Bowie has always been more of a popularizer than an innovator; and usually
pointing toward the past or into the future, and often both.
Yes, during the 80's he lapsed into self-derivative mediocrity, but I
think you have to give the guy a lot of credit for not being complacent
nowadays and not wanting to stand still.
Not many artists, to this point, have blended jungle rhythms with rock or
pop songs. In Bowie's case (_Earthling_) I think the result is a blend,
not a collision.
He's made a career of jumping on the latest fashion train, not riding it
too long before moving on to the next thing that catches his ear. _Young
Americans_ popularized the new disco sound for a rock audience, well
before Disco Fever struck. I hear that Ziggy fans were PISSED.
I don't want to give a chronology of Bowie's whole career. Certainly many
people would be far more qualified than I. The point is, I hear
_Earthling_ as a very "1997" record for him to have made. Whether you
were expecting something different, or you don't like Bowie at all, I'm
quite sure he caused similar quarrels and objections 20 years ago and
earlier.
--Mark
__ <
http://www.xnet.com/~mkolmar/BurningRome> ==> MPEG audio clips <==
m u s i c : w e b : s o u n d d e s i g n : h t m l : c g i : e t c
"We invented machines in order to reduce our work. Now that we have
them, we think we should go on working." (John Cage)
On Tue, 18 Feb 1997, Chris Fahey wrote:
quoted 5 lines So, anyway, what's with this new Bowie album Earthling? I haven't heard
> So, anyway, what's with this new Bowie album Earthling? I haven't heard
> it, but occasionally people mention it on this list as if it were
> relevant to idm. Has he reinvented himself as "?-Ziq-y Stardust" or
> what?
>