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David Bowie's unique brand of music is his gift to the Universe. He recorded many albums in his long career, albums which spanned a wide spectrum of genres. Every now and then I come across one that I have never heard, never even knew existed. That has always seemed like a gift to me, and now when it happens, it's like a gift from The Other Side. And what a splendid gift this 1993 album "Black Tie White Noise" is!
When this album was conceived and recorded, Bowie had just emerged from his "Tin Machine" phase of loud guitar-driven rock. He had recently married supermodel Iman. Hip-hop was in full bloom. These factors shaped the contents and execution of the album, which turned out to be a collection of sophisticated dance-rock tracks, loaded with ear candy elements galore. Bowie's collaborator was Nile Rogers, who had produced "Let's Dance". "The Wedding", an instrumental track, opens the show with urban hip-hop clearly evident in the bass line and the beat. The last of the original tracks is "The Wedding Song", basically the same musical arrangement but including Bowie's smooth romantic vocal. There are 2 relatively slower R&B; love songs, "Don't Bring Me Down & Down" and "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday", and the latter features a strong bluesy guitar solo by Canadian guitarist Wild T. Springer. "Pallas Athena" is technically an instrumental, but spoken, chanted and/or whispered phrases can be heard. And yet another instrumental, "Looking For Lester", features prominent trumpet by jazz musician Lester Bowie (no relation), and Mike Garson's scintillating piano near the end. "Miracle Goodnight" is a bit brighter in mood than the other tracks, and it contains 2 spoken sections and an unusual guitar solo, difficult to describe. Bowie himself plays sax on many tracks, and also on several he uses the very low-pitched, sinister vocal similar to the one on "Cat People" from "Let's Dance". Several cuts feature dissonant tracked vocals or odd harmonies. "Nite Flights" has a darkly seductive and trippy arrangement. And what a total experience is the hot rockin' cover of Cream's "I Feel Free"! I mention these details of talent and diversity to make the point that this album should not be blithely dismissed as "just dance music".
As always, Bowie puts himself into his music, with some significant life events to be found in these lyrics. Bowie and Iman were married in 1992, and this album was inspired by their wedding. In track #2, it is evident that he was not very happy before the marriage: "It's too many lonely nights...I can't pass you by...You've been around/But you've changed me". The instrumental "The Wedding" (track #1) opens with wedding bells chiming, and "The Wedding Song" (track #12) closes the same way. In "The Wedding Song" Bowie expresses his delight: "Heaven is smiling down, heaven's girl in a wedding gown/I'm gonna be so good, just like a good boy should...I believe in magic/Angel for life". He expounds further in track #8: "I love you in the morning sun, I love you in my dreams/I love the sound of making love, the feeling of your skin". The happy couple happened to arrive in L.A. on the day the Rodney King verdict was announced. According to Wikipedia, Bowie described this day, and the riots that followed, as "awesome and numbing...the most apocalyptic experience I've been through in my life". He addresses this issue in the title cut of the album, a duet with Al B Sure, first with horror ("I'm lookin' thru African eyes/Lit by the glare of an L.A. fire/I've got a face, not just my race/Bang bang I've got you babe"), and then with hope ("There'll be some blood no doubt about it/But we'll come thru don't doubt it...Lord just let him hear me/Let him call me brother/Let him put his arms around me"). Another lyric gem can be found in one of the 2 bonus tracks, the very manic "Lucy Can't Dance": "Did the world just explode?/Don't recognize anyone/But you've still got me under your thumb...So I'll spin while my lunatic lyric goes wrong/Guess I'll put all my eggs in a postmodern song".
The album is jam-packed with goodies, too many to enumerate, or my review would be a mile long. So I'll just close with more poetry from "The Wedding Song", and you can discover the rest on your own: "These are silver wings/These are golden eyes/These are floating clouds...".
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Customer reviews
Top reviews from other countries
Cornishpasty
A good "later" Bowie album
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2016Verified Purchase
Brian G
Only for fans who want all of David's music
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2019Verified Purchase
Gareth
90s Bowie classic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2019Verified Purchase
Kingsley Flint
Very overlooked at the time it was released. A wonderful collection of his songs
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2017Verified Purchase
Steve Price
David Bowie, need I say more?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2016Verified Purchase
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