If you can judge an album by the artist’s haircut, then Never Let Me Down was never going to be a stunner
MY NADIR, IT WAS SUCH AN AWFUL ALBUM. I REALLY SHOULDN’T HAVE EVEN BOTHERED GOING TO THE STUDIO TO RECORD IT. IN FACT, WHEN I PLAY IT, I WONDER IF I DID, SOMETIMES
Though Tonight had been devoid of any real artistic sustenance for the Bowie hardcore (save the unexpectedly magnificent Loving The Alien, and the inoffensive charm of Blue Jean), 1987’s Never Let Me Down found David Bowie authoring all-but- one of the record’s 11 compositions. This alone is cause for celebration, as it’s evidence that the distracted Bowie of the preceding album and at least half of Let’s Dance had been fought off once and for all. Bowie was clearly working as hard as he could to rediscover his muse. For that reason, then, his 1987 album is ripe for re-evaluation.