MB Bowie Classics: "David Bowie" (1967)

Trollheart · 05-13-2018, 12:10 PM

Not to be confused with his second album, also self-titled but which became better known by the title of his first real hit single, "Space Oddity". As Bowie is so iconic and I can't imagine anyone rating any of his albums very low, I'm just going to use a 1-5 rating system here, where 1 is terrible and 5 is classic. Just call me lazy.

As in other "MB Classics" threads, your vote only counts if you write something, but unlike those other threads, we're not so much concerned with the status of the album here as we are about talking about it.

~~Cuthbert~~ · 05-13-2018, 12:11 PM

Will vote in a bit.

Trollheart · 05-13-2018, 12:14 PM

Yeah, no hurry. Everyone probably needs to listen to the albums. I guess I'll do one a week if that's okay with everyone? I need to re-listen to this myself; remember being surprised and impressed when I did it as part of my Great Discography Project in my journal.

Chula Vista · 05-13-2018, 12:28 PM

3.

His unmistakable vocal stylings were already fully realized but the songwriting was very hit and miss. Plus no Mick Ronson.

Although it did have "Big" Jim Sullivan. Along with Jimmy Page ("Little" Jim), Sullivan was a top British session player for a good chunk of the 60s.

Psy-Fi · 05-13-2018, 12:57 PM

"Come and Buy My Toys" is the only song that kept me from giving this a 1 rating on the poll. To my ears, this is the weakest effort Bowie ever put forth musically and lyrically.

Trollheart · 05-13-2018, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psy-Fi

"Come and Buy My Toys" is the only song that kept me from giving this a 1 rating on the poll. To my ears, this is the weakest effort Bowie ever put forth musically and lyrically.

Well it was his debut. Gotta cut the guy some slack.

Edit: Just checking the track listing, I remember "Please Mister Gravedigger" really impressing me, but I need, as I said, to listen to it again. The whole album, I mean.

~~Cuthbert~~ · 05-13-2018, 02:49 PM

Voted 2.

Not a great album. Not very Bowie.

LYTT is my favourite, and that's average at best.

Signs that he was going to improve, but this is a forgettable release.

Sounds like a second rate Cockney Beatles album.

Trollheart · 05-13-2018, 05:52 PM

Okay well this remains as decent a debut as I remembered it. I love "Rubber Band", I think "Sell Me a Coat" could have been a future Bowie masterpiece, and of course there's a heavy Beatles/Kinks/Floyd-circa-Barrett influence on most of the material here, but I think it shows an artist who had so much more to give realising that he was perhaps a little restricted, leading to a change of direction for his second album, which would spawn his first hit single, and establish him as a proper music star. There's a lot of controversy in some of the lyrics too - listen to "We Are Hungry Men" - "Legalising mass abortion/ We will turn a blind eye to infanticide" - to say nothing of the unmistakably Hitlerian rant and the reference to cannibalism. Heavy stuff, surely, for the "swinging sixties".

Sounds like three guys from Charterhouse listened to this, as there are echoes of early Genesis in "When I Live My Dreams", with their debut only coming out two years later. Nice ballad. I'm not sure whether or not I'm becoming a tuba fan, but I must say I really like both "Rubber Band" and "The Little Bombardier" though the end of "Join the Gang" sounds like someone has had too many beans for dinner!

And yes, as I remembered, "Please Mr Gravedigger" is a great little semi-macabre a capella song that shows what Bowie would be capable of later. Love the sneeze (excuse me!) to tie in with the rain. Great little album. I'd give it a 3 I think.

Psy-Fi · 05-14-2018, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollheart

Well it was his debut. Gotta cut the guy some slack.

Meh. The album is weak and barely rises to the level of mediocrity. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Captain Beefheart, The Doors, Pink Floyd (just to name a few that became icons like Bowie) all had stellar debut albums (and in that same year) that are considered must-have "classics" of 60's rock.
I love a lot of Bowie's music but his debut album is forgettable.

~~Cuthbert~~ · 05-14-2018, 07:49 AM

I agree.

Just have to be honest.

He has like ten excellent albums three or four of which are classics.

Still arguably the best solo album discography in popular music.

His one after this though, was good. Then it becomes a mad ting until 1983.

Trying not to post all my thoughts at the moment and wait for each thread.

View Poll Results: All the Young (and Older) Dudes, Vote!
5	1	11.11%
4	0	0%
3	2	22.22%
2	3	33.33%
1	3	33.33%
Voters: 9. You may not vote on this poll

05-13-2018, 12:10 PM	#1 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	MB Bowie Classics: "David Bowie" (1967) Not to be confused with his second album, also self-titled but which became better known by the title of his first real hit single, "Space Oddity". As Bowie is so iconic and I can't imagine anyone rating any of his albums very low, I'm just going to use a 1-5 rating system here, where 1 is terrible and 5 is classic. Just call me lazy. As in other "MB Classics" threads, your vote only counts if you write something, but unlike those other threads, we're not so much concerned with the status of the album here as we are about talking about it. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

05-13-2018, 12:14 PM	#3 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Yeah, no hurry. Everyone probably needs to listen to the albums. I guess I'll do one a week if that's okay with everyone? I need to re-listen to this myself; remember being surprised and impressed when I did it as part of my Great Discography Project in my journal. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

05-13-2018, 12:28 PM	#4 (permalink)
Chula Vista Toasted Poster Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: SoCal by way of Boston Posts: 11,332	3. His unmistakable vocal stylings were already fully realized but the songwriting was very hit and miss. Plus no Mick Ronson. Although it did have "Big" Jim Sullivan. Along with Jimmy Page ("Little" Jim), Sullivan was a top British session player for a good chunk of the 60s. __________________ “The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well, on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”

05-13-2018, 05:52 PM	#8 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Okay well this remains as decent a debut as I remembered it. I love "Rubber Band", I think "Sell Me a Coat" could have been a future Bowie masterpiece, and of course there's a heavy Beatles/Kinks/Floyd-circa-Barrett influence on most of the material here, but I think it shows an artist who had so much more to give realising that he was perhaps a little restricted, leading to a change of direction for his second album, which would spawn his first hit single, and establish him as a proper music star. There's a lot of controversy in some of the lyrics too - listen to "We Are Hungry Men" - "Legalising mass abortion/ We will turn a blind eye to infanticide" - to say nothing of the unmistakably Hitlerian rant and the reference to cannibalism. Heavy stuff, surely, for the "swinging sixties". Sounds like three guys from Charterhouse listened to this, as there are echoes of early Genesis in "When I Live My Dreams", with their debut only coming out two years later. Nice ballad. I'm not sure whether or not I'm becoming a tuba fan, but I must say I really like both "Rubber Band" and "The Little Bombardier" though the end of "Join the Gang" sounds like someone has had too many beans for dinner! And yes, as I remembered, "Please Mr Gravedigger" is a great little semi-macabre a capella song that shows what Bowie would be capable of later. Love the sneeze (excuse me!) to tie in with the rain. Great little album. I'd give it a 3 I think. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

05-13-2018, 12:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
~~Cuthbert~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Black Country Posts: 8,827	Will vote in a bit.

05-13-2018, 02:49 PM	#7 (permalink)
~~Cuthbert~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Black Country Posts: 8,827	Voted 2. Not a great album. Not very Bowie. LYTT is my favourite, and that's average at best. Signs that he was going to improve, but this is a forgettable release. Sounds like a second rate Cockney Beatles album.

05-14-2018, 07:49 AM	#10 (permalink)
~~Cuthbert~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Black Country Posts: 8,827	I agree. Just have to be honest. He has like ten excellent albums three or four of which are classics. Still arguably the best solo album discography in popular music. His one after this though, was good. Then it becomes a mad ting until 1983. Trying not to post all my thoughts at the moment and wait for each thread.