Tracks:
1. Sound and Vision (Low)
One of the best ensemble performances by a backing band I've ever heard. The Alomar-Davis-Murray rhythm section really strikes gold here. It's simply 3 minutes of musical perfection
2. Joe the Lion (Heroes)
Robert Fripp's lead guitar here is absolutely insane, and it drives the song superbly with the help of a terrific group of musicians working with him and a white-hot vocal performance from Bowie
3. Jump, They Say (Black Tie, White Noise)
The man's last top 10 hit, it's a very lively and buoyant tune (like a 90s version of Let's Dance), propelled by virtuoso trumpet performance from the chap's namesake, Mr. Lester Bowie
4. Kingdom Come (Scary Monsters)
Bowie's vocal performance here is one of his finest (the notes he hits here are inhuman!). This lively cover of Tom Verlaine's solo tune also features the wonderful Alomar-Davis-Murray rhythm section propelling it
5. Space Oddity *acoustic version (Scary Monsters, rykodisc reissue)
I actually think the more popular, orchestrated version of this tune is a little on the overcooked side. This simplistic guitar-drums-piano reworking serves the meaty lyrical subject matter a lot better
Album:
Heroes
I'm probably going out on a bit of a limb here, but this is probably my personal favourite. A mix-up of some razor-sharp, at times pretty crazy songs and some wonderfully moving instrumental pieces, it really does benefit so much from repeated listening
Similar Artists:
Gary Numan: This chap was influenced heavily by Bowie's collaborations with Brian Eno
Talking Heads: In collaborating with Eno themselves, these guys were always (certainly in my eyes) in a very similar musical ball-park to Bowie. They even started writing pop songs with prominent horn figures around the same time that Bowie did
I basically have David Bowie to thank for expanding my horizons musically. If it weren't for him I simply wouldn't be as hooked on music as I am these days. His back catalogue is also one of such diversity, which more often than not yielded truly remarkable results, something you simply can't say for a lot of singer/songwriters down the years
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