Tentative Reviews: David Bowie-Starting Point (released 1977)
C.J. Currie
Tentative Review No. 80: David Bowie-Starting Point (released 1977)
Track Rating
1. The Laughing Gnome **
2. Love You Till Tuesday ***
3. Please Mr. Gravedigger ***
4. We Are Hungry Men ***
5. The London Boys ***
6. Come And Buy My Toys *** 1/2
7. Karma Man ** 1/2
8. When I Live My Dream **
9. Join The Gang *** 1/2
10. Silly Boy Blue *** 1/2
Personnel:
David Bowie: vocals, guitar, keyboards
Other contributors not listed.
Credits:
All tracks written by David Bowie.
Comments:
It's quite common, in the entertainment industry, for established
stars to see their embarrassing early material reissued for profit by
competing record labels. _Starting Point_ fits perfectly into this
category.
Although issued in 1977, this album is one of many collections of
Bowie's pre-"Space Oddity" material -- all tracks were recorded in 1966-67
as single sides (none of which, it should go without saying, were
breakthrough hits). As per the usual manner in which these releases are
handled, there is some material here which is not available on most other
collections, some material missing which is available on most other
collections. One almost wonders if it was planned this way.
These recordings generally take the standard form of late-'60s pop
numbers, though generally with enough eclecticism to allow for some
enjoyment beyond the level of mere historical curiosity. In terms of its
song selection, _Starting Point_ isn't the most successful release of this
sort -- only three tracks featured here are not also on the _David Bowie_
album, and only one ("The London Boys") is really any good; moreover, some
half-decent tracks from _DB_ ("Rubber Band", "Uncle Arthur", etc) are
omited from this version. Although the sarcastic liner notes from James
Spina are almost worth the price of admission on their own, there isn't
terribly much in the way of musical quality that can't also be found on
the other album.
This means that those individuals most inclined to purchase this
album would be (i) collectors, and (ii) those who really want to hear "The
Laughing Gnome" and can't find another outlet. I will confess that my own
curiosity regarding this track was what compelled me to shell out $3 for
a used copy of the album, even though I already had _DB_ in my collection.
"The Laughing Gnome" is, from a musical standpoint, a fairly conventional
English pop number from the 1960s, featuring jerky drum rhythms and a
fairly catchy bass line. But the music isn't the point ...
The song is most notable for featuring Bowie's vocal duet with a
sped-up vocal line (presumably DB's own), representing the voice of the
laughing gnome whom the narrator encounters while walking down the street
one day. The chorus (especially on the last verse, wherein DB breaks down
in premeditated laughter) utilizes this dueting skill to its most complete
effect. Numerous godawful "gnome" puns are littered throughout the work,
most notably the clicking sound which marks the appearance of the gnome's
brother ("He's a metro-gnome", as the titular figure helpfully informs
us). It's rather frightening that Bowie would have risked receiving
attention for this song in the mid-1960s; one wonders how he may have been
typecast had it been successful. Amusingly, the track was reissued during
the peak of his "glam-rock" period (1973), and made the British top 10!
Although I cannot recommend this song from a musical standpoint,
there is a certain element of humour value involved here which may make a
purchase of the album justifiable. Your call.
The remaining tracks on the album are obviously bound to disappoint
the listener from a "novelty" standpoint, but are generally more
substantial as works of music -- they don't hold a candle to Bowie's best
work, but tend to be fairly decent tracks for what they are. "Love You
Till Tuesday", for example, is an enjoyable-if-lightweight piece of '60s
pop, featuring a fairly clever drum/percussion presence. There's not
terribly much to write about as regards this work, except to note that it
could potentially have fit on _Hunky Dory_ with a few minor lyrical shifts
(just to make things a bit more sinister, of course).
"Please Mr. Gravedigger" is a more obviously theatrical number,
featuring DB in the role of a pathological murderer overseeing the work of
the gravedigger in question. Church bells toll in the background and the
lonely narrator walks through the cemetery (in Lambeth) -- the song is
basically an a cappela number, save for the sound of crunching leaves and
rainfall (not to mention the two sneezes that Bowie throws into the
track). In a final lyrical twist, Bowie's character makes it clear that
the GD himself is intended as his next victim (Spina's description of this
is classic). Similarities to Bowie's later themes of urban decay and
lawlessness are obvious. Not among Bowie's best work, but fairly
intriguing nonetheless.
"We Are Hungry Men" is perhaps best regarded as a tentative
first-step towards Bowie's subsequent, more elaborate apocalyptic themes.
To summarize the song briefly: after a German radio broadcaster announces
a growing problem of world overpopulation (over an absurd trumpet bit), a
messianic figure attempts to gain dominion over the world to solve this
problem. Government forces eventually legalize "mass abortion" (which
presumably has some meaning beyond the medical procedure itself) and "turn
a blind eye to infanticide" -- one wonders if policies by the Chinese
government could have inspired this track. At the end of the song, the
would-be followers of the attempted messiah turn against him, and
subsequently eat him. All told, the song doesn't quite rank at the same
level as later works on related themes ... still, there is some promise
here (and the pitch-dropping effects on the early synthesizer is a cute
touch).
"The London Boys" is next, a late '60s lyrical ballad describing the
tale of a young man arriving in England's capital and quickly finding
himself submerged in a life of drug addiction and constant contact with
certain unsavoury friends. The musical background is mixed extremely low,
allowing Bowie's lyrics to take the focal role. This is probably the best
track on the first half of the release, though the trumpet at the end
should probably have been eliminated.
60% of the material of the second half is of a better musical nature.
"Come And Buy My Toys" begins this side on a fairly high note, with the
rhythm of an acoustic guitar providing a suitable background for the
rather unusual lyrical development -- the description of a young boy on
his father's farm is presumably meant to imply some subsequent entrapment
in a more commercial salesman's atmosphere, though some have found more
sinister meanings as well. One way or the other, though, it's a fairly
good "art song" for the period in question.
The next two tracks are a bit of a step down. "Karma Man" (the third
of the tracks not available on _DB_) is an almost charmingly naive
description of a reclusive figure in silent meditation on assorted higher
forms. There are a few suggestions that this figure could have a more
sinister nature, but, in this case, it seems unlikely. The instrumental
ending isn't terribly bad, but the song seems hopelessly derivative of
various elements of trendy pop culture.
"When I Live My Dream" shouldn't be on the album. A few interesting/
amusing lyrical tricks aside ("Baby, I'll a slay a dragon for you"), this
is an incredibly tedious "romantic" number, with saccharine-based music to
match. The reference to a "date" at the end is pure bathos. Surely
something better than this could have been chosen ...
Thankfully, the last two tracks are considerably more interesting.
"Join The Gang" begins with the line "Johnny plays the sitar/He's an
existentialist", thereby suggesting a greater degree of experimentation
than in many of the previous number. The song concerns the efforts of
devious music-oriented souls to win converts to their lifestyle, not
denying their decadent and destructive nature in the process. Musically,
there is much of note here: good drumming, an obviously sped-up sitar
part, a quote from "Gimme Some Lovin'" (as Spina notes), a psychedelic
sound-effects section, and a moderately free-form musical ending. Not bad
at all.
Finally, the album concludes with the impressive "Silly Boy Blue", a
description of a solitary individual's developing abilities to hide within
his own psyche after a disturbing life in the English public school
system. Bowie then links this ability to the potential of holding an
unsavoury role within society while locked in self-reflection (hence, "A
dealer likes to feel that his over-self pays the bill"); it isn't clear
if this refers to the same figure mentioned earlier in the song, however.
The song ends with various spiritual references, generally relating to
Tibetan practices. If the themes are a bit naive, the story has at least
some merit in it. An excellent way to conclude a journey through this
period in Bowie's career.
There's nothing about this album to make it essential to a Bowie fan
and, as these releases go, _David Bowie_ is probably the better of the
two. Still, this release isn't completely superfluous. Perhaps
"recommended for those curious" would be the best judgement to give on
this album.
The Christopher Currie
Visit the Tentative Reviews Home Page:
http://www.lodz.pdi.net:81/~eristic/yes/index.html
J. Mcglinchey
On 6 Mar 1998, C.J. Currie wrote:
> Track Rating
>
> 1. The Laughing Gnome **
> 3. Please Mr. Gravedigger ***
>
> This means that those individuals most inclined to purchase this
> album would be (i) collectors, and (ii) those who really want to hear "The
> Laughing Gnome" and can't find another outlet. I will confess that my own
Yet another "I don't believe I'm admitting this, but..". Under the
conditions of (ii) I would be one of those people! :)
The above two are the only ones I've heard, about thirteen years ago in
the case of each (around Halloween-time, the Dr. Demento show would play
them a lot, alongside the Shaggs' "It's Halloween" and that hilarious song
about Anne Boleyn, "With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm"), and I loved
both. Then again, I was only in sixth grade, so maybe it would be fairly
revolting if I heard it today. I still occasionally get a decent yearning
to relive my youth, go pick up a CD of this stuff and hear those magic
words "Ha ha ha, hee hee hee, I'm the laughing gnome and you can't catch
me" or "Please Mr. Gravedigger don't be ashamed as you dig your little
holes for the dead and the maimed...pouring..."
Maybe one of these days... :)
Joe M.
U of Washington
Biffyshrew
Christopher Currie wrote:
>As per the usual manner in which these releases are handled, there is
>some material here which is not available on most other collections,
>some material missing which is available on most other collections.
>One almost wonders if it was planned this way.
This situation has recently been rectified by the release of the 27-track
_Deram Anthology 1966-68_ CD, which includes all of the tracks from
the LP under consideration here, plus:
Rubber Band (two versions)
The Gospel According To Tony Day
Uncle Arthur
Sell Me A Coat
There Is A Happy Land
Little Bombardier
She's Got Medals (an early gender-bender number)
Maid Of Bond Street
Love You Till Tuesday (alternate version)
Did You Ever Have A Dream
Let Me Sleep Beside You
In The Heat Of The Morning
Ching-A-Ling
Sell Me A Coat
When I Live My Dream (alternate version)
Space Oddity (early version)
Your pal,
Biffy the Elephant Shrew @}-`--}----
THE BRANDNEWBUG CONCERTOS info at http://members.aol.com/biffyshrew/biffy.html
"Somebody come up and giggle at you, that's a violation of your civil
rights..."
C.J. Currie
>> Track Rating
>> 1. The Laughing Gnome **
>> 3. Please Mr. Gravedigger ***
>> This means that those individuals most inclined to purchase this
>> album would be (i) collectors, and (ii) those who really want to hear "The
>> Laughing Gnome" and can't find another outlet. I will confess that my own
>Yet another "I don't believe I'm admitting this, but..". Under the
>conditions of (ii) I would be one of those people! :)
>The above two are the only ones I've heard, about thirteen years ago in
>the case of each (around Halloween-time, the Dr. Demento show would play
>them a lot, alongside the Shaggs' "It's Halloween" and that hilarious song
>about Anne Boleyn, "With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm"), and I loved
>both.
This was during Bowie's _Tonight_ period, correct? If so, I'd say that
having these songs as regular feature on America's premiere novelty radio
program is just punishment ...
Then again, I was only in sixth grade, so maybe it would be fairly
>revolting if I heard it today. I still occasionally get a decent yearning
>to relive my youth, go pick up a CD of this stuff and hear those magic
>words "Ha ha ha, hee hee hee, I'm the laughing gnome and you can't catch
>me" or "Please Mr. Gravedigger don't be ashamed as you dig your little
>holes for the dead and the maimed...pouring..."
If you do, I should note that I've now been informed (thanks Biffyshrew!)
that a _Deram Anthology: 1966-1968_ exists on CD for Bowie's works,
featuring all of the tracks on _Starting Point_ and some 17 more. Knowing
this while I was writing the review might have helped, I suppose ...
The Christopher Currie
NP: L u c i a n o B e r i o - " C o r a l e "