David Bowie - 5x Blu-SpecCD2 Collection. 1993-2003 (2013)

Features the high-fidelity Blu-spec CD2 format (compatible with standard CD players). Comes with lyrics and a description. Part of a 5-album David Bowie Blu-spec CD2 reissue series featuring albums "Outside," "Earthling," "Hours," "Heathen," and "Reality." Blu-spec CD2 is the next generation Compact Disc that employs the Phase Transition Mastering, the technology developed for mastering of Blu-ray discs, to further perfect the acclaimed characteristics of Blu-spec CD. Fully compatible with standard CD players, Blu-spec CD2 completely alters the experience of music.

David Bowie seemed like an artist without direction ever since the success of Let's Dance, switching styles and genres with a speed that made him appear nervous, not innovative. Recorded with his former collaborator Brian Eno, Outside was intended to return some luster to his rapidly tarnishing reputation. Instead of faux soul or mainstream pop – or even dissonant hard rock, for that matter – Bowie concentrates on the atmospheric, disturbing electronic soundscapes of his late-'70s "Berlin" trilogy (Low, Heroes, and Lodger), adding slight, but detectable, elements of industrial, grunge, and ambient techno. Bowie also raised the stakes by making Outside the first in a series of concept albums about mystery, murder, art, and cyberspace. Everything that would have made Outside a triumphant comeback seemed to be in place, but the album is severely flawed. Not only is the story poorly developed and confusing, but the album is simply too long. Throughout the record, good ideas bubble to the surface, yet are never fully explored, and the sheer bulk of the album means that the good songs – "Hallo Spaceboy," "Strangers When We Meet," "The Hearts Filthy Lesson" – are buried underneath the weight of the mediocre material. Furthermore, nothing on the album is a departure from Bowie's late-'70s records; when he does experiment with newer musical forms or write about futuristic technology, he seems unsure of himself. That said, Outside is Bowie's most satisfying and adventurous album since Let's Dance. It's clear that he's trying once again, and when he does hit his mark, he remains a brilliant artist.

Musicians:

David Bowie - Vocals, Saxophone, Guitar &Keyboards
Brian Eno - Synthesizers, Treatments & Strategies
Reeves Gabrels - Guitar
Erdal Kizilcay - Bass & Keyboards
Mike Garson - Grand Piano
Sterling Campbell - Drums
Carlos Alomar - Rhythm Guitar
Joey Barron - Drums
Yossi Fine - Bass
Tom Frish - Additional Guitar on " Strangers When We Meet"
Kevin Armstrong - Additional Guitar on 'Thru' These Architects Eyes"
Bryony, Lola, Josey ft Ruby Edwards - Backing Vocals on The Hearts Filthy Lesson' and 'I Am With Name'

Produced by David Bowie & Brian Eno
Co-Produced & Engineered by David Richards
Assistant Engineers: Ben Fenner, Andy Grassi, Jon Goldberger, Demonik Tarqua

Track List:

01. Leon Takes Us Outside [1:25]
02. Outside [4:05]
03. The Hearts Filthy Lesson [4:58]
04. A Small Plot Of Land [6:35]
05. Segue - Baby Grace (A Horrid Cassette) [1:40]
06. Hallo Spaceboy [5:14]
07. The Motel [6:51]
08. I Have Not Been To Oxford Town [3:49]
09. No Control [4:33]
10. Segue - Algeria Touchshriek [2:04]
11. The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction (As Beauty) [4:21]
12. Segue - Ramona A. Stone/I Am With Name [4:01]
13. Wishful Beginnings [5:09]
14. We Prick You [4:35]
15. Segue - Nathan Adler [1:01]
16. I'm Deranged [4:31]
17. Thru' These Architects Eyes [4:22]
18. Segue - Nethan Adler [0:29]
19. Strangers When We Meet [5:07]
20. Get Real (Japanese Bonus Track) [2:51]

Jumping on the post-grunge industrial bandwagon with Outside didn't successfully rejuvenate David Bowie's credibility or sales, so he switched his allegiance to techno and jungle for the follow-up, Earthling. While jungle is a more appropriate fit than industrial, the resulting music is nearly as awkward. Though he often gets the sound of jungle right, the record frequently sounds as if the beats were simply grafted on top of pre-existing songs. Never are the songs broken open by a new form; they are fairly conventional Bowie songs with fancy production. Fortunately, Bowie sounds rejuvenated by this new form, and songs like "Little Wonder" and "Seven Years in Tibet" are far stronger than the bulk of Outside. Still, the record falls short of its goals, and it doesn't offer enough intrigue or innovations to make Earthling anything more than an admirable effort.

Musicians:

David Bowie – Vocals, Guitar, Alto Saxophone, Samples, Keyboards
Reeves Gabrels – Programming, Synthesisers, Real and Sampled Guitars, Vocals
Mark Plati – Programming, Loops, Samples, Keyboards
Gail Ann Dorsey – Bass, Vocals
Zachary Alford – Drum Loops, Acoustic Drums, Electronic Percussion
Mike Garson – Keyboards, Piano

Produced by David Bowie
Engineered and mixed by Mark Plati
Mastered by Bob Ludvig at Gateway mastering, Portland

Track List:

01. Little Wonder [6:02]
02. Looking For Satellites [5:21]
03. Battle For Britain (The Letter) [4:49]
04. Seven Years In Tibet [6:22]
05. Dead Man Walking [7:26]
06. Telling Lies [4:50]
07. The Last Thing You Should Do [4:58]
08. I'm Afraid Of Americans [5:00]
09. Law (Earthlings On Fire) [4:52]
10. Telling Lies (Adam F Mix) (Japanese Bonus Track) [4:01]

Since David Bowie spent the '90s jumping from style to style, it comes as a shock that Hours, his final album of the decade, is a relatively straightforward affair. Not only that, but it feels unlike anything else in his catalog. Bowie's music has always been a product of artifice, intelligence, and synthesis. Hours… is a relaxed, natural departure from this method. Arriving after two labored albums, the shift in tone is quite refreshing. "Thursday's Child," the album's engaging mid-tempo opener, is a good indication of what lays ahead. It feels like classic Bowie, yet recalls no specific era of his career. For the first time, Bowie has absorbed all the disparate strands of his music, from Hunky Dory through Earthling. That doesn't mean Hours… is on par with his earlier masterworks; it never attempts to be that bold. What it does mean is that it's the first album where he has accepted his past and is willing to use it as a foundation for new music. That's the reason why Hours… feels open, even organic – he's no longer self-conscious, either about living up to his past or creating a new future. It's a welcome change, and it produces some fine music, particularly on the first half of the record, which is filled with such subdued, subtly winning songs as "Something in the Air," "Survive," and "Seven." Toward the end of the album, Bowie branches into harder material, which isn't quite as successful as the first half of the album, yet shares a similar sensibility. And that's what's appealing about Hours… – it may not be one of Bowie's classics, but it's the work of a masterful musician who has begun to enjoy his craft again and isn't afraid to let things develop naturally.

Musicians:

David Bowie - Vocals, keyboards & 12 string acoustic guitar, Roland 707 drum programming.
Reeves Gabrels - Lead & rhythm, electric & 6 and 12 string acoustic guitars, drum loops, synth and drum programming.
Mark Plati - Bass, acoustic & electric 12 string guitar, synth and drum programming and mellotron on "Survive".
Mike Levesque - Drums.
Sterling Campbell - Drums on "Seven," "New Angels of Promise" and "The Dreamers".
Chris Haskett - Rhythm guitar on "It I'm Dreaming My Life".
Everett Bradley - Percussion on "Seven",
Holly Palmer - Backing vocals on "Thursday's Child".

Produced by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels.
Additional Production and Engineering by Mark Plati.
Engineerede by Kevin Paul, mixed by Mark Plati.
Overdubs and Mix: Looking Glass and Chung Krng Studios, New York.
Mastered by Andy Van Dette at Masterdisk

Track List:

01. Thursday's Child [5:23]
02. Something In The Air [5:46]
03. Survive [4:11]
04. If I'm Dreaming My Life [7:05]
05. Seven [4:05]
06. What's Really Happening? [4:10]
07. The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell [4:41]
08. New Angels Of Promise [4:37]
09. Brilliant Adventure [1:52]
10. The Dreamers [5:13]
11. We All Go Through (Japanese Bonus Track) [4:08]

Heathen marks a new beginning for David Bowie in some ways – it's his first record since leaving Virgin, his first for Columbia Records, his first for his new label, ISO – yet it's hardly a new musical direction. Like Hours, this finds Bowie sifting through the sounds of his past, completely at ease with his legacy, crafting a colorful, satisfying album that feels like a classic Bowie album. That's not to say that Heathen recalls any particular album or any era in specific, yet there's a deliberate attempt to recapture the atmosphere, the tone of his '70s work – there's a reason that Bowie decided to reteam with Tony Visconti, the co-producer of some of his best records, for this album – even if direct comparisons are hard to come by. Which is exactly what's so impressive about this album. Bowie and Visconti never shy away from electronic instrumentations or modern production – if anything, they embrace it – but it's woven into Bowie's sound subtly, never drawing attention to the drum loops, guitar synths, and washes of electronica. For that matter, guest spots by Dave Grohl and Pete Townshend (both on guitar) don't stand out either; they're merely added texture to this an album that's intricately layered, but always plays smoothly and alluringly. And, make no mistake, this is an alluring, welcoming, friendly album – there are some moody moments, but Bowie takes Neil Young's eerie "I've Been Waiting for You" and Pixies' elusively brutal, creepy "Cactus" and turns them sweet, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, either. In the end, that's the key to Heathen – the undercurrent of happiness, not in the lyrics, but in the making of music, a realization by Bowie and Visconti alike that they are perfect collaborators. Unlike their previous albums together, this doesn't boldly break new ground, but that's because, 22 years after their last collaboration, Scary Monsters, both Bowie and Visconti don't need to try as hard, so they just focus on the craft. The result is an understated, utterly satisfying record, his best since Scary Monsters, simply because he'd never sounded as assured and consistent since.

Musicians:

David Bowie – Vocals, Keyboards, Guitars, Saxophone, Stylophone, Backing vocals, Drums
Tony Visconti – Bass guitar, Guitars, Backing vocals
Matt Chamberlain – Drums, Drum loop programming, Percussion
David Torn – Guitars, Guitar loops, Omnichord

Produced by David Bowie AND Tony Visconti
Recorded At The Looking Glass Studios
Mastered At The Lodge, New York

Track List:

01. Sunday 4:45
02. Cactus 2:55
03. Slip Away 6:05
04. Slow Burn 4:41
05. Afraid 3:28
06. I've Been Waiting For You 3:00
07. I Would Be Your Slave 5:14
08. I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship 4:07
09. 5.15 The Angels Have Gone 5:02
10. Everyone Says 'Hi' 3:58
11. A Better Future 4:11
12. Heathen (The Rays) 4:18
13. Wood Jackson (Bonus Track / Japan Only) 4:46

Instead of being a one-off comeback, 2002's Heathen turned out to be where David Bowie settled into a nice groove for his latter-day career, if 2003's Reality is any indication. Working once again with producer Tony Visconti, Bowie again returns to a sound from the past, yet tweaks it enough to make it seem modern, not retro. Last time around, he concentrated on his early-'70s sound, creating an amalgam of Hunky Dory through Heroes. With Reality, he picks up where he left off, choosing to revise the sound of Heroes through Scary Monsters, with the latter functioning as a sonic blueprint for the album. Basically, Reality is a well-adjusted Scary Monsters, minus the paranoia and despair – and if those two ingredients were key to the feeling and effect of that album, it's a credit to Bowie that he's found a way to retain the sound and approach of that record, but turn it bright and cheerful and keep it interesting. Since part of the appeal of Monsters is the creeping sense of unease and its icy detachment, it would seem that a warmer, mature variation on that would not be successful, but Bowie and Visconti are sharp record-makers, retaining what works – layers of voices and guitars, sleek keyboards, coolly propulsive rhythms – and tying them to another strong set of songs. Like Heathen, the songs deliberately recall classic Bowie by being both tuneful and adventurous, both hallmarks of his '70s work. If this isn't as indelible as anything he cut during that decade, that's merely the fate of mature work by veteran rockers. So, Reality doesn't have the shock of the new, but it does offer some surprises, chief among them the inventive, assured production and memorable songs. It's a little artier than Heathen, but similar in its feel and just as satisfying. Both records are testaments to the fact that veteran rockers can make satisfyingly classicist records without resulting in nostalgia or getting too comfortable. With any luck, Bowie will retain this level of quality for a long time to come.

Musicians:

David Bowie – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Saxophone, Stylophone, Synthesiser
Sterling Campbell, Matt Chamberlain – Drums
Gerry Leonard – Guitar
Earl Slick – Guitar
Mark Plati – Bass guitar, Guitar
Mike Garson – Piano
David Torn – Guitar
Gail Ann Dorsey – Backing vocals
Catherine Russell – Backing vocals

Recorded at The Looking Glass Studios and The Hitching Post Studio
Mastered by Emily Lazar at The Lodge, New York
Produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti

Track List:

01. New Killer Star [4:40]
02. Pablo Picasso [4:06]
03. Never Get Old [4:25]
04. The Loneliest Guy [4:12]
05. Looking For Water [3:28]
06. She'll Drive The Big Car [4:35]
07. Days [3:19]
08. Fall Dog Bombs The Moon [4:04]
09. Try Some, Buy Some [4:25]
10. Reality [4:24]
11. Bring Me The Disco King [7:51]
12. Waterloo Sunset (Japanese Bonus Track) [3:28]