Three Decades of Innovation with Bowie

by Dan Centi
A&E Editor

During the great shift in musical tastes at the end of the sixties, the socially conscious songs of the decade that advocated peaceful social revolution seemed suddenly dated.

Popular culture was beginning to embrace a new breed of musician, and with great attention now focused on bands like Led Zepplin and The Who, with their harder, aggressive, proto-metal sound, music would never be the same again.

Of course, in addition to both of those bands, a young ambitious upstart named David Bowie was about to initiate a career that would successfully span thirty years, and influence countless artists to come. The newly released Bowie at the Beeb: The Best of the BBC Sessions, is a striking reminder that the greatest artists create work that will always sound fresh and cutting edge.

Recorded live at different radio shows from 1968-72, Bowie at the Beeb chronicles Bowie’s evolution musically from obscure (but still enormously talented) pop crooner, to legendary song writer.

It also showcases him as the brilliant cerebral force behind Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust, which are almost universally regarded as two of the finest albums of all time. Though Bowie had yet to reach his creative peak at this point in his career (that would come with 1977’s electronic-rock fusion Low, also considered to be one of popular music’s best), rock music has really never sounded any better than this.

On the first of this three disk set, most of the songs are unrecognizable singles from when Bowie was first signed; some of which were written when he was only 21 years old. There are definitely standouts, most notably "Let Me Sleep Beside You" with its personal and warm lyrics (elements that are uncharacteristically Bowie) is charming, as is the catchy "Memories of a Free Festival".

Both songs show a hint of the work that’s to come, but the first disc as a whole is slightly forgettable. The second and third CDs are more of what we’ve come to expect from a songwriter of Bowie’s caliber.

It was around 1971 when Bowie added guitarist extraordinare Mick Ronson, and assembled his backing band The Spiders from Mars. Bowie also hit his stride in terms of concept, tackling subjects like Armageddon, detachment, and personal identity (or lack of it, hence the androngenous Ziggy Stardust). The end result is tunes with awesome guitar work, sophisticated, thought provoking lyrics, and extremely catchy hooks.

The second disc contains a cornucopia of Bowie classics, including "Suffragette City," "Ziggy Stardust," "Changes," and "Queen Bitch." On all of these, the musicianship is impressive, with Mick Ronson’s earthy, searing style exploding with energy, and Bowie’s voice sounding great.

Any fan of classic rock, rock, or just great music in general will appreciate this collection.

The final disk is also a joy. Recorded this past June at the BBC theatre in London, Bowie preformed his greatest hits for a small audience of roughly 250 people.

The band he assembled is perhaps one of the tightest I’ve ever heard, from bassist Gail Dorsey’s relentless funk influenced style, lead guitarist Earl Slick (a frequent Bowie collaborator going all the way back to 1975’s Young Americans) with his top notch skill, and backing vocalist Emm Gryner.

When you’ve reached a status of elder statesman, as Bowie has, all the best musicians are at your disposal, and their ability shines through on every song.

Bowie at the Beeb is a nice way to start the new century for Bowie, marking the beginning of another era by celebrating the best in a previous one. Music fans should give this CD set a look, and see why one of the heavyweights in popular music gained his prestige.