The Curious Case of David Bowie's "Lodger"

I have to say that one of the best things about the new David Bowie album coming out is that it has made me listen to his music again with new ears. This process of reacquainting myself has made me realise that I forgot just how amazing the back catalogue is. Perhaps my two favourite albums by Bowie are “Heroes” (1977) and Scary Monsters (1980) but tucked away between these two masterpieces is 1979’s Lodger. Over the weekend I've basically had Lodger on a continuous loop (vinyl of course) and I had quite a rewarding experience. Fantastic Voyage, Look Back In Anger, Yassassin, Red Sails, Repetition; this album is littered with superb song writing. Although there is something about it that just keeps nagging at me. How can I adore the albums that proceed and succeed but not equally love the creative stepping stone that is Lodger? Why is this album so underrated and undervalued amongst Bowie’s run of seventies classic albums? I have narrowed it down to two reasons: some of the songs could sound better and where Lodger fits chronologically.

Some of the songs could sound better

There is something slightly off about the whole sound of Lodger which when you think about it doesn’t really make sense. Bowie’s albums immediately before and after are pitch perfect, crystal clear and still sound innovative, fresh and haven’t aged a single day. Lodger on the other hand sounds a bit muffled and the production just isn’t as good as it should/could be. It can be argued that it is just the way the individual songs were meant to be however subsequent live performances prove contrary to this. Take Look Back In Anger for example. This is a brilliant song however don’t you just wish it rocked a bit harder? Listen to the studio version below:

Now compare it to a live performance from 2002 (around 7:35 in):

While the two versions aren’t that different I feel the original loses some of its drive in the mix and if it were a bit cleaner and less muffled the overall result would be stronger, as shown in the live rendition. It’s not surprising that in 1988 Bowie recorded a "new, brutal version of the song" that is similar to that performed in 2002. I’m not alone in my feel that the album as a whole just doesn’t sound right. Bowie has admitted that “we didn’t take enough care mixing” and producer Tony Visconti agrees that the album “suffered at the mixing stage”.  Visconti has even stated in a very recent interview that it is “an important album for both of us, but David agreed it never sounded the way we wanted”. It has been suggested that the final track off “Heroes”, The Secret Life of Arabia, was a precursor to Lodger and this is quite easy to see this. Maybe if Lodger retained this sound and level of production/mixing it could have been even better overall. However this is not necessarily the case for the entire album. Softer songs such as Fantastic Voyage and Yassassin fit the feel well and I couldn’t imagine Repetition any other way. It is clear though that there are some songs that suffer from the mix.

Where Lodger fits in the Bowie chronology

Lodger is billed as the last addition of the proclaimed “Berlin Trilogy” (although it was made in Switzerland and New York). Where Low and “Heroes” follow on from each other it’s hard to see where Lodger fits in this trilogy. “Heroes” seems to be a natural progression of its predecessor and keeps with the layout of side 1 being lyrical songs and side 2 being predominately experimental instrumentals. Lodger has no instrumentals and is a bit more conventional. However the air of experimentation is definitely continued and while Lodger feels less European as a whole it contains a wider scope of influences including Turkish (Yassassin) and African (African Night Flight). These differences definitely don’t hinder the album but they do result in it being the least remembered and consequently most undervalued of the groundbreaking trilogy. Perhaps separated from the trilogy it would receive the greater acclaim it deserves. It also doesn’t help that it was followed by the huge hit Scary Monsters as this is also another possible reason as to why the album is often overlooked.

Overall it is still brilliant!

I realise that this overlook of Lodger may be a bit negative however I must stress that the album is BRILLIANT! There is not a single bad track and, as previously mentioned, it contains some fantastic song writing from Bowie. The lyrics to Fantastic Voyage for example are beautiful and Bowie’s voice is equally as moving. His vocals throughout this album are exceptionally good from the howls of Red Sails to the monotone almost deadpan delivery of Repetition. After playing this album a lot over the past days I have grown fonder of it on every listen. The material is so strong and it is a shame that it is often undervalued among Bowie’s back catalogue (note: while this album is underrated it isn’t Bowie’s most forgotten. That award goes to the brilliant Buddha of Suburbia). Take Lodger on its own terms and you will fall for all its many charms. It may even become a personal favourite.