Review by Paul Monkhouse for MPM
A true musical genius and chameleon, few people made as much as a seismic splash on the music world as David Bowie.
From psychodelia, glam, funk, pop and hard rock and beyond, the Londoner could do it all, personifying the uber cool rock star with every fibre of his being.
It was a long way from his first recordings to Ziggy Stardust and then the Thin White Duke but Bowie embraced each new challenge and change with a rare commitment and passion, his need to push boundaries alienating some but his artistic integrity never once questioned. Here was a leader, never a follower.
The re-release of his first, self-titled, album perfectly illustrates his ability to be playful and yet able to capture the sharpest of themes in a way that was headspinnigly individual. Dipping into an Edwardian music hall style, numbers like opener ‘Uncle Arthur’, ‘Rubber Band’ and ‘She’s Got Medals’ all are full of a certain whimsy, the vocals are full of that individual character that would become the most constant thing in a career that was nothing but changeable.
The glorious ‘Love You Till Tuesday’ is a slice of early pop perfection yet didn’t dent the charts at the time but has now become recognised as an nascent masterpiece and this understanding of melody was something that the public took a while to catch up on.
Interestingly, amongst so many lighthearted throwbacks to halcyon days, the lyrical content has moments of extreme darkness as the weirdly totalitarian tale ‘We Are Hungry Men’, the suspected paedophilia of an old soldier in ‘Little Bombardier’ and murder in ‘Please Mr. Gravedigger’ illustrate, the musical lightness of touch a twisted juxtaposition to the subject matter.
Beyond this, there is so much to absorb with the choice of instrumentation and fascinating arrangements, the album can be seen as a treasure trove, soaked in a wash of early promise.
Also included, is a second disc featuring different mixes and rarities, additional gems that range from the sublime to the ridiculous. With the frankly bizarre novelty of the infamous ‘The Laughing Gnome’ sandwiched between the effortlessly arch and glistening ‘The London Boys’ and ‘The Gospel According To Tony Day’, this shows Bowie at the start of his wildly inventive journey.
Closing with an early version of future Number One single ‘Space Oddity’, the album concludes on another high note, the whole a rich vision of the artist’s genesis and formative development.
Commercially unsuccessful when it first emerged, ‘David Bowie’ may not reach his later and greater heights but is still a vital addition to any collection. The legend starts here.
Visit all Official Bowie pages here: https://linktr.ee/BowieOfficial
