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Lodger (album)

January 01, 1970

Lodger is the 13th studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 25 May 1979 through RCA Records. Recorded in collaboration with the musician Brian Eno and the producer Tony Visconti, it was the final release of his Berlin Trilogy, following Low and "Heroes" (both 1977). Sessions took place in Switzerland in September 1978 during a break in the Isolar II world tour, and in New York City in March 1979 at the tour's end. Most of the same personnel from prior releases returned, and the future King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew joined from the tour. The sessions saw the use of techniques inspired by Eno's Oblique Strategies cards, such as having the musicians swap instruments and play old songs backwards.

Lodger
Studio album by
David Bowie
Released25 May 1979 (1979-05-25)
RecordedSeptember 1978, March 1979
Studio
Genre
Length34:38
LabelRCA
Producer
David Bowie chronology
Stage
(1978) 		Lodger
(1979) 		Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
(1980)
Singles from Lodger
  1. "Boys Keep Swinging" / "Fantastic Voyage"
    Released: 27 April 1979
  2. "D.J." / "Repetition"
    Released: 29 June 1979
  3. "Yassassin" / "Repetition"
    Released: July 1979 (Netherlands only)
  4. "Look Back in Anger" / "Repetition"
    Released: 1979 (US and Canada only)

The music on Lodger is based in art rock and experimental rock. It lacks the electronic and ambient styles and the song/instrumental split that defined its two predecessors, favouring more conventional song structures and explores styles such as avant-pop, world and new wave music. Lyrically, the album is divided into two major themes: travel (side one) and critiques of Western civilisation (side two). Pop artist Derek Boshier took the cover photo, portraying Bowie as an accident victim across the gatefold sleeve.

Lodger was a modest commercial success, peaking at number 4 in the UK and number 20 in the US. It produced four singles, including the UK top 10 hit "Boys Keep Swinging". Innovative music videos directed by David Mallet accompanied three of the four singles. The album initially received mixed critical reviews, with many calling it the weakest of the Berlin Trilogy. Reception has grown in subsequent decades and it is now widely considered to be among Bowie's most underrated albums. Its world elements have been highlighted as particularly influential. Bowie and Visconti were dissatisfied with the album's original mix and, in 2015, Visconti remixed the album with Bowie's approval for inclusion on the 2017 box set A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982), along with a remaster of the original.

Background edit

In the second half of 1976, David Bowie moved to Switzerland with his wife Angela to remove himself from Los Angeles' drug culture.[1][2] He began a very productive schedule that would continue for the next few years. He moved to the Château d'Hérouville in Hérouville, France, with his friend, the singer Iggy Pop. There, the two recorded Pop's debut studio album The Idiot (1977).[3] He then met the musician Brian Eno in the same year,[4] and began a series of collaborations with Eno and producer Tony Visconti that would become known as the Berlin Trilogy.[2] The first instalment, Bowie's 11th studio album Low, was recorded at the Château from September to November 1976,[5] with additional recording taking place at the Hansa Tonstudio in West Berlin, following Bowie and Pop's move there.[1][6]

After Low's release in January 1977, Bowie toured as Pop's keyboardist.[7][6] After the tour's completion, the two returned to Hansa Tonstudio, where they recorded Pop's next solo album Lust for Life (1977) in two and a half weeks, from April to May 1977.[8] Bowie then began his next collaboration with Visconti and Eno, his 12th studio album "Heroes", which was recorded at Hansa sporadically in July and August 1977.[9] Bowie undertook extensive promotion for "Heroes", released in October 1977,[10] conducting numerous interviews and performing on various television programmes,[9] including recording a collaboration, "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy", with the singer Bing Crosby on Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas television special in 1977.[10] He then recorded narration for an adaptation of Sergei Prokofiev's classical composition Peter and the Wolf, released as an album in May 1978,[8] acted in the David Hemmings film Just a Gigolo,[11] and began the Isolar II world tour, which lasted from March 1978 to the end of the year.[12]

Recording and production edit

Recording for Lodger began during the four-month break in the Isolar II world tour during September 1978. Although Lodger is known as the final release of the Berlin Trilogy, it was largely recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, with additional recording to finish the album at the Record Plant in New York City.[13][14] The atmosphere in Montreux was very different from that in Berlin; the studio was built on the site of a previous studio that had burned down.[14] Whereas Hansa Tonstudio was located near the Berlin Wall, Mountain Studios was located in an Alpine retreat. The guitarist Carlos Alomar described the location as "boring", preferring the "excitement" of Hansa. Mountain also lacked the Hansa's acoustics.[15]

 
Lodger features contributions from the future King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew (pictured in 2017).

Many of the same musicians from the previous records—Eno, Visconti, Alomar, Dennis Davis and George Murray[16] —returned for the Lodger sessions.[17] A new addition was the future King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew, whom Bowie had "poached" while the guitarist was touring with Frank Zappa;[18] Belew's eventual bandmate Robert Fripp played guitar on "Heroes".[19] Much of Belew's work on Lodger was composited from multiple takes played against backing tracks of which he had no prior knowledge, not even the key.[18] Belew recalled, "When I arrived, they had about twenty tracks already done: bass, drums, rhythm guitar, but no vocals. They said, 'We're not going to let you hear these songs. We want you to go into the studio and play accidentally – whatever occurs to you'."[13] Belew described the final guitar solo on "D.J." as sounding like "you're changing channel on the radio and each channel has a different guitar solo on it".[20]

 
Lodger marked the third collaboration between Bowie and Brian Eno (pictured in 2008). Compared to "Heroes", the sessions saw greater use of Eno's Oblique Strategies cards, which were intended to spark creative ideas.

The sessions saw Bowie and Eno utilise techniques from Eno's Oblique Strategies cards.[17] According to the biographer Chris O'Leary, these cards were "part-fortune cookie, part-Monopoly 'Chance' cards", intended to spark creative ideas. Eno and Bowie used them previously to create some of the instrumentals for "Heroes".[10][21] Using the cards, Bowie and Eno conducted numerous experimental methods during the sessions. Some of these included using old tunes played backwards, employing identical chord sequences for different songs and having the musicians swap instruments, as Alomar and Davis did on "Boys Keep Swinging".[17][22] The pianist Sean Mayes explained: "[Bowie] was very keen on spontaneity. He liked everything to be recorded in one or two takes, mistakes and all."[13] The biographer Nicholas Pegg writes that several songs, including "African Night Flight", "Yassassin" and "Red Sails", were composed "around a melodic clash of disparate cultures".[13] Due to the experimental nature of the sessions, initial working titles for the album included Planned Accidents and Despite Straight Lines. Unlike the lyrics for "Heroes", which Bowie largely improvised as he stood next to the microphone, he wrote most of Lodger's lyrics at a later date; they were unknown during the Mountain sessions. Other than "Yassassin" and "Red Sails", most of the tracks were recorded with working titles.[13]

Alongside the use of Eno's Oblique Strategies cards, Visconti recalled Eno having more leeway during the sessions than those for Low and "Heroes". For "Look Back in Anger", Eno gave the backing band eight of his favourite chords and instructed them to "play something funky".[13] Alomar disliked this, telling biographer David Buckley that he "totally, totally resisted it".[18] Despite Eno assuming control at certain points, he appeared on, and co-wrote, only six of the album's ten tracks.[13] Eno felt the trilogy had "petered out" by Lodger,[23] and Belew also observed Eno's and Bowie's working relationship closing down: "They didn't quarrel or anything uncivilised like that; they just didn't seem to have the spark that I imagine they might have had during the "Heroes" album."[18] Visconti shared similar sentiments, saying on multiple occasions: "I don't think [David's] heart was in Lodger." "We had fun, but nevertheless an ominous feeling pervaded the album for me."[13]

The sessions at Mountain Studios lasted three weeks, after which the band went back on tour. At the tour's conclusion, Bowie reconvened at the Record Plant in March 1979, where he recorded his lyrics and instrumental overdubs, and began mixing. Belew returned to record further guitar overdubs while Visconti recorded a replacement bass guitar part for "Boys Keep Swinging" after Bowie decided Davis' original was unsuitable; work was completed in a week.[13] Visconti recalled having "sonic problems" during the mixing stage because the studio did not have the technical advancements of European studios.[24]

Musical style edit

Before Lodger, the music was darker and probably less experimental. Lodger was more of a world record – urban and eastern at the same time. It seemed [Bowie] was spreading his wings in that direction, incorporating world music styles. It really inspired me to open up my guitar playing.[16]

—Adrian Belew on the album's sound

Much like its two predecessors, Consequence of Sound described the music on Lodger as art rock and experimental rock.[25][26] However, the album abandons the electronic and ambient styles and the song/instrumental split that defined the two earlier works,[27] in favour of more conventional song structures.[2] Visconti explained: "We dropped the ambient-side-two concept and just recorded songs!"[13] As such, Lodger is the most "accessible" record of the Berlin Trilogy;[28] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the songs as "twisted avant-pop",[29] while Belew similarly characterised them as "avant-garde pop music".[30] Its musical textures, particularly on "African Night Flight",[31] have been cited as presaging the popularity of world music,[17] Bowie himself considered the album a forerunner of the sounds developed by Eno and David Byrne for My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1981).[18][23] Frank Mastropolo of Ultimate Classic Rock wrote that Lodger combines world and new wave music into a "pop format".[2] Although Bryan Wawzenek, also of Ultimate Classic Rock, found Lodger to be the more accessible record of the Berlin Trilogy, he also felt it to be the most experimental, observing elements of Middle Eastern music, reggae, world and krautrock within the vast array of pop songs.[32] Biographers have singled out the final track on "Heroes", "The Secret Life of Arabia", in particular, as a precursor to what Bowie would explore on Lodger, both musically and thematically.[33][34][35]

After the ominousness of Low and "Heroes", biographers have described the opening track, "Fantastic Voyage", as "surprisingly delicate" and "serene";[36][37] a thought author Peter Doggett believes implies a "less intense" record.[38] The song shares the same chord sequence as "Boys Keep Swinging" and features three different players playing mandolin parts; each part was triple-tracked to create a total of nine parts.[37][39] Bowie composed "Move On" after accidentally playing his earlier composition "All the Young Dudes" backwards, then having Alomar write out the reversed chord sequence.[39][38] "Yassassin" combines funk and reggae,[38] using a violin played by Simon House to create a sound reminiscent of a Middle Eastern folk song and Turkish music.[39][31][40] In part, the music of German band Neu! inspired "Red Sails", sharing their distinctive "motorik" drum beat; Pegg describes it as "an upbeat slab of new wave pop".[41] The track has also been compared with Harmonia's 1975 track "Monza (Rauf und Runter)".[39]

Bowie said that "D.J." was "somewhat cynical" and his "natural response to disco".[42] Bowie mimics David Byrne of Talking Heads in his vocal performance.[38][43] Wawzenek highlighted "D.J." as a "danceable gem".[32] Doggett describes "Look Back in Anger" as "propulsive and impatient",[38] while Ned Raggett of AllMusic called it a "sharp-edged, thrillingly modern rock song".[44] O'Leary particularly highlights Davis' drumming as the standout,[39] while Alomar's guitar solo was influenced by John Lennon's rhythm guitar work in the Beatles.[45] The Quietus found "Boys Keep Swinging" to contain elements of glam rock and garage rock.[17] For the recording, which has the same chord sequence as "Fantastic Voyage", Bowie instructed the band to swap instruments.[39] "Repetition" features a bass guitar riff that is described by Buckley as "insistent and very odd".[31] Doggett highlights its sound as similar to funk music.[38] "Red Money" is built around the backing track of "Sister Midnight", an Iggy Pop song he recorded with Bowie for The Idiot. New guitar parts were added, along with electronic effects, backwards guitar and vocal harmonies.[39][38]

Lyrics and themes edit

Though missing the song/instrumental split that characterised Low and "Heroes", Lodger has been interpreted as covering two major themes— travel and critiques of Western civilisation on sides one and two, respectively.[13][33] In early 1977, Bowie said, "I don't live anywhere, really. I travel 100% of the time," further noting, "The more I travel, the less sure I am about exactly which political philosophies are commendable. All my traveling is done on the basis of wanting to get my ideas for writing from real events rather than from going back to a system from whence it came."[39] Because of this, Lodger is interpreted by some as a concept album.[2][28] Some songs showcase heavily politicised lyrics, including "Fantastic Voyage", which deals with the "depression" brought on by Cold War leaders and the possibility of nuclear war,[37][36] and "Repetition", which deals with domestic violence.[39] James Perone finds a general theme of political oppression and insanity.[28] Eno was unhappy with the direction Bowie took for the lyrics.[13]

Regarding side one's theme of travel, Pegg writes that the songs revive a "perennial motif" prevailing throughout the Berlin Trilogy, highlighting the line, "I've lived all over the world, I've left every place" from the Low track "Be My Wife",[46] pointing out the journey is both metaphorical and geographical.[13] Between the Montreaux and New York sessions, Bowie traveled to Kenya with his son Duncan Jones, which inspired the lyrics for "African Night Flight".[47] The same trip, along with ones to Japan and Australia, inspired "Move On", which reflects the theme of wanderlust throughout side one.[48] Regarding the song titles, Doggett quips, "After his 'African Night Flight', what else to do but 'Move On'!"[38] When asked about "Red Sails", Bowie said in 1979: "Here we took a new German music feel and put it against the idea of a contemporary English mercenary-cum-swashbuckling Errol Flynn, and put him in the China Sea. We have a lovely cross-reference of cultures. I honestly don't know what it's about."[49] Pegg writes that "Red Sails" symbolises Bowie's venture away from the mainstream.[13] "Yassassin" is Turkish for 'long live', from the word yaşasın.[38] Like the instrumental "Heroes" track "Neuköln", the song is about the discrimination Turkish immigrants who lived in Berlin faced, although its lyrical approach is more direct.[40]

The lyrics of side two primarily critique Western society.[33] "D.J." takes a sardonic look at the world of the disc jockey. On the song, the DJ is looked at solely for what he is on the outside: "I am a DJ, I am what I play".[45] Swiftly compared to Elvis Costello's "Radio Radio" (1978),[38] writer Ian Mathers describes the song as "a horror story about a human being reduced to nothing more than work".[39] "Look Back in Anger" sees Bowie encounter an angel of death who has come to claim his soul.[45] "Boys Keep Swinging" contains gender-bending lyrics, particularly, "When you're a boy, other boys check you out."[50] In 2000, Bowie said of the track: "The glory in that song was ironic. I do not feel that there is anything remotely glorious about being either male or female. I was merely playing on the idea of the colonisation of a gender."[39] In "Repetition", the narrator conveys no emotion when beating his wife,[33] leading Buckley to describe it as Bowie at "his most chilling".[31] "Red Money" proclaims the message "project canceled".[38] Regarding the "red boxes" that appear throughout, Bowie stated: "This song, I think, is about responsibility. Red boxes keep cropping up in my paintings and they represent responsibility."[41]

Artwork edit

Bowie collaborated on the cover design for Lodger with English pop artist Derek Boshier, who would later design the artwork for Bowie's 15th studio album Let's Dance (1983). The original gatefold album sleeve featured a full-length shot by photographer Brian Duffy of Bowie in a tiled bathroom looking like an accident victim, heavily made up with an apparently broken nose and a bandaged hand.[13][33] This was inspired by the self-portraits of Egon Schiele.[51] To accomplish the shot, taken in February 1979 at Duffy's London studio, Bowie balanced himself on a steel frame while the photographer captured the image from above. The broken nose and facial morphing were accomplished using prosthetic make-up and nylon threads. Bowie's bandaged hand was genuine; according to Pegg, he had burned it with coffee that morning and decided to incorporate the hand into the photo.[13] At Bowie's request, the image was taken in a low resolution with a Polaroid SX-70 type camera; outtakes from the photoshoot have appeared in the 2014 book Duffy/Bowie – Five Sessions. The front features a postcard with the album title in four different languages, enhancing its theme of travel. Inside the gatefold are pictures of Che Guevara's corpse, Andrea Mantegna's painting Lamentation of Christ and Bowie being readied for the cover photo.[33] Rykodisc did not reproduce these images on their 1991 CD reissue.[13]

Release and promotion edit

RCA Records released the lead single from Lodger, "Boys Keep Swinging", with "Fantastic Voyage" as the B-side, on 27 April 1979.[39] To promote the song, Bowie had appeared on The Kenny Everett Video Show four days earlier. According to Pegg, he dressed in a "1950s Mod-style suit" that made him look like a "fresh-faced schoolboy".[52] David Mallet, who Bowie chose to direct a promo video for "Boys Keep Swinging", directed the programme. The promo and his Everett performance were filmed back-to-back, although the former featured extra backup dancers who turned out to be Bowie in drag.[52] The Everett performance, along with an appearance as the guest DJ on Radio 1's Star Special, helped "Boys Keep Swinging" reach number seven on the UK Singles Chart, Bowie's highest-charting single since "Sound and Vision".[53] However, due to the song's gender-bending video and lyrics, RCA refused to release the single in the US.[52]

 
Lodger was released at a time when artists that were influenced by Bowie's other Berlin releases, such as Gary Numan (pictured in 1980), were starting to gain popularity. Numan himself was criticised by contemporaries and Bowie himself as a copycat of Bowie.

RCA issued Lodger on 25 May 1979,[a][55] with the catalogue number RCA BOW LP 1.[13] Its release came almost two years after "Heroes", marking the longest gap between Bowie studio albums since his second album Space Oddity (1969).[32] Buckley writes that within that time, new wave had begun to emerge and overtake punk rock as the dominant genre, highlighting the likes of Blondie and Kate Bush. He also notes that music videos and artists who were influenced by the music on Bowie's prior releases of the Berlin Trilogy, such as the Human League, Devo and Gary Numan, had begun to gain popularity.[35][56]

Lodger performed well commercially, peaking at number four on the UK Albums Chart and remaining on the chart for 17 weeks.[57] It peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, remaining on the chart for 15 weeks.[58] Throughout the year, Bowie was out-performed commercially by Numan, who had number one hits with Tubeway Army's "Are "Friends" Electric?", his debut solo album The Pleasure Principle, and its lead single "Cars".[59][60] Numan, a huge fan of Bowie's, was antagonised by Bowie's fans who viewed him as a mere copycat. Bowie himself criticised Numan, which led to a feud between the two artists that lasted for years. According to Buckley, Numan's fame indirectly led to Bowie taking a more pop-oriented direction for his next studio album, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980).[59]

"D.J." was chosen as the second single, with "Repetition" as the B-side, released on 29 June 1979,[61] Pegg calls it a "boldly uncommercial choice" for a single.[61] Appearing in edited form, the single stalled on the charts, peaking at number 29 in the UK.[62] It was supported by a music video, also directed by Mallet. The video features Bowie walking down a road in London's Earl's Court, attracting surprised fans, interspersed with shots of him as an abused DJ.[61] "Yassassin" was released as the album's third single in the Netherlands, backed again by "Repetition", in July 1979.[63] It failed to chart,[40] but the Dutch single edit was later included on Re:Call 3, as part of the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set (2017).[64] After releasing "Boys Keep Swinging" as a single only in the UK, RCA released "Look Back in Anger", with "Repetition" once again as the B-side.[62] as the album's fourth single in the US and Canada only, where it failed to chart.[39] A music video, again directed by Mallet, promoted it. The video, inspired by Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), depicts Bowie as a painter in an attic studio whose self-portrait begins to decay and melt.[65]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Record Mirror     [66]
Smash Hits6/10[67]
Sounds     [68]
The Village VoiceA−[69]

In contrast to the universal praise received by its predecessor two years before, Lodger received mixed reviews from music critics on its original release.[13][28] Among the negative reviews, Greil Marcus of Rolling Stone called the album "one of [Bowie's] weakest ... scattered, a footnote to "Heroes", an act of marking time",[70] while Jon Savage of Melody Maker found it boring and "a nice enough pop record, beautifully played, produced and crafted, and slightly faceless".[71] In Smash Hits, Red Starr described the album as sounding like "a ragbag of rejects from previous styles" with "only occasional flashes of genius".[67] A reviewer for Billboard similarly noted "the tone of the album is less foreboding than his more recent musical excursions". Although they considered this was both a "continuation" and a "departure" from his previous works, the magazine chose Lodger among their Top Album Picks the week of 9 June 1979.[72] Paul Yamada of New York Rocker felt the album was a letdown compared to its two predecessors. Although he found some of the songs "good" and complimented its "easy-listening" nature, he noted the absence of the more "challenging" work on the earlier releases and found Lodger as a whole to be "a frustrating but well-crafted LP that is much less than it appears to be".[73] Sandy Robertson of Sounds felt Lodger has "some ideas successfully realised", but as a whole is "not brilliant".[68] The Chicago Tribune's Lynn Van Matre did not find it one of Bowie's best.[74]

The album did receive some positive reviews. Ken Emerson in The New York Times called it Bowie's "most eloquent" record in years,[75] while Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote favourably, stating that although the songs may seem impassive and not designful, he believed those qualities are "part of their charm—the way they confound categories of sensibility and sophistication is so frustrating it's satisfying".[69] Tim Lott of Record Mirror wrote: "It's simply appealing in such an unusual way that a clear definition is impossible, even when plotted against its own predecessors rather than 'pop music' in general." He commended the variety of musical styles present but criticised some of the lyrics as lazy.[66] William Carlton of the New York Daily News hailed it "Bowie at his best", praising the performances of Bowie and the band, and the various musical styles.[76] A reviewer for the Chicago Sun-Times found Lodger "uneven" but ultimately "more interesting and entertaining" than its predecessors.[77]

Influence and legacy edit

The consensus among critics at the time of its release was that Lodger was the weakest of the Berlin Trilogy.[16][32][78] Biographer Paul Trynka states that Lodger lacked the "sense of risk and excitement" that had "pervaded" its two predecessors, which he partly attributed to the studio it was recorded at.[79] However, soon after its release, NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray predicted that Lodger would "have to 'grow in potency' over a few years, but eventually, it will be accepted as one of Bowie's most complex and rewarding projects".[33] Indeed, Lodger has come to be considered as one of Bowie's most underrated works.[13][28][80] Wawzenek described it as Bowie's Return of the Jedi (1983) rather than his The Godfather Part III (1990).[32] While biographer Christopher Sandford calls Lodger a "slick, calculatedly disposable record",[47] Buckley contends that "its stature grows with each passing year",[18] and Pegg sums up, "undervalued and obscure practically from the moment of its release, its critical re-evaluation is long overdue".[13]

In regards to the Berlin Trilogy as a whole, Seabrook finds that then and now, listeners come to Lodger expecting a "resolution" to the sounds and themes of its two predecessors, but do not get that. He further contends that it lacks the "pioneer spirit" of Low and the "sheer gravitas" of "Heroes". Nevertheless, he considers some of the tracks, including "African Night Flight", "Repetition" and "Red Money", as among his best work of the period.[81] Perone argues that Lodger is "by far" Bowie's "most lyrically and musically challenging" album of his late 1970s and early 1980s output, further illustrating the influence of contemporaries on the artist.[28] Trynka states that over the years, the album has attracted "admiration" rather than "visceral love or hatred", and its sound is viewed as a forerunner to the sound of Talking Heads and Spandau Ballet.[82] Lodger is one of Bowie's most influential works according to Encyclopædia Britannica.[83] Biographer Marc Spitz agrees, citing its use of world music as influential on Talking Heads' Remain in Light (1980) and Paul Simon's Graceland (1986). Spitz describes the album's promotional videos directed by Mallet "as innovative as anything Bowie had ever done before".[16]

Retrospective appraisal edit

Retrospectively, Lodger has received more positive reviews. Upon the album's 1991 reissue, Ira Robbins compared its accessibility to its predecessors and felt the songs were forerunners of Let's Dance in Entertainment Weekly.[87] Writing for The Rolling Stone Album Guide in 2004, Rob Sheffield praised Lodger, stating it "rocks just as hard as Station to Station and Aladdin Sane". He also commented on the "razor-sharp musical corners" and "new layers of wit and generosity in the songwriting", highlighting "Boys Keep Swinging", "D.J." and "Fantastic Voyage".[80] Jon Dolan of Spin magazine considered Lodger to be a great end to "[Bowie's] best decade", calling it "his last great album".[89]

In 2008, Chris Roberts of Uncut magazine felt that Lodger never received the appreciation it deserved, writing: "Generally perceived as the afterthought of the legendary "Berlin trilogy" ... Lodger deserves a room of its own in the critical pantheon."[91] Ian MacDonald agreed, writing that it was always thought of as the "anticlimax" of the trilogy, but nevertheless, stating that "if it doesn't add up as a single listening experience, its parts are rarely without quality."[92] Erlewine also gave the album a positive review, writing: "It might not stretch the boundaries of rock like Low and "Heroes", but it arguably utilises those ideas in a more effective fashion."[29] Mike Powell of Pitchfork described Lodger as "the first David Bowie album marketed as nothing more than an album of recorded music by David Bowie". He commented on the record's accessibility compared to Bowie's prior releases.[43] Although he felt Lodger might always be remembered as the least "essential" effort of the Berlin Trilogy, Wawzenek concludes: "as a postcard from one of Bowie's most exciting phases, it's a fascinating glimpse of the artist in the midst of a bold transition".[32]

Electronica/techno artist Moby would later say the only reason he got his first job as a golf caddy was so that he could afford to buy Lodger, which had just come out at the time.[93] American indie rock band Built to Spill referenced the album in their song "Distopian Dream Girl" taken from their 1994 album There's Nothing Wrong with Love.[94] A few of Lodger's songs influenced two English Britpop bands in the 1990s. Blur used the same chord sequence as "Fantastic Voyage" and "Boys Keep Swinging" in their 1997 single "M.O.R.". The song's chorus also borrows the melody and call-and-response vocals from "Boys Keep Swinging"; Bowie and Eno both received credit for "M.O.R." after legal intervention. The lead singer Damon Albarn has cited Bowie as an influence.[95] Oasis named their 1996 single "Don't Look Back in Anger", written by Noel Gallagher, after "Look Back in Anger".[96][97] American indie rock band Shearwater covered the album in its entirety at live shows and on The A.V. Club following Bowie's death in early 2016.[98]

In the 1990s, American composer Philip Glass adapted Low and "Heroes" into classical music symphonies, titled "Low" Symphony and "Heroes" Symphony, respectively.[99] Glass informed Bowie of the projects and the two stayed in touch with each other until 2003; the two discussed making a third symphony which never came to fruition. After Bowie's death, Glass said the two had talked about adapting Lodger for the third symphony, adding that "the idea has not totally disappeared".[100] In January 2018, Glass announced the completion of a symphony based on Lodger. The work is Glass' 12th Symphony; it premiered in Los Angeles in January 2019. Like Glass's other adaptations, the "Lodger" Symphony is separated into seven movements, each named after tracks on Lodger. The symphony marked the completion of his trilogy of works based on Bowie's Berlin Trilogy.[101][102]

2017 remix edit

 
Lodger was remixed in 2017 by co-producer Tony Visconti (pictured in 2007), who was unsatisfied with the original mix.

Reviewers criticised Lodger's original mix for many years, calling it "over-cluttered" and "over-produced". Regarding the mix, Visconti stated: "My only regret is that we went to New York to finish [the] album and it suffered at the mixing stage because New York studios simply were not as versatile or well-equipped as their European counterparts in those days."[13] Bowie also expressed disappointment in the mix, citing distractions in his personal life at the time and the overall feeling he and Visconti had that the record did not come together as easily as its two predecessors. Bowie and Visconti began discussing the possibility of remixing Lodger during the sessions for Bowie's 24th studio album The Next Day (2013) for a possible deluxe edition reissue, with the latter explaining: "[It's] an important record to both of us. David agrees it never sounded the way we wanted."[13]

During the sessions for Bowie's final album Blackstar in 2015, Visconti secretly began remixing Lodger.[103] He presented the new mixes to Bowie, who approved of them before his death.[104] Visconti finished the remix in late 2016 and included it on A New Career in a New Town.[78][103] Erlewine praised the remix as "dense and colorful without changing the feel of the original", helping to "focus attention on an excellent record that often gets overshadowed by the three albums accompanying it in this box."[105] Rolling Stone's Kory Grow wrote that the new mix "loosens" the album's sound, saying there is "a greater emphasis on orchestral strings" and the percussion "sometimes comes out of different speakers". Grow further noted that the mix makes "everything [feel] generally lighter", notably on "Red Money" and "Yassassin". Overall, Grow gave praise to the new mix, calling it a "brilliant new take" and noting that the original now feels "muddier" by comparison.[104] Chris Gerard of PopMatters also praised the remix, believing it "drastically improved" the record and is "nothing short of revelatory". Gerard gave the most acclaim to "D.J.", writing that its new mix gives the track "more punch and clarity". Ultimately, Gerard felt the new mix is the highlight of the box set and gives Lodger enough recognition to be labeled as among Bowie's finest works.[78]

Reissues edit

Lodger has been reissued several times. Although the original 1979 vinyl release featured a gatefold cover,[106] some later LP versions such as RCA's 1981 US reissue presented the album in a standard non-gatefold sleeve.[107][108] The album was first released on CD by RCA in the mid-1980s. Rykodisc and EMI reissued the album with two bonus tracks in 1991, including the outtake "I Pray, Olé" and a new version of "Look Back in Anger".[109][110] Another reissue, without bonus tracks, was released by Virgin Records and EMI in 1999, featuring 24-bit digitally remastered sound.[111] In 2017, the A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) box set released by Parlophone included two versions of Lodger: a remaster of the standard album and a new remix by Visconti.[64] The 2017 remaster was separately released, in CD, vinyl, and digital formats, the following year.[104]

Track listing edit

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fantastic Voyage"David Bowie, Brian Eno2:55
2."African Night Flight"Bowie, Eno2:54
3."Move On"Bowie3:16
4."Yassassin" (Turkish: Yaşasın, lit. 'Long Live')Bowie4:10
5."Red Sails"Bowie, Eno3:43
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."D.J."Bowie, Eno, Carlos Alomar3:59
2."Look Back in Anger"Bowie, Eno3:08
3."Boys Keep Swinging"Bowie, Eno3:17
4."Repetition"Bowie2:59
5."Red Money"Bowie, Alomar4:17
Total length:34:38

Personnel edit

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[112] The track numbers refer to CD and digital releases of the album.

Production

Charts and certifications edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ The release date was previously thought to be 18 May 1979.[39][54] Bowie's official website unveiled new evidence in 2020 finding the actual release date to be 25 May.[55]

References edit

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Sources edit

External links edit

  • Lodger at Discogs (list of releases)

January 01, 1970
lodger, album, lodger, 13th, studio, album, english, musician, david, bowie, released, 1979, through, records, recorded, collaboration, with, musician, brian, producer, tony, visconti, final, release, berlin, trilogy, following, heroes, both, 1977, sessions, t. Lodger is the 13th studio album by the English musician David Bowie released on 25 May 1979 through RCA Records Recorded in collaboration with the musician Brian Eno and the producer Tony Visconti it was the final release of his Berlin Trilogy following Low and Heroes both 1977 Sessions took place in Switzerland in September 1978 during a break in the Isolar II world tour and in New York City in March 1979 at the tour s end Most of the same personnel from prior releases returned and the future King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew joined from the tour The sessions saw the use of techniques inspired by Eno s Oblique Strategies cards such as having the musicians swap instruments and play old songs backwards LodgerStudio album by David BowieReleased25 May 1979 1979 05 25 RecordedSeptember 1978 March 1979StudioMountain Montreux Switzerland Record Plant New York City GenreArt rockexperimental rockavant popworldnew waveLength34 38LabelRCAProducerDavid BowieTony ViscontiDavid Bowie chronologyStage 1978 Lodger 1979 Scary Monsters and Super Creeps 1980 Singles from Lodger Boys Keep Swinging Fantastic Voyage Released 27 April 1979 D J Repetition Released 29 June 1979 Yassassin Repetition Released July 1979 Netherlands only Look Back in Anger Repetition Released 1979 US and Canada only The music on Lodger is based in art rock and experimental rock It lacks the electronic and ambient styles and the song instrumental split that defined its two predecessors favouring more conventional song structures and explores styles such as avant pop world and new wave music Lyrically the album is divided into two major themes travel side one and critiques of Western civilisation side two Pop artist Derek Boshier took the cover photo portraying Bowie as an accident victim across the gatefold sleeve Lodger was a modest commercial success peaking at number 4 in the UK and number 20 in the US It produced four singles including the UK top 10 hit Boys Keep Swinging Innovative music videos directed by David Mallet accompanied three of the four singles The album initially received mixed critical reviews with many calling it the weakest of the Berlin Trilogy Reception has grown in subsequent decades and it is now widely considered to be among Bowie s most underrated albums Its world elements have been highlighted as particularly influential Bowie and Visconti were dissatisfied with the album s original mix and in 2015 Visconti remixed the album with Bowie s approval for inclusion on the 2017 box set A New Career in a New Town 1977 1982 along with a remaster of the original Contents 1 Background 2 Recording and production 3 Musical style 4 Lyrics and themes 5 Artwork 6 Release and promotion 7 Critical reception 8 Influence and legacy 8 1 Retrospective appraisal 8 2 2017 remix 8 3 Reissues 9 Track listing 10 Personnel 11 Charts and certifications 11 1 Weekly charts 11 2 Year end charts 11 3 Certifications 12 Notes 13 References 13 1 Sources 14 External linksBackground editIn the second half of 1976 David Bowie moved to Switzerland with his wife Angela to remove himself from Los Angeles drug culture 1 2 He began a very productive schedule that would continue for the next few years He moved to the Chateau d Herouville in Herouville France with his friend the singer Iggy Pop There the two recorded Pop s debut studio album The Idiot 1977 3 He then met the musician Brian Eno in the same year 4 and began a series of collaborations with Eno and producer Tony Visconti that would become known as the Berlin Trilogy 2 The first instalment Bowie s 11th studio album Low was recorded at the Chateau from September to November 1976 5 with additional recording taking place at the Hansa Tonstudio in West Berlin following Bowie and Pop s move there 1 6 After Low s release in January 1977 Bowie toured as Pop s keyboardist 7 6 After the tour s completion the two returned to Hansa Tonstudio where they recorded Pop s next solo album Lust for Life 1977 in two and a half weeks from April to May 1977 8 Bowie then began his next collaboration with Visconti and Eno his 12th studio album Heroes which was recorded at Hansa sporadically in July and August 1977 9 Bowie undertook extensive promotion for Heroes released in October 1977 10 conducting numerous interviews and performing on various television programmes 9 including recording a collaboration Peace on Earth Little Drummer Boy with the singer Bing Crosby on Bing Crosby s Merrie Olde Christmas television special in 1977 10 He then recorded narration for an adaptation of Sergei Prokofiev s classical composition Peter and the Wolf released as an album in May 1978 8 acted in the David Hemmings film Just a Gigolo 11 and began the Isolar II world tour which lasted from March 1978 to the end of the year 12 Recording and production editRecording for Lodger began during the four month break in the Isolar II world tour during September 1978 Although Lodger is known as the final release of the Berlin Trilogy it was largely recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux Switzerland with additional recording to finish the album at the Record Plant in New York City 13 14 The atmosphere in Montreux was very different from that in Berlin the studio was built on the site of a previous studio that had burned down 14 Whereas Hansa Tonstudio was located near the Berlin Wall Mountain Studios was located in an Alpine retreat The guitarist Carlos Alomar described the location as boring preferring the excitement of Hansa Mountain also lacked the Hansa s acoustics 15 nbsp Lodger features contributions from the future King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew pictured in 2017 Many of the same musicians from the previous records Eno Visconti Alomar Dennis Davis and George Murray 16 returned for the Lodger sessions 17 A new addition was the future King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew whom Bowie had poached while the guitarist was touring with Frank Zappa 18 Belew s eventual bandmate Robert Fripp played guitar on Heroes 19 Much of Belew s work on Lodger was composited from multiple takes played against backing tracks of which he had no prior knowledge not even the key 18 Belew recalled When I arrived they had about twenty tracks already done bass drums rhythm guitar but no vocals They said We re not going to let you hear these songs We want you to go into the studio and play accidentally whatever occurs to you 13 Belew described the final guitar solo on D J as sounding like you re changing channel on the radio and each channel has a different guitar solo on it 20 nbsp Lodger marked the third collaboration between Bowie and Brian Eno pictured in 2008 Compared to Heroes the sessions saw greater use of Eno s Oblique Strategies cards which were intended to spark creative ideas The sessions saw Bowie and Eno utilise techniques from Eno s Oblique Strategies cards 17 According to the biographer Chris O Leary these cards were part fortune cookie part Monopoly Chance cards intended to spark creative ideas Eno and Bowie used them previously to create some of the instrumentals for Heroes 10 21 Using the cards Bowie and Eno conducted numerous experimental methods during the sessions Some of these included using old tunes played backwards employing identical chord sequences for different songs and having the musicians swap instruments as Alomar and Davis did on Boys Keep Swinging 17 22 The pianist Sean Mayes explained Bowie was very keen on spontaneity He liked everything to be recorded in one or two takes mistakes and all 13 The biographer Nicholas Pegg writes that several songs including African Night Flight Yassassin and Red Sails were composed around a melodic clash of disparate cultures 13 Due to the experimental nature of the sessions initial working titles for the album included Planned Accidents and Despite Straight Lines Unlike the lyrics for Heroes which Bowie largely improvised as he stood next to the microphone he wrote most of Lodger s lyrics at a later date they were unknown during the Mountain sessions Other than Yassassin and Red Sails most of the tracks were recorded with working titles 13 Alongside the use of Eno s Oblique Strategies cards Visconti recalled Eno having more leeway during the sessions than those for Low and Heroes For Look Back in Anger Eno gave the backing band eight of his favourite chords and instructed them to play something funky 13 Alomar disliked this telling biographer David Buckley that he totally totally resisted it 18 Despite Eno assuming control at certain points he appeared on and co wrote only six of the album s ten tracks 13 Eno felt the trilogy had petered out by Lodger 23 and Belew also observed Eno s and Bowie s working relationship closing down They didn t quarrel or anything uncivilised like that they just didn t seem to have the spark that I imagine they might have had during the Heroes album 18 Visconti shared similar sentiments saying on multiple occasions I don t think David s heart was in Lodger We had fun but nevertheless an ominous feeling pervaded the album for me 13 The sessions at Mountain Studios lasted three weeks after which the band went back on tour At the tour s conclusion Bowie reconvened at the Record Plant in March 1979 where he recorded his lyrics and instrumental overdubs and began mixing Belew returned to record further guitar overdubs while Visconti recorded a replacement bass guitar part for Boys Keep Swinging after Bowie decided Davis original was unsuitable work was completed in a week 13 Visconti recalled having sonic problems during the mixing stage because the studio did not have the technical advancements of European studios 24 Musical style editBefore Lodger the music was darker and probably less experimental Lodger was more of a world record urban and eastern at the same time It seemed Bowie was spreading his wings in that direction incorporating world music styles It really inspired me to open up my guitar playing 16 Adrian Belew on the album s sound Much like its two predecessors Consequence of Sound described the music on Lodger as art rock and experimental rock 25 26 However the album abandons the electronic and ambient styles and the song instrumental split that defined the two earlier works 27 in favour of more conventional song structures 2 Visconti explained We dropped the ambient side two concept and just recorded songs 13 As such Lodger is the most accessible record of the Berlin Trilogy 28 AllMusic s Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the songs as twisted avant pop 29 while Belew similarly characterised them as avant garde pop music 30 Its musical textures particularly on African Night Flight 31 have been cited as presaging the popularity of world music 17 Bowie himself considered the album a forerunner of the sounds developed by Eno and David Byrne for My Life in the Bush of Ghosts 1981 18 23 Frank Mastropolo of Ultimate Classic Rock wrote that Lodger combines world and new wave music into a pop format 2 Although Bryan Wawzenek also of Ultimate Classic Rock found Lodger to be the more accessible record of the Berlin Trilogy he also felt it to be the most experimental observing elements of Middle Eastern music reggae world and krautrock within the vast array of pop songs 32 Biographers have singled out the final track on Heroes The Secret Life of Arabia in particular as a precursor to what Bowie would explore on Lodger both musically and thematically 33 34 35 After the ominousness of Low and Heroes biographers have described the opening track Fantastic Voyage as surprisingly delicate and serene 36 37 a thought author Peter Doggett believes implies a less intense record 38 The song shares the same chord sequence as Boys Keep Swinging and features three different players playing mandolin parts each part was triple tracked to create a total of nine parts 37 39 Bowie composed Move On after accidentally playing his earlier composition All the Young Dudes backwards then having Alomar write out the reversed chord sequence 39 38 Yassassin combines funk and reggae 38 using a violin played by Simon House to create a sound reminiscent of a Middle Eastern folk song and Turkish music 39 31 40 In part the music of German band Neu inspired Red Sails sharing their distinctive motorik drum beat Pegg describes it as an upbeat slab of new wave pop 41 The track has also been compared with Harmonia s 1975 track Monza Rauf und Runter 39 Bowie said that D J was somewhat cynical and his natural response to disco 42 Bowie mimics David Byrne of Talking Heads in his vocal performance 38 43 Wawzenek highlighted D J as a danceable gem 32 Doggett describes Look Back in Anger as propulsive and impatient 38 while Ned Raggett of AllMusic called it a sharp edged thrillingly modern rock song 44 O Leary particularly highlights Davis drumming as the standout 39 while Alomar s guitar solo was influenced by John Lennon s rhythm guitar work in the Beatles 45 The Quietus found Boys Keep Swinging to contain elements of glam rock and garage rock 17 For the recording which has the same chord sequence as Fantastic Voyage Bowie instructed the band to swap instruments 39 Repetition features a bass guitar riff that is described by Buckley as insistent and very odd 31 Doggett highlights its sound as similar to funk music 38 Red Money is built around the backing track of Sister Midnight an Iggy Pop song he recorded with Bowie for The Idiot New guitar parts were added along with electronic effects backwards guitar and vocal harmonies 39 38 Lyrics and themes editThough missing the song instrumental split that characterised Low and Heroes Lodger has been interpreted as covering two major themes travel and critiques of Western civilisation on sides one and two respectively 13 33 In early 1977 Bowie said I don t live anywhere really I travel 100 of the time further noting The more I travel the less sure I am about exactly which political philosophies are commendable All my traveling is done on the basis of wanting to get my ideas for writing from real events rather than from going back to a system from whence it came 39 Because of this Lodger is interpreted by some as a concept album 2 28 Some songs showcase heavily politicised lyrics including Fantastic Voyage which deals with the depression brought on by Cold War leaders and the possibility of nuclear war 37 36 and Repetition which deals with domestic violence 39 James Perone finds a general theme of political oppression and insanity 28 Eno was unhappy with the direction Bowie took for the lyrics 13 Regarding side one s theme of travel Pegg writes that the songs revive a perennial motif prevailing throughout the Berlin Trilogy highlighting the line I ve lived all over the world I ve left every place from the Low track Be My Wife 46 pointing out the journey is both metaphorical and geographical 13 Between the Montreaux and New York sessions Bowie traveled to Kenya with his son Duncan Jones which inspired the lyrics for African Night Flight 47 The same trip along with ones to Japan and Australia inspired Move On which reflects the theme of wanderlust throughout side one 48 Regarding the song titles Doggett quips After his African Night Flight what else to do but Move On 38 When asked about Red Sails Bowie said in 1979 Here we took a new German music feel and put it against the idea of a contemporary English mercenary cum swashbuckling Errol Flynn and put him in the China Sea We have a lovely cross reference of cultures I honestly don t know what it s about 49 Pegg writes that Red Sails symbolises Bowie s venture away from the mainstream 13 Yassassin is Turkish for long live from the word yasasin 38 Like the instrumental Heroes track Neukoln the song is about the discrimination Turkish immigrants who lived in Berlin faced although its lyrical approach is more direct 40 The lyrics of side two primarily critique Western society 33 D J takes a sardonic look at the world of the disc jockey On the song the DJ is looked at solely for what he is on the outside I am a DJ I am what I play 45 Swiftly compared to Elvis Costello s Radio Radio 1978 38 writer Ian Mathers describes the song as a horror story about a human being reduced to nothing more than work 39 Look Back in Anger sees Bowie encounter an angel of death who has come to claim his soul 45 Boys Keep Swinging contains gender bending lyrics particularly When you re a boy other boys check you out 50 In 2000 Bowie said of the track The glory in that song was ironic I do not feel that there is anything remotely glorious about being either male or female I was merely playing on the idea of the colonisation of a gender 39 In Repetition the narrator conveys no emotion when beating his wife 33 leading Buckley to describe it as Bowie at his most chilling 31 Red Money proclaims the message project canceled 38 Regarding the red boxes that appear throughout Bowie stated This song I think is about responsibility Red boxes keep cropping up in my paintings and they represent responsibility 41 Artwork editBowie collaborated on the cover design for Lodger with English pop artist Derek Boshier who would later design the artwork for Bowie s 15th studio album Let s Dance 1983 The original gatefold album sleeve featured a full length shot by photographer Brian Duffy of Bowie in a tiled bathroom looking like an accident victim heavily made up with an apparently broken nose and a bandaged hand 13 33 This was inspired by the self portraits of Egon Schiele 51 To accomplish the shot taken in February 1979 at Duffy s London studio Bowie balanced himself on a steel frame while the photographer captured the image from above The broken nose and facial morphing were accomplished using prosthetic make up and nylon threads Bowie s bandaged hand was genuine according to Pegg he had burned it with coffee that morning and decided to incorporate the hand into the photo 13 At Bowie s request the image was taken in a low resolution with a Polaroid SX 70 type camera outtakes from the photoshoot have appeared in the 2014 book Duffy Bowie Five Sessions The front features a postcard with the album title in four different languages enhancing its theme of travel Inside the gatefold are pictures of Che Guevara s corpse Andrea Mantegna s painting Lamentation of Christ and Bowie being readied for the cover photo 33 Rykodisc did not reproduce these images on their 1991 CD reissue 13 Release and promotion editRCA Records released the lead single from Lodger Boys Keep Swinging with Fantastic Voyage as the B side on 27 April 1979 39 To promote the song Bowie had appeared on The Kenny Everett Video Show four days earlier According to Pegg he dressed in a 1950s Mod style suit that made him look like a fresh faced schoolboy 52 David Mallet who Bowie chose to direct a promo video for Boys Keep Swinging directed the programme The promo and his Everett performance were filmed back to back although the former featured extra backup dancers who turned out to be Bowie in drag 52 The Everett performance along with an appearance as the guest DJ on Radio 1 s Star Special helped Boys Keep Swinging reach number seven on the UK Singles Chart Bowie s highest charting single since Sound and Vision 53 However due to the song s gender bending video and lyrics RCA refused to release the single in the US 52 nbsp Lodger was released at a time when artists that were influenced by Bowie s other Berlin releases such as Gary Numan pictured in 1980 were starting to gain popularity Numan himself was criticised by contemporaries and Bowie himself as a copycat of Bowie RCA issued Lodger on 25 May 1979 a 55 with the catalogue number RCA BOW LP 1 13 Its release came almost two years after Heroes marking the longest gap between Bowie studio albums since his second album Space Oddity 1969 32 Buckley writes that within that time new wave had begun to emerge and overtake punk rock as the dominant genre highlighting the likes of Blondie and Kate Bush He also notes that music videos and artists who were influenced by the music on Bowie s prior releases of the Berlin Trilogy such as the Human League Devo and Gary Numan had begun to gain popularity 35 56 Lodger performed well commercially peaking at number four on the UK Albums Chart and remaining on the chart for 17 weeks 57 It peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Top LPs amp Tape chart remaining on the chart for 15 weeks 58 Throughout the year Bowie was out performed commercially by Numan who had number one hits with Tubeway Army s Are Friends Electric his debut solo album The Pleasure Principle and its lead single Cars 59 60 Numan a huge fan of Bowie s was antagonised by Bowie s fans who viewed him as a mere copycat Bowie himself criticised Numan which led to a feud between the two artists that lasted for years According to Buckley Numan s fame indirectly led to Bowie taking a more pop oriented direction for his next studio album Scary Monsters and Super Creeps 1980 59 D J was chosen as the second single with Repetition as the B side released on 29 June 1979 61 Pegg calls it a boldly uncommercial choice for a single 61 Appearing in edited form the single stalled on the charts peaking at number 29 in the UK 62 It was supported by a music video also directed by Mallet The video features Bowie walking down a road in London s Earl s Court attracting surprised fans interspersed with shots of him as an abused DJ 61 Yassassin was released as the album s third single in the Netherlands backed again by Repetition in July 1979 63 It failed to chart 40 but the Dutch single edit was later included on Re Call 3 as part of the A New Career in a New Town 1977 1982 box set 2017 64 After releasing Boys Keep Swinging as a single only in the UK RCA released Look Back in Anger with Repetition once again as the B side 62 as the album s fourth single in the US and Canada only where it failed to chart 39 A music video again directed by Mallet promoted it The video inspired by Oscar Wilde s The Picture of Dorian Gray 1891 depicts Bowie as a painter in an attic studio whose self portrait begins to decay and melt 65 Critical reception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingRecord Mirror nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 66 Smash Hits6 10 67 Sounds nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 68 The Village VoiceA 69 In contrast to the universal praise received by its predecessor two years before Lodger received mixed reviews from music critics on its original release 13 28 Among the negative reviews Greil Marcus of Rolling Stone called the album one of Bowie s weakest scattered a footnote to Heroes an act of marking time 70 while Jon Savage of Melody Maker found it boring and a nice enough pop record beautifully played produced and crafted and slightly faceless 71 In Smash Hits Red Starr described the album as sounding like a ragbag of rejects from previous styles with only occasional flashes of genius 67 A reviewer for Billboard similarly noted the tone of the album is less foreboding than his more recent musical excursions Although they considered this was both a continuation and a departure from his previous works the magazine chose Lodger among their Top Album Picks the week of 9 June 1979 72 Paul Yamada of New York Rocker felt the album was a letdown compared to its two predecessors Although he found some of the songs good and complimented its easy listening nature he noted the absence of the more challenging work on the earlier releases and found Lodger as a whole to be a frustrating but well crafted LP that is much less than it appears to be 73 Sandy Robertson of Sounds felt Lodger has some ideas successfully realised but as a whole is not brilliant 68 The Chicago Tribune s Lynn Van Matre did not find it one of Bowie s best 74 The album did receive some positive reviews Ken Emerson in The New York Times called it Bowie s most eloquent record in years 75 while Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote favourably stating that although the songs may seem impassive and not designful he believed those qualities are part of their charm the way they confound categories of sensibility and sophistication is so frustrating it s satisfying 69 Tim Lott of Record Mirror wrote It s simply appealing in such an unusual way that a clear definition is impossible even when plotted against its own predecessors rather than pop music in general He commended the variety of musical styles present but criticised some of the lyrics as lazy 66 William Carlton of the New York Daily News hailed it Bowie at his best praising the performances of Bowie and the band and the various musical styles 76 A reviewer for the Chicago Sun Times found Lodger uneven but ultimately more interesting and entertaining than its predecessors 77 Influence and legacy editThe consensus among critics at the time of its release was that Lodger was the weakest of the Berlin Trilogy 16 32 78 Biographer Paul Trynka states that Lodger lacked the sense of risk and excitement that had pervaded its two predecessors which he partly attributed to the studio it was recorded at 79 However soon after its release NME editors Roy Carr and Charles Shaar Murray predicted that Lodger would have to grow in potency over a few years but eventually it will be accepted as one of Bowie s most complex and rewarding projects 33 Indeed Lodger has come to be considered as one of Bowie s most underrated works 13 28 80 Wawzenek described it as Bowie s Return of the Jedi 1983 rather than his The Godfather Part III 1990 32 While biographer Christopher Sandford calls Lodger a slick calculatedly disposable record 47 Buckley contends that its stature grows with each passing year 18 and Pegg sums up undervalued and obscure practically from the moment of its release its critical re evaluation is long overdue 13 In regards to the Berlin Trilogy as a whole Seabrook finds that then and now listeners come to Lodger expecting a resolution to the sounds and themes of its two predecessors but do not get that He further contends that it lacks the pioneer spirit of Low and the sheer gravitas of Heroes Nevertheless he considers some of the tracks including African Night Flight Repetition and Red Money as among his best work of the period 81 Perone argues that Lodger is by far Bowie s most lyrically and musically challenging album of his late 1970s and early 1980s output further illustrating the influence of contemporaries on the artist 28 Trynka states that over the years the album has attracted admiration rather than visceral love or hatred and its sound is viewed as a forerunner to the sound of Talking Heads and Spandau Ballet 82 Lodger is one of Bowie s most influential works according to Encyclopaedia Britannica 83 Biographer Marc Spitz agrees citing its use of world music as influential on Talking Heads Remain in Light 1980 and Paul Simon s Graceland 1986 Spitz describes the album s promotional videos directed by Mallet as innovative as anything Bowie had ever done before 16 Retrospective appraisal edit Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 29 Blender nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 84 Chicago Tribune nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 85 The Encyclopedia of Popular Music nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 86 Entertainment WeeklyB 87 Pitchfork8 5 10 43 Q nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 88 The Rolling Stone Album Guide nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 80 Spin nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 89 Spin Alternative Record Guide8 10 90 Retrospectively Lodger has received more positive reviews Upon the album s 1991 reissue Ira Robbins compared its accessibility to its predecessors and felt the songs were forerunners of Let s Dance in Entertainment Weekly 87 Writing for The Rolling Stone Album Guide in 2004 Rob Sheffield praised Lodger stating it rocks just as hard as Station to Station and Aladdin Sane He also commented on the razor sharp musical corners and new layers of wit and generosity in the songwriting highlighting Boys Keep Swinging D J and Fantastic Voyage 80 Jon Dolan of Spin magazine considered Lodger to be a great end to Bowie s best decade calling it his last great album 89 In 2008 Chris Roberts of Uncut magazine felt that Lodger never received the appreciation it deserved writing Generally perceived as the afterthought of the legendary Berlin trilogy Lodger deserves a room of its own in the critical pantheon 91 Ian MacDonald agreed writing that it was always thought of as the anticlimax of the trilogy but nevertheless stating that if it doesn t add up as a single listening experience its parts are rarely without quality 92 Erlewine also gave the album a positive review writing It might not stretch the boundaries of rock like Low and Heroes but it arguably utilises those ideas in a more effective fashion 29 Mike Powell of Pitchfork described Lodger as the first David Bowie album marketed as nothing more than an album of recorded music by David Bowie He commented on the record s accessibility compared to Bowie s prior releases 43 Although he felt Lodger might always be remembered as the least essential effort of the Berlin Trilogy Wawzenek concludes as a postcard from one of Bowie s most exciting phases it s a fascinating glimpse of the artist in the midst of a bold transition 32 Electronica techno artist Moby would later say the only reason he got his first job as a golf caddy was so that he could afford to buy Lodger which had just come out at the time 93 American indie rock band Built to Spill referenced the album in their song Distopian Dream Girl taken from their 1994 album There s Nothing Wrong with Love 94 A few of Lodger s songs influenced two English Britpop bands in the 1990s Blur used the same chord sequence as Fantastic Voyage and Boys Keep Swinging in their 1997 single M O R The song s chorus also borrows the melody and call and response vocals from Boys Keep Swinging Bowie and Eno both received credit for M O R after legal intervention The lead singer Damon Albarn has cited Bowie as an influence 95 Oasis named their 1996 single Don t Look Back in Anger written by Noel Gallagher after Look Back in Anger 96 97 American indie rock band Shearwater covered the album in its entirety at live shows and on The A V Club following Bowie s death in early 2016 98 In the 1990s American composer Philip Glass adapted Low and Heroes into classical music symphonies titled Low Symphony and Heroes Symphony respectively 99 Glass informed Bowie of the projects and the two stayed in touch with each other until 2003 the two discussed making a third symphony which never came to fruition After Bowie s death Glass said the two had talked about adapting Lodger for the third symphony adding that the idea has not totally disappeared 100 In January 2018 Glass announced the completion of a symphony based on Lodger The work is Glass 12th Symphony it premiered in Los Angeles in January 2019 Like Glass s other adaptations the Lodger Symphony is separated into seven movements each named after tracks on Lodger The symphony marked the completion of his trilogy of works based on Bowie s Berlin Trilogy 101 102 2017 remix edit nbsp Lodger was remixed in 2017 by co producer Tony Visconti pictured in 2007 who was unsatisfied with the original mix Reviewers criticised Lodger s original mix for many years calling it over cluttered and over produced Regarding the mix Visconti stated My only regret is that we went to New York to finish the album and it suffered at the mixing stage because New York studios simply were not as versatile or well equipped as their European counterparts in those days 13 Bowie also expressed disappointment in the mix citing distractions in his personal life at the time and the overall feeling he and Visconti had that the record did not come together as easily as its two predecessors Bowie and Visconti began discussing the possibility of remixing Lodger during the sessions for Bowie s 24th studio album The Next Day 2013 for a possible deluxe edition reissue with the latter explaining It s an important record to both of us David agrees it never sounded the way we wanted 13 During the sessions for Bowie s final album Blackstar in 2015 Visconti secretly began remixing Lodger 103 He presented the new mixes to Bowie who approved of them before his death 104 Visconti finished the remix in late 2016 and included it on A New Career in a New Town 78 103 Erlewine praised the remix as dense and colorful without changing the feel of the original helping to focus attention on an excellent record that often gets overshadowed by the three albums accompanying it in this box 105 Rolling Stone s Kory Grow wrote that the new mix loosens the album s sound saying there is a greater emphasis on orchestral strings and the percussion sometimes comes out of different speakers Grow further noted that the mix makes everything feel generally lighter notably on Red Money and Yassassin Overall Grow gave praise to the new mix calling it a brilliant new take and noting that the original now feels muddier by comparison 104 Chris Gerard of PopMatters also praised the remix believing it drastically improved the record and is nothing short of revelatory Gerard gave the most acclaim to D J writing that its new mix gives the track more punch and clarity Ultimately Gerard felt the new mix is the highlight of the box set and gives Lodger enough recognition to be labeled as among Bowie s finest works 78 Reissues edit Lodger has been reissued several times Although the original 1979 vinyl release featured a gatefold cover 106 some later LP versions such as RCA s 1981 US reissue presented the album in a standard non gatefold sleeve 107 108 The album was first released on CD by RCA in the mid 1980s Rykodisc and EMI reissued the album with two bonus tracks in 1991 including the outtake I Pray Ole and a new version of Look Back in Anger 109 110 Another reissue without bonus tracks was released by Virgin Records and EMI in 1999 featuring 24 bit digitally remastered sound 111 In 2017 the A New Career in a New Town 1977 1982 box set released by Parlophone included two versions of Lodger a remaster of the standard album and a new remix by Visconti 64 The 2017 remaster was separately released in CD vinyl and digital formats the following year 104 Track listing editSide oneNo TitleWriter s Length1 Fantastic Voyage David Bowie Brian Eno2 552 African Night Flight Bowie Eno2 543 Move On Bowie3 164 Yassassin Turkish Yasasin lit Long Live Bowie4 105 Red Sails Bowie Eno3 43 Side twoNo TitleWriter s Length1 D J Bowie Eno Carlos Alomar3 592 Look Back in Anger Bowie Eno3 083 Boys Keep Swinging Bowie Eno3 174 Repetition Bowie2 595 Red Money Bowie Alomar4 17Total length 34 38Personnel editCredits are adapted from the album s liner notes 112 The track numbers refer to CD and digital releases of the album David Bowie lead and background vocals synthesiser 4 piano 1 6 Chamberlin 6 guitar 8 10 Brian Eno ambient drone 1 prepared piano and cricket menace 2 guitar treatments 5 synthesisers 5 7 horse trumpet and eroica horn 7 piano 8 backing vocals 4 Tony Visconti mandolin 1 guitar 3 4 bass guitar 8 backing vocals 1 3 4 7 8 10 Adrian Belew mandolin 1 guitar 3 5 6 8 10 Carlos Alomar guitar 2 7 9 10 drums 8 backing vocals 4 Dennis Davis drums 1 4 6 9 10 percussion 2 3 7 bass guitar 8 backing vocals 4 George Murray bass guitar all but track 8 backing vocals 4 Sean Mayes piano 1 3 5 7 Simon House mandolin 1 violin 4 5 8 9 backing vocals 4 Roger Powell synthesisers 9 10 Stan Harrison saxophone 5 Production David Bowie producer Tony Visconti producer engineer mixing David Richards engineer Eugene Chaplin assistant engineer Rod O Brien mixing engineer Greg Calbi mastering engineerCharts and certifications editWeekly charts edit 1979 weekly chart performance for Lodger Chart 1979 PeakPosition Australian Albums Kent Music Report 113 11 Austrian Albums O3 Austria 114 13 Canadian Albums RPM 115 15 Dutch Albums MegaCharts 116 5 French Albums SNEP 117 11 Japanese Albums Oricon 118 32 New Zealand Albums RIANZ 119 3 Norwegian Albums VG lista 120 11 Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 121 9 UK Albums OCC 122 4 US Billboard Top LPs amp Tape 58 20 2016 weekly chart performance for Lodger Chart 2016 PeakPosition UK Albums OCC 122 64 Year end charts edit 1979 year end chart performance for Lodger Chart 1979 Position Australian Albums Kent Music Report 113 67 Canadian Albums RPM 123 72 Dutch Albums MegaCharts 124 55 French Albums SNEP 125 58 Certifications edit Certifications for Lodger Region Certification Certified units sales Netherlands NVPI 126 Gold 50 000 United Kingdom BPI 127 Gold 100 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Notes edit The release date was previously thought to be 18 May 1979 39 54 Bowie s official website unveiled new evidence in 2020 finding the actual release date to be 25 May 55 References edit a b Buckley 2005 p 257 a b c d e Mastropolo Frank 11 January 2016 The History of David Bowie s Berlin Trilogy Low Heroes and Lodger Ultimate Classic Rock Archived from the original on 29 March 2016 Retrieved 29 March 2016 Buckley 2005 p 259 Carr amp Murray 1981 pp 87 90 O Leary 2019 chap 1 a b Pegg 2016 pp 384 388 Buckley 2005 p 272 a b Pegg 2016 p 489 a b Pegg 2016 pp 390 391 a b c O Leary 2019 chap 2 Pegg 2016 pp 660 661 Pegg 2016 pp 571 575 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Pegg 2016 pp 394 396 a b Buckley 2005 p 298 Buckley 2005 pp 278 298 302 a b c d Spitz 2009 pp 298 299 a b c d e Graham Ben 11 January 2016 30 Years On David Bowie s Lodger Comes In From The Cold The Quietus Archived from the original on 9 July 2015 Retrieved 6 December 2016 a b c d e f Buckley 1999 pp 335 356 Buckley 2005 pp 277 279 Buckley 2005 p 299 Pegg 2016 p 296 Buckley 2005 pp 302 304 a b Gittins Ian 2007 Art Decade Mojo 60 Years of Bowie ed pp 70 73 Buckley 2005 p 302 Goble Blake Blackard Cap Levy Pat Phillips Lior Sackllah David 8 January 2018 Ranking Every David Bowie Album from Worst to Best Consequence of Sound Archived from the original on 5 January 2021 Retrieved 19 January 2021 Blackard Cap Graves Wren Manning Erin 6 January 2016 A Beginner s Guide to David Bowie Consequence of Sound p 6 Archived from the original on 19 January 2021 Retrieved 19 January 2021 Rule Greg 1999 Electro Shock San Francisco Miller Freeman Books p 233 ISBN 978 0 87930 582 6 Low Heroes Rykodisc Groundbreaking ambient electronic work from one of pop s most enduring icons a b c d e f Perone 2007 pp 71 78 a b c Erlewine Stephen Thomas Lodger David Bowie AllMusic Archived from the original on 30 March 2016 Retrieved 29 March 2016 Buckley 2005 p 305 a b c d Buckley 2005 p 303 a b c d e f Wawzenek Bryan 18 May 2015 Revisiting David Bowie s Last Berlin Trilogy Album Lodger Ultimate Classic Rock Archived from the original on 18 April 2020 Retrieved 30 November 2020 a b c d e f g Carr amp Murray 1981 pp 102 107 Doggett 2012 p 339 a b Spitz 2009 p 290 a b Pegg 2016 pp 88 89 a b c Buckley 2005 pp 302 303 a b c d e f g h i j k Doggett 2012 pp 354 361 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n O Leary 2019 chap 3 a b c Pegg 2016 p 318 a b Pegg 2016 p 223 Pegg 2016 p 68 a b c Powell Mike 22 January 2015 David Bowie Lodger Pitchfork Archived from the original on 24 January 2016 Retrieved 22 January 2015 Raggett Ned Look Back in Anger David Bowie AllMusic Archived from the original on 4 July 2019 Retrieved 30 November 2020 a b c Buckley 2005 p 304 Pegg 2016 p 34 a b Sandford 1997 pp 177 191 Pegg 2016 p 189 Buckley 2005 pp 304 305 Pegg 2016 p 48 Callahan Maura 19 January 2016 On David Bowie s life as an artist and art journalist Baltimore Sun Archived from the original on 6 August 2021 Retrieved 6 August 2021 a b c Pegg 2016 pp 48 49 Buckley 2005 pp 304 307 Pegg 2016 p 744 a b Lodger is 41 today David Bowie Official Website 25 May 2020 Archived from the original on 19 November 2020 Retrieved 29 November 2020 Buckley 2005 pp 309 310 Lodger Full Official Chart History Official Charts Company Archived from the original on 7 November 2020 Retrieved 2 December 2020 a b Lodger 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Tribune Archived from the original on 16 April 2016 Retrieved 11 November 2020 Larkin Colin 2011 Bowie David The Encyclopedia of Popular Music 5th concise ed London Omnibus Press ISBN 978 0 85712 595 8 a b Robbins Ira 1 November 1991 Lodger Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on 19 October 2016 Retrieved 14 July 2016 David Bowie Lodger Q No 61 October 1991 a b Dolan Jon July 2006 How to Buy David Bowie Spin Vol 22 no 7 p 84 Archived from the original on 2 October 2017 Retrieved 14 July 2016 Sheffield 1995 p 55 Roberts Chris January 2008 David Bowie Lodger Uncut Archived from the original on 14 April 2021 Retrieved 19 March 2021 via Rock s Backpages subscription required MacDonald Ian January 2003 Great Albums That Have Fallen Off The Critical Radar David Bowie s Lodger Uncut Archived from the original on 20 April 2021 Retrieved 22 March 2021 via Rock s Backpages subscription required Is Moby s Music Still Good When Its Free National Public Radio 31 March 2008 Archived from the original on 16 April 2019 Retrieved 16 April 2019 Gordinier Jeff 31 May 2002 Loving the Aliens Entertainment Weekly No 656 pp 26 34 Azad Bharat 14 August 2007 Is Damon Albarn the new David Bowie The Guardian Archived from the original on 24 December 2017 Retrieved 6 February 2018 Readers Poll The 10 Best Brit Pop Songs Rolling Stone 25 March 2018 Archived from the original on 26 March 2018 Retrieved 19 September 2019 Shchelkunova Maria 12 February 2016 21 Reasons Why Oasis Is So Popular Culture Trip Archived from the original on 10 January 2020 Retrieved 3 October 2020 Meiburg Jonathan 13 May 2016 Shearwater covers the entirety of David Bowie s Lodger The A V Club Archived from the original on 1 July 2016 Retrieved 3 July 2016 Pegg 2016 pp 490 491 493 Pegg 2016 p 493 Tilden Imogen 30 January 2018 Philip Glass completes his David Bowie trilogy with Lodger symphony The Guardian Archived from the original on 31 January 2018 Retrieved 31 January 2018 Swed Mark 11 January 2019 Review Philip Glass takes David Bowie and the symphony to new places with a stupendous Lodger Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 8 November 2020 Retrieved 28 November 2020 a b Revisiting Bowie s Lodger mix Tony Visconti takes aim at online chatter StevePafford com 22 August 2017 Archived from the original on 29 September 2017 Retrieved 29 September 2017 a b c Grow Kory 28 September 2017 Review David Bowie s Heroically Experimental Berlin Era Explored in 11 CD Box Set Rolling Stone Archived from the original on 12 November 2020 Retrieved 4 December 2020 Erlewine Stephen Thomas A New Career in a New Town 1977 1982 David Bowie AllMusic Archived from the original on 5 December 2021 Retrieved 12 December 2021 Lodger LP record sleeve David Bowie US RCA Records 1979 AQL1 3254 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Thompson Dave 2019 Kennedy Paul ed Goldmine Record Album Price Guide 10th ed US Krause Publications p 87 ISBN 978 1 44024 891 7 Lodger LP record sleeve David Bowie US RCA Records 1981 AYL1 4234 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Lodger CD liner notes David Bowie US Rykodisc 1991 RCD 10146 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Lodger CD liner notes David Bowie UK amp Europe EMI 1991 CDP 79 7724 2 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Lodger CD liner notes David Bowie US Virgin EMI 1999 7243 521909 0 4 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link Lodger liner notes David Bowie UK RCA Records 1979 RCA BOW LP 1 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link a b Kent David 1993 Australian Chart Book 1970 1992 St Ives NSW Australian Chart Book ISBN 978 0 646 11917 5 David Bowie Lodger austriancharts at ASP Archived from the original on 29 October 2013 Retrieved 31 January 2014 Top Albums CDs Volume 31 No 19 RPM 4 August 1979 Archived from the original PHP on 24 February 2014 Retrieved 31 January 2014 dutchcharts nl David Bowie Lodger ASP dutchcharts nl in Dutch MegaCharts Archived from the original on 31 October 2014 Retrieved 31 January 2014 InfoDisc Tous les Albums classes par Artiste gt Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste in French infodisc fr Archived from the original PHP on 7 November 2011 Retrieved 31 January 2014 Note user must select David BOWIE from drop down Oricon Album Chart Book Complete Edition 1970 2005 Roppongi Tokyo Oricon Entertainment 2006 ISBN 978 4 87131 077 2 charts nz David Bowie Lodger ASP Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Archived from the original on 21 May 2017 Retrieved 31 January 2014 norwegiancharts com David Bowie Lodger ASP VG lista Archived from the original on 16 October 2013 Retrieved 31 January 2014 swedishcharts com David Bowie Lodger ASP in Swedish Sverigetopplistan Archived from the original on 11 January 2014 Retrieved 31 January 2014 a b David Bowie Artist Official Charts UK Albums Chart Retrieved 2 December 2020 RPM Top 100 Albums of 1979 RPM 22 December 1979 Archived from the original on 5 December 2012 Retrieved 10 May 2012 Dutch charts jaaroverzichten 1978 in Dutch Dutchcharts nl Archived from the original on 23 April 2016 Retrieved 2 April 2014 Les Albums CD de 1979 par InfoDisc in French infodisc fr Archived from the original PHP on 21 February 2014 Retrieved 29 January 2012 Dutch album certifications David Bowie Lodger in Dutch Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld en geluidsdragers Retrieved 17 January 2010 EnterLodger in the Artiest of titel box British album certifications David Bowie Lodger British Phonographic Industry Retrieved 31 January 2014 Sources edit Buckley David 1999 Strange Fascination David Bowie The Definitive Story London Virgin Books ISBN 978 1 85227 784 0 Buckley David 2005 1999 Strange Fascination David Bowie The Definitive Story London Virgin Books ISBN 978 0 75351 002 5 Carr Roy Murray Charles Shaar 1981 Bowie An Illustrated Record London Eel Pie Publishing ISBN 978 0 38077 966 6 Doggett Peter 2012 The Man Who Sold the World David Bowie and the 1970s New York City HarperCollins Publishers ISBN 978 0 06 202466 4 O Leary Chris 2019 Ashes to Ashes The Songs of David Bowie 1976 2016 London Repeater ISBN 978 1 91224 830 8 Pegg Nicholas 2016 The Complete David Bowie Revised and Updated ed London Titan Books ISBN 978 1 78565 365 0 Perone James E 2007 The Words and Music of David Bowie Westport Connecticut Greenwood Publishing Group ISBN 978 0 27599 245 3 Sandford Christopher 1997 1996 Bowie Loving the Alien London Da Capo Press ISBN 978 0 306 80854 8 Seabrook Thomas Jerome 2008 Bowie in Berlin A New Career in a New Town London Jawbone Press ISBN 978 1 90600 208 4 Sheffield Rob 1995 David Bowie In Weisbard Eric Marks Craig eds Spin Alternative Record Guide Vintage Books pp 55 57 ISBN 978 0 679 75574 6 Spitz Marc 2009 Bowie A Biography New York City Crown Publishing Group ISBN 978 0 307 71699 6 Trynka Paul 2011 David Bowie Starman The Definitive Biography New York City Little Brown and Company ISBN 978 0 31603 225 4 External links editLodger at Discogs list of releases Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lodger album amp oldid 1223334245, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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