Polling for the Scythe: The David Bowie Let's Dance Poll

Haha, I forgot that it is different! I haven't heard this entire album in probably ten years.

This (well, the "Let's Dance" single actually) is where my Bowie fandom started. Loved "Modern Love", the title cut, and "Cat People" (especially the sound of the guitar) the most at the time. Found "Ricochet" weird but interesting and the two side closers weird and rubbing me the wrong way (still don't like the way he used his voice in those songs). I'll ponder a bit more - my vote will probably go to "Modern Love" or "Let's Dance".

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Late lobby for this gem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gjZP8OPH-U

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I have that Criminal World by Metro, some place...

Performance
David Bowie – lead vocals, saxophone, guitar, keyboards
Carmine Rojas – bass guitar
Omar Hakim, Tony Thompson – drums
Nile Rodgers – guitar
Stevie Ray Vaughan – lead guitar
Rob Sabino – keyboards
Mac Gollehon – trumpet
Robert Aaron, Lenny Pickett, Stan Harrison – tenor saxophone, flute
Steve Elson – baritone saxophone, flute
Sammy Figueroa – percussion
Frank Simms, George Simms, David Spinner – backing vocals
David Bowie, Nile Rodgers – horn arrangements
Bernard Edwards – bass guitar on "Without You"

Technical
David Bowie – producer
Nile Rodgers – producer
Bob Clearmountain, Nile Rodgers, David Bowie – engineering/mixing

For some reason I thought it was all of Chic playing back-up (esp. "Let's Dance"), but wiki says Bernie only plays bass on "Without You".

Nile must have taught Rojas the Let's Dance bass line ya?

Are those credits correct? Bowie has said repeatedly that this was the album on which he played "not a damn thing"; it was his singer album.

It is wikipedia, it must be true.

Heading over to AMG...

I mean, I take Bowie at his word: you can usually distinguish his untutored playing from everyone else's, and this album epitomizes studio perfectionalism.

Meh... just as sloppy over there. Discogs is no help either.

Criminal World is damn good.

And Shake It is damned weird.

There's more than a little Young Americans to Bowie's vocals on this record.

re: the credits discussed above, this is what the '99 remaster lists:

Personnel:
Carmine Rojas (bass)
Omar Hakim, Tony Thompson (drums)
Nile Rodgers (guitar)
Stevie Ray Vaughn (lead guitar)
Rob Sabino (keyboards)
Mac Gollehon (trumpets)
Robert Arron, Stan Harrison (tenor and flute)
Steve Elson (baritone and flute)
Sammy Figueroa (percussion)
Frank Simms, George Simms, David Spinner (backing vocals)
David Bowie, Nile Rodgers (horn arrangements)
Bernard Edwards (bass on 'Without You')

Would have went with 'Modern Love'.

The first side of this album is basically perfect. never really been so keen on the second though.

comes down to "modern love" and "without you" for me.

if Alfa Anderson had sung "Without You" it'd be a keeper. As it is it's an arrangement in search of a singer.

the bass on "china girl" is all time

This record could really use "Blue Jean".

Tonight could really use "Without You."

I've only just clocked how good Richochet is.

David Bowie, 1983 by Greg Gorman. pic.twitter.com/uWT0GTmRsg

— David Bowie News (@davidbowie_news) September 7, 2017

China Girl has always sucked, eh?.

I was about to put forth a theory that the mediocre "China Girl" and "Let's Dance" must have been riding a wave started by the awesome "Modern Love," but I just checked and discovered that ML was the *third* single released from the album, after those other two. I guess people actually like those songs, then?

A telling sign that ML was a third single was that while LD and CG both had splashy big-budget narrative videos, it got the lip-synched "live concert clip" treatment.

haha yeah

Let's Dance rules though, as do the vocals on China Girl

Sorry this is a really poor album...even the cover of ‘Criminal World’ (which is a great song) changes the lyrics so the subversive nature is lost...and I’ll say this quietly but I really dislike Stevie Ray Vaughan’s playing...it’s just somehow rong’...

...and I thought I couldn’t love Bowie any more

https://tidal.com/track/82969018

'Ricochet' was robbed.