Over recent weeks, I've been playing David Bowie's "I Have Not Been To Oxford Town" repeatedly. The song, from his 1995 album Outside, is on a burned disc in my car (yes I still make mixes) and it's one of the few songs that doesn't grow stale after a few listens. Bowie is narrating as much as he is singing the lyrics over heavy set of drums and a guitar riff (which starts to shin at the 1:10 mark) that is brilliant. It reminds a bit of the riff on the Brian Eno and John Cale collaboration "Spinning Away," which I used to listen to during long scenic hikes in New Zealand. It has the same sort of futuristic and heavily-spaced charm that's perfect for letting your mind wander.
"I Have Not Been To Oxford Town" recently came on my radar after hearing a cover of it in the excellent cult-classic science-fiction movie Starship Troopers. It plays during the prom scene, except "Oxford town" is changed to "paradise." Who knew a gory movie about killing aliens would lead me back to David Bowie?
David Bowie - "I Have Not Been To Oxford Town" (from Outside)
John Cale & Brian Eno - "Spinning Away" (from Wrong Way Up)
"This is your shadow on my wall..."
ReplyDeleteGreat song, I haven't listened to this in ages and it still sounds great.
I check in to your blog on ocassion and always enjoy what I find here. Thanks for keeping it going.
Thanks for reading and listening!
ReplyDeleteRandom Fact: Sugar Ray does a cover of Spinning Away on the soundtrack to the Leo DiCap movie The Beach. It's a solid late 90's early 00's sound.
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