Episodes
Monday Jul 23, 2018
Loving the Alien: How Wrong Charlie Was
Monday Jul 23, 2018
Monday Jul 23, 2018
I'm Charlie and I like David Bowie.
A few weeks ago, I made some low energy predictions about what would show up in the next Bowie box set, these type of predictions becoming something of a cottage industry amongst Bowie fans on message boards across this great web. Then, last week, they actually announced it for real. So, what's in it? And why does it matter? And most importantly, how did I do?
The Basics
First, the basics.
The new box set will be called Loving the Alien (1983-1988) and will be released on October 12. It's 15 LPS or 11 CDs (or digital if you're into that kind of thing). The cover features a sensitive, pensive late 1980s Bowie with his shirt unbuttoned to his navel and a gigantic belt buckle. No one knows why.
I got the title wrong, which honestly was a crap shoot and I definitely made some general mistakes because we ended up with 15 LPs when the three previous sets all contained exactly 13. Oh well. Let's take a look at the contents one release at a time and find out just how I did. For the sake of consistency, I'm going to rate myself using the rigorous assessment of YES, NO, or MAYBE SO. Let's hit it.
Release #1: Let's Dance (1 LP/1 CD)
The Deal: Let's Dance is a shiny, poppy hit factory and Bowie's best-selling album of all time, featuring the mammoth singles "China Girl", "Modern Love", and, you know, "Let's Dance".
Did Charlie predict it? YES. Everyone who ever even thought about trying to begin to wonder about the contents of this box set got this one right.
Release #2: Serious Moonlight (Live '83) (2 LP/2 CD)
The Deal: This is definitely one of the more exciting albums in the box. Serious Moonlight was previously released on VHS, DVD, and sweet, sweet Laserdisc as a live video from Bowie's 1983 tour. But this is its first audio-only version making it technically "previously unreleased".
Did Charlie predict it? MAYBE SO. I did mention this in my original post, giving it a 40% chance of making the cut. I didn't include it in my final prediction, though, to be fair. I thought it would be released at Record Store Day next year instead.
Release #3: Tonight (1 LP/1 CD)
The Deal: Tonight is Bowie's decidedly less exciting follow-up to every other full-length in his career up to that point. The 1984 studio album is undoubtedly the most phoned in album of his career (though not actually the worst in my opinion).
Did Charlie predict it? YES. Again, this was an obvious one.
Release #4: Never Let Me Down (1 LP/1 CD)
The Deal: The self-described nadir of Bowie's career, 1987's Never Let Me Down found Bowie definitely trying harder but failing even worse. Most people believe this to be Bowie's worst album. It's hard to disagree.
Did Charlie predict it? YES. Unfortunately, I predicted this one as well.
Release #5: Never Let Me Down (2018) (2 LP/1 CD)
The Deal: A rather exciting, rather unexpected addition. Various Bowie collaborators worked together on a "new production" of the infamous album. It features new arrangements and newly recorded instrumentation including strings. They've released one song already (listen to it on Spotify here) and it's already a breath of fresh air. This promises to be a fascinating remake.
Did Charlie predict it? MAYBE SO. I did predict that there would be a remix of an existing album, but I thought it would be Let's Dance. And I never imagined it would be so completely remade.
Release #6: Glass Spider (Live Montreal '87) (3 LP/2 CD)
The Deal: Another live album, this time from 1987. While this was previously released, it was on CD only and as bonus discs on a UK-only DVD or something that is long out of print. I don't already own it so I'm excited.
Did Charlie predict it? YES. I guessed this one for sure. Go me.
Release #7: Dance (2 LP/1 CD)
The Deal: Bowie released enough remixes in the 80s and 90s to submerge a small island nation. Many of them are terrible so it's kind of nice that Dance is a curated compilation of just 12 of them from '83-'88. Please note that Dance is NOT the never-released-for-some-reason 1985 "mega-mix" remix album that has been reported in the annals of Bowie's complex history. It does, however, use the lost album's boring name and so-bad-it's-good cover art.
Did Charlie predict it? YES and NO. I did predict a curated remix compilation, but I also predicted that the actual unreleased Dance album would see the light of day too. It clearly won't.
Release #8: Re:Call 4 (3 LP/2 CD)
The Deal: An "odds and sods" type release with the requisite single edits, non-album singles, soundtrack contributions and the like.
Did Charlie predict it? YES. This was a no-brainer. Notably, however, I expected this to only be 2 LPs instead of 3. The reason is that I predicted stand alone releases for the Labyrinth soundtrack and the original edited LP version of Never Let Me Down. Both were folded into Re:Call instead which is a couple of big fat NOs on my record. Oh well.
So over all, I didn't do too shabby, eh? Now we just have to wait three months for the confounded thing to be released...
Comments (0)
To leave or reply to comments, please download free Podbean or
No Comments
To leave or reply to comments,
please download free Podbean App.