David Bowie – Scary Monsters

After the release of 2017's acclaimed A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982) box set, breakouts of five selected albums from the set as stand-alone releases are now available. The five — Low, Heroes, Stage (2017 version 3LP), Lodger, and Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) — haven't been available on vinyl officially for more than a quarter of a century.

A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982) is the third in a series of box sets spanning Bowie's career, following Five Years (1969-1973) and Who Can I Be Now (1974-1976).

"Some would argue that this is the last great Bowie album, and certainly his only great album of the '80s. While it lacked the bite of its punk brethren at the time, it appealed to some fans of that genre and to middle-of-the-road rockers as well. Muscular playing met with no-frills production, and the product as a whole was infused with a gloriously arty style. 'It's No Game (Part I)' opens the album, and is sung in Japanese, and 'It's No Game (Part II)' closes, in English.

"New York punker Tom Verlaine even contributed a track ('Kingdom Come'), and 'Scream Like a Baby' tells a dark and violent story with a howl. The drug-oriented 'Ashes to Ashes' confesses that Major Tom was a junky while sounding all sleek and alluring, and the dance floor hit 'Fashion' took aim at its very subject. The crowning jewel is the title track, with Robert Fripp's guitar ripping the place up at a relentless pace. It's been a long time since Bowie sounded this inspired." — Amazon.com

180-gram vinyl