David Bowie - Lodger

I bought Lodger after buying the "Boys Keep Swinging" single and also liking the B-Side "Fantastic Voyage", which was the same tune but with a different musical accompaniment and lyrics. I have subsequently learned this is called a contrafactum, another example of which is "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and "Oh What A Circus" from the musical Evita

Lodger is now considered to be the third and final part of the Berlin Trilogy, and like its predecessor Heroes, I didn't play it much after buying the LP. Looking now at the track list I could not say how the other eight tracks on the album go, only that unlike Heroes there were no instrumentals...........

I still like "Fantastic Voyage" which has some nice piano, good crooning vocals and a strong melody, perhaps apart from Heroes his best for for several years.

"Boys Keep Swinging" is famous for the musicians playing different instruments ie the guitarist plays the drums, the drummer plays the bass etc, and for its cross dressing video, which was considered groundbreaking at the time. The synthizer part hints at Heroes but overall the music is grunge rock. The guitar sound is great, the bass lines are actually quite good and although it is messy, it's good !

Elsewhere, "DJ" sounds like Talking Heads and Bowie even sounds like David Byrne when singing the verses. I quite like it. "Move On" with a deep vocal, piano and african style drums is also quite good.

However, I will be happy to never hear the rest of the songs again.

"African Night Flight" sounds like music for frantic part of a bad movie set in Africa where the good guy is being chased by some baddies, or a part of a film where there is a rush to meet an office deadline. It's an attempt at World Music but it's awful.

"Yassassin" is reggae with Turkish flavour, and it is OK. It's great though and it is nowhere near as good as say, Jonathan Richman's "Egyptian Reggae" !


"Red Sails" has a Chinese feel not too dissimilar to the later "China Girl" but with a psychedelic guitar break, but again not as good

"Look Back In Anger" is not the Oasis song, and again not as good. I think there is a pattern emerging here.... Also, at times it feels as if the band playing a different song to the one David is singing.

"Repetition" sounds like a Talking Heads out-take and "Red Money" just noise.

Overall, an album best forgetten, I should have been content with the Single and its B-side

Track Listing :

1. Fantastic Voyage
2. African Night Flight
3. Move On
4. Yassassin
5. Red Sails
6. DJ
7. Look Back In Anger
8. Boys Keep Swinging
9. Repetition
10.Red Money


Released 1979
UK Chart Position : 4

Singles :

Boys Keep Swinging ( No 7 - 1979 )
DJ  ( No 29 - 1979 )