David Bowie - Black TieWhite Noise

Wed 4th May, 2005 in Music Reviews

Black Tie White Noise, often called David Bowie’s comeback album, was released in 1993 and was followed by a video of the same title. Twelve years later, Black Tie White Noise has made it to DVD, but there’s nothing here to justify its DVD release.

Black Tie White Noise is far from poor-there is plenty to keep the viewer’s interest, but there is a noticeable lack of any extra features on the DVD release, with the tracklisting identical to the initial release.

Included on this disc are studio performances of six BTWN tracks, along with promo videos for the album’s singles, Miracle Goodnight, Jump They Say and Black Tie White Noise. Some of these videos have stood the test of time while others seem tragically dated, which is often the attraction. The first performance featured, You’ve Been Around is probably the highlight with its striking black-on-white effect, while Black Tie White Noise and I Feel Free remind us that the 1990s are long gone.

Aside from the videos, Bowie’s commentary takes up around half of the disc’s duration, and is probably more interesting than the music itself. Twelve years after the album was released, the segments focusing on the writing and production of the album are often dull and uninteresting. The parts at which Bowie really draws the viewer in are the ones where he answers the questions he’s probably answered a million times. His sexuality. Drugs. Appropriation of African-American culture. Marrying a supermodel. The DVD is a worthwhile purchase if only for these moments. After decades of ambiguity, it is refreshing to have the man himself sit down to explain all of these things.

David Bowie’s commentary proves effective in threading the videos together, however the soft black-and-white footage becomes tiresome very quickly and the choppy style is somewhat irritating. The black-and-white theme continues throughout the DVD and while it often seems cheap, the common themes make Black Tie White Noise much more coherent and flowing than the series of videos it could have been.

The lowlight is the disastrous version of Morrissey’s I Know it’s Gonna Happen Someday. Morrissey hates Bowie. He HATES the guy. After sitting through the ill-advised attempt at satire, one can begin to appreciate this man’s hatred for Bowie.

Aside from the cover, there’s definitely enough here to justify anyone with an interest in David Bowie to give Black Tie White Noise a fair go. The near-equal ratio of music to commentary is just about right and although there are a few dull moments, there’s enough to keep your attention. By all means, watch this DVD, but unless you’re a big Bowie fan, you should probably only rent this release.