Great review!... you have a good grasp of your own bias and that gives an honest authenticity to these reviews that make them unique and interesting to watch. It's clear you have a lot of knowledge on this subject and I usually learn something new from your videos. Hello from 🇺🇲
Came across this in my feed and was automatically interested, because NLMD is such an anomaly. My two cents: It's not a complete wash, and it's not his worst album (that's reserved for Tonight, I agree). The actual songwriting is still there, it just suffers from being of it's time... if the songs had a different instrumental treatment, and a different sound engineering treatment, it would've been received much better reception. The song "Never Let Me Down" and "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)" are some of the best songs Bowie did in the 80's in general.
The 2018 remaster (not the remake) sounds really good. It is a front-loaded album, so I extended my version to 13 tracks with the addition of 2 B-sides, Julie and Girls, and it sounds fantastic. It's definitely his loudest and most upbeat album.
I agree with your overall analysis, although I quite like Bang Bang, in the context of the album, not his entire catalogue. The 80s afflicted quite a few long standing artists, such as the Stones. Perhaps it was something in the air (no pun intended and anyway that was from the 90s). I felt the album was very much just something to promote while on tour, although it became the focus of the tour. Maybe he didn't have a lot to say at this moment. I caught the tour too, at Wembley stadium. I still have the program tucked away. It's a very spartan affair compared to what get's printed today.
The ‘80s are indeed a very bizarre period for a lot of artists. I think everything got shook up by MTV. For 1. An artist had to be visually appealing. 2. The song became more important than the album 3. Come up with a song that is wort the $100.000,- budget. The money for the video was also a threshold. As the music, times and mentality was changing so fast, it is hard to come up with your answer to that as an already established artist.
Never let me down is one of my favourites. Seriously underrated. I listen to it more than low and hero’s. Maybe because it’s got that soft candy 80s apparel.
Definitely not a bad as most fans say. Like you, I bought this when I didn't own many albums, so it got tonnes of spins..... until Tin Machine came out!
@@top5records796 "It’s a throwaway! I always thought it was better for Huey Lewis [laughs]! I was unsettled with that song, but it’s on the album anyway. It’s one of the first songs that Erdal Kızılçay and I wrote together, a sort of try-out to see how we sparred together as writers." - David Bowie, June 1987 He never really liked the song, I guess as time went on he decided the album was better off without it. tbh I kinda like how over the top 80s cheese it sounds, but that whole B-side is kind of a blurry mess.
I like very much Bang Bang and Shining Star (sounds a bit like Prince). And the few you cited on Side 1 are good. He was clearly aiming to get American AM radio play....and he succeeded, but not as much as hoped for. Day-in, Day-out rose to about #20 on Billboard, Never Let Me Down got to about #26...not great...but no other subsequent singles made into into the US Top 40 for the rest of his career. Re: his acting...Yeh, not his strong point, but there were a couple of small independent films in the late 90's which were a vast improvment over his early acting in mid-70's.
Time will crawl is a good tune on that lp, I saw Bowie on that tour with Peter Frampton, glass spider worked better on stage than the lp, awesome show. I just bought a red and a blue copy of Tin Machine at the SF Warfield , check it out, I was at that show, I’m lucky I got to see David many times many different style eras.
@@top5records796 Glass spider show was still a bit off like the album tbh but its was theatrical for a bit and that was a bit like scary monsters it was fun. Bowie with Tin Machine was fun, the most raw I’ve ever seen David, a bit rackety but that was fun. I’m daydreaming back atm, I think the Outside tour was cool, way different and a dark favourite. I saw the ones after that as well but I’d have to say David at his best all around in a fan’s perspective of wanting to hear him do all Bowie tunes was the Sound and Vision tour when he played all the old hits and made it feel like he was going to retire after, it was bittersweet and David sounded really good. I would see him in SF bay and travel to Sacramento for more shows, people thought I was crazy att, not so much now. Well worth the fuss!
Agree. This is not his worse album but it is the weakest of his 80’s output. Time will Crawl and Never Let Me Down are very good tunes. Side 1 is stronger than Side 2 definitely. And the Glass Spider Tour was the only time I saw him live. I thought it was a great show.
Great review!... you have a good grasp of your own bias and that gives an honest authenticity to these reviews that make them unique and interesting to watch. It's clear you have a lot of knowledge on this subject and I usually learn something new from your videos. Hello from 🇺🇲
Thank you! I am so happy to hear that!
I can only imagine what this review will be like...
Came across this in my feed and was automatically interested, because NLMD is such an anomaly.
My two cents: It's not a complete wash, and it's not his worst album (that's reserved for Tonight, I agree). The actual songwriting is still there, it just suffers from being of it's time... if the songs had a different instrumental treatment, and a different sound engineering treatment, it would've been received much better reception.
The song "Never Let Me Down" and "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)" are some of the best songs Bowie did in the 80's in general.
The 2018 remaster (not the remake) sounds really good. It is a front-loaded album, so I extended my version to 13 tracks with the addition of 2 B-sides, Julie and Girls, and it sounds fantastic. It's definitely his loudest and most upbeat album.
Fully agree. Second worst...
Me: “Mom, can we have Future Legend?”
Mom: “We have Future Legend at home”
Future Legend at home: Glass Spider
That’s really funny.
Good take! Agree about Side 1 vs. Side 2.
For me personally it’s one of his best albums together with outside and diamond dogs❤
I agree with your overall analysis, although I quite like Bang Bang, in the context of the album, not his entire catalogue. The 80s afflicted quite a few long standing artists, such as the Stones. Perhaps it was something in the air (no pun intended and anyway that was from the 90s). I felt the album was very much just something to promote while on tour, although it became the focus of the tour. Maybe he didn't have a lot to say at this moment. I caught the tour too, at Wembley stadium. I still have the program tucked away. It's a very spartan affair compared to what get's printed today.
The ‘80s are indeed a very bizarre period for a lot of artists. I think everything got shook up by MTV. For 1. An artist had to be visually appealing. 2. The song became more important than the album 3. Come up with a song that is wort the $100.000,- budget. The money for the video was also a threshold.
As the music, times and mentality was changing so fast, it is hard to come up with your answer to that as an already established artist.
@top5records796 So perhaps we could sum it up by saying Video Killed the Radio Star?
Never let me down is one of my favourites. Seriously underrated. I listen to it more than low and hero’s. Maybe because it’s got that soft candy 80s apparel.
Definitely not a bad as most fans say.
Like you, I bought this when I didn't own many albums, so it got tonnes of spins..... until Tin Machine came out!
The track "Too Dizzy" got removed by Bowie on later pressings.
Really? Do you know why?
@@top5records796 "It’s a throwaway! I always thought it was better for Huey Lewis [laughs]! I was unsettled with that song, but it’s on the album anyway. It’s one of the first songs that Erdal Kızılçay and I wrote together, a sort of try-out to see how we sparred together as writers."
- David Bowie, June 1987
He never really liked the song, I guess as time went on he decided the album was better off without it.
tbh I kinda like how over the top 80s cheese it sounds, but that whole B-side is kind of a blurry mess.
I like very much Bang Bang and Shining Star (sounds a bit like Prince). And the few you cited on Side 1 are good. He was clearly aiming to get American AM radio play....and he succeeded, but not as much as hoped for. Day-in, Day-out rose to about #20 on Billboard, Never Let Me Down got to about #26...not great...but no other subsequent singles made into into the US Top 40 for the rest of his career. Re: his acting...Yeh, not his strong point, but there were a couple of small independent films in the late 90's which were a vast improvment over his early acting in mid-70's.
Time will crawl is a good tune on that lp, I saw Bowie on that tour with Peter Frampton, glass spider worked better on stage than the lp, awesome show.
I just bought a red and a blue copy of Tin Machine at the SF Warfield , check it out, I was at that show, I’m lucky I got to see David many times many different style eras.
Awesome! What was the best Bowie live show you saw?
@@top5records796 Glass spider show was still a bit off like the album tbh but its was theatrical for a bit and that was a bit like scary monsters it was fun.
Bowie with Tin Machine was fun, the most raw I’ve ever seen David, a bit rackety but that was fun.
I’m daydreaming back atm, I think the Outside tour was cool, way different and a dark favourite.
I saw the ones after that as well but I’d have to say David at his best all around in a fan’s perspective of wanting to hear him do all Bowie tunes was the Sound and Vision tour when he played all the old hits and made it feel like he was going to retire after, it was bittersweet and David sounded really good. I would see him in SF bay and travel to Sacramento for more shows, people thought I was crazy att, not so much now. Well worth the fuss!
Agree. This is not his worse album but it is the weakest of his 80’s output. Time will Crawl and Never Let Me Down are very good tunes. Side 1 is stronger than Side 2 definitely.
And the Glass Spider Tour was the only time I saw him live. I thought it was a great show.
Bowie hated that album. He was bored and uninspired, and it showed. Tonight is another dull album that he hated.
But he did want to continu work on it, that is so interesting