Best Bowie record in years

It's been a long time since I liked a David Bowie album this much. On this collection Bowie is strong in both the lyrics and melody department, along with some surprising and engaging musicianship. With the exit of consummate noisemaker, guitarist Reeves Gabrels, Bowie has made his most accessible recording in over a decade. It opens with the tune "Sunday" that has a "Low" feeling to it, The song seems to swell with post 9/11 anxiety repeating the phrase "nothing has changed, everything has changed". "Cactus" is a straight ahead rocker a la "Diamond Dog's" where Bowie is begging a girl to send him her dress that he misses "so bloody your hands on a cactus tree wipe them on your dress and send it to me". "Slip Away" is very glam, with wistful New York references.

Along with Bowies cast of talented musicians he has guest appearances by Pete Townsend who does some howling lead on "Slow Burn" and Dave Grohl (guitar on "I've Been Waiting for You"). Tony Visconti, who produced some of Bowies best stuff back in the seventies is back for the first time since "Scary Monsters" and helps give the record that expansive sound that we remember from Bowie's hayday.

Weak point for me were "I Would Be Your Slave" who's melody seems to meander and go nowhere, and "Gemini Spaceship" a cool rocker that's undermined by some pretty goofy sci-fi lyrics. Also the packaging was a bit disappointing, the lyrics are included but almost totally unreadable and my package came with broken teeth that hold the CDs in the cover so they fall out all the time.

But overall this Bowie collection is worth the dough. And the addition of a second disc with some odds and ends; a Moby remix of "Sunday", a song written back in 1969 (which is really good) and an interesting outtake of "Panic in Detroit", make it an even better deal.

Bowie shines again!

This is the one we've been waiting for. A fine return to form with a contemporary twist. Heathen is just simply brilliant! The album seamlessly marries the lighthearted and bubbly Bowie reminiscent of "Kooks" from Hunky Dory with tracks like "Everyone Says Hi," and the gut-wrenching existentialism of "Quicksand" permeating Slip Away, Slow Burn, Heathen and Sunday. Slip Away is a standout track, on the surface appearing like a simple comic book parody of characters from the US based Uncle Floyd show, the narrative soon reveals heartfelt emotions of the bittersweet loss, separation and introspection associated with the deterioration of relationships. Bowie even brings out the old stylophone for the final few bars. If there is one album that defines Bowie's career this is probably it. Awe-inspiring.

David Bowie Rocks As Always

I am a big fan of the Ziggy era, my favorite albums of David Bowie are "Ziggy Stardust and the Spider from Mars" and "Hunky Dory". This album is quite different from both of these albums, but I think that Bowie still has some few tricks up his sleeves that everytime he makes more music, it sounds better than the last. This album is very relaxing and smooth. It is very creative and enjoyable. I hope others will enjoy it too.

Great Album - Questionable Packaging

The Music itself deserves 5 stars. This is yet another Bowie album that sounds completely unlike any of his others. At first I thought it was another album like hours, it has a mellow theme to it. But, after a couple of listens I realized some of these tunes are very upbeat. Luckily Bowie dropped Reeves Gabriels for this outing, his signature guitar style has severely crippled Bowies sound. This album sounds fresh and exciting. A few rockers are "Slow Burn" "Afraid" along with the covers "Cactus" and "I've Been Waiting for You". Most of the other tracks are a little more subdued, but excellent. After listening to this CD straight through about 10 times, I can honestly say there isn't a bad song on this album.

As for the packaging, well it was a nice thought but it turned out pretty dull. This is why it is ranked only 4 stars. It is packaged in an album sleeve with the CD stapled in the center of the back flap. It proves to be cumbersome, and is really only for collection. And, it has no lyric book, like the CD version has. If you collect Bowie buy it and keep it wrapped. If you want it for the music buy the regular CD version.

Heathen Has Some Good Moments!

I've been a fan of Bowie's for well over thirty years and he almost always surprises. This collection is standard Bowie fare with not much really new - that's not to say it's not great, but I was hoping for a big departure.



"Slow Burn" and "Cactus" (the latter being written by Frank Black) will make for great singles. But, the highlights really start to glow on the last five songs. His vocals seem to sound weary, as if it were the last take of the day - no stretching of the vocal chords here.



"I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship" is a wondrous goof on "Space Oddity" and "Everyone Says 'Hi'" begs the listener to wonder 'what made them go away?' It's hilarious. "Better Future" and Heathen" are good old rock and roll songs, but Bowie is just putting out his regular good stuff.



The packaging is somewhat of a dissapointment, in that the lyrics are so tiny and presented in 'strikeout' that they are illegible. That's okay, as Bowie has referenced these lyrics to being suitable for post "9/11" dreadfullness, even though he wrote them before that time. I'm not sure if that is such clever marketing. Americans don't need to be reminded of that horror when listening to escapist music, however innocuous.



The "CD EXTRA" is just one way to get to Bowie's marketing site. It's worth a look, especially when it was for the upcoming double "Ziggy Stardust" reissue. Bowie may be a chameleon with great artistic talents, but he is also a good marketeer. Fans will scoop that stuff up! And that cover photo - oooohh! Scary! Okay. I like this album.

I Recommend Reality Instead

Those who discovered Heathen when it first came out did not have the vantage of hindsight, or the ability to compare it with the subsequent release, Reality, and I think had they the opportunity they would have not judged it as well against the more satisfying later work, as opposed to its pedestrian predecessors, Hours and Outside.



I first discovered Reality and then searched out Heathen given many of the reviews here, and really don't believe Heathen measures up to the later work. With the exception of "I Would Be Your Slave" with its compelling, driving mood, Heathen is a forgettable record. The tracks don't distinguish themselves in any way. However, with Reality, Bowie has come up with a record with track after track of memorable music. The energy and excitement of Reality is missing in Heathen, as if Heathen was the work in progress and Reality was the finished product.



One gets the sense that Bowie was rediscovering a variety of things with Heathen, but coalesced his creativity and Visconti partnership with Reality into great music. Heathen is for the completest, but Reality is one of Bowie's best.