My Bowie education continues with 1997's Earthling, his drum & bass album. Is he leading or following at this point?
Picked up for a pittance at a charity shop, this later album isn't hailed as a classic, but let's give it a spin.
It's straight in with the drum and bass (or is it jungle?) rhythm on Little Wonder, which is a great song, the highest charting single from the album, and I suspect would have been even better with a more orthodox arrangement. Looking For Satellites is a little more laidback with an underlying chant pushing it along but it has a certain listenable charm, while Battle Of Britain is harder work, the drum and bass distracting rather than enhancing. Seven Years In Tibet feels laboured, the distant treated vocals doing the song no favours, although the louder parts have an impact. The electronic treatment gives Dead Man Walking an exciting feel, as the album starts to gain momentum and sound more Bowie, a fine song. However, while the drum and bass opening to Telling Lies has me thinking 'oh no, not again', it's actually a decent song once it gets going. Back to electronica on The Last Thing You Should Do but it's pretty dull, even when the decibels are cranked up halfway through, while I'm Afraid Of Americans manages to meld the effects with an interesting song far more convincingly. I'm expecting a grand finale from Bowie, so Law isn't the powerhouse I'd expected, but is a solid, exciting rocking / film noire feeling song to close, with more than a nod to Kraftwerk.
It's not what I was expecting, and some of the experimentation with drum and bass doesn't suit these old ears, but there's plenty to enjoy on this album, even if it's unlikely to make anyone's Bowie Top 5 albums. In fact, there are a plethora of 'Bowie Albums Ranked' pieces on t'internet and I didn't see it higher than 14th.
3* - a bold experiment, only partially successful. Bowie might not always hit the mark, but he's not boring or predictable.
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