David Bowie - Despite Straight Lines (1978)
Things were looking up for David Bowie. His heavy drug addiction was in the past, the so-called "Bowie ban" by his label, RCA had concluded, and he was once again in the studio with his friend Brian Eno to record the follow-up to Day and Night. About half of the songs had already either been written or recorded by the time of the previous album's release, so he already had something to work with. They got to work in late March 1978, searching for new themes to go with. As the previous album was composed entirely of instrumental soundscapes, this album would contain relatively conventional songs with Bowie's voice present throughout most of it, although the instruments and sounds used in Day and Night would still be very prevalent here, plus even more.
As the sessions went on, Eno introduced something to Bowie that would completely change the course of recording: a deck of cards Eno produced himself called "Oblique Strategies". These cards were made to promote creativity for musicians in often unorthodox ways and encourage lateral thinking. Examples included having musicians swap instruments and introducing melodies of previously discarded songs. This turned Bowie's mind upside-down, and it allowed him to once again change his sound, even as the sessions were still ongoing. By the time recording for the now double album was finished, Bowie had retired the electronic and ambient style that he had used for the last year for art rock inspired by world and new wave. Bowie took advantage of this change in sound and sequenced the album so as to make the change gradual. The beginning would be the same electronic sounds used in Day and Night, but by the end, fans would be introduced to a new David Bowie.
The album released on September 29, 1978. Almost immediately, fans were much more keen to praise this album then his previous one. Critics saw it as a fitting chapter two, and today it is seen as a universal masterpiece. Over time, fans started calling Bowie's Day and Night, Iggy Pop's The Idiot and Bowie's Despite Straight Lines the Berlin Trilogy, as they were all recorded together in Berlin and all three have a somewhat similar sound.
All tracks are sourced from Low, "Heroes" and Lodger, with the exception of "All Saints" and "Fuji Moto San" ("Crystal Japan"), both sourced from the All Saints compilation.
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