What can people tell me about Tonight? It's not one of his more critically acclaimed efforts, I know, but it's been a long while since I bought a Bowie album (not including The Next Day) and I heard Blue Jean on the radio yesterday and loved it. Just looking it up online, I am shocked to see that it contains two tracks from Lust for Life? I always enjoyed Loving the Alien, too, from one of the best ofs I have.
Yeah the two best songs are his two actual solo compositions
Blue Jean and
Loving The Alien. The latter I think is one of his best songs ever, it's what Modern Love was to the Let's Dance album, albeit compared to Tonight? Let's Dance is like listening to Low....
8/10 and
10/10
So, the rest...
Dancing With the Big Boys? this is what you are in, for generally speaking. It is the mid 80s Lots of big bad spacy, crashing drums/percussion, lots of female backing vocals and Power Station horns stabs everywhere, had this one been recorded with the Next Day/Reality/Heathen bands it'd be a decentish...... bonus track.
5/10
God Only Knows? well, Christ only know why he felt the need to record this as some slow plodding drone/croon.
1/10
Tonight? Tina Turner, reggae and the horns appear again, a bit more restrained this time, but you couldn't move for big brass stabs and extra percussion in the mid '80s and this record has tons of it.
3/10
Tumble & Twirl, horns! fucking horns! big plucking bass, I know it was the era but it came out the same year and month as The Unforgettable Fire.
1/10
I Keep Forgettin'? okay, just calmly tell yourself
"fack! this was the same guy who did Young Americans, Ziggy, Low and Diamond Dogs ffs!!!!!!!" 0/10
Neighbourhood Threat? another decent tune and again if it'd been recorded by the current band, maybe.
6/10
Don't Look Down? jazzy piano, slightly reggaeish, references to shanty towns, kinda 1988 Simply Red feat. David Bowie Impersonator. All in all like most of the album - a bit rubbish....
1/10
Tonight is usually best summed up as; "not as woefully bad as Never Let Me Down" but really who the feck was whispering in his ear back then...