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David Bowie

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 12:35
by Keening_Product
I assume everyone here has heard David Bowie died a few hours ago. If you haven't, I'm impressed - I have never seen such a huge and universal response to the death of anyone before.

I'm curious to know what everyone's first impressions of Bowie were. The first full album I heard was the compilation Changestwobowie, which my parents had in the cupboard when I was 15. (I also remember Bowie being on when playing Keen at about age nine, possibly the Best of Bowie compilation, but I'm not sure as my parents don't remember ever listening to that album.) Many people seem to have first come across Bowie as the Goblin King when they were much younger.

His latest album, Blackstar, is very much among my favourites. It's good he finished on a high, and nice that he lived to see/hear Space Oddity being performed in space.

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 14:42
by Plasma Captain
My brother listened to him (I didn't buy music), and I'd hear him on the radio... I don't really remember the first time I heard one of Bowie's songs. A lot of things are like that for me. I always liked him, though.

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 17:02
by Zilem
The movie; Labyrinth.
In the early 90, when it was shown on Danish TV, cannot recall what year it was...
but i would have been 6 or 8 as it was i before i started to learn English or was good at reading subtitles...
but I have seen it a couple of times in the years after.

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 19:15
by troublesomekeen
First heard Bowie on the Ziggy Stardust album. I remember not liking it at all, except for Starman. I eventually warmed up to it and Ziggy became one of my most listened to albums at the time. I especially like the Moonage Daydream and Lady Stardust tracks.
I remember a brief David Bowie reference in one of the Genesis documentaries. Apparently he and Peter Gabriel were roommates together once upon a time.
Feels like time to give Station To Station other spin.

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 20:21
by Benvolio
My dad introduced me to Bowie. Station to Station is the centrepiece of his (and by inheritence my) Bowie appreciation. My dad has the vinyl and introduced it to me when I was about 11 or 12. He relates with fondness the tale of Bowie's '76 return to London from Germany (which he attended on its opening night complete with opening film extravaganza by Buñuel and Dalí), having shed all glamour and excess and emerged as the Thin White Duke, a drug (coke) addled character embedded in an aesthetic borrowing heavily from the '30s (particularly embracing imagery from the prevailing German Dictatorship in that decade) - yet capable of producing the most spine-chillingly beautiful soul music. Highlights of that record are the rocking title track, the utterly unforgettable funk hit 'Golden Years', the transcendentally melodic religious zeal of 'Word On A Wing' - generally imagined to be a cocaine-induced emotional overload; the edgy groove of TVC15 giving way to the seemingly unstoppable jam that is Stay, and culminating in a return to the ethereal delivery of the standard 'Wild Is The Wind' - perhaps best known in its rendition(s) by Nina Simone but rejuvenated into the Thin White Duke's world on this album. That's right. All six tracks are highlights of this absolute top 10 '70s record.

Of course I have grown to love many other Bowie Records - I cannot claim to have explored the whole catalogue yet but I thoroughly enjoy Young Americans, Low, some of the songs from Heroes, Ziggy, Aladdin Sane and really most other stuff I've heard. Particular mention goes to 'China Girl' which is a really exceptional piece of eighties music, a pinnacle of emotion in pop, and (as a side issue) a wonderful music video.

But Station To Station is the gold standard. A sad day for sure!

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 20:32
by lemm
He was okay.

Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 20:47
by MoffD
Zilem wrote:The movie; Labyrinth.
^This

Also "Space Oddity" was the first song of his I heard.

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 2:41
by Keening_Product
troublesomekeen wrote:Apparently he and Peter Gabriel were roommates together once upon a time.
It's interesting to see how close he was to other big names personally, not just in the studio. This from Yoko Ono stood out: https://www.facebook.com/yokoonopage/ph ... 35/?type=3

Thanks to everyone who has replied, it's nice to hear your stories :)

If I have the time today, I will try to create a Keen Ziggy emotikeen.

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 7:41
by Rorie
It is actually hard to believe that Rock's original Shocker, Alice Cooper's Still Alive!, Alice did it all and yet survives and has now outlived Bowie, I think it is unfair that Bowie's gone and Alice who cheated death many times with the excessive consumption of alcohol and even had cirrhosis of the liver on one occasion actually made a full recovery, Alice would have to have had a liver transplant to survive and still the body can reject certain organs even with/without medication

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 8:13
by Nisaba
self-conserving via alcohol. that's just it.

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 11:30
by Keening_Product
Maybe Cooper has the Osbourne gene. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/g ... d=12032552

Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 12:14
by Nospike
Yeah, Ozzy popped to mind as well when I read Rorie's post. I almost struggle to believe he's still alive after all he's gone through.

I can only hope he keeps kickin' at least till 30th June, which is when I'm going to Sabbath's The End in my country. :p

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 1:16
by tulip
I would count myself as a bowie fan, so I was saddened , and surprised by his death. Life on Mars might be one of my favorite songs of all time which always gives me a special mood. I've got a few bowie albums, mainly older stuff from space oddity to Diamond Dogs. Contrary to many hardcore fans I also do love Let's dance.

Let's dance, Heroes and Rebel Rebel were probably the first things I knew, since they are so famous, but really close to his music I got through Ziggy Stardust, and ultimately through Wes Anderson/Seu Jorge

Other great Bowie moments: The Prestige (as Tesla), Zoolander (:D)