Author: Michael

Posted in Album Reviews

David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

Posted on by Michael
Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie (2012-10-21)

Five Years is an important theme in the early part of David Bowie’s career.  It’s the name of his first boxset that covers 1969-1973 and also the name of a 2013 documentary that covers those years.  It’s also the first track on his classic album from 1972 where he unveils his Ziggy Stardust character entitled The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.  “Five Years” is the first track with mostly just the spare drum of Mick Woodsmansey, piano stabs, and the occasional bass notes from Trevor Bolder.  The song builds into a crescendo and release as Bowie sings about those being the last five years for Earth to exist.

“Moonage Daydream” is a glam rock stomper with the opening line, “I’m an alligator/I’m a mama-papa coming for you”. The guitar of Mick Ronson goes into the stratosphere while the track gains a whole new generation of fans when included in the Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack. The cover of Ron Davies’ “It Ain’t Easy” is mostly remembered for its powerful chorus and the sped-up guitar lines of “Hang On To Yourself” points the way to punk rock that would come a few years later.

The album co-produced with Ken Scott includes three iconic Bowie songs, the first being “Ziggy Stardust”.  The famous guitar riff leads into describing the rock star that “took it all too far but boy could he play guitar” as he falls out with his other bandmates.  Not to be outdone, a second classic guitar riff appears on “Suffragette City”, a song that is still a sure fire floor filler down at the indie disco. The “hey man” lyrics likely pay tribute to Lou Reed and the guitar riff is almost eclipsed by the false ending leading to Bowie exclaim – “wham bam thank you ma’am” before the music comes storming back.

Earlier on the album, Bowie returns to the “Space Oddity” theme on on first single, “Starman”.  The earthbound lyrics expand to widescreen in the chorus where Bowie sings, “There’s a Starman, waiting in the sky/he’d like to come and meet us/but think he’d blow our minds”.  A performance of “Starman” was beamed into living rooms across the UK thanks to his appearance on Top of the Pops where many future singers were taking notes.  Regularly regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars propels Bowie into stardom and most of its tracks can still be heard on classic rock radio every day, everywhere around the world.

10/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Liz Phair – Soberish (2021)

Posted on by Michael
Soberish

In 2018, Liz Phair received her best reviews in 25 years with the re-release of her classic debut Exile in Guyville that also included the The Girly-Sound Tapes comprised of the lo-fi tracks she recorded around that time. The debut is an alt rock classic and the tapes were a fascinating look at the early songs, some of which would grow in stature on future albums.  After completing a memoir in 2019, Phair returned to work with Exile’s producer Brad Wood on a new set of songs released as Soberish.

Many songs explore the world of dating as an adult.  “Ba Ba Ba” is a standout pop track that speaks of wanting to tell a partner she feels safe with him before the music on the third verse ups the ante to make it a more thrilling ride.  “Lonely Street” sees Phair more vulnerable as she switches to a falsetto in the chorus and tells a partner that “I’ve got friends to pick up the loose ends” before leaving another relationship with her “Good Side”.

Many of the themes on Soberish are ones that Phair’s fans from the 90s could certainly relate to however they are often pedestrian in either music or lyrics.  On “In There” we’re told that her “confidence is shook, I don’t know where to look” and “Soul Sucker” doesn’t explain much more about a partner than what the title says.  “Spanish Doors” succeeds on being a pretty good radio pop track and second single “Hey Lou” talks about Lou Reed getting high and talking shit about Warhol, making it one of the more memorable tracks of the early new year. Soberish hits just enough to keep fans engaged while Liz Phair manages to get a lot off her chest.

7/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home (1965)

Posted on by Michael
Bringing It All Back Home by Bob Dylan

Bringing It All Back Home is the fifth Bob Dylan album and continues his departure away from focusing on mainly protest songs.  Another Side of Bob Dylan released in 1964 presented more personal lyrics, here Dylan explores surreal imagery along with a touch of psychedelia thrown in.  Controversially, the first side is devoted to electric songs played with a band while the second side is where longtime fans would find the mainly acoustic songs. 

Dylan gives a nod to the beat poets with a blast of bluesy rock and roll on the opener “Subterranean Homesick Blues”.  His first charting single in the US saw Dylan film a highly influential video for the track where he holds up cardboard cue cards with the lyrics written on them including the classic line, “Johnny’s in the basement, mixin’ up the medicine/I’m on the pavement, thinkin’ about the government”. “Maggie’s Farm” is a furious blast that was recorded in just one take as Dylan spits out the lyrics of working for little pay and no respect while you drive yourself insane.

The pace is slowed down on the love song “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” and the midtempo “She Belongs to Me” that speaks of a bohemian who is “an artist, she don’t look back/she can take the dark out of the nighttime and paint the daytime black”. Side one closes with the six plus minutes of “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream” that breaks down into guffaws before the surreal track talks of the discovery of America. 

Side two opens with one of Dylan’s most beloved songs in “Mr. Tambourine Man” that was later taken to #1 in the US by The Byrds. Originally intended for the previous year’s Another Side of Bob Dylan, the song regularly features on best of lists and countless Dylan compilations. The acoustic side closes with two very different tracks – the first being the seven minute “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)”. The intense song is one that demands attention as Dylan tells us that “he not busy being born is busy dying” and that “I got nothing, Ma, to live up to”.  Side two closes with “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”, another track that is widely covered by other artists. Accompanied by the bass of Bill Lee, Dylan’s voice rises and falls with the music as he speaks about a love that is over or perhaps a goodbye to his younger self.

Dylan’s world was expanding during this time period as he met The Beatles for the first time, tried LSD, and in the summer of 1965 of would famously be booed at the Newport Folk Festival. Refusing to be just one type of songwriter that some want him to stay as, Dylan keeps growing and expanding his sound and lyrical inspiration. Bringing It All Back Home is another extraordinary album just three years and five albums into his then brief recording career.

10/10