Scary Monsters [Enhanced]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
Reissue of Bowie's 1980 album, complete with the four bonus tracks from Ryko's 1992 edition included, 'Space Oddity' (Re-Recorded Single B-Side, 1979), 'Panic In Detroit' (Re-Recorded Version, Previously Unreleased, 1979), 'Crystal Japan' (Japanese Single A-Side, 1979) and 'Alabama Song' (UK Single A-Side, 1979). 14 tracks total, all digitally remastered & also including the classic hits 'Ashes To Ashes', 'Fashion' & 'Scary Monsters'. 1992 release. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Tracks:

It's No Game (Part 1)
Up The Hill Backwards
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Ashes To Ashes
Fashion
Teenage Wildlife
Scream Like A Baby
Kingdom Come
Because You're Young
It's No Game (Part 2)

Amazon.com essential recording

Some would argue that this is the last great Bowie album, and certainly his only great album of the '80s. While it lacked the bite of its punk brethren at the time, it appealed to some fans of that genre and to middle-of-the-road rockers as well. Muscular playing met with no-frills production, and the product as a whole was infused with a gloriously arty style. "It's No Game (Part I)" opens the album, and is sung in Japanese, and "It's No Game (Part II)" closes, in English. New York punker Tom Verlaine even contributed a track ("Kingdom Come"), and "Scream Like a Baby" tells a dark and violent story with a howl. The drug-oriented "Ashes to Ashes" confesses that Major Tom was a junky while sounding all sleek and alluring, and the dance floor hit "Fashion" took aim at its very subject. The crowning jewel is the title track, with Robert Fripp's guitar ripping the place up at a relentless pace. It's been a long time since Bowie sounded this inspired. --Lorry Fleming

Customer Reviews:

Scary Monsters.......2007-05-08

David Bowie-Scary Monsters ****

Released in 1980, David Bowies Scary Monsters became one of his biggest and most popular albums to date. Expanding even further on his new wave sound which he and Iggy Pop helped to invent some four years before this album. The album helped to usher Bowie into the 1980's a decade that would serve Bowie highs higher then he had seen before and lows lower then he had seen before.

Scary Monsters is an album of ideas and creativity. Some of Bowies most inspired and original work appears on this album showcasing early influences for many of the alternative bands to imerge during the decade. The lyrics on the album are more then just simple lyrics, they are really the vocal point of the album which is a first for a Bowie album. He has always been known as an amaznig lyricist but Scary Monsters secured him as among the best.

The line up of musicians is amazing with guest apperances from the great Pete Townshend, King Crimson leader and guitar virtuoso Robert Fripp, as well as piano great Roy Bittan, and legend Tony Visconti, but the phenomonal Tom Verlaine of Television lent his hands at some of the albums lyrics.

'Its No Game (Part 1)' is a strange song, but actually a great way to open the album being as it is a little strange as a whole. With no chorus or really a hook for the matter the song is sung in strange octives and features lots of Janpanese spoken word inbetween verses. No other song would have started the album better. Also contains great socialy concious lyrics. 'Up The Hill Backwards' is very child hood sing-along. While once again the lyrics are great they loose their effect being performed over such nursery ryhme music and in a sing-along way. The track is take it or leave it. The title track 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)' is one of the best songs on the album. With a very different sound and though the song sounds very 80's it still has a great appeal. 'Ashes To Ashes' is easily the best song on the album and one of Bowies all time best songs. Fantastic keyboard and minimal drumming make the mood of the song soom very errie. The lyrics are some of the best ever written in history. Part two of the contiueing sega of 'Major Tom.' In this sequal to the original we find out that 'Major Tom' is not in space at all but mearly strung out on Heroin. A great song, truly a classic. 'Fashion' is one of the most inventive songs of Bowies career. Combining some incredible guitar playing from Fripp and a new wave feel and sound that would revolutionize the comming decade. 'Teenage Wildlife' may contain the very best lyrics Bowie has ever written. The vocal delivery is so heart felt and emotional that you truly understand and feel what he is trying to convey. The guitar work from Fripp is inspired and complaments the lyrics perfectly. One of the most honest and truly geniune songs ever written. 'Scream Like A Baby' is almost a hard rocker. Slightly intence with some restraint as too not get way out of controle. 'Kingdom Come' is a song that was written by Tom Verlaine of Television and it is so clear when you hear it beacuse it totaly sounds as if it would fit in on the bands debut. A great perfomance from Bowie here. 'Because Your Young' features lead guitar from Pete Townshend which adds to the song and makes it better. Other then the guitar this is not one of the better songs on the album, in fact the album may have been stronger had it been left off. Closing the album is 'Its Not Game (Part 2)' which is nothing like part one which opens the albums. This is much more laid back. A calm after the store or more like a cigerette after a night cap is more in line. A great tune to end the album nicly and ease the listener away.

Scary Monsters is not the best album that David Bowie ever recorded but from the 1980's this is the best he has to offer. The music is phenomonal, this is an album you will never get bored with or grow old of. The artwork in the case of the album is worth the price of the album alone, usualy I dont comment on the artwork but it is truly breath taking. So for those how are looking at this you are sligtly interested and that is a good enough reason to buy the album if this review wasnt reason enough.

Bowie - Scary Monsters.......2007-03-09

It still amazes me how Bowie thinks up some of the sounds and riffs used in this album. The second half of it I can't get into much but the first half is awesome! "Ashes to Ashes" rode the charts at number 1 for ages as did the album.
The mastering is great too.

It features obscure lead guitar by Robert Fripp and Pete Townsend played and contributed to one of the tracks. It's harsh in sound compared to Bowie's more recent work.

Bowie and a ton of cool guitar.......2006-11-19

I'm a guitar fan and this is a most enjoyable Bowie cd, especially because of the guitars.

There are some gem songs like "Ashes to Ashes", "Its No Game", "Fashion" and "Kingdom Come". However, the real highpoint here is the incredible and extremely innovative musicianship.

Bowie took eccentric lyrics, unusual time signatures and then applied stellar and inventive musicians to color these songs. I believe Robert Fripp and Adrien Below were the featured guitar players.

Check out the strange, angular guitar runs on "Fashion"

After this album he went way too commercial. With the exception of thrusting Stevie Rae Vaughn into the limelight, I do not like what Bowie did after this in the 1980's.

The better of the post 1970 recordings........2006-11-14

I really like David Bowies' 1970 recordings along with 1 or 2 of the later recordings and Scary Monsters is one of them. I believe this recording is an important addition to any record collection that includes David Bowie.
Michael A Cicchi.

Brilliant album but not for everone.......2006-07-09

This album is an absolutly brilliant album, however as with most things brilliance is relative. All though far more people fell in love with this album than probably even Bowie himself expected the truth is this album was never met for mass consumption on any real level. Just because there is a reference to major Tom doesn't mean that this album was a return to the pop music Bowie produced in the early 70's. This is album is when Bowie finaly became comfortable with his past drug addiction. It is Bowie happy being Bowie all though it would not last through the '80s. If you are a hardcore Bowie fan and enjoy albums That have greater focus on the big picture than on the individual songs pick this up I promise you will not be disapointed. If not then simply pop in Ziggy Stardust again and enjoy there's something for everyone where Bowie's involved.

Average customer rating:

Unbelievable!

Yndi Halda (Enjoy Eternal Bliss)
Yndi Halda
Manufacturer: Big Scary Monsters
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

Unbelievable! .......2007-03-19

As an album, this is absoutely amazing. But as an EP, this is unbelievable.

I'm finding it difficult to describe this album in words. All that I can reccomend doing is listening to it. Describing such an amazing piece of music would be near-impossible. The climaxes found in Enjoy Eternal Bliss (ESPECIALLY the one found in We Flood Empty Lakes) is enough to make your jaw drop. I'm 100% serious.

I may have to order this, as it was sent over the internet by a friend. This is too good of an album not to own.

Average customer rating:

Controlled chaos
Punched in the gut
Absolute Must Have!!

Scary Monsters
David Bowie
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 2003-10-21

Tracks:

It's No Game (Part 1)
Up The Hill Backwards
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Ashes To Ashes
Fashion
Teenage Wildlife
Scream Like A Baby
Kingdom Come
Because You're Young
It's No Game (Part 2)

Customer Reviews:

Controlled chaos.......2005-05-23

From the opening verses sung in Japanese, there's a distinct sense that something dark and sinister is going on just beneath the surface of this record. It's a very visual album, and as Bowie takes the listener through this journey, he confronts his psychological shadow head on over and over again, ultimately gaining control over it. This is apparent in the arrangement of the songs, especially with Robert Fripp's barely controlled guitar work. Between Fripp and Carlos Alomar, it's as if Bowie had unleashed two deadly snakes from a wicker basket, only to coax them back at the very last second before allowing them to do any harm. Chronologically, Scary Monsters came after the Berlin trilogy albums of the mid to late '70s, which marked the peak of Bowie's experimental period. As he confesses in 'Ashes to ashes', he apparently wasn't just experimenting musically on those previous albums, but also with heroin (and God only knows what other strange drugs). This may very well be the last of Bowie's truly classic and timeless albums from beginning to end. The SACD version is well worth getting, as it adds another dimension to a spectacular recording.

Punched in the gut.......2004-05-06

That's how you'll feel when you crank up the bass on this SACD. This is a hybrid disc, so you can play it on regular CD players as well, but to get the full audio range you'll need a SACD player. I'll say it again - SACD and DSD remind me of playing a brand new audiophile vinyl record - there's just something else there that CD can't provide, and SACD blows the doors off of DVD-A. So even if you don't have a SACD player, buy this copy now and hang on to it until you do get one. You can't go wrong with a disc that has "Ashes to Ashes" and "Fashion," and the incredible guitar work of Robert Fripp.

Absolute Must Have!!.......2003-11-29

I will save the long drawn out review of one of Bowie's finest and just say that you will not believe sound quality in super audio and the price is excellent. Bowie is known for quality output of his catalog and I look forward to next batch.

Tracks:

It's No Game (No.1)
Up The Hill Backwards
Scary Monsters And Super-Creeps
Ashes To Ashes
Fashion
Teenage Wildlife
Scream Like A Baby
Kingdome Come
Because You're Young
It's No Game (No.2)

Customer Reviews:

Scary Monsters.......2007-05-08

Average customer rating:

Scary Monsters
Perhaps his best ever!
Borderline greatness
bowie's forgotten masterpiece

Scary Monsters
David Bowie
Manufacturer: Rykodisc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 1992-05-22

Tracks:

It's No Game (Part 1)
Up The Hill Backwards
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Ashes To Ashes
Fashion
Teenage Wildlife
Scream Like A Baby
Kingdom Come
Because You're Young
It's No Game (Part 2)
Space Oddity
Panic In Detroit
Crystal Japan
Alabama Song

Customer Reviews:

Scary Monsters.......2005-04-04

There's a few highlights of this album, but I certainly wouldn't rate it up among Bowie's best. People tend to group this one in with Bowie's underrated albums, I don't really see the point of that. It's not a great album, nor is it a terrible one.

It's No Game (both parts) are great openers and closers, and the idea of having one part that is in English and the other in Japanese is pretty cool.

Ashes to Ashes is of course fantastic and the best song on the album. Fashion for me, is his best song of the '80s (though this was 1979, heh). Scream Like a Baby is equally well done, with the '80s timeline clearly stamped on its production.

As far as bonus tracks go, the re-recording of Space Oddity (on piano), is great. The re-recording of Panic in Detroit is very lackluster and just badly done overall (though I love the original). Unless you're a Bowie completist, the bonus tracks aren't worth it.

But the album itself has about 4 or 5 really good songs (read: Bowie staples), which is still pretty good for an album of 10 tracks. There's a nice sound throughout the album, but the songwriting itself just runs out of steam. I'd put this in the "average Bowie album" category.

Perhaps his best ever!.......1999-07-15

'Scary Monsters' is perhaps the pinnacle of Bowie's long career in music. Firstly, it features perhaps Bowie's best ever backing band with Robert Fripp providing some stunning guitar work. Also, because this album was created without the assistance of Eno, it survives as one of Bowie's most personal. The persona adopted was the world-weary traveller of 'Lodger', only this time tackling more personal issues. The lyrics are probably Bowie's best ever, especially on 'It's No Game' and 'Teenage Wildlife' and another standout is his consistently strong, often exaggerated vocal performance. There are also a number of important guest performances from the likes of Roy Bittan and Pete Townsend as well as Tony Visconti providing some inspired and eccentric touches to the production. Although every song is a highlight, the best are the two versions of 'It's No Game' that bookend the album, the excellent number one hit single 'Ashes To Ashes', 'Scream Like a Baby' and the best of the lot, the aforementioned 'Teenage Wildlife'. The bonus tracks on the CD make this even more essential.

Borderline greatness.......1999-05-21

Side One of Scary Monsters is, in my view, the single best side of music to be found on any Bowie album - not least because of the astonishing musicianship of King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp ('I've been spraying burning guitar all over David Bowie's new album', as he said at the time) and the supple bass playing of Bernard Edwards. And the songs themselves - from the throat-tearing opener 'It's No Game' (with a frantic Japanese commentary in the background), to the searing title track (check out the guitars on this one!) to the Space Oddity follow-up 'Ashes to Ashes' and the metallic dance track 'Fashion' - rank among his best. It would be surprising if the high standard could be maintained on Side Two - and it isn't. 'Teenage Wildlife' is a highlight - a mini rock-opera that has wonderfully expressive singing and inspired playing - but the tracks that follow it - 'Scream Like a Baby', 'Because You're Young' - are weak in comparison. Still, if I had to choose one album by Bowie to take to a desert island, it would be this one - the perfect antidote to sunshine and blue skies. (It's remarkable to think that the album that followed this, three years later, was the appalling 'Let's Dance'.) If you want to sample the music of David Bowie when he was at or near his creative peak, then order this CD. Highly recommended.

bowie's forgotten masterpiece.......1999-05-08

this is david bowie's most underrated album--the last example of his progressive, influencial genius--before he started marrying models just so he could more easily borrow their hairspray. i highly recommend everything up to and including this release, and nothing after it. it is the hinge upon which his spotty, infuriating career turns.

Average customer rating:

3 and a half stars: Powerful rock and failed experiment

Scary Monsters/Lodger
David Bowie
Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0002RK902
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Tracks:

It's No Game (Part 1)
Up The Hill Backwards
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Ashes To Ashes
Fashion
Teenage Wildlife
Scream Like A Baby
Kingdom Come
Because You're Young
It's No Game (Part 2)

Tracks:

Fantastic Voyage
African Night Flight
Move On
Yassassin (Turkish For: Long Live)
Red Sails
D.J.
Look Back In Anger
Boys Keep Swinging
Repetition
Red Money

Album Description

Limited edition box-set combines the rock icon's 1980 & 1979 albums. Slipcase. EMI. 2004.

Customer Reviews:

3 and a half stars: Powerful rock and failed experiment.......2005-02-19

This set combines Scary Monsters, the 1980 album that saw Bowie's return to a full-bodied rock sound, heavy with guitar and feedback, with Lodger from 1979, the final and weakest one of the Eno trilogy.

The catchy Ashes To Ashes revisits Major Tom of Space Oddity while the funky Fashion with its gripping vocals is in a way a rock treatment of a theme from Young Americans - it has become a club classic. Other great tracks include Up The Hill Backwards, Scream Like A Baby and the cover of Tom Verlaine's Kingdom Come.

The sound is as heavy as on The Man Who Sold The World but with all the added experiments of the 1970's to create a very distinctive 1980's hard rock effect. It is definitely more accessible to the rock fan than any of his Eno albums that went before, and better than most of what followed in that decade.

Lodger is complex & stylish but forgettable. It is my least favourite of Bowie's trilogy of albums produced by Brian Eno. It lacks the innovation and freshness of Low, and there are no truly spectacular songs like the title track from Heroes. Perhaps it is that I find the music somewhat clinical and devoid of emotion, but I experience this album as fragmentary and incohesive.

While not bland, the musical textures and moods are aloof and have an unfinished feel about them. To me, Boys Keep Swinging and Fantastic Voyage are the only memorable songs and 'Boys' had a fantastic video clip. The song DJ comments on the disco era in a set of vivid images and the various experiments in rhythm are noteworthy. It is valuable for its obvious intelligence, but my personal enjoyment of it is limited.

Rating: Four stars for Scary Monsters, two and a half for Lodger, but the devoted Bowie fan will appreciate it and it is good value for money.

Average customer rating:

Astronauts
Secondsmile
Manufacturer: Big Scary Monsters
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000FOPRHW
Release Date: 2006-06-12

Tracks:

Astronauts
Sit Tight (Fucked Up Version)
With Tired Eyes I See Clear (Acoustic Version)
Astronauts (Video)
Our Great & Secret Show (Video)

Album Details

Taken from their Highly Acclaimed Album 'walk Into the Light and Reach for the Sky'.

Average customer rating:

Scary Monsters
David Bowie
Manufacturer: Toshiba EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000MEYHUS
Release Date: 2007-03-19

Tracks:

It's No Game, Pt. 1
Up The Hill Backwards
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Ashes To Ashes
Fashion
Teenage Wildlife
Scream Like A Baby
Kingdom Come
Because You're Young
It's No Game, Pt. 2

Album Details

Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

Average customer rating:

Scary Monsters
Perhaps his best ever!
Borderline greatness
bowie's forgotten masterpiece

Scary Monsters
David Bowie
Manufacturer: EMI Int'l
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000ILGE
Release Date: 1999-06-22

Tracks:

It's No Game, Pt. 1
Up the Hill Backwards
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Ashes to Ashes
Fashion
Teenage Wildlife
Scream Like a Baby
Kingdom Come
Because You're Young
It's No Game, Pt. 2

Customer Reviews:

Scary Monsters.......2005-04-04

Perhaps his best ever!.......1999-07-15

Borderline greatness.......1999-05-21

bowie's forgotten masterpiece.......1999-05-08

Average customer rating:

Stories from the Road
Athena Reich
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Release Date: 2005-10-25

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