Search - David Bowie :: Reality

Not quite Bowie's worst album ...

Horselover_Fat | Groveport, OH USA | 04/01/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Despite the relative blandness throughout the album, there are some memorable songs, worth adding to any Bowie enthusiast's list. At times there's over-production and songs going on cruise control, but there's also that typical Bowie unpredictability that any fan (or music enthusiast in general), would appreciate.



The Bonus Disc is worth it only for "Fly", which sounds like something that was left out of the "Heathen" sessions. Fantastic track, what I would consider one of his modern "classics". I've never been a huge fan of the song "Rebel Rebel", so I'm biased as far as that goes, suffice it to say that it's the studio version of the live version, heh.



Overall an interesting album. I really liked the general style and direction he was heading, and it worked best with Pablo Picasso, The Loneliest Guy, Try Some Buy Some, New Killer Star, Days, Bring Me the Disco King, and oddly enough Fly. That's pretty good for an album these days, where more than half of the tracks are worthwhile. Not a good album to introduce yourself (or someone else) to Bowie, but a good one after you've heard his more essential albums (i.e. Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, Space Oddity, Station to Station, Heroes, etc.)."

Bloody Brilliant

Howie | United States | 03/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first reviewed this album, I said it was Bowie's best since SCARY MONSTERS.



After dozens and dozens of listens, I have to revise that: THIS is Bowie's best.



I never thought I'd say that ANY album by Bowie could top HEROES, but this is the only one that does (OK, maybe there are times when HEROES is #1, but it's definitely a see-saw act between that and REALITY).



So, if I was compelled to give my "Bowie Top Five", they would look like this:



1. REALITY

2. HEROES

3. LOW

4. HEATHEN

5. STATION TO STATION



There's so much here to comment on, but others have been far more lucid in their assessment than I could possibly be.



If you're looking for a challenging album that will keep you coming back for more (God, I sound like a Rolling Stone reviewer!), then this is it.







-"

Scary Monsters and Disco Kings

Kal Peduzzi | Somewhere Else | 02/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought Reality just because I needed as much Bowie as I could when I first got into him, but I wasn't expecting much of it. On my second listen I realized that I recognized almost every song, something that rarely happens with CDs released by artists who were big in the 70s. I think this is probably because Bowie is much further from Adult Contemporary than most of his counterparts.



One thing I've noticed about the people who gave this album a mediocre rating is that in their lists of favorite Bowie albums, Scary Monsters is nowhere to be found. To me, this is like the sequel to Scary Monsters, which also paired Bowie with producer Tony Visconti. Some will go so far as to say that Scary Monsters is Bowie's absolute best, but I actually like Reality better. I'm confident that if this CD had been released in place of Let's Dance or Tonight, it would be considered a classic.



The melodies in the songs are incredibly memorable, and the bonus songs are worth spending the extra money for. The new version of Rebel Rebel (also released on the Diamond Dogs Special Edition and the Charlie's Angels 2 soundtrack) is great, and shows that Bowie can definitely still rock. I personally think Reality is Bowie's best since Lodger (1979), edging out over Scary Monsters (1980) and the undeniably awesome Labyrinth Soundtrack (1986) by just a little. I don't understand how someone could say this album is bland, especially compared to some of the contemporary attempts of his fellow 70's artists. As much as I love Elton John and Stevie Wonder, their new material is nothing compared to Bowie's new work. If you like Scary Monsters at all, I highly recommend this album."