Reality (David Bowie album)
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Reality is the twenty-third studio album by English rock musician David Bowie. It was released on 16 September 2003 on his Iso Records label, in conjunction with Columbia Records.
Recording and production
The album was recorded and produced in New York's Looking Glass Studios and co-produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti. Consisting mostly of original compositions, the album also includes two cover songs, The Modern Lovers' "Pablo Picasso" and George Harrison's "Try Some, Buy Some". These two tracks were originally slated for Bowie's never-recorded Pin Ups 2 album from the early 1970s.[2]
Bowie started writing the songs for Reality as the production for his previous album Heathen was wrapping up. Some songs he wrote quickly: "Fall Dog Bombs the Moon" was written in 30 minutes. Other songs, such as "Bring Me the Disco King", was a song Bowie had tried his hand at as early as the 1970s and had tried again with 1993's Black Tie White Noise as well as Heathen in 2002.[2]
Bowie and Visconti produced both the stereo and 5.1 mix in the studio as the album was recorded.
On the album's title, Bowie said:
I feel that reality has become an abstract for so many people over the last 20 years. Things that they regarded as truths seem to have just melted away, and it's almost as if we're thinking post-philosophically now. There's nothing to rely on any more. No knowledge, only interpretation of those facts that we seem to be inundated with on a daily basis. Knowledge seems to have been left behind and there's a sense that we are adrift at sea. There's nothing more to hold on to, and of course political circumstances just push that boat further out.[2]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 74/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
BBC | Very positive[1] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | (7.3/10)[6] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
USA Today | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
A contemporary review of the album by the BBC called the album "a proper album, with a beginning, a middle and an end. It's direct, warm, emotional honest, even and the surfeit of pleasingly deceptive musical simplicity allows the irony of the central concept – that there is no such thing as reality anymore – an opportunity to filter through. It's also rather lively and convincing." The same review called this and his earlier album Earthling Bowie's "best album since Scary Monsters."[1]
Release history
Over the promotional period, the album was released in a variety of formats. The standard release was a single jewel case CD version, followed by the CD with a three track bonus CD in digipak format. The album was then released as a multichannel hybrid SACD, and then reissued with a bonus live DVD recorded in London.[9]
Live performances
Bowie took the album on tour in 2003 and 2004 on what was originally planned to be a 7-month tour.[2]
Track listing
All tracks are written by David Bowie, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "New Killer Star" | 4:40 | |
2. | "Pablo Picasso" | Jonathan Richman | 4:06 |
3. | "Never Get Old" | 4:25 | |
4. | "The Loneliest Guy" | 4:11 | |
5. | "Looking for Water" | 3:28 | |
6. | "She'll Drive the Big Car" | 4:35 | |
7. | "Days" | 3:19 | |
8. | "Fall Dog Bombs the Moon" | 4:04 | |
9. | "Try Some, Buy Some" | George Harrison | 4:24 |
10. | "Reality" | 4:23 | |
11. | "Bring Me the Disco King" | 7:45 |
- "Bring Me the Disco King" was originally recorded by Bowie back in 1992/93 during the studio sessions for his album Black Tie White Noise, but for reasons unknown was not released until it made an appearance on this album (in re-recorded form).[10]
- Limited edition bonus disc
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Fly" | 4:10 | |
2. | "Queen of All the Tarts (Overture)" | 2:53 | |
3. | "Rebel Rebel" (2002 re-recording) | 3:10 | |
4. | "Love Missile F1 Eleven" | Martin Degville, Tony James, Neal Whitmore | 4:15 |
5. | "Rebel Never Gets Old" (Radio mix) | 3:27 | |
6. | "Rebel Never Gets Old" (7th Heaven edit) | 4:19 | |
7. | "Rebel Never Gets Old" (7th Heaven mix) | 7:23 |
- Limited DVD tour edition
The DVD features a promotional concert where the whole album was played live track by track. It was recorded at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London on 8 September 2003. On the regular CD a recording of The Kinks' song "Waterloo Sunset" was released as a bonus track. On the Canadian reissue, the live DVD was truncated down to five tracks.
- DualDisc edition
A DualDisc edition was released initially in the Boston and Seattle regions of the US only. The CD side contains the album, whereas the DVD side contains the album in 5.1 surround sound and bonus material (photo gallery, lyrics, biography, and discography). Of most interest is the otherwise unavailable Reality film featuring full-length videos of "Never Get Old", "The Loneliest Guy", "Bring Me the Disco King" and "New Killer Star" directed by Steven Lippman. About half a year later this edition was released countrywide in the US and Canada.
The original test marketed DualDisc version differs in packaging and in the design on the inlay card from the version that was later released countrywide.
Personnel
- David Bowie – vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion, saxophone, stylophone, synthesiser
- Sterling Campbell, Matt Chamberlain – drums
- Gerry Leonard – guitar
- Earl Slick – guitar
- Mark Plati – bass guitar, guitar
- Mike Garson – piano
- David Torn – guitar
- Gail Ann Dorsey – backing vocals
- Catherine Russell – backing vocals
- Additional personnel
- Matt Chamberlain – drums on "Bring Me the Disco King" and "Fly"
- Tony Visconti – bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Mario J. McNulty – additional percussion and drums on "Fall Dog Bombs the Moon", additional engineering[11]
- Carlos Alomar – guitar on "Fly"
- Greg Tobler – assistant engineer
- Design
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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References
- ^ a b c Easlea, Daryl (2002). "David Bowie Reality Review". BBC. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d Buskin, Richard (October 2003), "David Bowie & Tony Visconti Recording Reality", Sound on Sound, retrieved 30 July 2013
- ^ Reality (Review), metacritic, retrieved 16 January 2013
- ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Reality – David Bowie". Allmusic. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ Caroline Sullivan (12 September 2003). "David Bowie, Reality". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ Eric Carr (16 September 2003). "David Bowie: Reality". Pitchfork. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/reality-20030910
- ^ Edna Gundersen (15 September 2003). "Listen Up (David Bowie: Reality)". USA Today. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
- ^ Ivan Claudio (24 September 2003). "Jovialidade sem botox" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 13 November 2010.
- ^ David Wild. "Bowie's Wedding Album". Rolling Stone (21 January 1993): 14.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "australian-charts.com David Bowie – Reality" (ASP). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "David Bowie – Reality – austriancharts.at" (ASP). Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "ultratop.be — David Bowie – Reality" (ASP). ultratop.be/nl, Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "ultratop.be — David Bowie – Reality" (ASP). ultratop.be/fr,, Hung Medien (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "danishcharts.com". danishcharts.com. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl David Bowie – Reality" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "finnishcharts.com David Bowie – Reality" (ASP). Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "lescharts.com David Bowie – Reality" (ASP). lescharts.com (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "Album Search: David Bowie – Reality" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 18 September 2003". Irish Recorded Music Association. Chart-Track. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "italiancharts.com David Bowie – Reality". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ^ デヴィッド・ボウイ-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック "Highest position and charting weeks of Reality by David Bowie". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ "charts.org.nz David Bowie – Earthling" (ASP). Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com David Bowie – Reality" (ASP). Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "poruguescharts.com David Bowie – Reality" (ASP). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com David Bowie – Reality" (ASP). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "David Bowie – Reality – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "David Bowie > Artists > Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "allmusic ((( Reality > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2003". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
- ^ "Rapports annuels 2003". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ^ "Classement Albums - année 2003". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (in French). Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ^ "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 2003" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ^ "Les Albums Or". infodisc.fr. SNEP. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ^ "French album certifications – David Bowie – Reality" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
- ^ "British album certifications – David Bowie – Reality". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 October 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Reality in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.