David Bowie - Let's Dance (1983) (9-track Remaster 1999)

David Bowie returned to recording after a four-year break with this relatively clean-cut 1983 album. Although offering another definite new direction for Bowie, with Nile Rodgers of Chic helping to produce a stylish post-disco dance sound, Let's Dance is a mixed bag. Much of the album's success was due to its three danceable hit singles--"China Girl," a sensuous Bowie/Iggy Pop collaboration, the distinctive "Modern Love," and the funky title track. However, much of the rest of the album is bland and vapid, marking the start of serious decline in Bowie's songwriting skills. A cover of Metro's "Criminal World" and "Cat People" are the only other strong tracks here...J. Swift
Hard core Bowie fans hate this album, because it was "commercial" and light, and lacked the angst of "Scary Monsters" or "Lodger." At the time, it seemed like it was an enjoyable album of the moment, picking up on the dance rhythms that had taken over the airwaves by the mid-80s. With hindsight, it is musically a lot more sturdy than that, and seems like a minor classic. Don't follow biography that closely, but I suspect Bowie was just in a good mood then, and that impacted his music, giving it a jolly quality his CD's typically lack. The beats are beautifully constructed, and it is a very pleasing meeting of rock and dance aesthetics...J. Stodder

After summing up his maverick tendencies on Scary Monsters, David Bowie aimed for the mainstream with Let's Dance. Hiring Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers as a co-producer, Bowie created a stylish, synthesized post-disco dance music that was equally informed by classic soul and the emerging new romantic subgenre of new wave, which was ironically heavily inspired by Bowie himself. Let's Dance comes tearing out of the date, propulsed by the skittering "Modern Love," the seductively menacing "China Girl," and the brittle funk of the title track. All three songs became international hits, and for good reason -- they're catchy, accessible pop songs that have just enough of an alien edge to make them distinctive. However, that careful balance is quickly thrown off by a succession of pleasant but unremarkable plastic soul workouts. "Cat People" and a cover of Metro's "Criminal World" are relatively strong songs, but the remainder of the album indicates that Bowie was entering a songwriting slump. However, the three hits were enough to make the album a massive hit, and their power hasn't diminished over the years, even if the rest of the record sounds like an artifact...S. Erlewine

320 @
92 MB
2000mustangs
Tracklist:

01 Modern Love 4:46
02 China Girl 5:32
03 Let's Dance 4:46
04 Without You 3:08
05 Ricochet 5:12
06 Criminal World 4:24
07 Cat People (Putting Out Fire) 5:09
08 Shake It 3:49