Audio CD review:
David Bowie - Tonight

David Bowie - Tonight

Band: David Bowie Title: Tonight Rating: Release Date: 28 September, 1999 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Loving The Alien 2: Don't Look Down 3: God Only Knows 4: Tonight 5: Neighborhood Threat 6: Blue Jean 7: Tumble And Twirl 8: I Keep Forgettin' 9: Dancing With The Big Boys

Customer Reviews Just short of being his worst I find it slightly less abysmal, however, than Never Let Me Down. Tonight is widely regarded as Bowie's worst album. That's probably because this album has two fantastic moments. Loving the Alien was classic David Bowie for the 1980s. It was a pop song laced with the sadness and eccentricies of early Bowie and was coupled with a quirky artistic video (which included a live action shot of the album cover). The other fantastic song was, not surprisingly, another single. Blue Jean is a great song that, once again, had an ambitious long form music video that showed Bowie's lighter side. But two great songs can't make a great album. The rest of the album suffers from a lack of originality - several songs on here are remakes of Bowie/Iggy Pop collaborations - in a totally emaciated form. Not even Tina Turner can salvage the title track, robbed of the energy and raw emotion that Iggy Pop had. Neighborhood Threat is a similar failure. God Only Knows may just be too obvious a cover song. It sounds fine, but it's not exactly exciting. The album suffers from some overly ambitious but somewhat unsuccessful production as well. There's a presence of a horn section which just sounds out of place on this record. On Bowie's more soulful outings, they're just fine, but not here. So here's a mediocre record salvaged by the singles. For me, it's not quite as bad as Never Let Me Down, but comes very close. The two bright spots have shown up on various compilations over the years. Id stick with those. Well, I Love It! I can listen to it repeatedly from beginning to end and get a very warm feeling from it. I'm not sure why so many people dislike this record, but I hold it high among the most enjoyable things Bowie has ever done. This album is kind of like the sonic equivalent of a good pair of comfy shoes. . . they feel great everytime you put 'em on!. Every new Bowie album takes some getting used to. It was a phenomenon at the time. Of course I bought "Tonight" when it first came out, lo these many years ago, because of the smash (and deservedly so) hit, "Blue Jean". The extra-long video playing during an era when music TV stations actually played music videos, and so the album became mine. At the time I must have owned about 20-30 Bowie albums, having amassed quite the collection shortly after "Let's Dance" arrived a few years earlier. And yes, as some reviewers here have also said, I was let down. But I played it. Over and over. I recall the same feeling when buying "Scary Monsters", and several other of Bowie's albums. With each new album Bowie re-invents himself, and this one perhaps a bit moreso. Gone was the glam-rocker, and here was the lounge singer. But like most of his albums, he brings a bit of his own art to each of these songs. It's as if you walked into a night club in the 1950s and this guy was opening for Sinatra or something. But the more I listened, the more I began to really really love the haunting tones of Bowie's voice lent to some of these creamy lounge songs. And now, some 20 years later, I find myself missing this album. I sold off my Bowie cassette collection years ago during a move. (No room for everything of course. ) So I'm ordering this one again now. I can get one or two of the songs on his various "Greatest Hits" albums, but you may find, as I did, that this album is not something you can cut up and serve in pieces. It's best served whole. . You can see a complete list of all David Bowie discography, or go back to the David Bowie tabs