The Return of the Thin White Duke and the Gay Caballero

I have returned. I had no time to blog this past bunch of days, as I had an ENORMO work assignment that ate up all my time and turned my brain to MUSH! But, like Douglas MacArthur and Superman, I have returned.
As I have stated, I am quite the David Bowie fan, and quite the Tom Robinson fan, and I could burst forth without restraint with review upon review upon review of these two talented fellows' recordings (of which I have QUITE an assortment) -- but I don't want to turn this into a blog entirely about Robinson and Bowie, and there ARE other bands and artists I admire also,whose recordings I would like to review, so I decided that every month, I would review one recording from each of these two gents. It's October now, so here goes.

THE THIN WHITE DUKE -- DAVID BOWIE -- HEROES (1977)
This is the first entry in the "Berlin" trilogy that the talented, sexy and handsome Mister B did with Brian Eno, and it's a classic. Candy for the ears and, on some tracks, fuel for the legs. (Come on! Can anyone listen to "Beauty and the Beast" or "Blackout" and not feel the urge to dance?)
Except for the title track, these are the Bowie songs that the classic rock radio stations "forget" to play. Maybe they'll play a few of them if they're doing some kind of a special presentation, but as a matter of routine, the Bowie tunes you'll hear on the classic rock stations run more to such fare as "Ziggy Stardust", "Rebel Rebel," and "Suffragette City." Which is not to say that there's anything wrong with those selections, they're excellent, but there IS so much more to the Davester than that -- as this standout recording illustrates beautifully.

I think the whole recording is FANTASTICO, so choosing a favorite track is hard, but here are a few highlights. NOTE: I think the instrumentals are beautiful -- magnificent paintings in sound, but I may be ever-so-slightly more partial to those tracks where the Thin White Duke lends his golden pipes.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST -- Hypnotic, infectious, very danceable. A great opener.

BLACKOUT -- Also danceable and catchy, almost disco-esque, this could be an outtake from "Young Americans" or "Station to Station." Reminiscent of Roxy Music, with the sweet spark of Mister B's angelic yet sexy voice.

THE SECRET LIFE OF ARABIA -- Another standout that sounds like what would happen if Roxy Music had Bowie on guest vocals. As usual, he sings divinely, his voice as clear as crystal, the perfect partner for the lush, romantic, Asian-inspired melody. This is a song to kiss your sweetheart by.

"HEROES" -- A sweet classic about the love of two sweethearts in the time of war paired with refreshingly experimental instrumentation from Eno and Co.

Like I said, this disc is a classic, and a must-have for any Bowie fan

THE GAY CABALLERO -- TOM ROBINSON: HOPE AND GLORY (1984)
An often overlooked gem of danceable tuneage from a talented gentleman whose voice is decidedly Bowie-esque. Again, hard to choose a favorite song from this recording, but here are some tracks that particularly stand out

CABIN BOY -- Could be a straightforward song about sailing, or a "Brokeback Caballero's" expression of his craving for his "pardner's" passion pistol to the beat of a sailor's hornpipe. Either way, a kickin' tune with infectious hooks and killer piano and sax solos.

WAR BABY -- Sweet ode to love and relationship harmony in times of war and chaos, a la the Bowie tune "Heroes"

HOPE AND GLORY -- Victory anthem with a jazzy feel to it. Ol' Thomasino's pipes are in fine form here, plaintive and enthralling

PRISON -- Heartfelt, haunting piece which can be about actual incarceration or about the loneliness of the gay caballero as a minority in our society. Either way, the Tomster is in great voice here also.

This is a work of audio art. Highly recommended for all Robinson fans.

JUST A SAMPLING

A BIT FROM BOWIE (from HEROES)
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/9/30/2123005/01%20-%20Beauty%20And%20The%20Beast.mp3
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/9/30/2123005/David%20Bowie%20--%20Secret%20Life%20of%20Arabia.mp3
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/9/30/2123005/03%20-%20Heroes.mp3
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/9/30/2123005/05%20-%20Blackout.mp3

SOME RARITIES FROM ROBINSON (from HOPE & GLORY)
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/9/30/2123005/Cabin%20Boy.mp3
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/9/30/2123005/Prison.mp3
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/9/30/2123005/War%20Baby.mp3
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/9/30/2123005/Hope%20and%20Glory.mp3