Customer Reviews

Reality

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this item expecting the videos for singles off of David Bowie's REALITY CD. Well... you get videos, but not the ones made for VH-1 or MTV airplay. They are mostly just artsy shots of trees or NYC, and sometimes Bowie in a studio in one outfit singing along. The "REALITY FILM" is interesting, but it offers only small insight into the album and is mainly a performance art piece with Bowie interviewing himself on art and whether he prefers ketchup or mustard. It does however feature A GREAT 5.1 sound mix that you can pop into a DVD player and hear 5 channels of one of Bowie's best releases in recent years. For that it is awesome, just don't expect much more. You do get lyrics on-screen as well which helps if you want to learn every word to the songs. Great album by the way! Be warned though - this dual disc may not play in ALL CD players. It is rare that it is incompatible, but people with older players might be wary of it.

This is a good album. Not as good as Heathen from a couple of years ago, but very good nonetheless. I got someone to bring it back from the USA, as Dualdisc hasn't yet been officially released in the UK. Yes, as other reviewers have said, it's a good surround mix, and at least I can play it in my car and rip it to my iPod, unlike normal DVD-A. But what a missed opportunity to only have the surround side in Dolby Digital. There's plenty of capacity on a DVD to incorporate both a proper 96 KHZ 24 bit 5.1 DVD-A version of the surround mix, as well as a standard DD version. And good as it is, the surround mix doesn't sound as natural, vibrant or crystal clear as a good high-res audio version would have. I hope future Dualdisc releases incorporate proper DVD-Audio surround mixes.

I find it quite startling how no one has yet critiqued this album. Is David Bowie no longer a galactically popular rock star who gets 8,000 hits on every site with his name on it? Apparently not. So, on to Reality:

Because David Bowie is an alien life form he is capable of composing songs which are not based on the traditional 7 note scales, but rather use a precisely inter-related sequence of notes that exactly correspond to various aspects of the subconscious human train of thought. These aspects are most easily recognized as the visual and emotional sensations which these songs evoke. Truly, this album is the most beautiful piece of artwork that I have ever witnessed. Except maybe Beksinski. Beksinski is craaazy.

If you want to preview a song before getting the album, I recommend Bring Me the Disco King, Looking for Water, and New Killer Star.


FYI, I'm actually 22, not 13. I just didn't want to bother getting an amazon account.

-Luke Langsjoen
raen@rice.edu

The reason to re-purchase this disc is the sound on the DVD 5.1 channel side. It is sublime, superb, superior to the already high standards Bowie established with the original release. There are format wars brewing with HDDVD and Blue-ray formats arriving at the end of 2005, but likely they will be a pricey notch up as the studios re-tread their releases. For the moment, and for my money, the sound on this disc is superior to the sound on the SACD release. There is both depth and warmth to the disc, and the separation is terrific. There is, as well, a film. Very arty stuff, but that goes with Bowie. All in all, I would hope that there will be more, especially from artists who actually care what their discs sound like. I'd love to hear a DVD Audio or a dual-disc DVD sound of The Band's THE BAND, or Van Morrison's AVALON SUNSET, or near anything from Gabriel, Knopfler and the Blue Nile, so hopefully there is impetus on the horizon before we all have to re-buy our favourites in what will be the next format war. Get this one, though, as you'll love every second of music here in.

Reality being Bowie's 2003 release was very well received both by critics and fans alike. On this release we songs that deal we Bowie reflecting on the fact that he is now an old person in songs like "The loneliest guy", "Days" and "Never get old". The booklet is a strange little story we the cover being a anime picture of Bowie. The font is atrocious and makes it very hard to read the information. We get a nice list of whom and what they played on the album. The lyrics are very difficult to read. 4/5.

Bowie knows how to market himself. "Reality" is arguably his best album in over a decade. First he puts out "Reality" the CD, then the `Bonus Disc' "Reality" with three really great new songs, ("Fly", "Queen Of All The Tarts" and a new version of "Rebel Rebel"), "Reality SACD", "Reality" HYBRID, an inexpensive "Reality Tour" DVD, several singles and now, "Reality" DUALDISC! Being the fan and sucker that I am, I own them all except the SACD. The latest invention, DUALDISC, I predict will be the next replacement for SACD. 5.1 Surround Sound systems are cheaper than SACD systems and the sound is excellent. This DUALDISC is no exception. The sound has been dutifully remastered into 5.1 and the extras may not be something you watch more than a few times, but they are fun.

The film "Reality" is entertaining enough, but not spectacular. It is nice to see the videos for "Never Get Old", "The Loneliest Guy", "Bring Me The Disco King" and "New Killer Star". The Photo Gallery, Lyrics, Biography and Discography are more than most artists will ever offer. It is a steal, but then again, I'll buy just about anything by Bowie.

Of the 11 songs on the cd side, only 7 are really any good. But, boy are they good!

"New Killer Star" took some listens for me to like it. It is much like rowing a boat until you get to a certain speed; then you stop rowing and enjoy the coast. In this song, Bowie keeps turning the boat around, so he has to start rowing again. The most intense moment in this song is on the "Go" (of the much maligned "Ready, set, go"), which reminds me of some of the tortured, transcendent vocals on "Heroes." This eery, unhinged altissimo also appears in the synthesizers on the third song on the second side of "Low." (Can't recall the name of it.)

"Looking for Water" smacked of Bowie-on-auto-pilot, culled from this thing he has (had) for Andy Warhol. I kept picturing pink Marilyn Monroes in the guy's living room and questioning his true rock star status. Or a puckering chartreuse Mick Jagger, assuming Warhol ever got around to paying some groupie hack ten bucks to spray paint one for him. (Yeah, I know, silk screen one ..AHHH). I was on the verge of writing Bowie off: for good! On the 45th listen, though, I suddenly realized that "Looking for Water" is a really good song, as it conveys the morose view of "Slow Burn," but does so with a smart, up-tempo beat, unlike the slobbering hyperbole of "Slow Burn." (I really hate that song.)

"She'll Drive the Big Car" has a seductive swaying to it. The slight chord modulation is effective and, in the blues tradition, it's a good way to check out of reality for a bit.

"Days" is good but it peters off into Bowie-narcissitic-froth and is a bit dishonest. It's still all about him: he merely "owes" somebody something. There is no mention of him actually delivering anything in all the days of HIS life. He's a bit of a quack, but we know that.

"Fall Dog Bombs the Moon" is a pretty, sick little song - a sort of "Heroes" for seniors. It provides social commentary regarding the end of the end of the end of the end of art (and everything else) and has the feel of redundancy. Burl Ives, where are you when we need you? Like the now dead cat or dog you so loved - even worse, as you can get another cat or dog. To quote Jim Morrison, "This is it; this is the end." Now Bowie's really screwed: even if he could continue innovating, it wouldn't do any good - the masses, Nietsche's goons remember? - are all seriously addicted to money and iPhones. Like those burrowing animals without eyes, they don't want good songs; they want garbage and there is tons of it out there. So what's a phantasmagorical, genius chameleon to do?

Give 'em a couple more head-turners and then get out of the way. Bravo!

"Reality" is still pissed and recalls "Never Let Me Down." (He should watch it; he's going to hurt himself.) But, again, the social commentary is tasty and he effectively invokes the best New Wave intensity, a Dionysian, self-flagellating tour-de-force.

"Bring Me the Disco King" is the kicker though. Like an early 70's jazz composition, it lingers on Judy Garland's tired eyes. If any song captures the valor of defeat, it is this one. The rage and self-righteousness have marinated in a bowl of tears. They are now imbued with the heightened tenderness and tentativeness of final sensations. In this song, "no future" takes on a new, appealing meaning. It is the then-now of the beats, with reflections replacing happenings.

Since this song invokes the beat generation, I want to try to recreate its mood by writing like William Burroughs. However, I don't mean to suggest anything at all about the actual habits of David Bowie or the other musicians.

The dope has kicked in but the DK is still out to lunch. What else is new? You can't escape. Do you really want to? It'll happen anyway. Toot your horn; shuffle your feet; dream.

A hipster's (Mike Garson's) piano mocks fate's searchlight with agile modulations. (Or maybe he's just hitting the wrong notes, I can't tell.) The sax player nods. Like a fish out of water, he just keeps breathing. His eyes are too big. Stickman sticks his sticks in the river Styx, and this post-modern Der Bingle character croons about his coming departure. Like a high roller with big medical bills, he's got a lot on his mind. Hey, Danny Boy, don't let the door hitcha in the ......ah, what's the use?... "Life wasn't worth the balance, Nor the crumpled paper it was written on." Bowie's having a bad hair day I guess. Yea, I suppose if you had to escape and could escape somewhere "in these blackest of years, that have no sound...no underground," ("Fall Dog") you might drift back to circa 1973. The jazz is stark and luxurious and always sounds live. Everybody wants to kill each other. Whether it's Gato Barbieri's fiery "El Gato" or Keith Jarrett's "Belonging," the stakes are high (life and death no doubt?), as they are with all of Bowie's quality work. The musicianship is impeccable, otherworldly, marvelously alone. There's only one version of the song -- take it or leave it Jack. No remixes for Christ sake. Anything important has already been "mastered!" I'm being tuff, I know. (The Wheez coughs up a hairball, insists it's an all-Mendelssohn venue, and downs another goof ball. I keep telling the potato head it's the other guy.)

The Disco King is the junk when the junk runs out. No big deal...it's o.k., just bring him to me..."dead or alive." The third millenium bleeds on. There's "always a moron to hate" ("Fall Dog").

..... So, Danny Boy, where's my king at.

Garson's piano has as much regard for the future as does the Cleat and his spreading hot shot. The climax comes, as it usually does, when there's "nothing left to release," as the Cleat arcs back to the sweet spot moratorium on enlightenment he never shoulda violated and the croaker flops back like smooth stone into a warm pool of the good stuff. Conventional Minds: 95, Everybody Else: 0. (And, yes, folks, we have the ball again.)

Garson's little piano bit at the end reminds me of landing in one a them 737's. There's a coupla quantum maneuvers and then, oh boy, what were abstract patterns 5 minutes ago are now trees, buildings and cars, moving by at a pretty good clip too. The angst, anticipation and suspension are all there - the runway or some guy's living room? The ultimate feel-good. And this Garson cat squeezes some downright nastiness out of that wacky little harp of his, so as to help us to compose ourselves I guess, so as to prepare us for reality I guess. Who the hell knows? And before you can say pseudo-orientalist, THE BLOODY SONG IS OVER.

I think the strangest living curiosity is on to something here and I want more. This one would make a darn good swan song, however.

I was a casual fan before, liked his hits and loved Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust but never got into more of his albums. Back to Reality. I Like the music and lyrics even though the meaning often eludes me. It's produced well with good performances and harmonies by the band (mostly the same people that are touring with Dave on his Reality tour). Great sound textures. Get the album.