MB Bowie Classics: "Let's Dance"

Trollheart · 06-04-2018, 09:46 AM

Yeah well if you're going to give 5 to every album regardless, it kind of negates the whole point of rating. I mean, I love Marillion and Bon Jovi, but both have albums I'd rate as less than 5. Cave, Bush, Fogelberg, Waits ... all have bad albums and if you're too much of a fanboy to see that (talking to Hawk now) then it says more about you than the album(s) in question. Make the effort to score according to merit, otherwise it's absolutely and completely pointless. In my opinion.

~~MicShazam~~ · 06-04-2018, 01:29 PM

I mentioned a few albums like how it felt like Bowie had heard Roxy Music and tried to partially emulate them. This time around, Bryan Ferry seemed to pay back the favor, as his two dance pop albums Boys and Girls and Bete Noire both feel like an attempt at doing something in the vein of Let's Dance - both done a few years later.

I'll get to the disappointing bit right away: Ferry does it way, way better. Both of his dance pop albums are downright classics and particularly Boys and Girls gets a fair share of respect.

Bowie's first take on dancey 80's pop numbers is one of the blackest sheep in his entire discography, so I feared the worst. Actually, I don't think Let's Dance is bad by any means. It's a bit hit and miss, but I don't dislike any of the songs, and some are quite good. I really enjoy China Girl, for example.

Call it sacriliege, but I'm more likely to buy this one for my CD collection than most of the albums I've been through so far. It's not a classic, but it brings some variety next to his other albums and it's got some neat pop tunes spread across the disc. Some numbers aren't very good. I feel like the opening track, Modern love, does not quite fit in. It's too backwards looking, stylistically speaking, while the rest of the album is more modern. More 1983 and beyond. Modern Love feels like a lost Grease number.

I'm going with a 3/5 for this album, but like I said, I like how it's something different for Bowie, so it adds some discography variety. If the next two pop discs from Bowie are better than this one, I might not want to add it to my collection. But there's a possibility.

I'll take this an opportunity to suggest that you check out those two aforementioned Bryan Ferry albums. You won't regret it. Bowie may be a legend, but it's not always that he does the best available take on a particular style. Ferry upstages this album fiercely on Boys and Girls/Bete Noire. Don't be such a Bowie fanboy. Check them out with an open mind

_Previous ratings:__________________

(Rated on a scale relative to only Bowie's own discography, where 1 means the worst he's done and 5 means the best he's done.)
David Bowie: 1/5
Space Oddity: 2/5
The Man Who Sold The World 4/5
Hunky Dory 3/5
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust 3/5
Aladdin Sane 3/5
PinUps 2/5
Diamond Dogs 2/5
Young Americans 1/5
Station to Station 4/5
Low 5/5
Heroes 4/5
Lodger 3.5/5
Scary Monsters 3/5
Let's Dance 3/5
Tonight
Never Let Me Down
Black Tie White Noise
1. Outside
Earthling
Hours
Heathen
Reality
The Next Day
Blackstar

Psy-Fi · 06-04-2018, 04:46 PM

Robert Fripp departs (again) and Stevie Ray Vaughan steps in on guitar. Bowie goes even more mainstream with an album of mostly pop and dance songs, beginning what he called his "Phil Collins years." Bowie wound up with four hit songs on this album; "Modern Love", "China Girl" (from "The Idiot" by Iggy Pop), "Let's Dance", and "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" (originally recorded by Bowie for the remake of the "Cat People" film and re-recorded for this album.)
The rest of the album features three original songs and one cover, and all four songs are rather unremarkable and forgettable.

This album marks the beginning of my losing interest in David Bowie's future studio albums until he formed "Tin Machine" in 1988.

3/5

Trollheart · 06-04-2018, 04:55 PM

I'm the reverse. I loved this album, and it's the first time I heard it all the way through. Assumed it would drop off in quality after the singles, but no, it maintained that excellence all through, right to the end. Another 4 here, only because I can find slight fault with there being yet another cover so far into his career. He doesn't need to be doing this. But a great album anyway.

Anteater · 06-04-2018, 11:21 PM

One of Bowie's few albums that actually sounds "fun" from start to finish. Even the most forgettable cuts on Side B have a cool guitar solo or some punchy production to back 'em up, and that goes a long way for me compared to the forced "I'm an artiste111" schtick he had going on there for awhile.

In a bizarre way, Let's Dance remains one of his strongest overall outings, matched only by Low, his early 70's classics and (at the very end) Blackstar. Giving it a 5.

Psy-Fi · 06-05-2018, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anteater

One of Bowie's few albums that actually sounds "fun" from start to finish. Even the most forgettable cuts on Side B have a cool guitar solo or some punchy production to back 'em up, and that goes a long way for me compared to the forced "I'm an artiste111" schtick he had going on there for awhile.

In a bizarre way, Let's Dance remains one of his strongest overall outings, matched only by Low, his early 70's classics and (at the very end) Blackstar. Giving it a 5.

I agree. Even though it doesn't interest me as much as most of the albums he released in the 70's, I think it's the least pretentious and most upbeat album of his career.

uncle salty · 06-12-2018, 10:19 AM

I've never been a big Bowie fan, but I've also never disliked him, either.

When Let's Dance came out, it was a weird time for music. MTV had arrived, and it was suddenly just as important to be visually appealing.

It was tough, seeing artists like Aerosmith, Springsteen, Queen, and yes, Bowie, changing who they were in order to be seen on MTV.

I've softened my stance over the years, because I know now these bands were simply changing with the times to remain relevant.

That being said, it was interesting to see David Bowie playing his most interesting (and difficult) character of his music career...himself.

No costumes, makeup, effects, etc. Just music.

And pretty good music, at that. Someone mentioned earlier it being an upbeat album all the wat through, and I agree.

I'm giving it a 3.5, (rounded up to a 4)because of the overall vibe, and that young gunslinger Stevie Ray Vaughan's work. (BTW, SRV's name is spelled incorrectly on the album)

rubber soul · 06-22-2018, 02:29 AM

Actually, I liked this album a little more than I expected. Still isn't anything great and I'm very much not into the more commercial Bowie. The singles are pretty decent and the album cuts (except Shake It) are not godawful. Best tracks are China Girl and Cat People. I really hated the Let's Dance video when I saw it on MTV, but now it doesn't sound so bad. Still a pretty mediocre album though.

5/10 (The Word has spoken

)

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06-04-2018, 09:46 AM	#11 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Yeah well if you're going to give 5 to every album regardless, it kind of negates the whole point of rating. I mean, I love Marillion and Bon Jovi, but both have albums I'd rate as less than 5. Cave, Bush, Fogelberg, Waits ... all have bad albums and if you're too much of a fanboy to see that (talking to Hawk now) then it says more about you than the album(s) in question. Make the effort to score according to merit, otherwise it's absolutely and completely pointless. In my opinion. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-04-2018, 04:55 PM	#14 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	I'm the reverse. I loved this album, and it's the first time I heard it all the way through. Assumed it would drop off in quality after the singles, but no, it maintained that excellence all through, right to the end. Another 4 here, only because I can find slight fault with there being yet another cover so far into his career. He doesn't need to be doing this. But a great album anyway. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

06-04-2018, 01:29 PM	#12 (permalink)
~~MicShazam~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Aalborg Posts: 7,636	I mentioned a few albums like how it felt like Bowie had heard Roxy Music and tried to partially emulate them. This time around, Bryan Ferry seemed to pay back the favor, as his two dance pop albums Boys and Girls and Bete Noire both feel like an attempt at doing something in the vein of Let's Dance - both done a few years later. I'll get to the disappointing bit right away: Ferry does it way, way better. Both of his dance pop albums are downright classics and particularly Boys and Girls gets a fair share of respect. Bowie's first take on dancey 80's pop numbers is one of the blackest sheep in his entire discography, so I feared the worst. Actually, I don't think Let's Dance is bad by any means. It's a bit hit and miss, but I don't dislike any of the songs, and some are quite good. I really enjoy China Girl, for example. Call it sacriliege, but I'm more likely to buy this one for my CD collection than most of the albums I've been through so far. It's not a classic, but it brings some variety next to his other albums and it's got some neat pop tunes spread across the disc. Some numbers aren't very good. I feel like the opening track, Modern love, does not quite fit in. It's too backwards looking, stylistically speaking, while the rest of the album is more modern. More 1983 and beyond. Modern Love feels like a lost Grease number. I'm going with a 3/5 for this album, but like I said, I like how it's something different for Bowie, so it adds some discography variety. If the next two pop discs from Bowie are better than this one, I might not want to add it to my collection. But there's a possibility. I'll take this an opportunity to suggest that you check out those two aforementioned Bryan Ferry albums. You won't regret it. Bowie may be a legend, but it's not always that he does the best available take on a particular style. Ferry upstages this album fiercely on Boys and Girls/Bete Noire. Don't be such a Bowie fanboy. Check them out with an open mind _Previous ratings:__________________ (Rated on a scale relative to only Bowie's own discography, where 1 means the worst he's done and 5 means the best he's done.) David Bowie: 1/5 Space Oddity: 2/5 The Man Who Sold The World 4/5 Hunky Dory 3/5 The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust 3/5 Aladdin Sane 3/5 PinUps 2/5 Diamond Dogs 2/5 Young Americans 1/5 Station to Station 4/5 Low 5/5 Heroes 4/5 Lodger 3.5/5 Scary Monsters 3/5 Let's Dance 3/5 Tonight Never Let Me Down Black Tie White Noise 1. Outside Earthling Hours Heathen Reality The Next Day Blackstar

06-12-2018, 10:19 AM	#17 (permalink)
uncle salty Music Addict Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 74	I've never been a big Bowie fan, but I've also never disliked him, either. When Let's Dance came out, it was a weird time for music. MTV had arrived, and it was suddenly just as important to be visually appealing. It was tough, seeing artists like Aerosmith, Springsteen, Queen, and yes, Bowie, changing who they were in order to be seen on MTV. I've softened my stance over the years, because I know now these bands were simply changing with the times to remain relevant. That being said, it was interesting to see David Bowie playing his most interesting (and difficult) character of his music career...himself. No costumes, makeup, effects, etc. Just music. And pretty good music, at that. Someone mentioned earlier it being an upbeat album all the wat through, and I agree. I'm giving it a 3.5, (rounded up to a 4)because of the overall vibe, and that young gunslinger Stevie Ray Vaughan's work. (BTW, SRV's name is spelled incorrectly on the album)