FEATURE:
Second Spin
David Bowie - Lodger
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THIS is a rarity for me…
IN THIS PHOTO: David Bowie in London in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Duffy
because, normally, when I do a Second Spin, I include albums that were underrated or poorly-reviewed when they were released, or they are not talked about as much as they should. With David Bowie, there are definitely albums that were not reviewed highly – as the albums are not up to his best -, and I think there is a period in the 1980s and 1990s when Bowie was not as consistent and revered as he was in the 1970s and the latter period of his career. It is amazing to think about Bowie’s career and the sort of peaks and dips he experienced. Maybe there was a section of his career when the gold was starting to tarnish, but many have argued his final album, 2016’s Blackstar (released the same week as his death), is his finest album of all. With Bowie, the standard is so high, and the man put out at least half a dozen albums that rank alongside the very best ever! I think about these golden runs in music: where a band or artist releases sensational album after the next with no faults at all. The Beatles had it, debatably, through their entire career until Let It Be (the last album they released) but, realistically, we can apply it to Help! (1965), Rubber Soul (1965), Revolver (1966), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), Magical Mystery Tour (1967), and The Beatles (1968) – a total of six albums. The Rolling Stones had their run between 1968’s Beggars Banquet, through to Exile on Main St. in 1972 – a total of four albums. With Bowie, I think that run extends even further than The Beatles, maybe!
It would be interesting, as a side-note, to see which artists enjoyed the longest golden run, and ask why they were so consistently innovative; whether it was to do with the climate at the time or something in their music that resonated with people. The reason I wanted to include Lodger in Second Spin is not because it is an album that is underrated – as it got great reviews and is seen as a classic -, but it is not necessarily seen as one of Bowie’s best; many exclude it from their top-ten Bowie albums, and they tend to consider the first two albums of his ‘Berlin trilogy’ - Low (1977), and "Heroes" (1977) – as his best. Lodger completed that trilogy, and he would continue his wonderful run of albums with Scary Monsters.....and Super Creeps in 1980. Just think about Bowie’s majestic run of albums: 1975’s Young Americans, 1976’s Station to Station, Low, “Heroes”, Lodger, Scary Monsters.....and Super Creeps, Let’s Dance…and I would even add 1974’s Diamond Dogs at the start! That is a run of eight albums and, though The Beatles enjoyed that kind of consistency, I think Bowie’s albums were more wide-ranging, and he was writing most of the material either on his own or with Brian Eno – Lodger is one such album where Eno was co-writing. That is a remarkable run of albums and, considering Bowie was battling substance and drug issues and mounting expectations, the fact he managed to release so many flawless albums is majestic!
Also, I know I have missed Prince out when talking about album golden runs, but I must move on. Lodger, to me, should be heralded as much as “Heroes”, Low, or Station to Station. It was interesting seeing how Bowie transitioned from the 1970s to the 1980s and whether his material would shift dramatically. When Lodger was being recorded in 1978 and 1979, Punk was swelling and raging, and there was a definite change in the air. Bowie was always inspired by other sound and genres, never repeating himself and keen to keep moving. Also, he has always done things his own way, and you can never directly link him to other artists. If previous albums from the 1970s of his had big standout hits, Lodger is perhaps less obvious in that sense. His thirteenth studio album, it was recorded in Switzerland and New York City with collaborator Brian Eno and producer Tony Visconti. Lodger arrived two years after “Heroes”, and it was a more Pop-scented affair than previous work. Whilst Lodger lacked the instrumental splits of Low, and “Heroes”, Lodger has two major themes: that of travel (primarily side one) and critiques of Western civilisation (primarily side two). I think the album is a consistently brilliant and interesting work, and I love the elements of World music. African Night Flight was inspired by a trip Bowie took to Kenya with his son, Zowie. World music – if that is the most appropriate term? – was not heard a great deal in the mainstream in 1979, and one can look ahead to artists like David Byrne (Talking Heads), and maybe even Paul Simon (on Graceland, 1986).
Highlights on Lodger include Red Sails, Look Back in Anger, and Boys Keep Swinging – maybe they are not among his classic cuts, but they are terrific songs! I will bring in a couple of positive reviews soon, but I think Lodger is one of the albums that gained momentum years after its release; a more slow-burning record that rewarded people the more they listened – whereas the wonder and potency of albums like “Heroes” was clear from the start. Maybe Lodger is not underrated like, say, 1993’s Black Tie White Noise, but I do think Lodger should be rated as effusively as his very best records. In their review, this is what AllMusic had to say:
“On the surface, Lodger is the most accessible of the three Berlin-era records David Bowie made with Brian Eno, simply because there are no instrumentals and there are a handful of concise pop songs. Nevertheless, Lodger is still gnarled and twisted avant pop; what makes it different is how it incorporates such experimental tendencies into genuine songs, something that Low and Heroes purposely avoided. "D.J.," "Look Back in Anger," and "Boys Keep Swinging" have strong melodic hooks that are subverted and strengthened by the layered, dissonant productions, while the remainder of the record is divided between similarly effective avant pop and ambient instrumentals. Lodger has an edgier, more minimalistic bent than its two predecessors, which makes it more accessible for rock fans, as well as giving it a more immediate, emotional impact. It might not stretch the boundaries of rock like Low and Heroes, but it arguably utilizes those ideas in a more effective fashion”.
Perhaps the sonic and thematic shifts took people by surprise, or they were expecting an album similar to Low, or Young Americans. Lodger was Bowie being Bowie: this curious and ever-changing genius who seemed to be making music because of its worth and depth, rather than to satisfy the critics and commercial corners. I want to bring in an interesting segment from Pitchfork’s review of Lodger:
“The title alone reduces his myth to something banal and transactional: No longer the Lonely Starchild gracing us with his unusual point of view, we instead meet Safari Bowie, half-drunk tourist working out his masculinity issues by haggling with street vendors, Bowie the houseguest who can't stop talking about getting "authentic" tacos. The first half of Lodger especially, with its cartoon jungles and mysterious Bedouins and Englishmen too dumb to stay out of trouble but too powerful to ever really be in it, belongs more to the colonial satire of Evelyn Waugh than late-'70s art rock. (Bowie said that "African Night Flight" in particular was inspired by a trip to Kenya where he met a bunch of old German pilots who seemed to spend most of their time getting drunk and the rest doing profitable crime in the bush.) Lodgers aren't heavenly beings; they're people with enough money to rent a room.
All this didn't just humanize Bowie, it made him whole. By the time he'd released Lodger, he was 32, halfway divorced and trying to keep his drug thing in check, rich and famous and still staring down the long rest of his life. "Radical genius" would be nice, but so would making it to 1985 and having people still remember your name. In that sense, Lodger is an anxious, humble album, the sound of an artist ceding the wheel to a younger generation he'd be a fool to pretend he was part of. To let the culture take him out and chauffer him for a little while”.
If you have not discovered Lodger, or you are a David Bowie fan and consider Lodger to be one of his lesser works, I would advise people to check out this pearl from 1979. The album came near the end of this diamond run of classics, but the early part of 1980s saw Bowie in a creative and pioneering groove - Scary Monsters.....and Super Creeps, and Let’s Dance are both different but equally wonderful. If you talk about the best of Bowie, I think Lodger needs to be a part of the discussion! It is not as hits-packed as some of his albums, but I think the richness and textures throughout Lodger are so rewarding – one will find themselves coming back to the album time and time again. I have been revisiting a lot of Bowie’s albums, and listening to ones I have not heard in a while. Lodger, whilst not underrated or dismissed, definitely warrants fresh appreciation and augmentation. It is another staggering album from one of music’s…
GREATEST and most-loved souls.