Black star is a type if cancer lesion. He explained so much with this album, but he couldn't "give everything away". I listened to it before he died and I liked it, quite a bit actually. I've listened to it three times since the news of his passing, after reading what Tony Vinsconti had to say, and I'm completely blown away. In that context, I'm not sure there's ever been anything like it. He made this album knowing he was going to die of cancer. He did it bravely and beautifully. The video for Lazurus adds so many more layers. An incredible work of art.

It's not the first time he's made songs about death in this manner. "Jump They Say" was about his brother's suicide (or was it his step-brother?). Likewise, the arrangements in that song utilize unorthodox horn parts. Most of the stuff that sounds like synths are actually done with horns on that song.



Of course, Blackstar takes "that approach" even further.

Cerebus said:

Black star is a type if cancer lesion. He explained so much with this album, but he couldn't "give everything away". I listened to it before he died and I liked it, quite a bit actually. I've listened to it three times since the news of his passing, after reading what Tony Vinsconti had to say, and I'm completely blown away. In that context, I'm not sure there's ever been anything like it. He made this album knowing he was going to die of cancer. He did it bravely and beautifully. The video for Lazurus adds so many more layers. An incredible work of art.

Damn it. You're making me cry again...

novabrkr said:

It's not the first time he's made songs about death in this manner. "Jump They Say" was about his brother's suicide (or was it his step-brother?). Likewise, the arrangements in that song utilize unorthodox horn parts. Most of the stuff that sounds like synths are actually done with horns on that song.



Of course, Blackstar takes "that approach" even further.

Jesus, everytime I check something out, I'm astounded. Watching and listening to this, I assumed it was one of his 2000's releases, yet I wondered why he looked so young. Come to find out it's from 1993!? My God, he was so far ahead.

jaawwnn said:

Without wanting to start a fight, does anyone else think the last track on the album is (musically) the kind of thing Prince could/should be doing now if he wasn't too busy writing party jams and seduction ballads ? The synths sound quite Little Red Corvette/Stand Back-ish, with added jazz horns. Even the guitar solo is similar to his kinda playing.

Obviously the song itself is a totally different mood but I could see him grooving on this one on a good day.

Prince is a totally different artist. He also has people around him that do not challenge him, they are more or less just creating in his shadow. Bowie had more artistic around him, Prince does not.

lastdecember said:

jaawwnn said:

Without wanting to start a fight, does anyone else think the last track on the album is (musically) the kind of thing Prince could/should be doing now if he wasn't too busy writing party jams and seduction ballads ? The synths sound quite Little Red Corvette/Stand Back-ish, with added jazz horns. Even the guitar solo is similar to his kinda playing.

Obviously the song itself is a totally different mood but I could see him grooving on this one on a good day.

Prince is a totally different artist. He also has people around him that do not challenge him, they are more or less just creating in his shadow. Bowie had more artistic around him, Prince does not.

sad but true : (

SchlomoThaHomo said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

I decided I could only get into one Bowie album at a time, not counting Blackstar which I've been playing constantly. I was going to start with Diamond Dogs, per Org recommendations, but I took at a gander at the Young Americans record on youtube and became quickly obsessed. I had no idea he was funky at one point. This is going to be quite a long and interesting ride. Thanks Org, and thank you David!

If you like the funkier stuff, also check out "Heroes". The title song is not at all representative. A few of the songs have funky edge like "Beauty and the Beast", but a very unique, hard, messy funk. I think I wrote here somewhere that I don't know if anyone did something similar. Also check out the great blog https://bowiesongs.wordpress.com, offering endlessly great insights into EVERY Bowie song.

.

KingSausage said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

Jesus, everytime I check something out, I'm astounded. Watching and listening to this, I assumed it was one of his 2000's releases, yet I wondered why he looked so young. Come to find out it's from 1993!? My God, he was so far ahead.

I'm actually envious of how you get to dive into the beautiful Bowie waters for the first time. There's so much musical joy ahead. Even his lesser known albums will astound you.

I'm really excited about that, but also want to pace myself a bit. There's just so much.

I do feel sad (and slightly haunted), that it was his final album that made me so curious, and that he was gone so shortly after. I keep wondering what it was about the album that drew me in, and why this was the one that made me want to finally check him out. Maybe I'll find the answer as I dig further into the catalogue. Thanks again for the recommendations.

Phishanga said:

SchlomoThaHomo said:

I decided I could only get into one Bowie album at a time, not counting Blackstar which I've been playing constantly. I was going to start with Diamond Dogs, per Org recommendations, but I took at a gander at the Young Americans record on youtube and became quickly obsessed. I had no idea he was funky at one point. This is going to be quite a long and interesting ride. Thanks Org, and thank you David!

If you like the funkier stuff, also check out "Heroes". The title song is not at all representative. A few of the songs have funky edge like "Beauty and the Beast", but a very unique, hard, messy funk. I think I wrote here somewhere that I don't know if anyone did something similar. Also check out the great blog https://bowiesongs.wordpress.com, offering endlessly great insights into EVERY Bowie song.

Thanks! I most certainly will. And that blog is fantastic! Cheers.

KingSausage said:

Another Bowie favorite of mine: His cover of Springsteen's "It's Hard to be a Saint in the City." http://youtu.be/xDCvS0D5Yb0

That ending with the strings is killer.

Cerebus said:

Black star is a type if cancer lesion. He explained so much with this album, but he couldn't "give everything away". I listened to it before he died and I liked it, quite a bit actually. I've listened to it three times since the news of his passing, after reading what Tony Vinsconti had to say, and I'm completely blown away. In that context, I'm not sure there's ever been anything like it. He made this album knowing he was going to die of cancer. He did it bravely and beautifully. The video for Lazurus adds so many more layers. An incredible work of art.

Where did you read Tony's statements?

lezama said:

Cerebus said:

Black star is a type if cancer lesion. He explained so much with this album, but he couldn't "give everything away". I listened to it before he died and I liked it, quite a bit actually. I've listened to it three times since the news of his passing, after reading what Tony Vinsconti had to say, and I'm completely blown away. In that context, I'm not sure there's ever been anything like it. He made this album knowing he was going to die of cancer. He did it bravely and beautifully. The video for Lazurus adds so many more layers. An incredible work of art.

Where did you read Tony's statements?

His Facebook page. It's a short message...

He always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life - a work of Art. He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift. I knew for a year this was the way it would be. I wasn't, however, prepared for it. He was an extraordinary man, full of love and life. He will always be with us. For now, it is appropriate to cry.

...but considering he has known the man for almost 50 years and worked with him on Blackstar, that's enough for me to believe that there are additional layers to this album. Layers that Bowie intended to be discovered and deciphered in time, although maybe not this quickly.

And now this from a new Rolling Stone piece with Visconti...

But even before then, Visconti noticed the tone of some of the lyrics and told him, "You canny bastard. You're writing a farewell album." Bowie simply laughed in response. "He was so brave and courageous," says Visconti.

I still haven't summoned up enough emotional strength to fully listen to Blackstar(glanced over all of its songs though). Sue, and Tis a Pitty, are on my bedtime playlist and last night, right before i dozed off to sleep, Sue came on. And man, what an intense, amazing piece of art. I like the other version as well, but this one? To me its a Drum and Bass(or however you choose to describe it) masterpiece. Also, you would think that considering the circumstances, Blackstar would be(music wise)all light and fluffy. But its not. Its all pretty intense. Even the slower songs.

Even at age 69, it would have been pretty amazing for him to make Blackstar, let alone without the added weight of knowing that he only had a short time to live.

Anyway, I'm sorta having trouble describing my opinion of Blackstar, so what i will say is David Bowie left us a lyrically moving, musically jarring, work of art.

He was one of the best artists in the history of music, and he will be missed... A lot.

[Edited 1/13/16 20:41pm]

JoeyC said:

Cerebus said:

And now this from a new Rolling Stone piece with Visconti...

But even before then, Visconti noticed the tone of some of the lyrics and told him, "You canny bastard. You're writing a farewell album." Bowie simply laughed in response. "He was so brave and courageous," says Visconti.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-bowie-planned-post-blackstar-album-thought-he-had-few-more-months-20160113#ixzz3xArOTPjf

Thanks.. it was hard for me to read that without tearing up. Ive been on a journey with him and his music since I was 13. But I'm grateful that he left this album as a parting gift to the world.

Brilliant record. It's a dark and sad record but it's very energetic. David's voice stayed right with him until the end. The musicians on "Blackstar" are fantastic.

The album is a friggin' masterpiece.

With all the crap released these days, Blackstar shimmers with the elegance of a '70s album mixed with the coolness of the now (and this album will age xtremely well), plus the "both depressing-uplifting" sense of dying but going "somewhere" (death and afterlife).

I just love the overall production, PURE Bowie: the dark atmosphere of the Berlin Trilogy days, the jazz sax of Black Tie White Noise, the weirdness of 1.Outside, the expert veteran craft of his 1999-2003 albums...

The title track sounds like a semi-rework of Station to Station with the production of 1.Outside (outstanding, long, dark, scary, catchy); Lazarus must be one of the most dramatic songs of his career, Sue is one of his better rockers (of any decade), I Can't Give Everything Away a fitting end to an amazing career (I shed a tear), and the rest of the album (three 4-5 min songs) are perfectly crafted minor songs; overall a solid album. 4,5 stars out of 5. One of my top15 Bowie albums. Album of the year, for many reasons.

---

I still thik he knew this would be his FINAL album, and it sounds that way. As Springsteen said in 1982, "everything dies, baby that's a fact", so David Robert Jones sure is dead, but his legacy will endure; the man taught me many things, and with Blackstar he has taught me how to die.

LEGEND, ALWAYS

[Edited 1/16/16 3:34am]

JoeTyler said:

Congrats to BLACKSTAR hitting #1 on the U.K. and U.S. charts with a combined weekly debut of 321,000 copies sold.

I'm just proud I had and was digging the album the day it came out before his death.

all you bandwagoneers

Seriously though the album is friggin' tremendous.

Phishanga said:

Is it just coincidence that the girl under the bed looks a lot like a young Iggy Pop?

[Edited 1/16/16 20:38pm]

KingSausage said:

JoeTyler said:

The album is a friggin' masterpiece.

With all the crap released these days, Blackstar shimmers with the elegance of a '70s album mixed with the coolness of the now (and this album will age xtremely well), plus the "both depressing-uplifting" sense of dying but going "somewhere" (death and afterlife).

I just love the overall production, PURE Bowie: the dark atmosphere of the Berlin Trilogy days, the jazz sax of Black Tie White Noise, the weirdness of 1.Outside, the expert veteran craft of his 1999-2003 albums...

The title track sounds like a semi-rework of Station to Station with the production of 1.Outside (outstanding, long, dark, scary, catchy); Lazarus must be one of the most dramatic songs of his career, Sue is one of his better rockers (of any decade), I Can't Give Everything Away a fitting end to an amazing career (I shed a tear), and the rest of the album (three 4-5 min songs) are perfectly crafted minor songs; overall a solid album. 4,5 stars out of 5. One of my top15 Bowie albums. Album of the year, for many reasons.

---

I still thik he knew this would be his FINAL album, and it sounds that way. As Springsteen said in 1982, "everything dies, baby that's a fact", so David Robert Jones sure is dead, but his legacy will endure; the man taught me many things, and with Blackstar he has taught me how to die.

LEGEND, ALWAYS

[Edited 1/16/16 3:34am]

Well said. And how great is Bowie's catalog when an album as stunning as Blackstar only lands in the top 15?! Wow.

Top 5 for me!

I think it's the perfect time to post our ranking of Bowie's albums, yall

---

1.Scary Monsters

2.Ziggy Stardust

3.Low

4.Heroes

5.Hunky Dory

6.Station to Station

7.The Man Who Sold the World

8.Aladdin Sane

9.Lodger

10.Diamond Dogs

11.Blackstar

12.Heathen

13.The Next Day

14.Outside

15.Reality

---

16.Young Americans

17.Space Oddity

18.Hours

19.Let's Dance

20.Tin Machine

21.Black Tie White Noise

22.Earthling

23.The Buddha of Suburbia

24.Pin-Ups

---

25.Toy

26.Labyrinth soundtrack

27.Tin Machine II

28.David Bowie (67)

29.Baal

---

30.Tonight

31.Never Let Me Down

KingSausage said:

1. Scary Monsters 2. Diamond Dogs 3. Station to Station 4. Aladdin Sane 5. Lodger 6. Low 7. Heroes 8. Ziggy Stardust 9. Hunky Dory 10. Space Oddity 11. Blackstar 12. Outside 13. Black Tie White Noise 14. Let's Dance 15. The Next Day -- 16. Young Americans 17. The Man Who Sold the World 18. Reality 19. Heathen 20. The Buddha of Suburbia 21. Earthling 22. Hours -- 23. David Bowie (1967) -- the deluxe edition really upped by appreciation for this one 24. Pin-Ups -- 25. Never Let Me Down 26. Tin Machine 27. Tin Machine II 28. Toy (I love the idea of Toy but it fails in execution. Miserably. It's the stalest thing he ever did, sadly.) 29. Tonight (well, except for Tonight, which is fucking terrible) I'm not putting Baal or the Labyrinth soundtrack on the list because they were so different. If I needed to rank them, I'd put them ahead of the Absolute Beginners soundtrack (except for the title track).

Wow!! That's my favorite too!!

It is very overlooked by critics. Personally Ashes To Ashes is one of his best songs imo.

1. Scary Monsters

2. Heroes

3. Ziggy Stardust

4. Blackstar

5. Hunky Dory

6. Station To Station

7. Low

8. Lodger

9. Aladdin Sane

10. Let's Dance

11. Earthling

12. Diamomd Dogs

13. Young Americans

14. The Man Who Sold The World

15. Outside