Customer Reviews

Reality

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

2002's "Heathen" was the beacon on the mountain for Bowie fans who hoped the eloquent and moving minimalism of 1999's "Hours" was not just an aberration on the way to another noisily ambitious effort such as "Outside." Yet even for all "Heathen" did to suggest that Bowie had finally swept his Tin Machine under the rug for good, disonant techno freak-outs like "Took A Trip on a Gemini Spaceship" anticipated the tight rope Bowie walks on "Reality," a record so ambitious in production and sound as to be constantly on the verge of explosion. While "Hours" played like a dressed-up stepchild of "Hunky Dory," "Reality" picks up where "Scary Monsters" left off. As on that 80s masterpiece, each song on Reality approaches but never crosses the boundary between melody and mania. The result is a gorgeously successful restraint and maturity; the kind of reservation of his powers that moments of even his most lauded works have lacked. No song on "Reality" illustrates this more aptly than the stunning and ethereal "Days," one of the most moving productions of Bowie's career. Similarly tender and understated compositions like "Fall Dog Bombs The Moon" or the darkly seductive and jazzy "Bring Me The Disco King" balance nicely with noisier and farther-reaching explosions of melody so radiant as to light the world on fire: "New Killer Star" with its subtle nod to the doo-wop hit "I Will Follow Him," his cover of the Modern Lovers' under-ground punk hit "Pablo Picasso," the bright "Looking For Water." By the time the title track finally comes around, Bowie's vocals sound appropriately drained and the sound itself seems closest to driving off the deep end of the album's steel composure. But such meticulous production might have seemed inhuman without at least this one less-structured and overblown track. There simply had to be a pressure valve and the title tracks happens to be it; but there is hardly a song on here whose melodies are not infectious. When songs like these get stuck in your head, you hope they never leave.

REALITY is a great art album. Bowie is a painter using sounds and textures, and he removes himself from genres. Yes this CD ranges from techno, industrial and jazz - often in one song. It's a complete statement, and a wholly satisfying journey. Tony Visconti helps produce one of Bowie's best releases in this or any decade. The whole affair begins strongly with NEW KILLER STAR - a rocking song with a hook. Bowie covers "PABLO PICASSO" by Johnathan Ritchman which some may remember off the REPO MAN soundtrack. It wanders in the same vein and winds up with an astro lounge ballad called BRING ME THE DISCO KING. Is it a dig at 70s pop, or a paranoid vision of today? Probably both. This one seems less about his age, and more about the state of the world - an assault on consumerism (both his own and yours) can be found on TRY SOME, BUY SOME or SHE'LL DRIVE THE BIG CAR. NEVER GET OLD is more a statement that we will never have enough than railing against age. The lyrics are pure poetry, and the music and singing is pure Bowie. He's found new life lately, and he still intrigues and challenges his listeners after well over 3 decades. It's a glittering gem of an album. A well expressed work in a world that often gives us singles and sound bytes. Bowie refuses to toss out just one or two hits. This is solid from start to finish. And his best since his last album! :-)

Bowie has always been accused of possessing a chameleon like persona, but the 'reality' is that he simply has the courage to explore every aspect of music that he takes a fancy to. "Reality" is no exception. Just a shade further towards inventiveness than "Heathen", Bowie pulls together a full album set that possesses his entire creativeness with no filler.

Featuring Tony Visconti as an effectual producer of famed renown, the songs surpass what most expect of Bowie. "New Killer Star" piles on the guitars with a goofy synthesized background loop and "Never Get Old" succeeds with an upbeat rhythm destined to be a dance hit and a radio favorite. The range of song moods is large, with "The Loneliest Guy" harkening back to the Fripp-Eno age with space guitars and synthesized over samplings, while "Days" is reminiscent of the "Hunky Dory" period with it's happy, pop ditty silliness. The biggest surprise is "Bring Me The Disco King", a slow piano lounge lizard song with multiple Bowie over-dubs.

Two big numbers here are "Fall Dog Bombs The Moon" and the title track, "Reality" which have the same driving chords and strong beat Bowie used so effectively in his "Let's Dance" era. But make no mistake. Despite the similarities to previous work, Bowie has brought out some wonderfully new music - music that has matured smartly.

This album is fantastic. It marks another long leap forward since the collossal WTF of "Outside". "Earthling" proved Bowie could pull off electronica (albeit Bowie style). "Hours..." displayed a gradual shift back to traditional Bowie (it sounds like Bowie asking fans if they want more Beatmeister or Rock God); organic guitars and vocals set over drum loops that, while they got to feeling artificial, were certainly quality songwriting. "Heathen" dove right into the real "band" feel, and "Reality" is the continuation of that movement, all organic instrumentation and inspired songwriting. The real standout is the funked up jazz dream "Bring Me the Disco King", a seven minute masterpiece that gives us a piano, a snare, and Bowie, crooning in that weird Bowie way about everything and nothing all at once, so eloquently, so beautifully.

Like a fine wine, Bowie just seems to get better with age. "Reality" is just the latest in an excellent string of albums that started with the gothic "Outside", and hopefully he's not done yet. More uplifting than "Heathen", and with more of a 'classic rock' feel to it, "Reality" shows David still in top form after over forty years of recording.

The album gets off to a great start with the upbeat rocker "New Killer Star", the quirky yet catchy guitar riffs of "Pablo Picasso", and the awesome (and not to mention appropriate) "Never Get Old". Not to be forgotten are Bowie's vocals, which still sound solid and carry softer songs like "The Loneliest Guy", and the mellow "Days". Other strong tracks include "Looking for Water", the driving theme song, and the epic finale "Bring Me The Disco King", any one of which could have been quite at home on a Berlin era album.

Every new album from David Bowie is a treat, and "Reality" is no exception. It's all still there, from witty lyrics to great guitar playing with a dash of experimentalism thrown in the mix, Bowie is still at the forefront of his art. Even if this album is overlooked and unappreciated by the masses, "Reality" reaffirms just why Bowie has such a large and loyal following. If you get it, you just get it. This one's not to be missed.

REALITY makes you realize how good last seasons' HEATHEN really was. For my money, he got back on track with OUTSIDE, but all his albums since Scary Monsters have suffered from the same malady. Namely, they're too layered. One of the things that made HEATHEN so succussful was it's innate simplicity. The hooks weren't so buried. Suffice it to say, I consider myself a big fan.

That said, REALITY is fairly hit or miss. But Bowie's the kind of talent that slow burns, even to most seasoned listener. So the tracks that don't grab you at first, will eventually seep into your consciousness.

The real stunner that reeled me in is, "The Loneliest Guy". It's Bowie at his most vulnerable. A simple, moody little tune, featuring some stellar piano from Mike Garson of "Aladdin Sane" fame. An absolutely beautiful track. The kind of thing that stops all petty worries & demands a double take.

As for the rest,"Fall Dog Bombs The Moon" is pretty damn catchy as is the opener, "New Killer Star". "Days" brings the best of 1999's ...hours to mind. Once again it's simple & direct. All of which sums up the album. There's no real theme here & no gimmicks. His passion is evident on the title cut & "Never Get Old" is a candid rant on the denial of aging in a world of youth oriented media.

However, unlike his cover of "Cactus" off of HEATHEN, I found his rendition of "Pablo Picasso" to be completely overwrought. Why mess with a perfect thing? Along this vein, Bowie's stab at "Try Some, Buy Some" serves only to remind what a truly gifted songwriter George Harrison was. Perhaps that was the point. But I would have prefered some originals instead. Anyway, they're both worth a second listen. Like alot of this album.

One reviewer described, "Bring Me The Disco King" as "astro lounge" & that pretty much sums up the song. It's pure Bowie. Once again, stark arragements & Mike Garson come to the rescue.

So there's a few misfires, but this is still a fairly engaging album. Give it the time of day. It certainly keeps up the ante but doesn't quite surpass last year's HEATHEN.

Okay, the first three songs of this CD just jump right out and grap your attention. Super grooves. Remind you of everything you love about DB. Then, things don't get BAD, they just get moody.

Okay, lets review the songs:

1. New Killer Star. This song is just great. A really good song that I feel will make the next greatest hits cd that DB puts out. I love it, very catchy, and you really feel that DB is saying something important although you might be hard pressed to explain exactly what it is that is so important... but that is what makes DB so interesting. 5/5

2. Pablo Picasso. A cover song... but DB makes it his own. It is, again, ear candy to listen to. I really enjoyed this song blasting out of my infinity speakers in my Jeep Liberty. Woo hoo. 5/5

3. Never Get Old. After hearing this song, I thought... WOW, DB HAS THREE SONGS IN A ROW THAT ARE SUPER. this song is fun and every fan of DB will love it. 5/5

4. The Lonliest Guy. This song is a bit odd, but not bad. The mood swings from aggressive to ... something else. Good song, but sort of a letdown after those three great songs to kick it off. 3/5

5. Looking for Water. this song picks it back up, and I really like this song a lot. you can get up and tap your feet to it. 4/5

6. She'll Drive the Car... a great great song, and I like the odd sounding harmonica beginning it all out.... But again, the song sort of puts you in a strange mood listening to it. The chorus is sorta spooky, but it really carries the song. 5/5

7. Days. Skiffle beginning. bouncy and acoustic'ish. I really like the power introspective'ish message to what could be an early skiffle Beatle sounding background music. Very powerful. 5/5

8. Fall Dog Bombs The Moon. WTF? A great song, but I have no idea what is going on. A driving intro, with good bass lines. Seems to be a lot of anger in this placid song about .. something.. the music is good, but not powerful. But hey, this CD so far has been pretty darn good, and this song is not bad, but just doesn't grab you. 3/5

9. Try Some, Buy Some. A good GOOD G. Harrison song that DB does complete justice to. I enjoy it, so it gets 4/4

10. Reality. Nine Inch Nails meets DB on this song. Sounds like a song that could very well be off of the EARTHLING or HOURS releases by DB. I like it. 4/5

11. Bring Me The Disco King. Okay, this song is the king of the moody pieces. Very odd, and strange, and not at all like anything DB has done so far.. matter of fact I am not going to rate this song yet, due to the fact that I am not sure if I like it or not, therefore it might be too soon to give it a grade... but trust me, the music is not bad, it is just different and interesting...

All in all this CD is a good 5/5 due to so many good songs on it. If you can find any music out there that has 5 songs that are top shelf on one release, I suggest you get it.. therefore, if you like good music, a great singer and a deserving product.. buy this cd. There are some songs on this release that are not great, but it isn't due to bad songwriting, it is due to DB doing something that he normally would not, and that is not bad in itself.

In the past few years, it has become a cliché to classify a new Bowie album as his best since the epic Scary Monsters (1980). Fortunately, this time we cannot avoid such a cliché. Reality sounds even better than Heathen, 1. Outside and Buddha of Suburbia (other remarkable albums of the artist's 90's & 00's production).
Since the groundbreaking album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972), Bowie has presented himself as a post-modern artist, someone who sees life as something chaotic without any sort of absolutes (truth, style, behavior, etc.). Influenced by the beatnik generation (notably William Burroughs), his ambiguous and not direct songwriting has been reflecting such attitude towards the changing world of ours.
Reality works like a summary of Bowie's ouvre. It is fragmented, polyphonic, hybrid, schizophrenic, plural in stylistic and artistic terms. The vocals, musical textures and songwriting vary from track to track. For instance, just before the after hours jazzy piece "Bring me the Disco King", we have the punky and breathtaking title track "Reality", that features the revealing lines " I still don't get the 'wherefores' and the 'whys'/I look for sense and I get next to nothing/Hey, boy, welcome to reality/Ha, ha, ha, ha".
Together with the skilful producer Tony Visconti and a fantastic band, Bowie has created a 49 minutes rock record that works all the way through (including the two covers - the highly imaginative and multi-layered recreation of Modern Lover's "Pablo Picasso" and heartfelt rendition of George Harrison's gem "Try Some, Buy Some".
All in all, there are no filler songs and no lame moments in Bowie's essential Reality.

It may not be as thematically whole as such classics as "Ziggy Stardust" or "Heroes," but it has an urgent eclecticism that reminds this listener of "Alladin Sane." Still, this album sounds distinctly modern, never nostalgic, although there is a certain melancholic and elegiac tone to some of these songs. Highlights include great pop/rock songs like "Never Get Old," "New Killer Star,""Days"; an outrageous and funny reworking of Jonathan Richman's "Pablo Picasso" and "The Loneliest Guy" which sound like a dark torch song crossed with haiku poetry. The album's audacious masterpiece is the closing epic jazz-tinged ballad "Bring Me The Disco King " -- as compelling and oblique a song as Bowie has ever written. It's beautifully sung, and mesmerizing. A stunning end to a distinct and compelling collection of songs by an artist who, after this and last year's "Heathen," is demonstrating that he has a lot more to say and explore than most artists of any era.

The Bowie detractors will be having a bad year. From the opening number New Killer Star to the haunting, timeless, Jazz Club in the Pressure Dome feel of Bring Me The Disco King, David once again stamps his authority on the floundering music industry.

While ever the Duke can still produce stunning albums like Reality and Heathen, the Bowie bashers will continue to look like the losers that they are.

This is a remarkable album and yet more evidence of the Man's inventive and unique songwriting skills. Years ago, during the Punk/New Wave era, the British Music press carried a David Bowie ad for albums like Low and Heroes, entitled 'There's New Wave, there's Old Wave, and there's Bowie'. Hype? I don't think so. He really is that good. A truly unique talent, who follows nobody.

David's seemingly endless ability to re-invent himself, whether it be in an Industrial, Retro or Dance context, is the key to his success. Just when you think you've figured out his next move, he throws in a creative curve ball.

An outstanding album and one that I have yet to stop playing. For my money, Reality and Heathen are two of the best albums since the many classics of his earlier years, up to the superb Let's Dance.

It just doesn't get any better.