Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989)

A moment of madness or a touch of genius – take your pick.   David Bowie had already gone through more ch-ch-changes than most other Artists; sometimes losing fans, sometimes gaining new ones.  After the relative disappointment of 80’s albums ‘Tonight’ and ‘Never Let Me Down’ David decided to form a group, where like McCartney he would be just one of the boys, but in reality would always be concentrated and eventually implode around his own personality.  Well, after a fanfare in the press we settled down to this album.  By any other start-up band this would have been quite a good debut – but expectations always exceed reality with Superstars.  Listening again after a few years and you can begin to appreciate both the writing and the performances.  Guitarist Reeves Gabreel was instrumental in the new harder sound, along with brothers Tony and Hunt Sales as the rhythm section, this was a pared back almost garage sound.  The songs were short and the lyrics quite ordinary but, as if by osmosis, quality has a way of seeping through like ink through blotting paper.  I find that now it is indeed a vast improvement on the previous two solo albums.  Best songs; ‘Heaven’s in Here’, ‘Amazing’ and ‘I Can’t Read’.  A second album and a live effort helped squeeze the last drops of patience and money from his fans (though a few still hail this as his golden period) before calling it a day and returning to a more creative but somehow more boring Superstardom.