The Artful Lodger

Overall Album Score: 8.2 out of 10

...And David Bowie and Brian Eno met on that fateful day of April 12, 1976 to discuss the limitless possibilities of the emerging musical style of electronica. Later on that year, they recorded Low, which is Latin for "I've Got Jelly in My Toga." Even LATER, they recorded "Heroes" , which is Spanish for "I Just Whet My Appetite With a Garden Hose." Both of these albums were visionary and took Kraut-rock to great heights. In the fateful year of 1978, a sphinx moth ate one of Brian Eno's synthesizers, and they unfortunately had to call their partnership off for awhile. But in 1979 they came back! And they came out with Lodger! And it's...! It's... not brilliant? What's with that?

This is the third edition of the Berlin trilogy. It's stripped-down and minimalist, which is a surprising contrast to the more lush and lavish "Heroes". And ... the album's pretty good. There is, in fact, a good deal of experimentation here, but unfortunately, they seem feebler than the great two albums of yore. (And ... Bowie's never put out a stripped-down album. He's always been so lush! And he will always be lush! Granted, the punk bands were peaking around at the time, and he was just following a bit of the fashion ... but this isn't even remotely a punk album! It's just too weird!) The closest album I can come up with that matches Lodger is C'est Chic! (Yes! From that disco band who used to sing "FREAK OUT!!!") Most of these are stripped down dance numbers. However, Lodger is thoroughly more interesting than Chic ... and anybody who would play a song from Lodger at a dance party is INSANE! (And my kinda guy!)

I think it would be rather surreal to dance with "Boys Keep Swinging," though. That's the kind of appeal Bowie's great for! His music might be regular in style, but not regular in spirit! Apart from the misfired experimental numbers here (which do have some merits), this would just be a really disco album. But it's *not* a disco album. Isn't that cool? It's a unique album!

And there are some actual bad songs on here. "African Night Flight" sticks out like a sore thumb. In fact, most of the numbers on the first half are rather awful. (And I believe it tries to illustrate some sort of African-Middle-East trip.)

While it doesn't quite impress as "Heroes" or even Low does, it's still another great album Bowie can add to his list. ... and another one you can add to your collection. David doesn't have much of these left in 'em, unfortunately, because we are entering ........ *a loud, evil sounding organ chord* ........... THE 80's!!!!!!! BWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!!!

Overall Album Score: 8.2 out of 10 (I must also mention that it took me a few listens before I started to like this album. But now that I have, there is some really ingenious stuff in here. It's essential if you are one to collect Bowie albums.)

Average Song Score: 8.2 (A few great little numbers among a few too many failed experimentation.)

Album Tilt: 8.0 (I have to be a little bit mean here. As I've said earlier, "African Night Flight" sticks out like a SORE THUMB. This album isn't easily likable, either.)

Artist Rating: 8.5 (Well DUUUUUH! This is an art album, is it not? IT IS! And artistically interesting this album is! There's a lot of weird perverted stuff on here, too, and I mean that in a good way.)

Track Reviews

Fantastic Voyage 9/10

I enjoy this song. It's slow and lethargic ... it makes me think the album might be boring and uniform as such ... BUT IT'S NOT! HAH! The atmosphere isn't impressive (even though the fact that it's 'sluggish' might be considered effective)! The real reason this song is able to carry at all is because it has a decent melody.

African Night Flight 4/10

YIKES! What is this? This song sounded like Bowie sat down one day in the recording studio and declared: "Today! I'm going to be EXPERIMENTAL!" And do you know what he came up with? A rap! ... almost. It's just these jungle beat things going off and random sound effects (that could be electronic animal noises, I suppose) and David talks the lyrics! Too bad it's not any good.

Move On 6/10

Well, this song is a BORE! But at least it doesn't strike me as being embarrassingly bad! There's a rapid, quiet beat in the background with ugly background waves of David singing nonsense while the real David sings a melodyless songs in the foreground. Yikes!

Yassassin (Turkish for Oral Celik) 8/10

Well this is a weird delight! This is an absolutely COCAINE-infected Middle-Eastern song that's also a dance ditty. WEIRD! Unlike the last two tracks, Bowie goes gonzo and comes out on top.

Red Sails 9.5/10

This one's less gonzo, but now we've at least gotten into those weird dance numbers I've been going all off in the intro. It's bizarre, very decadent, and almost nightmarish, yet it has the same structure of a regular dance number. Very cool! Intensely interesting, too. If nothing else, the beat will have you hypnotized.

D.J 10/10

Another weird dancing delight! (And the strange little "concept" is now over with.) This is certainly the best track off the album. It has the album's best melody, David's best performance, and it's perfectly accessible! (I really dig that bass-line, too.) The electric guitar playing is so messed up that it's entertaining. The technical gimmicks are put in exactly the right places, too. As Bruce Lee would have said: "D.J. kicks the BADGUY'S BUTT! HYA!"

Look Back in Anger 9/10

Yet another wonderful song! Bowie sings it slow and moody, but it is put to a quick, rapid backing. What's more: David really turns in a fine vocal performance here. The it isn't infectious beat or anything ... nor does it have a particularly memorable melody. But I enjoy myself when I listen to the sucka!

Boys Keep Swinging 9.5/10

Yet another lost dance classic! (Again ... as if anyone in their right mind would actually dance to this.) This one has a monotonous -- let's go POUND STUFF -- beat to it, which is good, but it also has this REALLY BIZARRE instrumental backing. It sounds like a country-western hoe down that's being influenced by mind-controlling aliens. THAT'S EXACTLY HOW GREAT IT IS! Unique. (And a unique and slightly disturbing music video was made out of this ... and it's not disturbing like SICK disturbing. It's just those weird female outfits he wears ... I mean, the man can't even be a transvestite like a normal human being!)

Repetition 8.5/10

Yah! This beat really hypnotizes me (in a good way) and the melody that David sings isn't half-bad. In fact, it's pretty darn good. The song lives up to it's name. It just repeats the exact same thing over and over again. Gets a little annoying, but at least he knew when to stop it.

Red Money 8/10

Oh! I know this song! ... CALLING SISTER MI---- wha? Yep ... David redoes the background thing from "Calling Sister Midnight," which was a song that him and Iggy Pop did during one of their collaboration efforts. The background is a good one, certainly, and ... ya know ... if it worked great for Iggy, then it had just might as well work great for David, too. Although, it doesn't compare with Iggy's. (Iggy's is so much better ... it's so spooky and stuff!)

LLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEE here.