A SMALL MATTER OF OPINION
Dear old JC got himself into a spot of bother the other week when he dared to suggest that the contributions made by David Bowie to the soundtrack of the film Absolute Beginners were not very good.
Now I happen to agree with many of the readers who left comments behind - the song Absolute Beginners is a very fine Bowie song, but it is far from the most important and timeless tracks he recorded in the 1980s.
It was a decade that began with the release of the LP Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) which is felt my many fans to be among his best work - it was an LP that one music paper in the UK awarded seven stars out of five. But I feel this was all just a precursor to what was to follow as Bowie single-handedly re-defined the genre of commercial and critically acclaimed pop star, with a particularly impressive run of chart success from 1981-1985.
There were three massive hits in 1983 - Let's Dance, China Girl and Modern Love - all of which were either #1 or #2 in the UK singles charts. Indeed Let's Dance went to #1 in something like 12 different countries and is probably his most famous song across the planet. And the tour of the LP from which these singles came from took outdoor rock gigs to brand new heights and in many ways provided the template for what was the singular most important musical event of the entire decade - Live Aid in July 1985.
I know that Bob Geldof and Midge Ure are the names most folk associate with the many millions of pounds that were raised by Band Aid/Live Aid and rightly so. But the contribution made by David Bowie can never be underestimated.
The momentum of Live Aid was maintained by what I reckon is the most important record David Bowie has ever recorded - and that was his duet with Mick Jagger when they did an amazing cover of Dancing In The Streets. Think about it.....Live Aid itself was a truly magnificent event, but the fundraising would have slowed to a trickle within days of the gig ending if it wasn't for this single, and indeed that of Drive by The Cars, maintaining the momentum and keeping Live Aid so newsworthy.
Now I don't want to risk poor JC being on the end of a dmca notice, so instead of an mp3, here is the video to remind you again of just how amazing this song was:-
Now the inspiration for this duet surely came from the fact that David Bowie had spent so much of the early part of the 80s linking up with diverse performers to record songs that have become the staple diet of so many radio stations across the globe .
1981 - Under Pressure (with Queen)
1982 - Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (with Bing Crosby)
1985 - This Is Not America (with Pat Metheny Group)
Every single one of them a smash hit and evidence that Bowie had the ability to reach out beyond his own immediate fanbase.
As a long-standing fan of David Bowie I love and admire his work from the 70s. But when it comes to cementing his place in the pantheon of modern music, it's his contribution to the biggest pop event of the 80s that does it for me.
The Ghost Of Troubled Joe, Sunday 2 May 2010
11 comments:
Great blog for a Sunday morning. As I said before, in my mind Bowie's 80's output starts with the Let's Dance LP, not Scary Monsters. That was the end of the Seventies to me. Only one mistake. Although it was released in the Eighties, Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy was recorded in 1977.
Bowie's contribution to the 'biggest pop event' of the decade cannot be poo pooed. I was there, I made my way to the front for Bowie and was blown away with the audacity of playing TVC 15 in with the hits.
But, in my very humble opinion, the biggest contribution he made was to cut his set short to show the video which will now forever associated with The Cars' Drive. I have never seen so many people sitting on the floor, sobbing. Girls, boys, men, women, all the same. THAT for me is the lasting memory of Live Aid (though the Bowie and Queen sets come a very close second).
What this also proves is that the Celts claimed Live Aid through Geldoff and Ure. But in fact it was the English and Americans that really made it happen. As usual.
Saw Bowie at the Wembley Arena on the Serious Moonlight tour, absolutely amazing and the band was probably the most professional musicians I've ever heard. Carlos Alomar's (or was it Earl Slick can't remember that far back) guitar solo during Putting Out Fire With Gasoline was incredible.
Ctel - I don't think the Celts ever claimed responsibilty for the charity not change concert.
Live Aid. I'm with Morrissey on that event.
I won't deny many taking part had their hearts in the right place but guys like Queen and Elton John who were happy to play apartheid Sun City for megabucks made me bodyswerve the coverage. And the Bowie Jagger version of Dancing In the Streets was absolutely inferior to the original.
Joe, Joe, Joe. You're entitled to your opinions and, like all of us, your musical taste is doubtless hugely influenced by where you grew up and your age. But Bowie best in the 80s? And Dancing in the Streets??!! The Cars ??!! You need to take some better drugs. The only thing that made me cry at Live Aid was the steady stream of over-rated, bloated hasbeens, pausing between lines of coke to protect their careers. Fair play to Geldof for exploiting that guilt but let's not pretend any of it was any good.
Can we get back to the decent indie stuff tomorrow.
You are being ironic, yes? I assume you will be arguing that the Never Let Me Down and Tin Machine LPs are superior to the Berlin trilogy.
As I said before, I will defend 'Absolute Beginners' the song. I think Live Aid as a charity had its' hearts in the right place, but was exploited by dinosaurs. At least the rehash in 2005 did have some more current bands...
Word verification: unscot
hmm...
The Bing Crosby duet was recorded in the 1970s.
Claimed by the Celts?
You missed out Bono, Ted. ;-)
(Oops, almost an unintended reference to Ted de Bono there).
Ha, I mucho prefer the 70's Bowie glam offerings. For me, they're far more fun. It's not that I don't enjoy the 80's at all, but they were too dancy for me. That video's HORRID! ;)
Oh dear. Glad I missed this on Sunday. You are a wag, Joe.
Sorry, altought I love This Is Not America, Loving The Alien, Under Pressure and Theme From Cat People, Bowie in the 80's is just disappointing. Read Henry Edwards's bio of Bowie from 1986 and you can get a good idea of who he was at the time - and just how accurate the "Faux Bowie" charater in Velvet Goldmine is in spirit. Bowie in the 90's has a bit more vision, but there are no great moments for me. The single 'New Killer Star' being the best of the lot.
My biggest gripe with Live Aid was Dancing In The Streets, to me it was Jagger trying to find a way to be involved while his band was dealing with it's demons (or the fact that it wouldn't get paid millions to perform). Bowie along with The Style Council, Bryan Ferry and Queen WERE the UK side of the concert for me. The US side didn't really offer much at all.
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