Heathen

Great album by the icon

I bought this album originally around 12 years ago and realised Bowie had integrated his early work with some current musical trends of the time, so once again he tuned in to what people wanted to hear and personalised it to be very 'Bowie'. I like this album because we were hearing his original stuff a lot on the radio and then the departure into more pop with China Girl etc, but then he doubled back with Heathen and integrated the two styles. I like particularly Slow Burn which has a deep underlying throbbing beat and shows Bowie's vocal range off. Also Everyone says Hi, which is a good lip-sync song for driving to. It stays in your mind. Cactus and I took a ride in a Gemini Spacecraft feel like the old Bowie with the lyrics being a tad strange but what you would expect really. Cactus being a tune to move around to whilst Gemini is less so, to the point of being back in space where much of Bowie's music seems to focus. The only other one that jumps out is Afraid. This one I think is more reminiscent of the 90's style of pop, but fits well on this eclectic album. But on the whole this is in my opinion, one of his best for showing another side to him.

I like it

As with Reality, I came late to this album, influenced by the fuss over The Next Day. There's a lot to enjoy here from a fairly straightforward pop/rock album. The production is rich and Bowie's voice and delivery are marvellous, encompassing styles from silky-smooth soul to wailing hard rock. One highlight for me after a few listens is the hypnotic opener Sunday, that builds to a crashing climax, only to fade out all too soon. Heathen (The Rays) is in a similar style and likewise leaves me wanting more than its four minutes deliver. But the track I really can't get enough of is the swooning, undulating soul of I Would Be Your Slave. It's like the Thin White Duke never went away, he just cleaned up some of his bad habits. The song is Station To Station (the album) redux, even down to the steamy chug of the percussion - though it's swapped the Trans-Europe Express for what sounds like someone frothing milk for a cappuccino. Two tracks, Everyone Says Hi and A Better Future, sound a bit throwaway, as does the cover of Gemini Spaceship, though this soul-funk outing is impossible to dislike. The rest rocks and flows along nicely. It's too varied overall to be more than a collection of songs, whatever the pretensions of the packaging (and the most inscrutable lyric sheet ever), but it's good even ten years late to hear Bowie so relaxed and on top of his art.

This is my favourite David Bowie album I've heard so far besides "The Next Day" and "Blackstar". All the songs are really catchy (on first listen too) and I can't believe I missed this when it came out back in 2002. Stand-out songs for me are "Sunday" that reminds me of the sort of song Neil Hannon could have done, "Slip Away" which to me is the equivalent of a 21st century "Life on Mars" completely epic, "Slow Burn" that I first heard on the Greatest Hits CD and immediately liked and "I Would Be Your Slave" which is beautiful. An absolutely amazing album that I can recommend to everyone. You will have some of the songs going through your head like I do after a few listens. I feel even more sad at the loss of Bowie after hearing this recording - he really catered for all tastes of popular music.

Listened to and revisited all his studio albums over a month. This one creeps up upon you, which I don’t know before. I am a seventies teenager and stopped after Aladdin Sane for no reason. So good to catch up on his legacy. This one is timeless. Well in 2021. Breath taking. So many reviews out there to explore. Give it a few listens. My favourite out of many.

I would say it is easily one of his top 3 albums (along with Hunky Dory & Let's dance).Not only does it contain some amazing songs - 'Slip away' & 'Everyone Says 'Hi'' being 2 highlights - it is rare for a Bowie album in that it is consistently good - you won't want to skip a single track on this album.

Yes it's different for Bowie, and for that reason I put off buying it, stupidly, just couldn't get to grips with it.. I've not had it off since I got it, and each time I play it and realy listen the more I Love it. Slow burn, Cactus, slip away,everyone says Hi...Very underated, a slow grower but worth it, so I think.