Customer Reviews

Heathen

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

While I have been impressed and inspired by Bowie for years, I have to admit that I can't truly consider myself a *huge* fan because I only have several of his albums - most being from the last ten years (_Outside_, _Earthling_, _Reality_, etc.). His work from the 60s, 70s, and 80s I know primarily from a best-of collection, radio, and MTV/VH1. That said, _Heathen_ blew me away when I first heard it.

I can't think of another artist that has been around as long as Bowie that keeps writing and recording new material that sounds fresh, energetic, and urgent. _Heathen_ contains some chilling songs - songs that are so emotional and hit you in such a place inside that you have to listen to them over and over again. When he sings: "There's fear overhead, there's fear overground..." and "But who are we/So small in times such as these," one cannot help but think that these lyrics relate to 9/11. However, Bowie has stated that the material for _Heathen_ was written before 9/11 - which actually makes the lyrics throughout the album even more bonechilling. On "Better Future" he sings: "Please don't tear this world asunder/Please take back this fear we're under/I demand a better future." There are beautiful lyrics like these throughout _Heathen_, as well as very good covers of "Cactus" and Neil Young's "I've Been Waiting For You." My favorite song on the album is "Everyone Says 'Hi'" - just about as perfect as a little pop song can get. With a simple arrangement, the song is a beautiful sentiment with the line that we should all make it a point to remember: "Don't stay in a sad place where they don't care how you are."

Listening to this album made me really wonder if any other artist in their 40s and 50s has remained as artistically satisfying as Bowie continues to prove he is. Bowie has not softened with age and each song has the feeling that he is out to prove something. Many artists lose this feeling as they get older and begin to coast on proven formulas (Sting immediately comes to mind). Pick this album up!

"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 all 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 edition with the bonus CD is 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.

David Bowie fans may or may not rejoice with David Bowie's new release, "Heathen". Taken as a whole, it would seem Bowie's most consisten work in years. Three cover songs, "Cactus", "I've Been Waiting For You" and "I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship" and nine originals that all sound fresh and vibrant. Gone are the noodlings from 1999's "Hours...", 1997's "Earthling", 1995's "Outside" and 1993's "Black Tie White Noise". Of the nine originals, stand out tracks include "Sunday", "Slow Burn", "5:15 The Angels Have Gone", ,"Everyone Says 'Hi'", "A Better Future" and "Heathen (The Rays)". Consistent, with good hooks would best capitulate "Heathen". Those who had written Bowie off as having little more to offer, with his most creative days behind him, can now take notice. If it takes Tony Visconti to bring Bowie back into focus, here's to more collaborations!

David Bowie has long been a powder keg of musical ideas. Perhaps it's just because of his age then, that critics and fans alike have been so eager to rail against recent work like Outside and Earthling. Those two albums today seem like perfect 1990's analogues to seminal works Diamond Dogs and Young Americans, in that order. Alas, Bowie may have fallen behind the innovation curve a bit lately, but not much. Heathen is undoubtedly the most assured album the man has delivered since 1980's Scary Monsters, and the quality of his songwriting hasn't been this consistently satisfying at least since '77's Heroes. Bowie is at his best when he's elegant, theatrical, and apocalyptic. Heathen mixes each of these ingredients in equal measure. The stuttering electronics that accompany Bowie's croon in Sunday are perfectly executed; interesting without alienating. The Hunky Dory-like dancehall vibe of Slip Away may seem like a throwback, but his lyrical approach is far more mature than it was three decades ago (Kudos to anyone who can decipher the Uncle Floyd Show reference). The first single Slow Burn is worthy of highest praise; subtly subverting pop song structure without drawing attention from the propulsive bassline. There's nary a misstep on the album (although the Neil Young cover admittedly feels a just a bit out of place). There's rarely been more for a listener to absorb on a Bowie record, and despite the undeniable themes of loss and despair that permeate the songs, it's impossible to deny that Bowie and producer Visconti are relishing their craft. Is it coincidence that the song that deals most directly with a loved one's death, Everyone Says Hi, is also one of the most uplifting and infectious melodies Bowie has EVER penned? Heathen is the first piece of work Bowie (and Visconti) has made in 22 years that can be called anything but simply an admirable experiment or even a total flop. It's true, the Duke is indeed back, and he's finally inviting the rest of us in. Lord only knows what kind of masterpiece we'd have on our hands if Brian Eno had thrown in two cents.

it seems with every new release, some one's bound to say, "he's back"! OUTSIDE & EARTHLING each had things to commend them but overall don't live up to his classic years. Both were certainly better than the lackluster "hours..." But now I can say it. He's back. HEATHEN is his best album in 22 years.


"Sunday" starts things off with Bowie doing his very best Scott Walker on a gloomy day. "Slip Away" keeps the mood going, with our man in Pink Floyd mode, a fact he seems to acknowlege with the line, "Twinkle, twinkle Uncle Floyd".

Pete Townshend out does himself on "Slow Burn" which for my money is the best cut on the album. Die hard fans will recall his last outing with Bowie off of 1980's SCARY MONSTERS. But "Slow Burn" is far more deserving of classic status than "Because You're Young". Lyrically, musically, vocally everything is on fire.

As for the 3 covers on here, originals would be more welcome but I think he does a great job with each of them. Pixies purists might roll their eyes at Bowie tackling "Cactus" but even after the first listen, I was won over. Where Black Francis sounded possessed, Bowie sounds obssessed.

I have to confess I cringed at the idea of a Neil Young cover, but "I've Been Waiting For You" is as sweepingly melodramatic as anything off of STATION TO STATION. It's all search lights and helicopters, with Dave Grohl's guitar driving it all home.

The most obscure cover is "Gemini Spaceship" and though I've never heard The Legendary Stardust Cowboy's original, it's as much Bowie's own as the moniker he swiped. The lyrics sound like an outtake from ZIGGY STARDUST but musically, it's a compendium of everything he's dabbled in since OUTSIDE.

As for the rest of the album, "Afraid" features some pretty hypnotic guitars and it's nice to know that unlike the late John Lennon, Bowie still "Believes in Beatles". "I Would Be Your Slave" , "5:15..." and "Better Future" are less likely to grab you at first, but at the risk of making a pun, I'd say they're "slow burners", revealing themselves after repeated listens.

Along with "Slow Burn", the other major standout here is "Everybody Says 'Hi'", easily one of the catchiest numbers Bowie's written since, "Modern Love". A nice break from what is essentially a fairly brooding album.

Bowie has since released REALITY, which with the exception of "Lonliest Guy" & "Disco King" doesn't equal or top the likes of this. For new fans, peeking round the corner beyond SCARY MONSTERS, this is the one to get.

From the first chords of "Sunday," the lead song on David Bowie's latest CD, "Heathen," I was reminded how I felt in 1977 listening to the revolutionary "Low" album for the very first time. Let's be clear here: this is an album that gets BETTER with each and every listen, NOT staid and tiring. When he sings, "Everything has changed," you'd better believe it, boys and girls, because Bowie is dead-on--this is his BEST music in many many years. "Cactus" is truly timeless music, with some of his old "Lodger" backup vocal styles, "Slip Away" is a wonderful remembrance of an old 1970s NY radio personality, armed with rich vocals and a great bass line.

Yes, Bowie is back--and it doesn't get much better than this. My God, "Slow Burn" is another of those eerie, amazing songs written and recorded BEFORE September 11th; The cover of Neil Young's "I've Been waiting For You," is great, too--it really rocks! Song for song, this CD is addictive! "5:15, The Angels Have Gone" is hauntingly beautiful--the first time my children heard it, they were so enchanted they asked me to "Play It Again, daddy!" I complied, and now THEY are telling their 10 & 12 year old buddies about how cool Bowie's music is.

Ah, David Bowie: The Next Generation!

It's no secret that "Everyone Says 'Hi" has been a favorite of the professional reviewers, as well as "A Better Future" and the title track, but one of my absolute favorites comes on the bonus CD, "Conversation Piece," which was written, I believe in 1969 (!) and re-recorded recently. It just knocks me out.

If there is anything I didn't warm up to, it was the sophomoric old version of "Panic in Detroit" on the BONUS cd. THAT i could have done without. But seriously, if you are a Bowie admirer (not someone who only listens to "Ziggy Stardust"), you will LOVE "Heathen."

Just take my advice: Play it again...and again...and again. It will become one of your all-time favorites.

Bowie has always been my hero, yet this review, I promise, is still objective. I loved Outside, Earthling had its moments, as did Hours, but not until Heathen did David Bowie truly reach the level of quality only attainable by him; a level which he reached so many times in the seventies, and so few times after that (Outside and Buddha of Suburbia being exceptions). What an incredible album this is. Sunday is his finest vocal performance in years, his cover of Cactus blows the Pixies (who I am a fan of) away, Slip Away is just awesome, Slow Burn w/ Pete Townsend rocks like something off of Scary Monsters, Afraid is well crafted and perfectly executed, I've Been Waiting For You is a fantastic Neil Young cover, I Would Be Your Slave is one of the coolest tunes he's written in years, Gemini Spaceship is a decent track, Angels Have Gone has got a killer bass line and an overall eerie feel, Everyone Says Hi is one of my alltime favorite Bowie tracks, I Demand A Better Future is another monster, and the album ends with the fabulous and seemingly prophetic title track. This one is worth every penny. Even though "Gemini" isn't real strong, it's not as weak as say the horrible title track on Earthling. There are no truly weak moments and Gemini feels like the only filler ( a word rarely used by me in reference to Bowie). Buy it and enjoy it!

When we last heard from Bowie, he was doing well, and he still is by all means. Happily married and beginning a family, the public figure David Bowie whom we have known and loved for well over 30 years seems to have settled down from his androgynous days as Ziggy. If "...hours" didn't reflect this sense of earthly harmony--which was left at the wayside on "Earthling," as though the album was just begging to be horribly mutated by Bowie's least favorite copycat, M. Manson--you certainly won't see it on "heathen."

Since working with Brian Eno once again on the all but invisible album "1. Outside," there's been sort of a sinking feeling like that was the last really artsy Bowie album we'd see (and what a strange point of departure it would have been). Fortunately, it seems that Bowie has been busy resurrecting demons, more specifically producer Tony Visconti who is one reason why moments of "heathen" are reminiscent of "Station To Station," "Heroes," or "Low." This is not to say that Bowie relied on Visconti to return us to 1970's Berlin. After all, this is hardly the Return of The Thin White Duke.
Instead, cheesy double entendres aside, this album soars with a feeling of salvation straight from the confessional. The featured single, "Slow Burn" has Bowie aching like we haven't heard nearly since "The Man Who Sold The World." Yet there is no feeling of push and pull on the album like the aforementioned "1. Outside." Each song breaks free on its own and resonates long after, leaving you wishing it met the 1 hour mark.

The guitar movements sound incredibly inspired; ethereal vocals circle lyrical styling like miniature powdered wings beaten around candle flame. On tracks like "Slip Away" and "5:15 The Angels Have Gone," your ears will tickle until you look up, look around and wish you weren't alone. All the same, though, you'll find a sort of uncomfortable comfort from this album.
In the past, Bowie has inspired artists and entire musical genres (even reluctantly at times) alike. Any attempt to climb this high or reach as far into his bottomless bag of miracles will leave any and all other artists falling flat. After all, there are nearly no other artists today who can exhibit as much merit as Bowie. And none at all could match his magnitude. "heathen" is a testament to a promise we already knew: David Bowie is the single most important artist in modern music.

If I would have rated Heathen after the second or third time I listened to it, I probably would have given it between a 3 1/2 and a 4 star rating. But it really grew on me after a while, and now I think it is one of his best. Still don't care too much for the first track, but the rest of the songs more than make up for it! Here's my rating for each one.

1. "Sunday" ***1/2 out of ***** It's kind of slow and doesn't really go anywhere, but doesen't sound too bad. I like slow songs, but this just isn't one of my favorites. A lot of people would disagree with me though.

2. "Cactus" ***** out of ***** This is a really good cover song!!

3. "Slip Away" ****1/2 The lyrics are very cheesy. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Uncle Floyd?!" I think Bowie wrote this song about a guy who did a tv talk show for kids, that passed away, but I'm not sure. The music is excellent and makes up for the cheesy lyrics.

4. "Slow Burn" ***** This seems to be a lot of fans' favorite. I can see why!

5. "Afraid" ***** This seems to be a lot of fans' least favorite. WTF?! I love this one. It's just an up beat fun song!

6. "I've Been Waiting For You" ****1/2 Didn't use to care too much for this one, but it really grew on me. This is a Neil Young cover.

7. "I Would Be Your Slave" ***** May be my second favorite off the CD. Great music and lyrics.

8. "I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship" ***** A fast and fun song.

9. "5:15 The Angels Have Gone" ***** Another one that really grew on me. It's slow, but a lot better than "Sunday." An excellent track!

10. "Everyone Says 'Hi'" ****** My personal favorite. This one can almost bring tears to your eyes, it's that good!

11. "A Better Future" ****1/2 Lyrics are a little cheesy, but sincere. Another one that grew on me.

12. "Heathen (The Rays) ***** This one reeaaallllyy grew on me!! Tied with "I Would Be Your Slave," for second favorite. A great way to end the CD.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. Some people don't like it as well a Bowie's others, but they probably didn't listen to it enough times. If you let it grow on you, it can become a favorite and extremely addicting. Definitely recommended!!!!

This album is great, a post-modern album within the creator's vast boundary and age, with all the feel of a classic. An album's worth can be deceived by production but here it really stands out. So where do we start?

The covers, all great throwaways, Bowie does his business here. The Pixies' Cactus, Neil Young's I've Been Waiting For You, and an obscure oddity I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship. Bryan Ferry must be kicking himself - great coverer as he is.

His own highlights? The bookends Sunday and Heathen. The latter really is Sunday part 2, both moody and atmospheric - great. Slip Away - great ballad - apparently about a TV show star called Uncle Floyd. Slow Burn - great rocker with guitar by Who great Pete Townshend, it could be about 9/11. Then there's 5:15 The Angels Have Gone - a stunning ballad(?) with a truly great drum solo - the cd's worth it for this song alone. The rest is not bad at all either, one of my favourites being A Better Future - for Bowie's artistic return indeed! Get it now, I can't stop playing it in the car, neither will you.