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Post by daveythefatboy on Sept 28, 2020 19:07:16 GMT
Okay - a bit of a windup, but kind of a serious question too.
That he was great seems pretty obvious. Still a lot of y’all seem to hold him up as the platonic ideal of a pop musician. But is he? His songs are a bit ephemeral, and all of that shape-shifting didn’t really add up to anything greater - did it?
I can probably make a convincing argument either direction. But I’m interested in seeing whether any of you Boowie-heads are willing to put him to any real scrutiny.
C’mon. Kill your idols. Make your best case that he might not actually be all that.
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Post by tory on Sept 28, 2020 19:10:23 GMT
I'm not interested in Bowie pre-Heroes/Low or post-Heroes/Low.
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Post by "APES BLY" on Sept 28, 2020 19:13:35 GMT
I can't excuse his more flowery arrangements and his awful OTT squawking on tracks that some people think are masterpieces. In other words, I'm not a huge fan.
But no other solo artist of the rock era had a more interesting career, produced more great music, and did more for popular culture as a whole. That's as close to a fact as you're likely to see on a forum such as ours.
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rayge
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Post by rayge on Sept 28, 2020 19:16:19 GMT
I'm a dissenter anyway. I find that most people on music message boards rate him much higher than I do. Yoiu're looking at a career of forty-odd years, four or five fine to outstanding singles, one great album, four more that are all right in patches: and some phases of his career when he put out the most dreadful shit. My take on him was that he desperately wanted to be an important artist, to have that cachet, but when it came to expressing himself, he found he didn't have much of interest or importance that he wanted to say, so he dressed it up with camp and theatre and absurd clothing.
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Post by daveythefatboy on Sept 28, 2020 19:17:57 GMT
Then there’s the mime. Account for the mime.
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Post by bungo the mungo on Sept 28, 2020 19:21:40 GMT
probably not, even though i voted 'yes'.
he sort of follows the same trajectory as the stones, for me. i personally can't stand him after the 70s.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2020 19:22:11 GMT
Well, let's dance until next day is peppered with some highs but mostly uninspired run of the mill music. Previous to that it is an extraordinary catalogue. Before he died and pre post dance when it mattered and he was focused he was the best star this country ever produced. We don't for instance ask about whether his one great album is overrated. There are not one but several. History will , probably already has shown that in this country he was our most important artist.
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Post by ~ / % ? * on Sept 28, 2020 19:25:11 GMT
His constant inability to turn water into wine, made me question his greatness. Over rated, yes, after the costume changes, there ain't much there, thin songwriting, wholly dependent on more musically talented foils, derivative of whatever was going on, put in his place by Jimmy Page, despite both sharing crumbling moral underpinnings, but seems to have aged well, and possibly better in death than in life. Otherwise, one of the great Britons.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2020 19:44:21 GMT
so he dressed it up with camp and theatre and absurd clothing. Like a cunt in a clown suit?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2020 19:54:26 GMT
Then there’s the mime. Account for the mime. Perhaps he should have pretended he could surf.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2020 19:56:33 GMT
No.
Although it won't stop a load of people saying otherwise. The only posters who I'm expecting sensible comments from are Goat Boy and Cousinlou.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2020 20:16:31 GMT
Of course. We've never been able to get serious, respectful discussion on him on BCB. He's become a kind of blood sport to amuse on these forums.
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Post by daveythefatboy on Sept 28, 2020 20:20:17 GMT
Of course. We've never been able to get serious, respectful discussion on him on BCB. He's become a kind of blood sport to amuse on these forums. Aww...☹️
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Post by DarknessFish on Sept 28, 2020 20:22:02 GMT
I've probably argued against him in the past, but as far as mainstream popstars go, he's more interesting than most. In my humble opinion, only Hunky Dory and Aladdin Sane are great albums, but I get that he didn't rest on his laurels, and released bunch of other stuff that plenty of people love, in a fair range of styles over the years. It wasn't all dressing up, wasn't all skin-deep, there are significant changes between Ziggy and Diamond Dogs, to Low, to whatever he was playing at in the 80s.
I wouldn't defend it all, but there's generally something to be enjoyed, whatever he did.
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Post by "APES BLY" on Sept 28, 2020 20:24:20 GMT
Of course. We've never been able to get serious, respectful discussion on him on BCB. He's become a kind of blood sport to amuse on these forums. I don't think that's true. The RIP thread on BCB is pretty special and of course very respectful. One of the very few occasions in my life I've ever felt like I needed that forum - and I'm sure I wasn't the only one. www.bcb-board.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=130148
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