Lodger (album)

Lodger is the 13th studio album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally released in May 1979 by RCA Records. The third and final release of the Berlin Trilogy, following Low and "Heroes" (both 1977), it was recorded in Switzerland and New York City with collaborator Brian Eno and producer Tony Visconti. Unlike Bowie's previous two albums, Lodger contained no instrumentals and a somewhat more pop-oriented style while experimenting with elements of world music and recording techniques inspired by Eno's Oblique Strategies cards.[4]

Lodger
Studio album by
David Bowie
Released25 May 1979 (1979-05-25)
RecordedSeptember 1978, March 1979
Studio
Genre
Length34:38
LabelRCA
Producer
David Bowie chronology
Stage
(1978)		 Lodger
(1979)		 Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
(1980)
David Bowie studio albums chronology
"Heroes"
(1977)		 Lodger
(1979)		 Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
(1980)
Singles from Lodger
  1. "Boys Keep Swinging" b/w "Fantastic Voyage"
    Released: 27 April 1979
  2. "DJ" b/w "Repetition"
    Released: 29 June 1979
  3. "Yassassin" b/w "Repetition"
    Released: July 1979[6]
  4. "Look Back in Anger" b/w "Repetition"
    Released: 20 August 1979

The album was not, by Bowie's standards, a major commercial success. Indifferently received by critics on its initial release, it is now widely considered to be among Bowie's most underrated albums.[7][8] It was accompanied by several singles, including the UK Top 10 hit "Boys Keep Swinging".

It is one of Bowie's most influential works. Blur used the same chord sequence as "Fantastic Voyage" and "Boys Keep Swinging" in their 1997 single "M.O.R.".[9] The album has been reissued multiple times and was remastered in 2017 as part of the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set.

Recording and production

Originally to be titled either Planned Accidents or Despite Straight Lines,[8] Lodger was largely recorded between legs of David Bowie's Isolar II Tour and featured the same musicians, along with Brian Eno. The recording sessions saw Bowie and Eno utilize techniques from Eno's Oblique Strategies cards.[4] Experiments on the album included using old tunes played backwards, employing identical chord sequences for different songs and having the musicians play unfamiliar instruments (as on "Boys Keep Swinging").[4] Lead guitar was played not by Robert Fripp, as on "Heroes", but by Fripp's future King Crimson band member, Adrian Belew, whom Bowie had "poached" while the guitarist was touring with Frank Zappa. Much of Belew's work on the album was composited from multiple takes played against backing tracks of which he had no prior knowledge, not even the key.[7]

Eno felt that the trilogy had "petered out" by Lodger,[10] and Belew also observed Eno's and Bowie's working relationship closing down: "They didn't quarrel or anything uncivilised like that; they just didn't seem to have the spark that I imagine they might have had during the "Heroes" album."[7] An early plan to continue the basic pattern of the previous records with one side of songs and the other instrumentals was dropped, Bowie instead adding lyrics that foreshadowed the more worldly concerns of his next album, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps).[10]

Style and themes

Though missing the songs/instrumentals split that characterised Low and "Heroes", Lodger has been interpreted as dividing roughly into two major themes, that of travel (primarily side one) and critiques of Western civilisation (primarily side two).[11][12] The final track on "Heroes", "The Secret Life of Arabia", anticipated the mock-exotic feel of Lodger's travel songs. "African Night Flight" was a tribute to the music and culture of the veld, inspired by a trip to Kenya that he took with his then-small son Zowie;[13] its musical textures have been cited as presaging the popularity of world music, Bowie considering it a forerunner of the sounds developed by Brian Eno and David Byrne for My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1981).[7][10] "Move On" was lyrically Bowie's ode to his own wanderlust, sonically his earlier classic "All the Young Dudes" played backwards.[11] "Yassassin" was an unlikely reggae song with a Turkish flavour. "Red Sails" was inspired in part by the music of German band Neu!, sharing Neu!'s distinctive "motorik" drum beat;[12] for Bowie, it combined "a German new music feel" with "a contemporary English mercenary-cum-swashbuckling Errol Flynn" to produce "a lovely cross-reference of cultures".[7] "Red Sails" has also be compared with Harmonia's 1975 track "Monza (Rauf und Runter)".[14]

Of the album's critiques, "Boys Keep Swinging", the first single, was seen by NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray partly as a witty riposte to the Village People but also, combined with its cross-dressing video clip, a comment on ideas of masculinity; musically it was notable for guitarist Carlos Alomar and drummer Dennis Davis in the unfamiliar roles of drummer and bass player, respectively.[11] According to Tony Visconti, the song featured the "exact same chord changes and structure, even the same key" as "Fantastic Voyage", Bowie's take on the possibility of nuclear war.[15] The second single, "DJ", took a sardonic look at the world of the disc jockey. "Repetition", Bowie's exploration of the mind of an abusive partner, was sung in a deliberately unemotional tone that highlighted the lyric and the unnatural slur of the bass guitar.[11] "Red Money" added new words to a Bowie/Alomar tune that had originally appeared as "Sister Midnight", with lyrics by Bowie and Iggy Pop, on the latter's album The Idiot.[8]

Packaging

Bowie collaborated with English pop artist Derek Boshier on the cover design. The original gatefold album sleeve featured a full-length shot of Bowie by photographer Brian Duffy as an accident victim, heavily made up with an apparently broken nose. For effect, the image was deliberately of low resolution, taken with a Polaroid SX-70 type camera. The inside of the gatefold included pictures of Che Guevara's corpse, Andrea Mantegna's Lamentation of Christ and Bowie being readied for the cover photo.[11][16] These images were not reproduced in the Rykodisc CD reissue in 1991.

Release and critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Blender[17]
Chicago Tribune[18]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[19]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[20]
Pitchfork8.5/10[21]
Q[22]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[23]
Spin[24]
The Village VoiceA−[25]

Lodger received relatively poor reviews on its original release, Rolling Stone calling it "one of his weakest ... scattered, a footnote to "Heroes", an act of marking time",[26] and Melody Maker finding it "slightly faceless".[8] In Smash Hits the album was described as sounding like "a ragbag of rejects from previous styles" with "only occasional flashes of genius".[27] It was also criticised for having a thinner, muddier mix than Bowie's previous albums.[8] Robert Christgau wrote favourably of the album in The Village Voice. Although he said the songs may seem impassive and not designful, Christgau believed those qualities were "part of their charm—the way they confound categories of sensibility and sophistication is so frustrating it's satisfying".[25] Lodger peaked at No. 4 in the UK charts and No. 20 in the US at a time when the artist was being "out-Bowied" commercially by his new wave "children" such as Gary Numan.[7]

Soon after its release, Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray predicted that Lodger would "have to 'grow in potency' over a few years, but eventually it will be accepted as one of Bowie's most complex and rewarding projects".[11] While biographer Christopher Sandford calls it a "slick, calculatedly disposable record",[13] author David Buckley contends that "its stature grows with each passing year",[7] and Nicholas Pegg sums up, "undervalued and obscure practically from the moment of its release, its critical re-evaluation is long overdue".[8] Electronica/techno artist Moby would later state that the only reason he got his first job (as a golf caddy) was so that he could afford to buy Lodger, which had just come out. Built to Spill would reference the album in their song "Distopian Dream Girl" taken from their 1994 album There's Nothing Wrong with Love.[28] Shearwater covered the album in its entirety at live shows and on The A.V. Club following Bowie's death.[29]

Track listing

All songs written by David Bowie and Brian Eno, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fantastic Voyage" 2:55
2."African Night Flight" 2:54
3."Move On"Bowie3:16
4."Yassassin" (Turkish: Yaşasın, lit. 'Long Live')Bowie4:10
5."Red Sails" 3:43
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."DJ"Bowie, Eno, Carlos Alomar3:59
2."Look Back in Anger" 3:08
3."Boys Keep Swinging" 3:17
4."Repetition"Bowie2:59
5."Red Money"Bowie, Alomar4:17
Total length:34:38
  • Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–10 on CD reissues.

Reissues

Lodger has been rereleased several times on compact disc. It was first released on CD by RCA Records in the mid-1980s. Rykodisc (in the USA) and EMI (elsewhere) released a version with two bonus tracks in 1991. The third iteration, without bonus tracks, appeared in 1999 on EMI, featuring 24-bit digitally remastered sound. In 2017, the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set released by Parlophone included two versions of Lodger, a remaster of the standard album and a remix by producer Tony Visconti.[30] The 2017 remaster was separately released, in CD, vinyl, and digital formats, the following year.[31]

1991 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."I Pray, Olé" (Previously unreleased track, recorded 1979)3:59
12."Look Back in Anger" (New version, recorded 1988)6:59

Remix

An alternative mix of Lodger was produced by Tony Visconti in 2015–2016. The remixed album was included in the 2017 box set A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982).[32]

Philip Glass interpretation

In January 2018, Philip Glass announced the completion of a symphony based upon Lodger. The work is Glass' 12th Symphony and was premièred in Los Angeles in January 2019.[33] This completes his trilogy of works based upon Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy", the previous two being Symphony No. 1 ("Low" Symphony) and Symphony No. 4 (Glass) ("Heroes" Symphony).

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[34] The track numbers refer to CD and digital releases of the album.

Production team

Chart performance
gollark: It's spread across enough of the world that they could be an actual issue.
gollark: This poses an interesting question actually; how many horrible race conditions does Discord have?
gollark: So if we can reduce the speed of light to, say, 10% of the current value, it should be possible to cheat more easily.
gollark: There is, of course, minor leeway due to network latency from here to New Zealand.
gollark: !tr 10

References
  1. "Ranking: Every David Bowie Album from Worst to Best". Consequence of Sound. 8 January 2016.
  2. Blackard, Cap; Graves, Wren; Manning, Erin. "A Beginner's Guide to David Bowie". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lodger – David Bowie". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  4. Graham, Ben. "30-Years On: David Bowie's Lodger Comes In From The Cold – Ben Graham, January 11th, 2016 00:35". The Quietus. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  5. Mastropolo, Frank (11 January 2016). "Revisiting David Bowie's Influential Berlin Trilogy". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  6. Nicholas Pegg (2016). The Complete David Bowie: p.318
  7. David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story: pp.335–356
  8. Nicholas Pegg (2000). The Complete David Bowie: pp.310–312
  9. Bharat Azad (14 August 2007). "Is Damon Albarn the new David Bowie?". the Guardian. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  10. Ian Gittins (2007). "Art Decade", MOJO 60 Years of Bowie: pp.70–73
  11. Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: pp.102–107
  12. Nicholas Pegg (2000). Op Cit: pp.172–173
  13. Christopher Sandford (1996, 1997). Loving the Alien: pp.177–191
  14. col1234. "Pushing Ahead of the Dame". Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  15. Nicholas Pegg (2000). Op Cit: p.74
  16. "Derek Boshier Web Site". Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
  17. "David Bowie Part 1: The 1960s and '70s". Blender (47). May 2006.
  18. Kot, Greg (10 June 1990). "Bowie's Many Faces Are Profiled On Compact Disc". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  19. Larkin, Colin (2011). "David Bowie". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  20. Robbins, Ira (1 November 1991). "Lodger". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  21. Powell, Mike (22 January 2015). "David Bowie: Lodger". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 24 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  22. "David Bowie: Lodger". Q (61). October 1991.
  23. Sheffield, Rob (2004). "David Bowie". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 97–99. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  24. Dolan, Jon (July 2006). "How to Buy: David Bowie". Spin. 22 (7): 84. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  25. Christgau, Robert (30 July 1979). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  26. Marcus, Greil (9 August 1979). "Lodger". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  27. Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (31 May – 13 June 1979): 25.
  28. Gordinier, Jeff (31 May 2002), "Loving the Aliens", Entertainment Weekly, no. 656, pp. 26–34
  29. "Shearwater covers the entirety of David Bowie's Lodger". The A.V. Club. 13 May 2016. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  30. "A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977–1982) – David Bowie Latest News". DavidBowie.com. 12 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  31. "David Bowie / Remastered 'Berlin' albums available separately next month". superdeluxeedition.com. 19 January 2018. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  32. "Revisiting Bowie's Lodger mix". StevePafford.com. 22 August 2017. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  33. Tilden, Imogen (30 January 2018). "Philip Glass completes his David Bowie trilogy with Lodger symphony". Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  34. Lodger liner notes. RCA Records. 1979.
  35. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  36. "David Bowie – Lodger – austriancharts.at" (ASP). Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  37. "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 31, No. 19". RPM. 4 August 1979. Archived from the original (PHP) on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  38. "dutchcharts.nl David Bowie – Lodger" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  39. "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste". infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 7 November 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2014. Note: user must select 'David BOWIE' from drop-down.
  40. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  41. "charts.nz David Bowie – Lodger" (ASP). Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 21 May 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  42. "norwegiancharts.com David Bowie – Lodger" (ASP). Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  43. "swedishcharts.com David Bowie – Lodger" (ASP). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  44. "David Bowie > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  45. "allmusic ((( Lodger > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  46. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1979". RPM. 22 December 1979. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  47. "Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1978". Dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 23 April 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  48. "Les Albums (CD) de 1979 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  49. "French album certifications – David Bowie – Lodger" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  50. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  51. "Dutch album certifications – David Bowie – Lodger" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 17 January 2010. Enter Lodger in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  52. "British album certifications – David Bowie – Lodger". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 31 January 2014. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Lodger in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.