Anticipate David Bowie's BLACKSTAR

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i have so few rare vinyl pressings anymore I think I'll just hold on to this one.

akm, Tuesday, 26 January 2016 14:54 (eight years ago) link

I finally bought the album today ... was afraid to before bcz too much crying

It's really beautiful... I was kinda surprised? I shouldn't be, but the poetic-ness of it as a whole piece is really flooring me

And I love the final track, all that beautiful sax

Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 29 January 2016 22:48 (eight years ago) link

like it is a bit sad in places but it's not as dark as I expected

there's a sound in his voice on one track, i cant remember which, where i can hear the physical frailty... i can only explain it as "hearing his teeth"... my mother in law sounded the same way, she had reached that point of frailty/emaciation where her teeth were almost too big in her mouth, like someone with new dentures. makes me sad still to hear that

Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 29 January 2016 22:55 (eight years ago) link

Just been comparing the two recordings of "Sue". There's not much between them, but at a pinch I prefer the original arrangement over the Blackstar version.

Another thing to note is that the first version ends on Sue, goodbye, whereas in the second the lyrics are extended and there's a two new verses after that puts the rest of the song in a different(less personal?) context - Sue, I found your note / That you wrote last night / It can't be right / You went with him / Sue, I never dreamed / I'm such a fool / Right from the start / You went with that clown

Maybe he thought ending it on "Goodbye" would be a little too final, but then the whole album is nothing if not final.

Pheeel, Saturday, 30 January 2016 22:04 (eight years ago) link

The first version of Tis a Pity is so weak compared to the version on Blackstar. Still couldn't find it on vinyl over the weekend.

flappy bird, Monday, 1 February 2016 18:50 (eight years ago) link

still on backorder on amazon for me. also the clear vinyl barnes and noble exclusive release is going for $350 avg on eBay.

nomar, Monday, 1 February 2016 18:55 (eight years ago) link

My vinyl arrived from Amazon UK last week, about three weeks ahead of the revised delivery date. It sounds fantastic.

This is what Tony Visconti said to Mojo in the January issue:

"I've cut the vinyl and the vinyl mastering is superb. This is going to be a vinyl you must have. You're not going to paste it up on your wall, this is one you're going to play over and over again. The vinyl sounds like good old-fashioned vinyl. The way you dreamt it used to sound like."

mike t-diva, Monday, 1 February 2016 19:21 (eight years ago) link

ok I want to believe that but lol

Karl Malone, Monday, 1 February 2016 22:43 (eight years ago) link

but and

Mark G, Monday, 1 February 2016 22:59 (eight years ago) link

I am going to paste the vinyl up on the wall anyway though, I don't care what Visconti says

Karl Malone, Monday, 1 February 2016 23:01 (eight years ago) link

Black vinyl back in stock in UK record shops I notice. I got it on release day anyway. It sounds good though noticeably quieter than the average record - I have to turn it way up. Maybe that is a good thing wrt dynamic range or something? I worry about the plastic sleeve the record fits in, as well as dinging the points of the star cut-out.

Eyeball Kicks, Monday, 1 February 2016 23:05 (eight years ago) link

Played this at record club on Tuesday. Didn't write anything of interest about it, because I'm rubbish at writing about records these days. http://devonrecordclub.com/2016/02/10/david-bowie-%E2%98%85-blackstar-round-88-nicks-choice/

Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 11 February 2016 10:06 (eight years ago) link

It sounds good though noticeably quieter than the average record - I have to turn it way up. Maybe that is a good thing wrt dynamic range or something?

I have the CD (and love it), and was wondering how they were gonna get all this heavy bass on the vinyl without the needle jumping around. Looks like a quiet master was the solution.

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Thursday, 11 February 2016 14:38 (eight years ago) link

i have a pretty powerful sub and the vinyl bass sounds great. it's funny when ppl say things are quiet, just turn it up it can be whatever volume you choose!

uptown garfunkel (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 11 February 2016 16:08 (eight years ago) link

it's funny when ppl say things are quiet, just turn it up it can be whatever volume you choose!

Honestly, my stereo goes up to 30 on the volume knob, and I play most records at 20. This needs to be 28 or 29 just for sitting-on-the-sofa listening. I'd be screwed if I wanted to play these haunting death songs at a party.

Eyeball Kicks, Thursday, 11 February 2016 16:30 (eight years ago) link

Vinyl still out of stock on Amazon.

flappy bird, Thursday, 11 February 2016 17:30 (eight years ago) link

oh mine's supposed to arrive from amazon on the 17th

HYPERLINK TO RAP GENIUS (BradNelson), Thursday, 11 February 2016 17:36 (eight years ago) link

it's funny when ppl say things are quiet, just turn it up it can be whatever volume you choose!

Honestly, my stereo goes up to 30 on the volume knob, and I play most records at 20. This needs to be 28 or 29 just for sitting-on-the-sofa listening. I'd be screwed if I wanted to play these haunting death songs at a party.

― Eyeball Kicks, Thursday, February 11, 2016 10:30 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

sounds like yr stereo needs a hemi

uptown garfunkel (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 11 February 2016 18:00 (eight years ago) link

put a blower and some straight pipes on it

jason waterfalls (gbx), Thursday, 11 February 2016 19:44 (eight years ago) link

This is going to be a really interesting record to reevaluate in a few years. It is absolutely impossible to think about it any context other than his passing.

Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 11 February 2016 21:17 (eight years ago) link

Amazing record, amazing guy. One of his very best records for me.

Gaz Is Real, Thursday, 11 February 2016 21:22 (eight years ago) link

Finally heard this record today. Definitely got some Portishead vibes from the tracks.

AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 12 February 2016 02:50 (eight years ago) link

"To be played at maximum volume."

dlp9001, Friday, 12 February 2016 17:45 (eight years ago) link

Apple Music did a playlist titled "Blackstar: the musicians behind the album" and it's stellar. One unexpected side effect of the album has been finding a trove of fantastic contemporary jazz I've never heard of. Another reason to thank Bowie for this great record.

Taking dumps on a person's car is something children do (Sparkle Motion), Monday, 22 February 2016 18:40 (eight years ago) link

Cool.

Lots of people playing "Istfahan" these days, interested to hear this version. Why is there an LCD Soundsystem song on there?

Thank You For Cosmic Jive Talkin' (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 22 February 2016 19:04 (eight years ago) link

Murphy remixed a song from Next Day, and i guess played some tambourine on a couple Blackstar tracks.

sam jax sax jam (Jordan), Monday, 22 February 2016 19:12 (eight years ago) link

here's a Spotify playlist of all the tracks I could find (missing a couple Ben Monder tracks, Jason Lindner, Rudder, and I added a different Monder track)

https://open.spotify.com/user/123055593/playlist/5VJ9C00pELCAc7IFQuTVH6

0 / 0 (lukas), Monday, 22 February 2016 21:57 (eight years ago) link

three weeks pass...

I had more reasons to avoid this record than to listen to it (I assumed it'd be too much of a downer, I disliked The Next Day, I wasn't impressed with "Blackstar" as a standalone single), but I finally got around to it and really like it. The playing is fantastic; I certainly wouldn't want a Bowie-less version, but I could easily listen to an instrumental version of this record. "I Can't Give Everything Away," "Tis a Pity She Was a Whore" and "Dollar Days" are the clear standouts for me so far, but I've even grown to like "Blackstar." The experience of listening to this album is still plenty harrowing, of course, and probably always will be, but overall I find the album so musically rich and engaging that I don't actually find it depressing.

rhymes with "blondie blast" (cryptosicko), Friday, 18 March 2016 02:56 (eight years ago) link

I finally got the LP on the 2nd press and wow, what a stellar package. Gorgeous packaging, printing, booklet... really nice, and good sounding vinyl as described upthread.

Taking dumps on a person's car is something children do (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 18 March 2016 05:18 (eight years ago) link

feel like this album cast a dark spell over this whole year, so much death in both popular culture and also my personal life :(

robbie ca$hflo (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 25 March 2016 18:06 (eight years ago) link

Just listened to the first three tracks again this morning, for the first time in a month or so. Incredible stuff.

the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Friday, 25 March 2016 18:18 (eight years ago) link

I was never a Bowie fan beyond the singles but his death hit me much harder than I expected. This album is stunning front to back, regardless of the circumstances surrounding its creation, though they make it even more poignant.

I've since listened to his recent work on Spotify and bought the Zeit box. I've got a whole new level of appreciation for his talents.

Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 25 March 2016 18:38 (eight years ago) link

feel like this album cast a dark spell over this whole year, so much death in both popular culture and also my personal life :(

― robbie ca$hflo (upper mississippi sh@kedown)

You know I'm on that wavelength.

EZ Snappin, Friday, 25 March 2016 19:52 (eight years ago) link

yeah i read your piece on that ez, sorry again about your friend :(
was very affecting writing

robbie ca$hflo (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 28 March 2016 16:42 (eight years ago) link

I'm curious how this record will sound a few years removed from his passing. Will it sound universal and open to personal discovery or will it be a historical relic, like a tombstone?

dinnerboat, Monday, 28 March 2016 17:50 (eight years ago) link

Will it sound universal and open to personal discovery or will it be a historical relic, like a tombstone?

future blog headline

The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 28 March 2016 18:12 (eight years ago) link

I should give this another listen soon... it's been a while since I last gave it a deep listen, but the last time I did after all the info regarding its recording came out, I found it a bit unsettling.

WHERE'S JIM!? (Turrican), Monday, 28 March 2016 18:20 (eight years ago) link

I still find that it works best if you listen to it front to back, as a single cohesive work (like a jazz album), rather than as a collection of songs.

the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Monday, 28 March 2016 18:32 (eight years ago) link

one month passes...

Y'all, look!

http://i.imgur.com/DWfh36J.jpg

Apparently, if you expose the sleeve of Blackstar to sunlight, a starfield emerges.

Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Tuesday, 3 May 2016 14:50 (seven years ago) link

wow, just the vinyl or the CD as well?

the 'major tom guy' (sleeve), Tuesday, 3 May 2016 14:57 (seven years ago) link

Unsure. I don't own either format, but it clearly needs to be tested.

Ⓓⓡ. (Johnny Fever), Tuesday, 3 May 2016 15:08 (seven years ago) link

have not exposed my copy to sunlight, but i like this; it's magical.

dc, Tuesday, 3 May 2016 15:10 (seven years ago) link

i like the idea that there are hundreds of thousands of these out there in the world, but since so few bowie fans expose themselves to sunlight it is only now being discovered

I look forward to hearing from you shortly, (Karl Malone), Tuesday, 3 May 2016 15:18 (seven years ago) link

ha ha yeah. my records are stored in a long, windowless hallway and will likely not see the light of day until my "heirs" inevitably dump them at goodwill.

dc, Tuesday, 3 May 2016 15:21 (seven years ago) link

If you close the door

The WLS National Batdance (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 3 May 2016 15:27 (seven years ago) link

Tried it. Didn't work.

mike t-diva, Tuesday, 3 May 2016 17:44 (seven years ago) link

apparently if you place a light behind the inner cover this happens
i.e. its not a chemical reaction to sunlight.

mark e, Wednesday, 4 May 2016 16:37 (seven years ago) link

Good way to sell people a second copy, though...

Don Van Gorp, midwest regional VP, marketing (誤訳侮辱), Wednesday, 4 May 2016 16:45 (seven years ago) link


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