David Bowie - "David Bowie In Bertolt Brecht's Baal" (1983)

In 1982, BBC aired a TV version of Bertolt Brecht's Baal (recorded in 1981), in which Bowie played Baal. It's an EP with 5 songs, 11 minutes of playing time, the album was recorded in Berlin, and it was the last record Bowie released on RCA. His next album was released on EMI. Brecht wrote Baal in 1918, and it was set up in 1923 for the first time.

I bought the record about ten years ago when I lived in the city of Quebec, mostly because I thought it seemed to be an odd album with Bowie. I thought I had a pretty good idea about his catalog, but had never heard of this one. It was cheap, so I decided to cure my curiosity (and maybe it was worth a lot more than the store asked!). Since then, it has mostly remained standing in the shelf without being played. Perhaps one reason has been that it has hardly been worthwhile to put it on for 11 minutes of music, which includes one turning of the record. The CD / Streaming era has probably made me a bit lazy.

The TV version of the songs has only banjo accompanying the singing, but it was decided to have a slightly fuller arrangement on the record. Remember these are not Bowie's own songs, the songs are of Brecht character, so if you like that kind of music, you probably like this album. I have never been a Bowie fanatic, I find his songs quite mixed, with both bland and fantastic creations. Brecht is also not someone I've had very much interest in, so for me this album is nothing special. If I want to listen to Bowie, I will definitely choose another one of his albums. It may be added that the album was released during Bowie's Let's Dance period, but the music on Baal is very far from put on your red shoes and dance the blues ...


Tracklist

Side A
1. Baal's Hymn 4:02
2. Remembering Marie A 2:04

Side B
1. Ballad Of The Adventurers 1:54
2. The Drowned Girl 2:24
3. Dirty Song 0:37