#buddhaofsurburbia

[salsa8486]

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Here we are again 26th August 2021. Travelling to The Artificial Limb centre & Hull Royal infirmary all in one day phew! The Humber Bridge. Again Listening to #davidbowie #buddhaofsurburbia #humberbridge #procolharum #whitershadeofpale #hullhospital #hull #eastyorkshire #northlincolnshire #thenorth #greatbridges #northern #bridges #sykestreethull #ace #tollbridge #musicsoothesthesoul #instagood #instamusic #instabridge #instagram#insta #instasky #instadaily #architecture #instalike #acetheband #raining #travel #skies. (at Humber Bridge) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTB8dZNiNXj/?utm_medium=tumblr

[randomrecordreview]

I vaguely recall watching the Buddha of Suburbia when Hanif Kureishi’s debut novel was turned into a 4-part BBC drama in 1993. The vagueness is not due to its impact (which was considerable) or the mists of time, but the fact that I was in my second year of University, which was spent mainly undertaking the same exploratory journey into sex, God, politics, bongos and alcohol that the lead character Karim Amir does in the course of the book, and TV series. I can see why the subject matter was attractive to Bowie. This is a sort-of soundtrack album, in the ‘inspired by’ vein. In fact, only the title track was used in the series, and the LP quickly disappeared into the ether on release. The copy I own now is the 2017 reissue. According to Bowie’s liner notes it was written and recorded in “only 6 days…[but] took a full fifteen days to mix, owing…to some technical breakdowns.” Even for someone as prolific as Bowie, that’s pretty damn fast. He’s only just released Black Tie White Noise, so I can imagine his diary was quite full. Despite being a bit of a ‘forgotten’ album, it’s a really interesting one that bears some closer listening – one of his ‘transition’ ones, and one he describes himself as “one of the most enjoyable projects I’ve been involved with”. There are classic ‘songs’ such as the title track, which knowingly references his own music from the 1970s (where the book/series is set) – All the Madman and Space Oddity specifically, and the brilliant Strangers When We Meet, which he re-recorded and released on Outside. Other tracks like Bleed Like A Craze, Dad and Dead Against It employ his cut up lyrics technique. There are ambient soundscape instrumentals like The Mysteries and Untitled No 1 which harken back to the Low era, and then there’s South Horizon, a brilliant free jazz number which, to my ears, is a foretaste of the music created for Blackstar. Always artful, always experimenting, Bowie was even ahead of himself by 20 years. (Okay, I lied about the bongos, there was not a lot of bongo action in Leicester in the early ‘90s.) #davidbowie @davidbowie #buddhaofsurburbia #hanifkureishi #soundtrack #nowlistening #recordcollection #randomrecordreview https://www.instagram.com/p/CKY6zrlMWKk/?igshid=2jr8zl0llqtu