Hello again!
This release focuses on one of the most transformative figures in music history: David Bowie. It’s a long standing project, that knew stops and starts (in fact, one of the customs have been ready and waiting for this release since April 2022), but finally we managed to get it together. This pack has 9 songs, divided neatly into threes, each one representing a deeper dive to a different era of Bowie. So enjoy!
Many thanks to jphn who was absolutely crucial to this pack!
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We kick off with the classic Zigi era of Bowie, covering some missing gaps in the current database!
From Hunky Dory, we have “Quicksand,” a haunting masterpiece that shows Bowie at it’s most philosophical. We also have “Lady Stardust,” a beautiful, piano-led tribute to the glam era from the Ziggy Stardust album, and a key track that was missing from this album. Finally, “The Prettiest Star,” a charming track love song that features some truly wonderful melodic guitar work.
We move into the Berlin/experimentation era. The centerpieces of this release are arguably two of Bowie’s most ambitious compositions. “Station to Station” is an epic, ten-minute journey that moves from a mechanical, train-like chug into a high-energy rock anthem – it’s a marathon for every instrument in the band. If you know Bowie, you know this is one of his masterpieces and a song that was long missing from out DB!
We follow that with the Bowie’s take on a true classic – the dramatic and soulful “Wild Is the Wind,” showcasing arguably the most impressive vocals in Bowie’s catalog. Bowie’s version of this beautiful song remains the definitive one, alongside Nina Simone. From the “Heroes” era, we’ve added “Sons of the Silent Age,” a track that perfectly captures the atmospheric, art-rock wall of sound that defined his time in Berlin.
Rounding out the pack are tracks that prove Bowie never lost his edge, even decades into his career. His later work is a fascinating era we hope to explore more in the future!
“Afraid,” from the Heathen album, brings a more modern alternative rock energy to the setlist, with some epic drum fills too. “Valentine’s Day” (from The Next Day) is a biting, groovy song with cool guitar lines all over. Finally, going full circle, we have “You’ve Got a Habit of Leaving.” Although originally a 60s composition, this version comes from the Toy sessions, giving the track a modern, full-band production that fits perfectly alongside his later work. It’s a fascinating bridge between his earliest songwriting and his contemporary sound.
There have been a lot of wonderful songs charted for the event this year, but so far this pack takes the cake for me! Absolutely wonderful selections (I mean come on, Station to Station??? I’m going to play the crap out of that one hahaha), really great picks all around here. I’ve got to be careful or I will just gush about every song hahaha. Afraid is a particularly inspired pick, great latter-day Bowie track. Heathen is a great album! Thank you (and jphn!) for the amazing songs – also I just have to say Ziggy Stardust is one of my favorite albums of all time and it is a delight to see another song from it charted.
Thanks Harrug! We missed your comments, they’re great to read. I’m happy you’ve been enjoying the songs. Feel free to tell us your favorites, or suggest more Bowie songs, because (spoiler alert) a second Bowie pack might be in the works somewhere…
Well for favorites, basically all of these are favorites but especially the first five for me. The only one here I was unfamiliar with is You’ve Got a Habit of Leaving, as I must admit I haven’t listened to Toy yet (the album cover really put me off, as terrible an excuse as that is). I gave it a listen though and unsurprisingly found myself enjoying it, so probably time to finally go give the whole album a listen!
As for suggestions, well I could list so many it would be overwhelming and I don’t want to do that! But, here’s a shortlist that I think would be a blast to play in Rock Band: Saviour Machine, anything left off Ziggy Stardust (Hang On to Yourself in particular would be fun), Panic in Detroit, Cracked Actor, the Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise) suite (if you’re feeling really ambitious lol), Beauty And The Beast, Teenage Wildlife (also a lot to ask but damn this would be amazing).
And, as a big fan of Outside there’s a lot of great songs on there but my three personal favorites are: The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction, Thru’ These Architects Eyes, and Strangers When We Meet. That last one easily has the widest appeal, and while I don’t know how well the first two would translate to the game they could still be fun. Anyway sorry for making this comment ridiculously long, that wasn’t much of a shortlist, as you can tell I’m a big fan hahaha. I have no expectations of most of these being charted but it’s always fun to dream about “what if.” Thank you both again for all the work you do towards this game, I can never express my full gratitude!
Glad you’re loving the picks! Also love that you mentioned Outside specifically, Yaniv and I were just talking about that album yesterday as it’s one of my favorites as well (listen to the Leon Suites!)
As a huge Bowie fan myself, I would love to see every song you mentioned in the game, especially the Sweet Thing suite… it’s my all-time favorite Bowie song, and it’ll come eventually.