Is THE LODGER David Bowie's best record?

Always wanted to start a thread about songs like 'African Night Flight' and Joni Mitchell's 'The Jungle Line' in which big rock artists go 'exotic'.

Brian Eno – synthesizers, ambient drone, prepared piano, cricket menace, guitar treatments, horse trumpet, eroica horn, piano, backing vocals

"African Night Flight" is the one featuring "cricket menace."

"Red Sails", you guys.

... it's "Monza" by Harmonia with Bowie on vocals, Adrian Belew on guitar. That'll do for me.

i really love this record and it is definitely my favourite when I am listening to it and shouting about THE HINTERLAND and THUNDER OCEAN.

FAFAFAFAFAFAFA

my favorite Bowie album

octave jump on "Move On" -- "somewhere someone's calling me / when the chips are downnnnnnnnn" = LOVE

this is my favorite of the 'berlin trilogy'

AYA
OOH
AYA
OOH

Cyprus is my island

in fan voyage love how he takes that trailing interrogative in "we'll never say anything nice again, will we?" - it should just hang loose at the end there, an afterthought - but he just fucking hits it & pushes it
weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

yes

I've been playing all my Bowie songs on random this week and Move On practically lept from the speakers. That is a titanic song.

"All the Young Dudes" backwards!

Is that what the weird background vocals are? Another "how did he do that" riddle solved. Now if I can only figure out what musical instrument is producing that crazy sound during the verses of TVC15.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYgNomvJpMs

Well, I'll be damned.

Now if I can only figure out what musical instrument is producing that crazy sound during the verses of TVC15.

I assumed those were falsetto vocals, but now that I listen more closely, who the fuck knows. Sounds like something on a loop, almost.

sounds like fuzzy guitar to me, if we're listening to the same part.

belew is so great on lodger. one thing i love about the mix is how his solos sound like they were beamed in from a studio on another planet and just left as is.

This album rules. "Fantastic Voyage" may be one of my favorite all-time tunes. "Never say anything nice again will we?" definitely an incredible moment. The lyrics in this song are amazing. "We're learning to live with somebody's depression".

"Move On" is really nice. Sails....moving on.... voyages... there is a lot of travelling on this album. Maybe the Krautrock/motorik influence?

I like the queasy feeling on "Repetition". "Red Money" is a nice way to close out but I may have had it ruined by hearing Iggy's superior "Sister Midnight" first.

Space Oddity - hunky dory - ziggy stardust is my favorite run. Love those three albums. Actually not completely sold on the berlin trilogy.

think of it as dream pop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3L58KyHC_M

I'll probably be the odd man out on this thread, but I've never understood the sequencing on this album. Opening with Look Back in Anger, Boys and DJ would have made more sense to me.

it's a fantastic voyage!

the wrong words make you listen

ha yeah it works conceptually I suppose. I'm just not crazy about side one of this album.

the side with "African Nighe Flight," "Move On," "Yassassin," and "Red Sails"?

that's the one! I don't know. Maybe I need to give it another listen...

You're the odd man out.

I usually am!

Reading Strange Facination by David Buckley (Alfred - I think you recommended this in another Bowie thread?) and he alludes to lots of material going unreleased that may see the light of day upon Bowie's passing.

My favourite on this record is 'Look Back In Anger', because drums.

woah i love side one. the sequencing on this album is perfect. i like "DJ" opening side 2.

side one is "Another Green World"-style dream-pop, side two is mutant disco

I like how 'Boys Keep Swinging' is exactly the same chords as 'Fantastic Voyage', but with everyone on the "wrong" instruments and a different topline.

Long time ago, I thought it was John Lennon doing the "waiting so long, I've been waiting so long" vocals on Don't Look Back.

xpost yes and they are pretty simple chords. it's all a lot of open A's and E's and D's and G's. nothing really fancy. these are his punk records, pretty much. just really simple straight-ahead songs that have been altered and skewed.

Scary Monsters always has seemed to get higher praise than Lodger, but I think Lodger is a far more consistent record. I always felt Scary Monsters dropped off a little on side 2.

Long time ago, I thought it was John Lennon doing the "waiting so long, I've been waiting so long" vocals on Don't Look Back.

― pplains

I've always thought they sound like George Harrison!

xpost Maybe, but that's because side one has Up the Hill, Fashion, Ashes to Ashes, Scary Monsters and It's No Game!

scary monsters is my total favorite bowie but even i admit side 2 has a bit of sag. But only a bit.

please keep discussion of inferior albums by The David Bowie off the "The Lodger" thread please

foiled by mark's interrogative thread title

David the Bowie

Scary Monsters always has seemed to get higher praise than Lodger, but I think Lodger is a far more consistent record. I always felt Scary Monsters dropped off a little on side 2.

― Turrican

the second side of SM is Bowie writing and singing to match Fripp's guitar and uh

I've always thought they sound like George Harrison!

– chap

Ha, probably a little more accurate. Maybe was thinking of John because of "Fame".

the "waiting so long" bit always reminded me of the "please don't be long" chorus in the Beatles' Blue Jay Way, so someone thinking it was Harrison makes sense to me.

I usually am!

Reading Strange Facination by David Buckley (Alfred - I think you recommended this in another Bowie thread?) and he alludes to lots of material going unreleased that may see the light of day upon Bowie's passing.

"I Pray, Ole" is on the Ryko reissue I have from those sessions which is a pretty solid cut.

Perhaps a re-annexation strategy like you say, but still, there's something about the way he sings "Project cancelled" and then the way he overdubs the "Re-e-e-e-e-d" part that thrills me. Mmm...think I'll have to listen to this tomorrow!

Every revive makes this album sound more and mire like the greatest album ever! :D