David Bowie's "Blue Jean" Is as Good as Anything on Low

By Mr. Moderator on Aug 27, 2008

Some of you are aware of my longtime struggles with the works of David Bowie. I've come a long way, but there are still issues to explore.

Recently I was discussing the artist with a friend. He's a longtime Bowie lover--with limits. Although we've been generally like-minded music friends for years, we were a bit surprised to realize that, after accounting for his limits in loving this artist, we had essentially the same views on the man, for instance, agreeing that The Man Who Sold the World and Diamond Dogs pretty much sucked and that Let's Dance was worthy of Rock Crimes.

As part of the discussion on Let's Dance, we candidly acknowledged the superiority of "Blue Jean", which was considered a weak lead-off single from Tonight, Bowie's disappointing follow-up album to his mainstream blockbuster, to anything on Let's Dance. Then, as is often when the two of us get together, our deep rock discussion on Bowie turned especially candid.

Follow up:

"What do you think of Low?" he asked.

"I'm not a big fan of that Berlin Trilogy stuff," I replied.

"You don't like Lodger - the one with 'Boys Keep Swinging' and 'DJ'?"

"Oh," I felt a little embarrassed to have forgotten about that album, "I love those songs - and that 'Ashes to Ashes' song," compounding my ignorance by confusing the single from Scary Monsters with a track from Lodger. I went on to speak with more authority, however, about Heroes, an album that features the brilliant title track and a bunch of other songs that sit there like a bowl of spaghetti without sauce--or even salt. I mean, what's the point?

We got back to Low. I forget which one of us said it first or whether we said it simultaneously: "You know, 'Blue Jean' may be better than anything on Low."

Almost...

"'Sound + Vision' and that 'Breaking Glass' song are cool," I confessed, "but side two is a snooze, and the other songs are far from the level of any of his classic singles."

It makes you think, doesn't it?

Beside the title track, Heroes is not worth the strain on my ears.
The supposed high point of the Berlin Trilogy is not that much better than the relatively disappointing single from a highly disappointing follow-up to a publicly acclaimed album that real Bowie fans don't even like.
Lodger, which is considered the end of the line of the Bowie-Eno-Berlin connection, is by far the best of the bunch.

There's no doubt that Lodger is better than "Blue Jean".

13 comments

Comment from: shawnkilroy [Member]

I'm shocked that you don't like Man Who Sold the World. I think it's a solid english heavy rock album. I can hear Black Sabbath, and Syd Barret in that record, which i think is a great flip side to the folk fathered, Hunky Dory. I always thought the magic of Ziggy Stardust, was the marriage of those two styles around a cool concept and a kick ass crop of tunes, no doubt his masterpiece.

On all other Bowie points, however, I totally agree with you. The 3 albums I mentioned are his only good Full Albums. (maybe Alladin Sane too).

I'm a huge f'n Bowie fan too! I just dont think he made too many records that i want to hear from start to finish. and since the end of side 1 of Let's Dance, He hasn't made anything I want to hear at all.

08/28/08 @ 08:12

Comment from: shawnkilroy [Member]

except Blue Jean.

08/28/08 @ 08:13

Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]

You da man, Shawnkilroy! Compared with you and my friend, maybe I'm a big Bowie fan after all.

08/28/08 @ 08:25

Comment from: diskojoe [Member]

I think that "Blue Jean" was the last really great Bowie single & now that I think of it, it could be just as good as anything off of Low.

My fave rave Bowie albums are Alladin Sane & Hunky Dory, the latter in the past few years. All my Bowie CDs are the Rykodisc versions (Ryko started up & was headquartered here in the Witch City for a few years).

08/28/08 @ 08:30

Comment from: cherguevara [Member]

I think there is a lot of bold truth here. I listened to Scary Monsters a while back and found it to be a not very enjoyable experience. Honestly, my favorite Bowie album is the Live at the Tower set. The band is killing and Mike Garson's keyboard playing is absolutely off-the-hook. Love Hunky Dory as well.

I'll ruffle some feathers also and say that the Wallflowers' cover of "Heroes" proved something interesting: It's not *that* great of a tune. What makes it work is Bowie's intense vocal, which grows more dynamic and ravaged as the song progresses. Jacob Dylan's vocal just sits there like an unappealing sandwich. The original is great, but the greatness is a combination of the writing and the performance.

08/28/08 @ 08:52

Comment from: alexmagic [Member]

...the greatness is a combination of the writing and the performance.

I think this is the point that some of us have been trying to make to the Mod about the appeal of Bowie.

I'm glad that the Mod's Offlist Support talked him down from writing off the whole Berlin era, but I probably would agree with the basic point about the overall high-listenability of Blue Jean. Blue Jean and Modern Love are the end of the line of great Bowie for me, with a few odd surprises scattered here and there in more recent years. Let's Dance and China Girl do nothing for me, though.

But anyway, the idea of the importance of the performance and the ability to pick out the "eras" that hit the spot for you are a huge part of what makes Bowie Bowie to me.

I'm going to back Kilroy on the Man Who Sold The World thing, though. I mentioned this before and you said something about being familiar with a poor-sounding copy, but I'd like to see your take on the whole thing, which I think is one of his best.

08/28/08 @ 09:27

Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]

Cherguevera, you are spot on regarding what makes "Heroes" work so well, and that comparison to the Wallflowers version hits the spot.

I still need to revisit Man Who Sold the World, Alexmagic. Sorry for not yet having gotten around to that. Now that I'm finding closure with the current Bowie issue, I'll seek out a digitally remastered copy of Man Who...

08/28/08 @ 09:51

Comment from: 2000 man [Member]

· http://www.whammoblammo.blogspot.com/

Bowie's always been a little spotty but if you're only willing to buy the perfect album, then you only need Exile on Main St. I've never been one of the people on the Low bandwagon, but it does have one really good side, which is more than a lot of bands ever come up with.

I think The Man who Sold the World is a solid slab of rock. Bowie and the band put together a nice Camaro Rock album that just sounds great with cold, cheap beer in cans and an open trunk lid with a pair of Jensen Coaxials thumping for all they're worth. Stage and David Live may be acquired tastes, but but his studio releases besides Space Oddity are hgigh quality and rarely tread the same ground over and over.

I can't stand Blue Jean or pretty much any of his 80's stuff, but I have to admit that I thought Heathen was worth buying.

Full disclosure: 2000 Man has a copy of the first Tin Machine album and has been known to say that he likes it.

08/28/08 @ 10:02

Comment from: dr john [Member]

Having long since gotten used to your rock contrarianism Mod, I will say that Bowie is most interesting on Station to Station up through Scary Monsters. The earlier stuff may be catchier, but it gives less to me.

Whereas, on StS to SM, Bowie is leading the way, rather than following whatever trends as he did previously: first folk, then glam, then soul.

Also give credit to the Berlin trilogy for prepping Eno to do some of the best works he's ever done with Talking Heads and the Byrne/Eno collaboration My Life in the Bush of Ghosts--there's a record that warrants further discussion.

08/28/08 @ 11:25

Comment from: BigSteve [Member]

I basically agree with the premise as stated in the title of this thread. Blue Jean is easy to like, since it's an upbeat song about a cute girl with a great riff/hook (that stopstart thing with the sax)and a catchy chorus featuring cool background vocals. I don't know that I'd call it subversive, since like a lot of Bowie it's pretty content-free, but google the lyrics and find out what weird cut-ups he's singing and note how they don't draw attention to themselves when you're bopping along to it.

I've never been that much of a Low fan. It's Heroes that I love. Low is more like the expedition that maps out territory that will be more profitably exploited later (by Bowie himself and also by others). Lodger may be a better album, but for some reason it doesn't do it for me like Heroes.

Sound and Vision is the only thing on Low that is fully realized, but I don't know that I'd say it's better than Blue Jean. Great track though.

08/28/08 @ 14:15

Comment from: general slocum [Member]

Man, Mod. She Shook Me Cold and the title track rock on Man Who Sold the World. And for the title tune, listen to Lulu sing it! Hell, even Cobain. An unkillable song.
I am a Bowie fan. Always Crashing in the Same Car, Be My Wife, V-2 Schneider, Moss Garden, I think those albums are full of great sounds. Sometimes they are just extended singles of Dennis Davis' magnificent snare sound, but they are great productions, burying the idea of "concept album" very deeply.
I like Bowie for his changes of personna musically from the beginning, through Hunky Dory, I'm a huge fan of Young Americans/Station to Station, the Tower, Berlin bits, and, yes, Blue Jean. I'll go out on a limb, and say on Let's Dance, I've always liked the song "Without You." Anyhow, one of the things I like about him, which periodically makes him not what I want to hear, is that he's at least 50% Entertainer. You don't have to hitch depth to his lyrics, but are able to sit back and let the pretty sounds go. As for "Heroes," listen to Nico's version with The Faction! Ouch, and yay. Fun-ny. But I like it.

Also I think one of the things that always grabs me in the Instruments Not Usually In Rock Dept., is the marimba in Blue Jean. Just like in Echo and the Bunnymen's "Never Stop." There's more of these I can't call to mind while listening to "Speed of Life," but I love that quasi-synth effect.

08/29/08 @ 03:11

Comment from: general slocum [Member]

p.s. A New Career In a New Town, and Sons of the Silent Age. Great period for him. *Then* start the "compared to what else was going" on portion of the discussion.

08/29/08 @ 03:13

Comment from: Mr. Moderator [Member]

General Slocum wrote: