1989 Album Releases Important to Tosh

 

My life totally changed when I got married on Christmas Eve in 1988. In 1989, we took a trip to Japan for three weeks. We had a marriage ceremony or reception in Moji-ko, on the island of Kyushu, and then mostly spent our time in Tokyo. When we came back from this trip, we almost immediately went back to Japan due to an illness in the family on the Japanese side. My wife went first, and then a few weeks later, I had to join her. Basically, I had to drop everything in my life to be with her in Japan to deal with this medical crisis. And also, there were vista issues where we couldn't come back to America. So, I was exiled from America and living in Japan. Like most of my life, nothing was planned. I arranged for someone to take care of our apartment, which included my library and record collection. I remember I brought for the trip Roland Barthes "Empire of the Senses," his book on Japan, and a few Mishima novels. Other than that, I pretty much abandoned everything, or my life in America was on hold. Once in Japan (again), I avoided Western music, except for Tin Machine (die-hard Bowie fan) and Roy Orbison's "Mystery Girl." My new discoveries on my exile were Harumi Hosono's "Omni Sight Seeing," Ryuchi Sakamoto's "Beauty," and the best of all, Jun Togawa's "Tokyo No Yaban," a compilation of her older work.

David Bowie - "Ouverz Le Chien (Live Dallas 95) ISO Records

 

It was not exactly a redesign of David Bowie, but of a re-think, or a new charge of energy and thought into his career and music in 1995.  For me, this is when Bowie got back his groove, and he became fascinated with the world around him.   After hitting a creative (and perhaps commercially) dead-end in the late 1980s, he started up with a band, Tin Machine. A guitar-driven band that reminds me at times of a rave-up era of The Yardbirds. All that is missing are songs by Graham Gouldman. Still, Bowie actually filtering the great British hitmaker in supplying or co-writing songs with fellow band members that are retro in the sense of the importance of being in a band.  In a manner, it is very much Bowie losing himself as a brand being part of a band.  The truth is, Bowie has always been a collaborator with every musician he has worked with in the past. 

"Outside" (1995) was the album that gave him an entrance back to the avant-garde, and re-invent a new approach in recording that album.  For example, almost every song is written by all the musicians during the recording of that music.  If not, co-written by Eno.  It's a late Bowie masterpiece, and when he went on tour to support "Outside," he put together a new band, except for his guitarist (and co-writer) Reeves Gabriel, Mike Garson, and Carlos Alomar.  The new star of the show is bassist and backup singer Gail Ann Dorsey, who is amazing. Lucky us there are live tapes of the shows.  "Ouverz Le Chien" is a show that took place in Texas, and it's a refreshing listening experience. 

For one, Bowie does only a handful of his older songs, and they are usually not done live at the time or deep cuts in his excellent catalog of material.  What is remarkable are the live versions of music from "Outside."  In the studio, it sounds very much like work produced in a laboratory.  Here, they come off as songs of great force and grace.  He does a re-work of "The Man Who Sold The World" without the major guitar riff until the end as a quiet reminder that is faint as a loving memory.  This must have been a remarkable show to witness, but at least we have a great recording, for those who weren't there, or a few that lives with that evening as a ghost-image of a wonderful performance. 

Songs of David Bowie by Chris O'Leary on Tosh Talks

Two books (volumes) by Chris O'Leary that covers every song David Bowie released, as well as obscure b-sides, and recordings not released. Remarkable information which makes these books essential to the Bowie Library.

And here's the podcast version: Songs of David Bowie by Chris O'Leary on Tosh Talks Podcast