Audio CD review:
David Bowie - The Buddha of Suburbia

David Bowie - The Buddha of Suburbia

Band: David Bowie Title: The Buddha of Suburbia Rating: Release Date: 02 October, 2007 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Budda Of Suburbia 2: Sex And the Church 3: South Horizon 4: The Mysterie 5: Bleed Like A Graze, Dad 6: Strangers When We Meet 7: Dead Against It 8: Untitled No.1 9: Ian Fish, U.K. Heir 10: Buddha Of Suburbia

Customer Reviews Bowie's Forgotten Album It eventually became more than a series of instrumental passages recorded for the film due to Bowie's refound creativity and was rebuilt into a bona fide 10-track solo album. Back in 1993, this album was originally conceived as a straight soundtrack for the BBC TV dramatisation of the Hanif Kureishi novel, 'The Buddha of Suburbia'. Unfortunately the album was marketed at the time as a mere soundtrack and consequently it was unfairly overlooked as a "real" Bowie album, especially when it followed shortly after Bowie's first solo effort in 5 years; 1993's jazzy 'Black Tie, White Noise'. 'The Buddha of Suburbia' is performed mainly by Bowie and multi-instrumentalist Erdal Kizilcay and begins with the title track (incidently, the only song to appear in the film); a slow-tempo accoustic piece which slowly builds with further instrumentation. Listen for the riff from Space Oddity - 3 and a half minutes into the song and quotes from The Man Who Sold the World's 'All the Madmen'. Aside from the album's instrumental pieces, these are the only salutes to his past as Bowie was then to provide a glimpse into the future, particularly the next phase which was to be the remarkable alternative-rock of the 'Outside' album, along with the odd jazz number from 'Black Tie, White Noise'. Track 2 'Sex and the Church' (a quasi-techno piece with computer-filtered vocals and soothing sax) and track 3, the instrumental 'South Horizon' wouldn't sound out of place during Bowie's late 70's Berlin period, but with Mike Garson's piano over the top of Vangelis' Blade Runner theme. Garson would go onto provide the motif for Outside - that strange, jangling piano. Track 4 'The Mysteries' is also instrumental and in the same vein. Track 5 'Bleed Like a Craze, Dad' provides more 'Black Tie' funk while the standout track follows in 'Strangers When We Meet'. This, although the same tempo as the re-recorded version on Outside, is significantly different and well worth a listen. For those uninitiated, this is one of Bowie's best songs since the 80's - uplifting and compassionate. Track 7 'Dead Against It' is a melodic up-tempo song which was to give an incite into the way Bowie would sing his vocals in later albums like 'Hours': that rasp in the higher register. Track 8 'Untitled' is straight out of the 'Black Tie' sessions, while Track 9 'Ian Fish, UK Heir' is another moody instrumental piece similar to 'Moss Garden' and 'Subterraneans'. The album concludes with a remix of the title track. What is appealing is that the instrumental tracks fit neatly into the album mixed with the vocal tracks, showing that Bowie was reconnecting with his experimental spirit. This was to be the key to the layers and textures of his next album, 95's 'Outside' - which contains some of his best material ever. Buddha is definately the forerunner to Outside. But its beauty is that it is one of those linking albums, like Young Americans - in this case, a halfway house between the jazz inflections and club beats of 'Black Tie, White Noise' and the dark tension and jangly piano of 'Outside'. So it fits perfectly within the Bowie canon, and now is finally recognised as such. Buy it if you are curious, you'll be rewarded, especially if you are a Bowie fan and you like the Outside, Low and Heroes albums. If you are thinking of buying this for someone else, do so; it is accessible enough that they won't be disappointed. After all, Buddha is not a soundtrack, but a real Bowie album. And now it has finally been recognised and remastered as such. . If you like Bowie's experimental side, then this is for you For those who are partial to the Berlin trilogy and "Outside", you know generally what terrain Bowie covers here. Musically this album contains tracks that are both instrumental and vocal which are quite varied. Although I reiterate all the great reviews below, I have one packaging gripe: the original non-U. S. version of this c. d. had much more extensive (Bowie penned) liner notes plus some interesting photos and different cover art. The notes that accompany the current re-release are seriously truncated in comparison to the English/European version which is now apparently quite difficult to obtain. If you are interested in the artist's more detailed observations and explanations regarding this recording, I'm sure that with some digging you'll find them somewhere on the web, but Virgin should have used the original notes. This is VINTAGE - not new Bowie, from 1993 The version of "Strangers When We Meet" on this album is far superior to the one recorded for the 1995 "Outside" album. So I LOVE this album. But just so you all know - this is a 1993 album - not new, except as a domestic release. It's really fantastic. I think it's better than most of his albums from the next few years - the trilogy of Outside, Earthling and Heathen. IMHO of course. . You can see a complete list of all David Bowie discography, or go back to the David Bowie tabs