Author: Captain Capm (Page 20 of 118)

Let’s Dance

By 1983, David Bowie had almost literally “done it all.” He started out as a pop crooner, then shifted gears to help create glam rock, then cranked out a Philly soul album before it was hip to do that, fucked around too much with drugs, and cleaned up, recording a trio of albums with Brian Eno that were heavily experimental, and critically and somewhat commercially satisfying. He then started out the decade with the tight and semi-abstract Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) which netted him hits with the singles “Ashes to Ashes” and “Fashion.” The album was even more of a New Wave statement than most of the one-hit wonders of the early ’80s that would fly under that banner. Things were going great.

And then there was Let’s Dance.

Perhaps Dave just didn’t know what else to do. Maybe he just thought selling out would be his next big experiment. Bleaching his hair a frightful blonde and combing it into a huge bouffant ushered in a new look. But it was the “new” sound, ushered in by producer Nile Rodgers and featuring all guitar work by the slightly then-unknown Stevie Ray Vaughan that took Bowie to the top of the charts – way higher than he had ever been – and kept him there for a nice ride. There’s no doubting the singles were incredibly catchy. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing the title track. “Modern Love” was the best of the lot, with a cover of Iggy Pop’s “China Girl” coming in a close second. There was also “Cat People (Putting Out Fires)” to a lesser extent.

But the music and the lyrics were unchallenging. It fit right in with the rest of 1983. Pure plastic with lots of hooks but not much to hang your hat on. Indeed, the fact that Bowie had not played on the tracks said enough. It was as it he was shouting “I’M COASTING HERE” and didn’t give a damn. And really, after the ball got rolling, why should he? But Let’s Dance was the best of a trio of insipid albums. The followup Tonight had the great “Blue Jean” and “Loving the Alien” and not much else. The title track duet with Tina Turner was more than a misfire, and the cover of “God Only Knows” was as wretch-inducing as his version of “Across the Universe” back in ’75 on Young Americans. Then of course there was Never Let Me Down which sported a nice title track, and a whole bunch of bad electronic percussion and Peter Frampton on lead guitar.

And the less said about Tin Machine, the better…

Let’s Dance is proof positive that “best-selling” does not at all equal “best work.” It’s a lazy album for Bowie, and unfortunately the huge success of it allowed him to coast for the rest of the decade. At least in the ’90s he began to regian some of his experimental ideas and characters. But aside from that abysmal Glass Spider, there was nothing noteworthy.

And the less said about his duet with Jagger on “Dancing in the Streets,” the better…