Tin Machine 2 (preliminary) It's again been years, so I will need to play most of the tracks as we go. Memory is that at least 2 tracks (If There Is Something, Baby Universal) are very good, & I have positive memory of You Belong In R&R. To this day, Stateside sounds to me like the worst song AC-DC (a band I despise) ever did (they didn't, just seemed like HS was imitating them & it sucks). TM2 was hurt badly by being on a poorly run indie label. It was a cutout bin standard for years, then it went oop & people seemed to want it.
Tin Machine II (preliminary) I listened to this in the shop when it came out and it didn't impress me. I bought it about 10 years ago I think, just to complete the picture. I haven't listened to it much over the years but I came back to it recently and discovered that I only like four or five songs (which went towards my "Best Of Tin Machine" comp.
I do not believe Bowie's parting with EMI was amicable. He no longer needed the money and they were hit in the pocket by him restoring his artistic integrity. Tin Machine ii is more polished than the first album and has more consistency.
I actually don’t own TMII at all and haven’t ever really felt the desire to hear it. Looking forward to revisiting it here, even if it might end up with me shelling out for it lol.
https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/22806101?ev=rb&ships_from=United+States Numbered edition of 5000 copies on Crystal Clear & Turquoise mixed coloured vinyl. Individual numbers embossed in silver on rear cover. Track B7 is unlisted. Includes insert. Special spot varnished sleeve. Hype sticker front cover in gold.
I saw Bowie in concert just days before my 14th birthday in 1990. It was the only time he ever came to my town. I wish I had manned up and gone to him in the following years. I hate going to the big cities, though. At any rate, I carry fond (albeit foggy) memories of Bowie and his Sound and Vision show. By time T2 came out I was too busy being a teen, playing in a band, going to metal shows. I saw plenty of orange duke Bowie on TV doing promo work, on MTV, SNL, Arsenio, but I didn't give the album my full attention until a few years later. I wasn't attuned to it at that particular moment in my life. I love the first Tin Machine album, but the 2nd one didn't have the same excitement. Edges were smoother, lyrics more comprehensible, production more polished, the music more tame. I rarely reach for it, but when I do I say to myself, "this isn't half bad". I dunno. I'll play it tonight, see how I feel.
Tin Machine II Bought a bargain-bin cassette very cheap around the late 90s, wasn’t all that enamoured with it at the time, save for a few stand out tracks. Revisited it in the noughties after I got hold of an original vinyl copy of the album and a some 12” singles and discovered that it’s quite a different animal to the debut. Some great tracks, some utter dross but… Is it more than the sum of its parts? Look forward to following this up in detail.
What’s surprising is the Victory label was owned by JVC who at launch in 91 considered themselves a major label, they then released a lot of random music and then went bust three years later!
'Gunman' is a nice track, the music and lyrical delivery is much more interesting than 'Pretty Pink Rose'. I like the drumming and angular-sounding guitar strumming and picking, while the particularly Belew guitar flourishes are less irritating also. The lyrical content is a bit naff, but it's easy to forget about what's being said due to the variation and the spoken parts are great too. It's a way off top tier Bowie, but it stands out in comparison to recent tracks and I would definitely return to this one. Gunman 3.75/5
Gunman I don't like this as well as Pretty Pink Rose, but I do like this. It took me a while to come around on it but I definitely dig it. It's perhaps isn't as accessible as PPR. I don't necessarily love the high pitched, shrill guitar solos here which are somewhat reminiscent of a dentist drill (which if it floats boat, sure, it just doesn't float mine) but it only intrudes a couple of times. Love the affected spoken vocal at the end. Slightly weird, but then that's why we are here, right? 3.8/5
‘None! From what I can tell TM2 was the only contemporary band, everything else was prog rock rereleases and live albums. He signed a short term contract so he could bailout quickly.
Kevin Armstrong was never considered a member of the band. Not entirely sure why, as he played on both studio albums, wrote Run for TM1, and was on the first tour. His position as second guitarist on the second, longer, tour was taken by Eric Schermerhorn, who later worked with Iggy for a number of years.
Gunman 2/5 This feels a lot like AB has recorded/programmed his parts and Bowie put his vocals down without any interaction. There’s a lot of repetition and Bowie’s trying really hard to get a vocal line in there somewhere but there’s not a lot of melody to latch onto. I love how AB makes a point of putting bass sample on his instruments and you can barely hear it. Every time I hear “Young Man” it reminds me the old ladies on Harry Enfield and chums and what’s funny is Bowie was a fan.
Gunman That's more like it. Love the insistent guitar and DB using different voices. I'm going to play it again.
