DAVID BOWIE

40 years agot today. A new decade began for David Bowie in 1980 and a new stage also began for him, again in the United Kingdom after three years in Germany in which the so-called Berlin trilogy gave birth to three innovative and influential albums of electronic pop rock and experimental ambient ( Low, 1977; Heroes, 1977 and Lodger, 1979) that laid the foundations for techno pop and electro for many groups and artists in the following years. Without Brian Eno, musical co-creator and co-composer of many songs from the masterful triad, but still with co-producer (and friend) Tony Visconti and some of the musicians who participated in those albums, the already considered rock chameleon and one of the main musical stars of the moment in their own right wanted to make an LP more accessible than those of the Berlin stage but without giving up their avant-garde and experimental tone. The result was a spectacular, awe-inspiring and truly fascinating album that showed that David Bowie was simply the most adaptable musician out of all the pop rock world, capable of moving forward in his own way designing and creating sounds and rhythms (although, that yes, based on previous ideas that he generously borrowed from other musicians of different hairs) that in a short time will be taken over by other artists and bands even younger than him. This was what happened with Scary Monsters with a Bowie who continued with his desire to surprise musically and aesthetically creating a work inscribed within the parameters of the new musical wave but in its most advanced and innovative aspect now that a branch of music was beginning to emerge. the new wave, stylized, postmodern, cultured and draped that Bowie idolized above all things and that the Slender White Duke will soon adopt stylistically and conceptually: the new romantics. Avant-garde premium yet affordable rock that further increased the all-rounder David Bowie's prestige and made him even more a star. Number one in the British LP charts after 6 years (1974's Diamond Dogs was the last) and with singles at the top of the radio, Scary Monsters was not only a commercial success but Bowie's last masterpiece. Five-star albums are over with this album, but that doesn't matter Bowie was convinced that it was necessary to bury the cocaine addicts years of Berlin (in which the pot frequently went out of the way with statements in which he came to praise Hitler, possibly the result of his overdose with white powder) at least since his aesthetic aspect and in the album folder Bowie introduces us to his new character, a disturbing postmodern white clown who will explode in the video for the first single Ashes to Ashes. Precisely this magnificent song is the best and most emblematic of Scary Monsters, a sinister electronic pop anthem in which he recovered the mythical Commander Tom, the protagonist of his Space Oddity, where the symbolism of the commander and that song was made clear : "We know Commander Tom is a junkie." A curious demystification of pop idolatry and Bowie's own universe offered in a sumptuous package of electronic sounds served mainly by Chuck Hammer's guitar synthesizer and his unforgettable and fascinating minimalist electronic riff that really created a school in techno and synth pop. from the early eighties. A spectacular and delicious song that, in addition to reaching No. 1 on the charts, is already considered one of David Bowie's best songs, not to mention its fascinating and revolutionary video shot with a solarized image and with the participation of some of the first " disciples ”of Bowie new romantics, including Steve Strange, the future leader of Visage. The album as a whole is actually varied in terms of styles and proposals, although always with that avant-garde-experimental veneer served mainly by the synthesizers of Chuck Hammer and Andy Clarck and the sharp and unpredictable guitar of the omnipresent Robert Fripp, fundamental in songs like Fashion, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) and It's No Game. Roy Bittan, pianist of Springsteen's E Street Band and Pete Townshend of The Who, also have a good look at this album. There's electronic-experimental heavy metal like It's No Game (No. 1) with a Bowie forcing his throat to the max - No. 2, the last track on the album contains the same melody with a more pop rock new wave tempo and a more contained vocal performance. -; pieces suitable for dance floors but with an eccentric and avant-garde tone like Fashion (another hit single) and its curious guitar and chorus games; Epic and effective pop rock like Because You're Young or ravishing electro-acoustic light pop like Up the Hill Backwards with rich vocal coverage where David shares the limelight with Tony Visconti and backup singers Lynn Maitland and Chris Porter. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) hits a hard and affected note with Bowie's almost distorted voice amidst an alluring, fast-paced rhythmic morass. Even a version like Kingdom Come by Tom Verlaine, leader of the New York punk band Television, sounds like a genuine Bowie song and is also very reminiscent of the Heroes epic. As usual, David Bowie's voice sounded as versatile, varied and impressive as ever, with this album having its high points in Ashes to Ashes, the two It's no Game, Kingdom Come, Scary Monsters and Teenage Wildlife. David Bowie kept proving that he was one of the greatest, but unfortunately this album will mark a before and after: he would never make an excellent album again. Despite the fact that with Let's Dance (1983) he will sell more records than ever and will notably expand his audience, David Bowie will never be the same again, although until now he will be able to make a majority of acceptable records. After the Scary Monsters tour, Bowie saw his drug problems increased and will not release a new LP until 3 years later. But tribulations and troubles aside, Scary Monsters deserves a masterpiece consideration that critics often deny it. His influence on new romantic pop, techno pop and some later musical avant-gardes was decisive. 01. It's No Game (Part 1) - 4:16 02. Up The Hill Backwards - 3:12 03. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) - 5:10 04. Ashes To Ashes - 4:22 05. Fashion - 4:46 06. Teenage Wildlife - 6:50 07. Scream Like A Baby - 3:34 08. Kingdom Come (Tom Verlaine) - 3:41 09. Because You're Young - 4:51 10. It's No Game (Part 2) - 4:20 Bonus: 11. Space Oddity (single B-side, re-recorded version, 1979) – 4:56 12. Panic In Detroit (re-recorded version, 1979, previously unreleased) – 2:59 13. Crystal Japan (Japanese single A-side, 1979) – 3:07 14. Alabama Song (UK single A-side, recorded 1978) (Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill) – 3:50 Personnel (original release): - David Bowie - vocals, keyboards, producer - Carlos Alomar - guitars - George Murray - bass guitar - Dennis Davis - percussion + - Chuck Hammer - guitar (04,06) - Robert Fripp - guitar (01-03,05,06,08,10) - Roy Bittan - piano (02,04,06) - Andy Clark - synthesizer (04,05,07,09) - Pete Townshend - guitar (09) - Tony Visconti - acoustic guitar (02,03), backing vocals, producer - Lynn Maitland, Chris Porter - backing vocals - Michi Hirota - voice (01)