DaViD BOwiE

Loving The alien: 1983–1988 PaRLOPhONE 7/10 Bowie’s relationship to fame was, to put it mildly, tumultuous. He doggedly pursued celebrity during his teens, but when he finally achieved it in the early 1970s, he spent a decade wrestling with its corrosive side effects, creating his most vital albums at his lowest points. By the 1980s, Bowie appeared to shed any misgivings and embrace world tours and pop albums, peroxide-blond hair and shoulder pads. The alien suddenly appeared so… normal? The era compiled in Loving The Alien may not be anyone’s favourite period in Bowie’s career, and the LPs collected here – 1983’s commercial breakthrough Let’s Dance, 1985’s tired Tonight, and 1987’s not that bad Never Let Me Down – lack the punch of his previous efforts. But they do have their charms: the revving ’50s beat of “Modern Love”, the woozy self-mythologising of “Loving The Alien”, the Cold War hand-wringing of “Time Will Crawl”. Extras: 6/10. A retooled version of Never Let Me Down featuring members of his Blackstar band, featuring Reeves Gabrels, Nico Muhly and more, plus a cornucopia of remixes, rarities and soundtrack contributions. Most revealing are two live LPs, from ’83 and ’87, that show an artist reconsidering his old hits – and his old selves – for new fans.