Music of the Moment: David Bowie - Hours…
One good turn deserves another is how I believe the saying goes. I’m not sure it applies but it seemed a good way to open this post.
After talking about listening to David Bowie’s Earthling, which was part of my Bowie Box Set, I’ve started listening to Hours. Friend o’ the site Tom Johnson says this is one of his favorite albums from that era of Bowie. I’m hardpressed to disagree; it’s a great record. I’d put it behind on Earthling and Heathen on a consistency scale, but the best moments from Hours stand up there with anything from this era and I’m on the record of saying this era is as good as any in Bowie’s career.
My two favorite songs from Hours are “Thursday’s Child” and “Survive.” “Thursday’s Child” is a great midlife crisis sort of song and it makes more sense to me the older I get. I hope I’ve not yet hit the midpoint of my life but I’m closer to it now than I was in 1999 when the album was released. I wrote a review of this album when I was in college; I think I still have it so maybe I’ll post it on here just for one. The protagonist in “Thursday” might not necessarily be in a state of crisis, but he/she has certainly become aware of time and mortality and there is a lot of reminiscing and re-evaluation going on. It’s one of Bowie’s best vocal performances and even though the music is a little slick, professional, and manicured the song still delivers.
“Survive” is great lyrically and not all that different thematically from “Thursday’s Child,” but the key to this song is Reeves Gabrels’ lead guitar. Gabrels worked with Bowie in Tin Machine and remained a close collaborator through Hours. His guitar work could sometimes be a little tedious and overblown for my tastes, but the note selection and tone of his lead on “Survive” is beautiful and stirring. I can’t put words to what Gabrels’ guitar is saying, but it’s clearly a second lyric to this song.
Filed under: David Bowie
Ya, “Earthling” is a good album, but I think I more like David’s another album “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust”, which really brings back a lot of fond memories. I could listen to it over-and-over. The poetics of Bowie’s lyrics and the phenomenal guitar riffs hold this album together and are what makes it a classic. I am really grateful for the joy he has shared through this album.
Man, I love Gabrels, especially when he’s being held back such as on this album and he has to unleash his guitar-fury in little squirts here and there. Brilliant stuff.
He’s got a rather interesting solo album, The Sacred Squall Of Now, that has one of my favorite songs on it, “Say That Now,” which is solely for the guitar in it. (He enlists Bowie to add vocals on the cover of “You’ve Been Around” (as well as Gary Oldman!) and Frank Black on “119 Years Ago” as well.) Not a great album overall, but for the used prices on Amazon (currently 2 cents), it is absolutely worth getting for a few absolutely beautiful songs.
Out of curiosity, what is with these dealstudio links in many comments? The seem like genuine comments at first but come off like spam.
I’m not sure what they’re all about. I guess I’ve been “found.” I might have to look into it; keep the relevant parts and 86 the bs links.
I knew Gabrels did a solo record but hadn’t checked it out. 2 cents is in my price range. I might have to check it out for those songs. Understated and restrained Gabrels can be great. Indulgent flurries of notes can sometimes be offputting. He was a key contributor to this great era of Bowie so I’m not down on the guy, but I didn’t always love what he played.
Yay, someone else likes ‘hours…’! XD
While I am certainly not the biggest fan of Bowie’s newer stuff (Reality was cartoonish, Earthling was decidedly mediocre, and Outside is just the worst album ever aside from the last track), I’ve always adored ‘hours…’ — it’s easily one of my favourite Bowie albums (along with Heathen, incidentally).
The key song for me though would have to be If I’m Dreaming My Life. Once you get four minutes in and it just sloooooooows down it’s AMAZING.
I love ‘hours…’. XD
Alex, thanks for reading and commenting. I’m obviously more enthusiastic about Earthling than you are but we agree on Hours…. “If I’m Dreaming My Life” is a good song.
I think Reality was inconsistent but had some good moments, I love Heathen (listened to it tonight) and Earthling. Outside is too long and has too much dead weight but there are some good songs.
Hm. Dunno if I can even concede that on Outside. XD
I’ll try to be nice. I do like a lot of songs on the album: the first six songs are very entertaining, but then it all goes sour apart from the decent We Prick You and the incredibly fantastic Strangers When We Meet. Now, see, eight good songs isn’t bad! …If the album wasn’t nineteen damn songs long. XD It just goes ooonn and ooonn and never eeennnndds. 9_9
I think what really killed it for me though was that horrible, horrible short story that came with it. It’s easily the most self-indulgent thing Bowie has ever done, far outstripping Never Let Me Down in terms of jaw-dropping awfulness. (I quite enjoy NLMD, by the way) It’s self-referential for chrissakes!
And the fact that the album is based on it (a “gothic nonlinear hypercircle”, whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean) just totally ruins it for me. XD
Decent remixes though! XD
I don’t know why I’m so damn uptight about Outside.
It really just rubs me the wrong way. Like, hella the wrong way. I expected so much, and got so little. D:
As for Reality, yeah, sure. Some good moments. Looking For Water is lovely. But, meh. XD
That Bowie box set really should have come with his two other nineties albums: Black Tie White Noise and Buddha Of Suburbia.
-Alex
(I hope that wasn’t too long. XD)