David Bowie's version of "Across the Universe"

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

And it's only decent.

 

I'm not sure why I, for so long, thought "Across the Universe" was a would-be great song that hadn't been given the proper treatment—well, no, I know why I used to think that—but I wonder why I thought it for as long as I did. There's no diamond in this mine.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

I don't care for the mantra in there, but I like the rest of it a lot.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Without thinking about it much in some time, I've long dismissed Bowie's coked-out trio of mid-70s albums—Diamond Dogs, Young Americans and Station to Station—as honorable failures; some good/great songs on each, but David's brain was too caked in blow to be really into it.

 

After listening to Young Americans again, I'd say it's the best of the three (Station to Station is overrated), but just so weird. Not in the Berlin-era way, no; this album—wherein Bowie goes to Philly and tries to make soul music—is the most soulless soul album you're likely to find. That isn't an insult, either. Bowie's overtly cerebral nature was an awkward fit for the from-the-gut style of American soul. It's an icy, somewhat fascinating and rather disquieting listen.

[bob_barron 0]

Fiona Apple's version?

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

She annoys me only slightly less than Rufus Wainwright. Not to say I wasn't quietly sobbing during the end credits of Pleasantville.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Oh, cool, somebody else here can't stand Rufus Wainwright. I do want to hear Kate & Anna McGarrigle, though. I heard it was pretty cool.

 

re: Station to Station, I like the title track bunches, but my enjoyment sort of peters out as the album goes.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

The title track, "Golden Years," and "Stay" are all that matters on Station to Station. Sometimes I feel a fondness for the chorus of "TVC15," but not often.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

You're both crazy. Station to Station is great.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Word on a Wing is a bad song. I like the rest of the record, though.

[Copper Feel 0]

I would actually rank Station to Station as being the second best album of his I have heard (behind Hunky Dory). I have 9 of his studio albums from 1970 - 1980 btw, the only two I do not have from this period being the other two referenced in this thread.

 

The signature sound of this album is just so subliminal, and the consistency of the record is unmatched even by albums such as "Heroes" and Alladdin Sane.

[PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0]

Aladdin Sane is the most overrated Bowie album.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

I can tell this Station to Station-bashing is really bothering you, Byron.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

He's right. Aladdin Sane is pretty overrated. Low is the best. Case closed.

[Kinetic 0]

This is so stupid that I had to respond to it. The original version of "Across the Universe" is the only good version I've heard. Bowie had/has a really bad habit of including covers in his albums that are almost invariably the weakest thing on the record.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

So how bad is this movie gonna be?

[Ravenbomb 0]

Probably somewhere between Moulin Rouge "Yeah, it's bad but who cares?" bad and Chicago "Really bad and I'm sick of hearing about it" bad.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

This is so stupid that I had to respond to it. The original version of "Across the Universe" is the only good version I've heard. Bowie had/has a really bad habit of including covers in his albums that are almost invariably the weakest thing on the record.

Your track record of terrible opinions continues unabated.

 

edit: Actually, his "Let's Spend the Night Together" is cute, but sort of an "okay, let's move on, David" thing.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Station to Station is jawesome. I like every song. And the original "Across the Universe" is lovely, as abominable as this Julie Taymor flick is likely to be.

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

A young Liverpudlian dock worker named Jude (Jim Sturgess) travels to America in the early 1960s to find the American GI. father (Robert Clohessy) he has never known. While in America he falls in love with a sheltered American teenager called Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood). When her brother Max (Joe Anderson) is drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, they become involved in the anti-war movement. The film is constructed as a musical, with the actors expressing themselves by singing compositions written between 1963-1969 by the members of The Beatles.

This sounds fun-bad.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

Judging by what I've seen in the trailer, it's going to be much closer to "my face feels warm with embarrassment for myself and everyone involved" fun.

[King Kamala 0]

Why can't they just stop making movies based around The Beatles music not involving The Beatles? You think after All This and World War II and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, two of the biggest flops of the 70s, they would have learned their lesson but no.

[Kinetic 0]

"Let's Spend the Night Together" is probably the worst of Bowie's cover songs, particularly in terms of how good the original is versus how mediocre his version is. "I Can't Explain" from Pinups would be a close second.

[Kinetic 0]

Your track record of terrible opinions continues unabated.

Your track record of terrible opinions continues unabated.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

'Station to Station' is probably my favourite song out of the three coked out 70s albums Inc mentioned. I don't like any of the three albums from start to finish.

[Kinetic 0]

Diamond Dogs is, I think, better than Aladdin Sane.

 

There's a really terrible disco freakout version of "John, I'm Only Dancing" on some of the Young Americans re-issues.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

You're off your rocker if you think Diamond Dogs is better than any non 80's-present Bowie record. "Rebel Rebel" is the best shit in the universe, but the rest of that album is an ill-conceived, poorly executed, disjointed wreck.

[Kinetic 0]

The title track is superb. The "Sweet Thing" suite is sweet. "Rock and Roll With Me" and "The Sequel to the 'Theme from Shaft'" are low points, but "Big Brother" is a great song. It's not my favorite Bowie album, but I'd definitely put it above Aladdin Sane and The Man Who Sold the World. Probably Young Americans, too.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

The title track is superb. The "Sweet Thing" suite is sweet.

These two, yeah, but "Big Brother" is a snoozer.

 

Gene, you don't like the title track to Diamond Dogs? Just as good as "Rebel Rebel," if not better.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Still, guy's a fag

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

Sparks is pretty fucking lousy.