Day 27: Bowie, Duran and Flaming Lips' best?

Album 89/1031

David Bowie - Heroes (1977)

All lyrics written by David Bowie; all music composed by Bowie, except where noted.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Beauty and the Beast"	3:32
2.	"Joe the Lion"	3:05
3.	""Heroes"" (Bowie, Brian Eno)	6:07
4.	"Sons of the Silent Age"	3:15
5.	"Blackout"	3:50
Total length:		19:49

Side two
No.	Title	Length
6.	"V-2 Schneider"	3:10
7.	"Sense of Doubt"	3:57
8.	"Moss Garden" (Bowie, Eno)	5:03
9.	"Neuköln" (Bowie, Eno)	4:34
10.	"The Secret Life of Arabia" (Bowie, Eno, Carlos Alomar)	3:46
Total length:		20:30 (40:19)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Heroes%22_(David_Bowie_album)

Golf's verdict: Is 'Heroes' Bowie's best record? As a single, arguably, as an album, certainly not. It's still a fantastic listen and given that this was the same year when he wrote and gave Iggy Pop 'China Girl' and 'Lust for Life' (the music if not the lyrics), then it IS defendable to say that 1977 was possibly his most productive year.

Maire's verdict: If you'd asked me before today I would have said this was one of my favourite Bowie albums but it's actually not. In fact, I'm not sure I've listened to it all before. Strange. Anyway, a couple of crackers but not as good as other records of his.

Album 90/1031


Duran Duran - Rio (1982)

All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.

1. "Rio" – 5:33
2. "My Own Way" – 4:51
3. "Lonely In Your Nightmare" – 3:50
4. "Hungry Like the Wolf" – 3:41
5. "Hold Back the Rain" – 3:59
6. "New Religion" – 5:31
7. "Last Chance on the Stairway" – 4:21
8. "Save a Prayer" – 5:33
9. "The Chauffeur" – 5:13

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_(Duran_Duran_album)

Golf's verdict: Three of the nine tracks are HUGE hits and the rest sound like they could have been. 'The Chauffeur' in particular is a reminder that DD were so much better than just an 80s boy-band and deserve a lot of credit for running with what Roxy Music and Japan had achieved in the 70s and taking it mass-market.

Maire's verdict: I was a member of their fan club when I was 9 so I may be slightly biased. I love Seven and the Ragged Tiger but this is a pretty close second. Haven't listened to it for years but still stands up against more recent delights. I've just added it to my 'must have on vinyl' list.

Album 91/1031


The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (1999)

All tracks written by The Flaming Lips.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Race for the Prize" (Mokran remix)	4:09
2.	"A Spoonful Weighs a Ton"	3:32
3.	"The Spark That Bled" ("The Softest Bullet Ever Shot")	5:55
4.	"The Spiderbite Song"	4:02
5.	"Buggin'" (Mokran remix)	3:16
6.	"What Is the Light?" ("An Untested Hypothesis Suggesting That the Chemical [In Our Brains] by Which We Are Able to Experience the Sensation of Being in Love Is the Same Chemical That Caused the "Big Bang" That Was the Birth of the Accelerating Universe")	4:05
7.	"The Observer"	4:11
8.	"Waitin' for a Superman" ("Is It Gettin' Heavy?")	4:17
9.	"Suddenly Everything Has Changed" ("Death Anxiety Caused by Moments of Boredom")	3:54
10.	"The Gash" ("Battle Hymn for the Wounded Mathematician")	4:02
11.	"Feeling Yourself Disintegrate"	5:17
12.	"Sleeping on the Roof" (excerpt from "Should We Keep the Severed Head Awake??")	3:09
13.	"Race for the Prize" ("Sacrifice of the New Scientists")	4:18
14.	"Waitin' for a Superman" (Mokran remix)	4:19

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soft_Bulletin

Golf's verdict: Another album that seems to be a soundtrack for a movie that plays in your head whenever it is on, but just not the SAME movie every time. Just read the bracketed further exposition after some of the track names to get a sense of the scale and ambition on show. This was the album when the Lips first fully harnessed their potential and is potentially their highest achievement.

Maire's verdict: I once walked out of a Flaming Lips gig in London as the sound was so bad. Anyway, this is a great album although I seem to remember it took me a while to get into it when it first came out.