evokes images of angels and "If God was one of us" video imagery. The incredibly fast-paced "African Night Flight" is a bit unidentifiable for most of us earthlings, but Bowie must have travelled for this one. "Repetition" is a sad account of an abused wife. "Red Sails" has a cool surf-time beat interspersed with Bowiespeak: "fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-far away," and a broken up, "one-two" and then "three-four." Bowie's voice is broken up, and yet, it flows with the melody. Sounded very experimental for circa 1979, and today. Red Sails gives images of a boy sailing and blue skies and we're not sure what happens after that."

Experimental

Pieter | Johannesburg | 08/15/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is my least favorite of Bowie's trilogy of albums produced by Brian Eno. It lacks the innovation and freshness of Low, and there are no truly spectacular songs like the title track from Heroes. Perhaps also I find the music somewhat clinical and devoid of emotion, but my impressions of this album is very fragmentary. While not bland, the musical textures and moods are aloof and have an unfinished feel about them. To me, Boys Keep Swinging and Fantastic Voyage are the only memorable songs and 'Boys' had a fantastic video clip. The song DJ comments on the disco era in a set of vivid images and the various experiments in rhythm are noteworthy. Three stars for its obvious intelligence but my personal enjoyment of it is limited."