bowie shuffling

Sometimes the iPod kind of tells me what it wants to play.

I stuck it on shuffle the other day and it basically said - No. I want to hear to David Bowie.

So, over the course of a hour or so the shuffled tunes included unfeasibly high proportion of Bowie songs. Quite how it does this, I have no idea, but look what it played for me...

 

“I’m Deranged” – the remix done during the Earthling sessions, and probably the most Jungle he ever was. It’s a tremendous remix, taking an already good song and actually improving it, making it mad and bonkers and thrilling and genuinely exciting. 

 

“Can You Hear Me?” – one of the gorgeous ballads from Young Americans, but this was a duet from the Cher Show in late 1975. It sounds laughably under-rehearsed – DB and Cher attempt to duet over the album backing track but DB sings far too much and it’s clear that Cher isn’t really sure where to come in. You would think that DB would be terribly embarrassed by this, but I suspect his blushes are spared by the fact that he’d put most of Bolivia’s finest exported crop for 1975 up his nose and thus he actually has no memory whatsoever of the second half of 1975.  

 

“Waiting For The Man” – the funky edgy version from the 1976 tour. Really excellent, one of the best covers DB ever performed I reckon.  

 

“John, I’m Only Dancing” – the Aladdin Sane sessions version, which is by far the best version, with the squawking saxophone and Ronson’s madly amped up guitars. The energy on show here absolutely knocks the original for six.

 

“I Would Be Your Slave” – a nicely downbeat and moody track from Heathen. Great vocals, and some lovely keyboard / guitar interplay too.  

 

“You Belong In Rock ‘n’ Roll” – one of Tin Machine’s finest moments. Bowie attempts a sort of murmured Elvis type vocal, which surprisingly works very well. Then he belts out the chorus which is fab. Tin Machine was a far better band than received wisdom tells us. And they were superb live, as the two shows I saw at Brixton prove. The closest I've ever been to Mr B.  

 

There was some other stuff, but I’m in a Bowie mood now - going to play Station To Station, as if anyone ever needs an excuse to play that album!