THE HURD STUFF REISSUES
David Bowie
Brilliant Adventure 1992-2001 PARLOPHONE/ISO
Bowie goes back to the future in a decade full of knowing nostalgia and risky reinvention.
Dusting himself off after his mullethaired late-80s slump and unloved Tin Machine side project, David Bowie spent most of the 90s fighting to regain his high cultural standing as a godlike art-rock innovator. Looking backwards to move forwards, he reconnected with key figures from his imperial phase including Mick Ronson, Brian Eno and Nile Rodgers. He waxed nostalgic about Bromley and Berlin, but also embraced cuttingedge electronica and industrial noise, wisely resisting full surrender to the lucrative but deadening conservatism of Britpop.
Spanning 1992 to 2001, this latest addition to the ongoing flood of posthumous Bowie box sets is full of qualified gems and rare treasures, notably the first official release of the fabled ‘lost’ album Toy.