[identity profile] freakytigger.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] poptimists
What a lot of singles David Bowie has had! But which are the best? This week's instalment of the canon polls casts a spotlight on the mysterious Pierrot of Pop through the prism of his Top 40 hits, including collaborations and....side projects.

You get NINETEEN ticks to sum up Bowie's style-spanning career.




[Poll #838332]


Hang on 1x minute again

Date: 2006-10-06 01:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] alexmacpherson.livejournal.com
You mean someone was called the Thin White Duke before jacques Lu Cont?!?!

(I don't like D Bowie much, it's not antipathy as such but I have never been compelled by any of his songs)

Re: Hang on 1x minute again

Date: 2006-10-06 02:05 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] alexmacpherson.livejournal.com
Oh OK. I didn't know it was possible to just nick other people's nicknames wholesale!

Re: Hang on 1x minute again

Date: 2006-10-06 02:27 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chezghost.livejournal.com
iirc it was appearing on the credits to JLC remixes as 'Thin White DUCK' at least once.
From: [identity profile] jeff-worrell.livejournal.com
um, there's a columnist for the Financial Times wants a word with you, alex.

Date: 2006-10-06 02:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jeff-worrell.livejournal.com
OK, a TEAM of columnists (http://www.ft.com/lex/about)

Date: 2006-10-06 01:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] braisedbywolves.livejournal.com
Finest hour is not listed: his intro in Zoolander.

Date: 2006-10-06 03:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/xyzzzz__/
his film work highlight is prob that 5 second 'appearance' in (i think) 'fire walk with me'.

Date: 2006-10-06 06:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jeff-worrell.livejournal.com
It appears on Outside - that LP also includes "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" which was used to creepy effect on the end credits of Se7en.

Come to think of it, reviewing these comments in their entirety, Bowie is the ultimate movie soundtrack ho, isn't he?

Date: 2006-10-06 05:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nicolars.livejournal.com
This is true.

Bowie's non top 40 'hits'

Date: 2006-10-06 02:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chezghost.livejournal.com
Breaking Glass (EP) #54
White Light/White Heat #46
Tonight #53
When The Wind Blows #44 (this is good!)
Real Cool World #53 (this is awful!)
Seven years In Tibet #61
Rebel Never Gets Old #47 (a mash-up of 'Rebel Rebel' and something else)

but I know Bowie released a single called 'New Killer Star' a couple of years back too - at least I saw a video for it.

Re: Bowie's non top 40 'hits'

Date: 2006-10-06 02:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jauntyalan.livejournal.com
not unlike the film it was in.

i struggled, and failed, to tick 19. much as i like him, in common with most of humanity, i can't stand much of his output.

Re: Bowie's non top 40 'hits'

Date: 2006-10-06 04:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] celentari.livejournal.com
Yeah, New Killer Star was great, in my opinion. The album, Reality, was underrated too - The Loneliest Guy in the world is also a lovely track, though not characteristically Bowie.

Date: 2006-10-06 02:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jeff-worrell.livejournal.com
There was an amusing review of the Labyrinth OST LP at the time in one of the weekly music papers that was premised on "Cat People" + "This Is Not America" + the 5 songs on this soundtrack equalling Bowie's entire recorded works to date.

Date: 2006-10-06 02:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] awesomewells.livejournal.com
David Bowie has the worst voice in pop, it's genuinely a horrible, horrible sound. A complete vacant, emotionless, smugly-arch smirk of a voice. Everything he has ever sung on he has ruined, which is a shame as some of his songs would be quite good sung by, well, anyone else.

Date: 2006-10-06 03:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dubdobdee.livejournal.com
i found his over-emoting 84-94 to have become tiresome and his voice -- technically probably better -- was 1xbig operatic turn-off; but i follow [livejournal.com profile] koganbot's line: along the ordinary rock-pop continuum there are few people more openly sentimental

Date: 2006-10-06 03:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chezghost.livejournal.com
i kind of enjoy his voice i suppose. except on 'Peace On Earth'. i think i prefer it when he goes low e.g. 'Golden Years', 'Sound And Vision'. anything where he really strains does tend to grate a little, except 'Let's Dance' and 'Modern Love' which are both kfab.

THIRTY ONE TICKYS!!!

Date: 2006-10-06 03:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] carsmilesteve.livejournal.com
i had to untick so much ace stuff. i honestly can't understand how anyone cannot like him, he IS pop music as far as i'm concerned...

Date: 2006-10-06 03:35 pm (UTC)
koganbot: (Default)
From: [personal profile] koganbot
Was actually shocked when I heard the singles collection a couple of years ago at how few of my favorite songs of his were singles. For practical purposes, "Changes," "Queen Bitch," and "Suffragette City" might as well be considered singles, since those were the ones that broke the guy onto American FM radio. I'd have been happy to tick those and "Man Who Sold the World" and "Cracked Actor" and "Panic In Detroit" and "Big Brother" and pretty much anything from Station to Station.

Date: 2006-10-06 03:55 pm (UTC)
koganbot: (Default)
From: [personal profile] koganbot
My guess is that it was never an actual released-on-its-own single, even though it and "Suffragette City" get on the first Bowie best-of, changesonebowie. (In the U.S. the Stones' record co. was smart enough to put "Under My Thumb," "Sympathy for the Devil," and the live "Midnight Rambler" on Hot Rocks, even though none had been actual singles.)

Date: 2006-10-06 04:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jeff-worrell.livejournal.com
Wiki has a Bowie singles chronology. Confirms that "Changes" was a proper single. Did nothing in UK. Charted at #66 in US originally and then #41 on reissue in 1975.

"Suffragette City" was belatedly released as a UK single to promote Changesonebowie but again did not chart.

Date: 2006-10-06 03:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/xyzzzz__/
yes wanted to give more tickies than I did.

Date: 2006-10-06 04:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jeff-worrell.livejournal.com
I thought you might have ticked the Brechtgesangen, julio.

Date: 2006-10-06 04:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/xyzzzz__/
not heard it and i see that dubdobdee doesn't like it.

Date: 2006-10-06 06:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jeff-worrell.livejournal.com
You are allowed to have your own opinions, you know ;)

NO HE'S NOT

Date: 2006-10-06 07:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dubdobdee.livejournal.com
it's the law

breaking the law! breaking the law!!

Date: 2006-10-07 10:38 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/xyzzzz__/
haha well if you ysi I'll let you and dubdobdee know :-)

note tongue swollen with devil's love!

Date: 2006-10-06 03:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dubdobdee.livejournal.com
best record: LODGER
second: EARTHLING!
third: MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD

Re: note tongue swollen with devil's love!

Date: 2006-10-06 03:48 pm (UTC)
koganbot: (Default)
From: [personal profile] koganbot
Who is this Earthling of whom you speak? (OK, I know it's an alb from late '90s, but what's it sound like, and how does it get to be better than Aladdin Sane and Station to Station?)

Earthling

Date: 2006-10-06 03:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jeff-worrell.livejournal.com
It's his DRUM AND BASS album innit

Re: Earthling

Date: 2006-10-06 03:59 pm (UTC)
koganbot: (Default)
From: [personal profile] koganbot
OK, I'm not totally helpless. "Little Wonder."

Date: 2006-10-06 04:59 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jel-bugle.livejournal.com
I'm confused. "Under Pressure" is clearly the best thing Bowie ever did, and will ever do.

Date: 2006-10-06 05:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nicolars.livejournal.com
I guess technically it's a Queen song. Or maybe Vanilla Ice at this point.

I wish DB's song from Extras counted.

Date: 2006-10-06 05:41 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nicolars.livejournal.com
That was excellent.

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