Do Not Sell This Short!!
Thomas D. Ryan | New York | 11/04/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Hours? It's more like years since David Bowie finished an album that was something other than conceptual in its nature. Almost all of his recent album projects have been defined by the styles incorporated, or by a storyline concept (the convoluted but clever Outside, the techno-influenced Earthling, et. al.), but unless I'm missing something, Hours is Bowie's most unencumbered work in quite a while. It's almost like old times, actually, containing a batch of songs that could be heard either together or separately, with no repercussions. As such, it is also some of Bowie's best work in a long time, since the songs coexist snugly without leaning on one another.
Whether it's due to the impending millennium and all of the implications that it brings with it, or personal experiences that have altered his perspective is unclear, but the songs on Hours are anything but opaque. Throughout this album, Bowie is emotionally direct, confronting love and loss with a vulnerability that might surprise those who have him pigeonholed as an artistic poseur. On "Survive", he sings with emotional candor to an estranged (or possibly deceased) lover or friend, "You're the great mistake I never made. I never lied to you, I hated when you lied, and I'll survive your naked eyes...I love you". That in itself is a revelation, since I cannot recall previously hearing Bowie sing the words "I love you". This direct vulnerability expands as the disk continues, with self-searching, emotionally wrought lines like "If I'm dreaming my life, was she ever here" (from "If I'm Dreaming My Life") and "Hold my face before you. Still my trembling heart. Seven days to live my life or seven ways to die (from "Seven").
This liberation of self-expression has opened new vistas for Bowie, who seems resigned to accept the nature of a fickle music business that looks to artists less than half his age to provide new revelations for a new generation. He is no longer making a play for commerciality. He is satisfied to communicate with those who are genuinely interested, and his fan base remains adequate to provide him this luxury. Very, very few artists on the top of the charts have more to say than Bowie, and almost none are as eloquent. As Bowie sings in "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell," "I'm reaching the very edge y'know. I'm going to the other side this time." I for one would rather follow him over the edge than wait around for a younger bard to fight his way through the morass, only to possibly end up a loser. Bowie was there first, and he survived, with class, style and grace. Will any of the new breed be able to say the same? A- Tom Ryan"
HIS BEST ALBUM YET!!!
Kenneth Jackson | Cincinnati, OH USA | 04/28/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"At first I was hesistant to to say that HOURS was his best work. I was headstrong in thinking that Heathen was better. But when I heard those songs on there man I was like WOW this guy is really amazing! He's so deep and passionate about his words..The way I measured it was by how many good, consistent songs each album has. As much I hated to admit it, Hours had it beat. Songs like Thursday's Child,Changes, Dreamers, etc... just blows away any song on Heathen."
A remix disk so good, you can almost take it in one sitting.
Rich Latta | Albuquerque, NM - Land of Entitlement | 12/29/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a review of the music on the bonus CD. Visit my page to view my review of the original album if interested.
Since these songs are a collection of remixes and rarities, I wouldn't recommend popping this disk in and sitting through the whole thing front to back. Although I quite enjoyed doing so for this review, I normally don't like hearing the same song over and over in different forms.
The physical package itself (a first-class booklet with CD sheaths inside the bookends) is one of Bowie's most colorful and visually impressive. I have both this album and the 3-D jewel case version b/c they're so cool. And I got it cheap at Tower Record's going-out-of-business sale (somewhere near San Francisco).
1) "Thursday's Child (Rock Mix)" (4:27) - an excellent mix not terribly different from the album version, it features a surprise background-vocal bridge and could've just as easily made the final cut. *****
2) "Thursday's Child (Omikron: The Nomad Soul Slower Version)" (5:32) - the first of three lushly enhanced remixes from Omikron. *****
3) "Something In The Air (American Psycho Remix)" (6:01) - Full of ornate piano flourishes, this is a cool remix. Distortions which appear on the album are removed from Bowie's vocals, revealing the clearly enunciated lyrics underneath. I actually loved this song in its place at the closing credits of American Psycho. *****
4) "Survive (Marius De Vries Mix)" (4:18) - Flushed out with a woozy trip-hop feel and elaborate musical details, this version has a distinctly different feel from the album cut. *****
5) "Seven (demo version)" (4:05) - This is a demo? It's so well executed and produced, no one would've complained if it was used for the album. The only thing that suggests 'demo' is the church organ laying down basic chords. It was probably the basic template that most of the remixers had to work with. ****1/2
6) "Seven (Marius De Vries Mix)" (4:12) - like De Vries' remix of "Survive," this track has a distinctly different feel and attitude. The orchestrated sonic touches are nice. ****1/2
7) "Seven (Beck Mix #1)" (3:44) - Beck adds a tasty hip-hop beat with distinctly 80's percussion sounds. Wiggy! *****
8) "Seven (Beck Mix #2)" (5:11) - extremely wigged-out sonic adventurism on this one. It's overkill, but I'm a big sucker for this kind of freak session, especially with Beck at the wheel. *****
9) "The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell (edit)" - 3:59 minutes and hot. ****1/2
10) "The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell (Stigmata Film Version)" (4:46) - a spacier take with only superficial differences from the main version. ****1/2
11) "The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell (Stigmata Film Only Version)" (3:58) - enjoyable but pretty straightforward techno version. ***1/2
12) "New Angels Of Promise (Omikron: The Nomads Of Soul Version)" (4:37) - blows me away all over again - "I am a blind man, she is my eyes" - actually the whole song represents some of his best lyrics. In fact, gets my vote for one of his best songs ever. This version is basically an enhancement of an already killer cut. *****
13) "The Dreamers (Omikron: The Nomad Soul Longer Version)" (5:39) - same deal with this remix: slightly different but not necessarily better or worse. Actually, it sounds a little too smoothed over. ***1/2
14) "1917" - a virtual instrumental, there are a few Bowie vocals which are so heavily distorted it's hard to understand the words. It sounds like he's singing "I'm the man." Nothing about the track makes me think of 1917 and it certainly sounds too modern for that year as well, but it could be put to good use in an action or science fiction movie. Has a cool fake ending in the middle. ****
15) "We Shall Go To Town" - a meandering, moody piece with fantastic, metallic-sounding guitar from Reeves Gabrels. ****1/2
16) "We All Go Through" - a dreamy, high-flying pop song, full of lush instrumentation, soaring choruses, ringing electric guitar strums and spacey effects. *****
17) "No-one Calls" - a strangely sung, slightly Middle-Eastern tinged track featuring more sparkling electronic sounds. ****
Most people would probably feel these last four tracks have been appropriately relegated to B-side status, and I would agree . . . I love the experimental freedom found on great B-sides and they provide a great opportunity for artists to try things off the beaten path. This is a most worthy collection, especially if you're a die-hard Bowie fan."
Track Listings (27) - Disc #1