Customer Reviews

Tin Machine

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lesson one in life: Take professional music critic's reviews with a heavy dose skepticism. They are likely failed musicians or something of that like. Second lesson in life: One man's garbage is anothers treasure. This is why you must not believe what the "critics" say about Tin Machine and their small amount of released material. This is after all The Chameleon of rock we are reviewing.

Bowie has never been afraid to try new directions and to challenge his fans to follow him. Yes, some things have bombed (i.e. Tonight,Never Let Me Down) and while they may not be close to his best work (and depending on your view, even listenable), they are part of his body of work as a artist. Can you imagine if Micaelangelo, as a artist, had to endure critics opinions as he worked. They probably would have written scathing reviews of The Sistine Chapel. Anyhow, music is art and in art we all have different taste. Tin Machine is not for everyone, however if you're a loyal Bowie fan you will give it a chance. There is some GREAT stuff here and Reeves Gabrels' guitar work is inline with all the past great Bowie guitarist.

This, the first of only two albums by Tin Machine, is by far the best, with blistering guitar work and social political lyrics. If you really like this album, then consider getting TM II their follow up album. While not nearly a good as this one, after a few listens you will find there are some good tracks on it as well.

So there you have MY OPINION for what it is worth (nothing). I only have one final thing to say to the pinhead who gave the poor review and then stated that Bowie had aged embarassingly. KISS MY ARSE! you lame Bowie fan. Any true Bowie fan would never write such crap. While we acknowledge he has had great moments and not so great moments in his long career, a true fan accepts the bad with the good and possibly the fact that others may feel differently about what is good.

As the 80s closed out - it seemed that Bowie wanted to erase the slate of his musical (mis)adventures - the Glass Spiders, the Never Let Me Down, Tonight, Labryinth, etc - and return to his reinventive roots - before it was too late. And here it was with Tin Machine - almost on the mark, and worth 4 Stars for the effort. If anything, it proved that Bowie did still have the balls in him to do something potent. As the reviewer from Chicago, Illinois points out - the album is a little long, teetering on excess - but tracks like "Under the God" and "Heaven's in Here" vindicate that. Reeves Gabrels is a great guitarist, and belongs in Bowie's hall of fame of guitarists. Gabrels brings something to the party - chaotic Jimi-Hendrix and Robert Fripp tinged licks. And the accompaniment by the Sales brothers is suitably spartan. Not for every Bowie fan probably but for those who want to sneek a peek at what he was doing around this time.

Bowie kicks out the jams with heavy firepower. Reeves Gabrels easily knocks the tired Clapton out of the pantheon of "guitar gods." Gabrels ingenuity would return in "Black Suit White Noise" and "Earthling." This is one of my newer Bowie albums and the more I listen to it, the more I like it (I like Iggy Pop & MC5). Although the hard-edged rock of Bowie appeared to the critics as heavy metal posing, it can also be viewed, in hindsight, as an embryonic "Earthling." Each track will knock you on the floor with its raw power. "Tin Machine", "Crack City" and "Under the God" are furious tracks.

Raw, explosive, and well produced...Bowie's "garage band" was a welcome respite from the shallow, childish pop that the excesses of the late 80's led to. Reeves Gabriel combines his over-the-top "rock god" lead guitar with the Sales brothers (Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" band) to produce what was easily the most interesting album for Bowie in the 80's.

In the official "Amazon sanctioned review", David Cavanaugh clearly displays an ignorant and arrogant dislike for Bowie's music. That's too bad. Like many of people here understand, Bowie's music is not for the present...but for the ages.

Even by the standards of the chameleon-like David Bowie this was an unexpected move: eschewing his increasingly mainstream solo career, forming a hard-rock band to play in small clubs, and recording an album that was less about 'concept' and more about improvisation. That he did so at the end of the 1980s makes it doubly surprising: the sound Tin Machine generated was, depending on how you look at it, 10 years too late or 5-10 years too early. After all, 1989 was the year in which the biggest hits were a weepy from Phil Collins and a power ballad from The Bangles. Enough said. But Bowie always seems to be standing outside of time, when he isn't utterly defining it, so that's hardly a surprise. What is surprising is that the first album that grew out of this experiment was and still is a tremendously enjoyable one. Playful, sharp, by turns stirring and dark, these are 14 hard-rock tracks about love, fame and especially drugs. Energetic guitarist Reeves Gabrels playfully pulls out a dozen classic rock riffs and then invents a few more. The Sales brothers' rhythm section is superb. As always, Bowie's vocals are top-notch. Tim Palmer's production and mixing are a good match for the band: the sound is exceptionally crisp and clear; I like the depth, and the fact that the vocal isn't always foregrounded; Gabrels is clearly the star here, but his playing isn't allowed to overwhelm the others. The surprise hit single "Under the God" still stands up today, as does most of the album. Other standout tracks include "Prisoner of Love" and a particularly savage cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero". What I like most about this album is that it sounds like four exceptionally skilled rock musicians having fun together. They don't really care what's popular. They don't really care if we listen. They're just doing what they enjoy - and that always plays.

Just about any Bowie fan or rock critic will cite the Tin Machine excursions as the worst recordings in Bowie's diverse calatogue. To those indiviudals, I ask them to listen to Bowie's first album or "Tonight", which are by far worst. Although Tin Machine might not be in the same league as the glam rock standars on "Hunky Dory" or "Ziggy Stardust" or the experimentals musings of "Low" and "Heroes", this is an album that still deserves to be listened to occasionally. The album is not as ground-breaking, but still predates alot of the noise-rock that would come to dominate alternative radio in the 90's. I still listen to Tin Machine from time to time, and still find it enjoyable. Although not a classic, it is still woth a spin.

Tin Machine was a hard rock band fronted by David Bowie, with Reeves Gabrels and Hunt & Tony Sales. Bowie and the band wrote all songs, other than a cover version of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero". It's a decent album, although Bowie's voice is buried in the mix. I hate to sound like an old fogey, but I like Bowie's early stuff better.

Nod to stooges; Rampet, Random and downright Rough, but yet welcoming departure from attempted AOR Never Let me Down (which it did) and Tonight. Two albums that make up a decent half album if at best. Reeves Gabrels showcases Fractal approaches to the blues that chaotically expand exponentially. The Sales brothers provide of one of Bowie's best Rhythym section. It is pre-grunde bowie returning to his cut up lay down the tracks as they go - in a word pure, but not perfect. If it did not have warts it would not be geniune- too few things in music can say that

Best work from the man who sold the world. creative sonic textures, nasty social commentary. who needs the spiders when you have reeves. guitar sounds that puts bowie in the best light since adrian belew!!!

This is the tin machine cd, not a Bowie cd, they work together for do one of the greatest hard rock album off all time, this is one of my favorite.