Thursday, October 27, 2016
Forgotten Classics or Undiscovered Gems or Overlooked Masterpieces or Records That Got Away or something...
David Bowie's "The Buddha Of Suburbia," a 1993 collection of songs written for a British TV serial of the same name, might not have been tossed aside if it had been released as a proper album and not as a "soundtrack." As it turned out, only the title track was used in the series. The rest of the record is a terrific collection of songs, that in retrospect, sounds like a perfect combination of the Bowie-Eno material from "Low" and "Heroes"and what can be found on Bowie's return to the studio after a ten year hiatus, "The Next Day."
I don't really believe this is a masterpiece. But I do think it's an incredibly strong record, and certainly more accessible than the jumbled mess of "Outside," which followed it. The single and last track on the record, "Strangers When We Meet," is posted above in demo form, which is not much different than what appears on the album, but still feels better to me. This track also appears, in a much noisier and cluttered version on "Outside," as well. All of "The Buddha Of Suburbia" can found on YouTube if you are curious.
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7 comments:
I've liked it very much since you turned me on to it so many years ago and continues to be one of my faves by him. There are some clunkers that I skip but there's enough strong material to satisfy any fan.
If anyone has not heard make sure to check it out.
Buddha of Suburbia is one of my favorite "later" Bowie albums. Then again, I'm the guy who liked Tin Machine.
I remember being just so perplexed when I picked this up years ago. I did not know anything about it and never saw any advertising or reviews. It was a total mystery to me. But it turned out to be a good listen and I find myself going back to it quite frequently. Almost a year on, and I'm still reeling in disbelief over his death.
trying to think of other tv/movie projects that were successful as albums, but coming up empty. The Kinks' "Arthur"? I recall Sal doesn't like Ray Davies' drunk voice, but it's one of my favorite Kinks. Nilsson's "The Point"?
Fat Fives. Wow! Thanks! I'm sold!
I listened to "Lazarus" twice yesterday and I really like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIBiadOi8f8
Flat Fives. Sorry!
Having read Hanif Kureishi's book of the same name, "The Buddha Of Suburbia" was an interesting Beeb serial I recall enjoying at the time, an Asian/English culture clash comedy of manners, sex & race(I think) and it was probably Bowie's theme tune which helped draw me in. "Strangers When We Meet" has long been a favourite in both its original and re-recorded versions. Interesting to hear the demo version though. Thanks!
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