Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
- Ranking Ted
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
Ashes to Ashes is a thing of wonder - all those little moments “one flash of light but no smoking pistol...I never did anything out of the blue, woah oh”, the coda of “my mother said...”. It magical, really.
After that, I’m agreeing with the love for the title track, it’s a ragged, thrilling stomper. Next it’s the whirling, circular strafe of Fashion and very much last it’s Up The Hill.., the only one I’m not hugely fussed by.
It’s a weak album only in context of what came before, maybe. On its own, it’s more than worthy.
After that, I’m agreeing with the love for the title track, it’s a ragged, thrilling stomper. Next it’s the whirling, circular strafe of Fashion and very much last it’s Up The Hill.., the only one I’m not hugely fussed by.
It’s a weak album only in context of what came before, maybe. On its own, it’s more than worthy.
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
Ashes to Ashes for me. Like others have said, just so many great moments and it really manages to expertly combine the FUCKING WEIRD with the YET TOTALLY POP thing Bowie did so well
I can remember reading a Song That Changed Your Life type thing in Q years ago and some poor fella who had dreams of being a new romantic pop star and was actively pursuing a musical career chose this one....his reason? It made him GIVE UP his dreams of being a musician because he knew there was no way in hell he could ever match something like that so what was the point? It has a large dose of that superhuman Starman quality the great man had at his best.
I love Fashion too. Great groove and Fripps guitar is so fierce. Like a chainsaw cutting through metal. Fabulous
Scary Monsters basically invented Marilyn Manson but we won't hold that against it.
The album would have been improved by including Crystal Japan instead of It's No Game (no 2) but maybe an instrumental was seen as being too much of a nod to the past but it's cracking wee nugget.
I can remember reading a Song That Changed Your Life type thing in Q years ago and some poor fella who had dreams of being a new romantic pop star and was actively pursuing a musical career chose this one....his reason? It made him GIVE UP his dreams of being a musician because he knew there was no way in hell he could ever match something like that so what was the point? It has a large dose of that superhuman Starman quality the great man had at his best.
I love Fashion too. Great groove and Fripps guitar is so fierce. Like a chainsaw cutting through metal. Fabulous
Scary Monsters basically invented Marilyn Manson but we won't hold that against it.
The album would have been improved by including Crystal Japan instead of It's No Game (no 2) but maybe an instrumental was seen as being too much of a nod to the past but it's cracking wee nugget.
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- the masked man
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
Yes, I have to go for A2A, as it's got the most amazing arrangement, all gentle synths and beautiful falsetto vocals. Bowie's clearly using Major Tom as a metaphor for his own descent into drugs. Brilliant song. But Scary Monsters is remarkable too for the reasons Moddie gives.
My favourite track(s) from the album is the two versions of 'It's No Game', perhaps his most extreme vocal performance. This song meant something to him...
My favourite track(s) from the album is the two versions of 'It's No Game', perhaps his most extreme vocal performance. This song meant something to him...
- take5_d_shorterer
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
No one's pointed out the single version of "Ashes to Ashes" is different from the album version. It's shorter, but I like it more, probably because I'm used to it.
And to address the matter about the video, I finally saw it years after first hearing the song.
The thing that struck me about the song was how it was able to take tired chord changes (I-vi-IV-V) that usually signaled 50s parodies and make something interesting out of them and something that doesn't refer to the 1950s at all except in a very abstract, formal way.
OMD's "Enola Gay" uses the same chord changes, but it's not as good a track.
And to address the matter about the video, I finally saw it years after first hearing the song.
The thing that struck me about the song was how it was able to take tired chord changes (I-vi-IV-V) that usually signaled 50s parodies and make something interesting out of them and something that doesn't refer to the 1950s at all except in a very abstract, formal way.
OMD's "Enola Gay" uses the same chord changes, but it's not as good a track.
- Quaco
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
Goat Boy wrote:The album would have been improved by including Crystal Japan instead of It's No Game (no 2) but maybe an instrumental was seen as being too much of a nod to the past but it's cracking wee nugget.
And/or the best thing he ever recorded.
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- joels344
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
“Ashes to Ashes” hands down. I still sing along to that hook today. Love that track.
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- The Modernist
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
the masked man wrote:
My favourite track(s) from the album is the two versions of 'It's No Game', perhaps his most extreme vocal performance. This song meant something to him...
Mine too.
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
As for the album, the first side is superb. however the second side trails off badly with the very underwhelming 'Kingdom Come' and 'Because You're Young'.
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
Almost as bad as the second side of ”Heroes”
Matt 'interesting' Wilson wrote:So I went from looking at the "I'm a Man" riff, to showing how the rave up was popular for awhile.
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
“ooh but Asian percussion! exotic themes!”
Matt 'interesting' Wilson wrote:So I went from looking at the "I'm a Man" riff, to showing how the rave up was popular for awhile.
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
Unward Brank wrote:“ooh but Asian percussion! exotic themes!”
know what I mean...
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
The Bowie record that 8 out of 10 Cat owners prefer.
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
yomptepi wrote:yodeling cod camp
Has to be better than Butlins.
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
Unward Brank wrote:Almost as bad as the second side of ”Heroes”
The second side of Heroes is a tour de force
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
The Modernist wrote:Unward Brank wrote:Almost as bad as the second side of ”Heroes”
The second side of Heroes is a tour de force
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
that's why I picked it. I think RF gooses every track he's on.
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
The Modernist wrote:Unward Brank wrote:Almost as bad as the second side of ”Heroes”
The second side of Heroes is a tour de force
Word.
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
jimboo wrote:The Modernist wrote:Unward Brank wrote:Almost as bad as the second side of ”Heroes”
The second side of Heroes is a tour de force
Word.
Indeed!
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
The Modernist wrote:Unward Brank wrote:Almost as bad as the second side of ”Heroes”
The second side of Heroes is a tour de force
Of course G. One of his finest moments. It is clearly too rich for the kind of person who thinks Tesco's cafe the height of sophistication.
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- Quaco
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Re: Which Scary Monsters single is THE BEST?
It's great. Just great.
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