Really Quietus paradise...
David Bowie is the subject of the regular feature Beyond The Hits on
God knows he's good... and so does The Quietus. Our writers plunder his back catalogue to unearth the finest Bowie tracks that weren't hit singles. You could release countless Bowie anthologies and never quite capture how special the Thin White Duke really is. Here, Chris Roberts, Nix Lowery, Joe Stannard, Frances Morgan, Petra Davis, Wyndham Wallace and John Doran reveal their favourite Bowie tunes which weren't smash-hit singles.
Here's the first one from the list of twenty five songs to whet your appetite...
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'Can You Hear Me?' from Young Americans (1975)
One of the highlights of Young Americans (the album which single-handedly switched a generation of white boys on to soul music), Bowie's "plastic soul" is more soulful than most others' "authentic" soul. He originally drafted this for Lulu, but the way he sings it here could surely never be bettered by man, woman or beast. It's a love song which seems to be completely shorn of irony. Even if his singing is that of a consummate actor, it doesn't matter: trust the result, not the process.
There's a mature credibility to the lyrics too: while the protagonist admits the relationship in question has been imperfect, and "there's been many others, so many times", the key line is: "I want love so badly/ I want you most of all". This is no prettified 'Lady Grinning Soul' but half a dialogue between grown-ups. There's a gorgeous gospel-tinged call-and-response at the denouement. I can't really reduce this song with verbiage, as everything about its tone, sound, core and sheen possess a hotline to my unconscious and move me like a tsunami's caress. Chris Roberts
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No doubt this feature will kick off a few heated debates, but either way you have to admit there are some particularly fine selections here...
'Can You Hear Me?' from Young Americans (1975)
'The Loneliest Guy' from Reality (2003)
'Art Decade' from Low (1977)
'Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed' from Space Oddity (1969)
'Win' from Young Americans (1975)
'We Are The Dead' from Diamond Dogs (1974)
'It's Gonna Be Me' from Young Americans Reissue (1991)
'That's Motivation' from Absolute Beginners: The Official Soundtrack (1986)
'Subterraneans' from Low (1977)
'Sweet Thing/Candidate' from Diamond Dogs (1974)
'V-2 Schneider' from "Heroes" (1977)
'Lady Grinning Soul' from Aladdin Sane (1973)
'Something In The Air' from "Hours..." (1999)
'I'm Deranged' from Lost Highway: Official Soundtrack (1997)
'God Knows I'm Good' from Space Oddity (1969)
'Without You' from Let's Dance (1983)
'All Saints' from All Saints: Collected Instrumentals 1977-1999 (2000)
'Warszawa' from Low (1977)
'After All' from The Man Who Sold The World (1970)
'Always Crashing In The Same Car' from Low (1977)
'Be My Wife' from Low (1977)
'Fantastic Voyage' from Lodger (1979)
'Queen Bitch' from Hunky Dory (1971)
'All The Madmen' from The Man Who Sold The World (1970)
'Red Sails' from Lodger (1979)
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