Customer Reviews

Heathen [Limited Edition w/Bonus Disc]

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What an amazing album..

Generally, you can pick out where Bowie may have received his inspiration by the different styles he's used over the years, or the different characters he's employed... but finally, for the first time, he's playing HIMSELF.

In an odd analogy, this album seems to be the culmination of the work he's put into the previous twenty-five or so, and in the end, a masterpiece has been born. The bonus disc has a great remix by Air, but the rest can be taken or left. It's not bad, but not essential. Conversation Piece was from the aborted Toy album, and the version of Panic In Detroit, using a Speak N Spell (remember those?), had been previously released on the 1992 Rykodisc pressing of Scary Monsters.

Buy this. You cannot possibly be disappointed.

The Music itself deserves 5 stars. This is yet another Bowie album that sounds completely unlike any of his others. At first I thought it was another album like hours, it has a mellow theme to it. But, after a couple of listens I realized some of these tunes are very upbeat. Luckily Bowie dropped Reeves Gabriels for this outing, his signature guitar style has severely crippled Bowies sound. But, I honestly think he did some superb albums with Reeves, most notably "Outside". Anyway, this album sounds fresh and exciting. A few rockers are "Slow Burn", "Afraid" along with the covers "Cactus" and "I've Been Waiting for You". Most of the other tracks are a little more subdued, but still very excellent. After listening to this CD straight through about 10 times, I can honestly say there isn't a bad song on this album and it keeps getting better with each listen.

As for the bonus CD, I felt it was half bad, half good. This is why I gave this review only a 4 star. "Sunday" and "A Better Future" are both remixes and are done pretty well. I enjoyed them both. "Conversation Piece" is a remake from the "Space Oddity" period, but offers nothing exciting at all and turned out to be quite dull. Also, an outtake of "Panic In Detroit" done in 1979 shows up here. Why? I have no idea. It is almost the exact same outtake that showed up on the "Scary Monsters" Ryko re-release. I will admit I was very disappointed that this even showed up on the bonus CD. But, any Bowie you can get is good so go for it only if you're a Bowie freak, if not then I recommend saving the few bucks and going for the regular CD.

Bowie's albums don't sell, sadly. But this one was at least critically acclaimed; that's quite an achievement, because a new album by a legend generally gets trashed. It's not that this is so much better than "1. Outside" or "Earthling" - both wonderful musical achievements, but this one would appeal to a wider audience. Some people couldn't get past all the baggage in Outside (the story, the spoken interludes, the changing musical styles) or the heavy techno sound of Earthling. Here Bowie does something good; he relaxes and stops trying so hard. No big concepts or self-conscious references to his past work (well, not too many). Instead, there's a delicate kind of humor in songs like "Everyone Says Hi" (a favorite of reviewers) and "A Better Future." And musically the album has a sense of fun and a light catchiness in each and every track. (Musically, it really recalls "Black Tie White Noise," the most neglected Bowie album of all.) "Hours..." wasn't a high point, but this is a really, really enjoyable piece of work. Buy it. You won't be sorry.

This is an extremely well done album, especially when considering the other pop / rock albums released as of late. The sheer 'bowiness' is back with a sophistication. He's not trying too hard or forcefully integrating 'techno' stylings to reach a larger market. Bowie has finally realized that good Bowie songs sell. Songs like 'Slow Burn' and 'I Would be Your Slave' have great vocals while bringing some of that melodic bass back that we've all enjoyed. The opening track 'Sunday' is perfect, that's where this album begins - with a clear Sunday perspective on his career, and the kind of song writing / producing relationships which inspired some of his greatest albums. Like I said, he's not trying too hard, and that's when Bowie is at his best. The 2nd disc is highly recommended for the 'Conversation Piece Remix' - if you like the original, this one will send chills up your spine. The Air remix with the Kraftwerk overtones is interesting, however, I still don't get the Moby remix (nor do I get his recent album - 'were all stars or somethin' commercial and boring, the X Gen is dying off anyway... I'm a staunch vegan and activist, but don't mind my music being in a nike ad... ) Anyway - fun album.

Surprisingly enough this is a very good album to listen to. The songs all sound wonderful and have proven to be among his best since Scary Monsters. The first disc is an enjoyable listen that reveals deeper levels the more one listens to it while the second disc contains two remixes and two older songs. The remixes are interesting to listen to but the jewel of the second disc is the rerecording of Conversation Piece. This rerecording improves upon the original song by adding a better score and having a more mature voice and sound. This album is definately worth the price for any David Bowie fan and is sure to please.

"Heathen" is an all-around amazing album. But I will say that if you only like one or two of David Bowie's albums, and aren't really a Bowie fan, then you probably won't like it, since this album is sort of quintessential Bowie. (One consequence of Bowie's huge range of musical styles is that certain albums which are different from everything else he's done--such as "Outside"-- have picked up some fans who are only fans of that album and disparage his other work.)
Most actual Bowie fans will adore this album, since it's a mixture of many of his older sounds (for example, "Slip Away" sounds almost like a sequel to "Life on Mars"), so it feels very familiar, while having a completely new sound as well. The cover songs are fantastic (one little note about the covers: I think people might appreciate the rather goofy song "Gemini Spacecraft" better if they heard the even goofier original version by Legendary Stardust Cowboy... this song is NOT meant to be taken seriously!!). However, I think Bowie's own songs are the best on the album. "I Would Be Your Slave" and "5:15 the Angels Have Gone" are stunningly beautiful-- they are two of my favorite Bowie songs ever, which is saying a lot. My other favorite songs on the album are "Afraid", "Everyone Says Hi" and "Heathen (the Rays)". "Sunday" has been the the most challenging song for me; it's slow and meanders in an almost classical-music kind of way, and bored me a little at first, but I love it now. There is no bad song on the album, and every song is completely different, so there is something for everyone (everyone who is a Bowie fan anyway), or for any mood you find yourself in.
The bonus CD is also definitely worth getting. Moby's mix of "Sunday" is even better than the original, Air does a great remix of "Better Future", there is a rocking version of "Panic in Detroit", and I've always loved "Conversation Piece" (a B-side from Space Oddity) so I was happy to hear him do the new rendition of it, which I think is really lovely.

... and, in fact, has been for some time.

Ok, I just needed something to put in the title line. Sorry.

However, David Bowie is alive and hopefully will remain alive for much longer. The only really bad thing about Heathen is that people keep calling it a "comeback" album which is about the last thing it is. Yes, I know, Bowie kinda lost his feet in the eighties, but he has definitely regained his balance in the nineties. Certainly no one can deny the gloomy brilliance of Outside or the loud, noisy statement Earthling made. (Even if Hours was a bit weak). So Heathen is not a comeback, because Bowie has been back for some time.

Heathen doesn't attempt to be very reflective on Bowies back catalogue, after all this being an artist who has always insisted on living "now", not yesterday, so don't put your expectations in that direction. It is a new Bowie record and sounds like one. Heathen's got all you ever could ask off such an artist. And just a bit more:

The mesmerizing, almost ecstatic chorus on Sunday. The absolutely, irresistable and sexy sound of Cactus. The beautiful sad tone of Slip Away. The strong, slighty "Heroes"-esque Slow Burn. The powerful Afraid (my current favourite!). The darkly, and just a bit threatening sounding Neil Young cover I've Been Waiting For You. The cheeky, techno-influenced, Ziggy-reminiscent I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship. The cool, lonesome and voice-carried 5:15 Angels Have Gone. The happy/sad melody of Everyone Says Hi. The deceptively sweet A Better Future. And, closing the circle back to the beginning, the slow, harsh Heathen itself.

There you go. Bowie is still as great, still as brilliant as he's always been. And Heathen is one of his best albums. Ever.

David Bowie has never been afraid to try new things despite of occasionally looking foolish or becoming unpopular. In this sense he transcends the normal category of pop musicians who are driven by record sales rather than their own personal visions. Given his determination to be original I certainly haven't liked everything he has done-- I am afterall a pop comsumer myself :) However, this new album is one of the best I have heard in years.
Outstanding lyrics, production, music etc-- I have been listening to it constantly since I got it-- I like it much more than Thursdays Child-- which was itself a pretty good album.
Keep on keepin on David Bowie...

I have only one thing to say... this album is a CLASSIC David Bowie album. Although he reaches back through time and reanimates the auras of earlier works, such as LOW and HEROES, the magic is new and totally contemporary. I would advise all young music fans to check out this album... David Bowies is an ARTIST, and he's still got the touch. Buy it.

I'm surprised about the reception of this album even with fans, there has been a lot of negative banter regarding this album and most of it, in my opinion, is misplaced. Heathen is most probably David Bowie's greatest work and high water mark of his career. Heathen is definitely as I have stated before, one of the best albums of the past decade.

Sure people could start going on about Heroes, Bowie's Berlin years, Ziggy, the eighties ad infinitum, but I think all that pales in comparison to this album. From start to finish Heathen not just delivers as a solid album but it continues to deliver like one of those forever present concept-albums that people often talk about being timeless, like Weezer's Blue Album, U2's Joshua Tree, The Beatle's Sgt. Pepper, Clapton's Unplugged or Moody Blue's Day's of future passed. All these albums are looked at in their sense of inhabiting the overall. Heathen is another addition and Bowie pulls it off masterfully.

I became aware of this album after watching Conan O'Brien one night and seeing Bowie perform two songs (I think Cactus and Everyone Says Hi) from this and was absolutely floored at the man and his uber-ethnic super band ... a band that would put even Supertramp, or Sting's World Band Collective to shame. About a week later, Bowie was on again and preformed two different songs and directly after, I left the house and went looking for this thing in the middle of the night like a dope fiend.

Heathen starts off darkly and almost like a mass with Sunday but then goes directly into a confession with a song that seems like a real-life problem from Bowie's everyday grind. Cactus comes across like Bowie is reading a letter, sent to his wife from a crazed fan who wants Iman's dirty dress and a sample of David Bowie's / The Great White Duke's / Thomas Newton's blood. The First Act closes with Slip Away, a story about a fading TV celebrity and his puppet which is probably one of the best tracks on the entire album and has Bowie playing a litany of strange, almost unnameable instruments.

From this point in the album, it seems to almost separate with its energetic mid-section which is more reminiscent of Bowie's work from the early nineties. Act two is: Slow Burn, Afraid, and I've been waiting for you.

Act Three is I took a trip on a Gemini Spaceship and 5:15 the Angles have gone, which also seem separate styles of Bowie's that hearken back to his early days, the Berlin years and even his days as his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust, but 5:15 seems connected to the closing portion of the album as many have stated which is Everyone says Hi, my favorite A Better Future, which sounds as if the writing is a lost track from Heroes and the grand exeunt - Heathen (The Rays).

During the release of this album David Bowie went on tour, but apparently toured strictly near his home in the five Burroughs of New York playing to sold out crowds in small pubs, bars and local nightclubs. The idea of this alone is absolutely enthralling and gives this album added depth knowing that the people who got in to see the show, heard this album live and in an intimate and very fulfilling setting. For Bowie fans this was probably the ultimate gift to them. Anyone who speaks ill of this album probably hasn't really listened to it ... or hasn't `heard' it.