David Bowie: Five Years is a celebratory collage of his music career as the years are not consecutive.
The documentary begins in 1971, Bowie is flirting musically with Andy Warhol which did not work out. He has music but he needs an image. You have a picture of Angie Bowie yelling at him in a concert that was by two man and a dog. As journalist John Harris states, he projected himself as a star and it becomes true like some self fulfilling prophecy.
Bowie worked with very good musicians, Mick Ronson was influential and like a magpie he stole from the likes of Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.
By 1975, Bowie has killed off Ziggy Stardust and worked with black musicians to create a more soul based sound. Working with future stars like Luther Vandross who was his backing singer in the album Young Americans.
In 1977 Bowie had moved to Berlin and when for a stripped back sound. He recruited Brian Eno and Tony Visconti as producers. Robert Fripp came in as lead guitarist. By then Bowie had made a splash in acting and also had a well documented problem with drugs. The result was both Low and Heroes. It also marked of Bowie returning to a his more obtuse lyrics.
With a new decade. Bowie entered the MTV age. In 1980 he released Scary Monsters. Major Tom was updated accompanied in videos dressed like a clown. Videos allowed Bowie to explore both sound and vision.
In 1983 Bowie recruited Nile Rogers as producer and went for a more rock and funk sound in Let's Dance. It was by then his biggest album. He no longer felt like a cult star, now Bowie was filling concert stadiums.
This documentary had never seen before archive footage. Bowie never revealed much of himself in interviews, as a few commentator observed, he always held some of himself back from his fans. In some interviews from the 1970s you sense he is just high or jet lagged. I did think he had a dry sense of humour and an ordinary blokeishness which manifested more when he was clean.
There is nothing new here for Bowie fans. It is a celebration of Bowie's music. The interviews with his collaborators was more revealing.
The documentary begins in 1971, Bowie is flirting musically with Andy Warhol which did not work out. He has music but he needs an image. You have a picture of Angie Bowie yelling at him in a concert that was by two man and a dog. As journalist John Harris states, he projected himself as a star and it becomes true like some self fulfilling prophecy.
Bowie worked with very good musicians, Mick Ronson was influential and like a magpie he stole from the likes of Lou Reed and Iggy Pop.
By 1975, Bowie has killed off Ziggy Stardust and worked with black musicians to create a more soul based sound. Working with future stars like Luther Vandross who was his backing singer in the album Young Americans.
In 1977 Bowie had moved to Berlin and when for a stripped back sound. He recruited Brian Eno and Tony Visconti as producers. Robert Fripp came in as lead guitarist. By then Bowie had made a splash in acting and also had a well documented problem with drugs. The result was both Low and Heroes. It also marked of Bowie returning to a his more obtuse lyrics.
With a new decade. Bowie entered the MTV age. In 1980 he released Scary Monsters. Major Tom was updated accompanied in videos dressed like a clown. Videos allowed Bowie to explore both sound and vision.
In 1983 Bowie recruited Nile Rogers as producer and went for a more rock and funk sound in Let's Dance. It was by then his biggest album. He no longer felt like a cult star, now Bowie was filling concert stadiums.
This documentary had never seen before archive footage. Bowie never revealed much of himself in interviews, as a few commentator observed, he always held some of himself back from his fans. In some interviews from the 1970s you sense he is just high or jet lagged. I did think he had a dry sense of humour and an ordinary blokeishness which manifested more when he was clean.
There is nothing new here for Bowie fans. It is a celebration of Bowie's music. The interviews with his collaborators was more revealing.