I hope you find an article you like here. During my time at university, I received the Mercian Prize for Poetry and was published in Aesthetica 2018 with my piece 'Orange (in three parts)'. I currently write for The Indiependent, an online entertainment publication, covering film news and reviews. I am a writer by trade, having contributed to Birmingham Live reviewing a Wolf Alice gig, and worked as an editor, publishing a collection of new writing from students, including an interview with Sir Lenny Henry. It has since expended to cover cinema, television and video games. As my vinyl collection grew, I wanted to find a way to document my favourite records, so I combined these two passions into the blog you see before you.
I studied for a BA and MA in Creative Writing, graduating with a first class with honours and commendation respectively. I started this blog as a way of maintaining a steady flow of writing between years at university. Hello! My name is Jack, and as you can see, I am a bit of a vinyl enthusiast. This is an example of David Bowie at his peak.įavourite tracks: Life on Mars?/Moonage Daydream From humble beginnings of Space Oddity to epic rock anthem Suffragette City, we’re seeing Bowie as not only a classic rock artsit, but also as a showman that can give a crowd a good time and be as memorable in person as he was in his albums. Overall, this album makes for a great compilation of the tracks that propelled Bowie onto stardom. The brief photographs and art pieces of the inserts are also colourful, bright and enjoyable. The vinyl is solid, with covering sleeves that come separate to the record sleeves for you to decide if you want to leave them in one set of sleeves or the other. The quality of the physical record is also something quite wonderful. It’s an outreach for the personal experience that one would want if they were lucky enough to go to a live David Bowie show. It’s also fantastic hearing Bowie’s very few vocal interludes and addressing his audience. Hearing the erratic excitement of Queen Bitch gradually sleep into melodic rock anthem Moonage Daydream, we see the meticulous organisation by Bowie and the band to compliment each song with the previous and the next. It’s progressive and with very few mistakes.
They’re exciting fun and evoke a nostalgic response.Įach track blends slowly into one another. They characterise the Ziggy persona and stage flamboyance he was known for. It’s difficult to pinpoint specific tracks here because they’re essentially the best of early Bowie. Complete early works, a mix of singles, B-sides and bangers that people respond to because they either know them, or are willing to learn them. But what makes this particular album fantastic is the arrangement. It’s easy to pick up a compilation of an artist’s best work. If you want a definitive collection of early Bowie sang brilliantly, Santa Monica ’72 is the way to go.
But I was completely wrong and it is in fact one of the best live albums I’ve heard. I thought it wouldn’t be showing him at his best. I was wary about listening to this record. When he died, much like the majority of the population, I was devastated. It’s no secret how much I love David Bowie. The vocals are quieter, the audience can be overpowering, technical issues.