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Scary Monsters | 
 enlarge | Manufacturer: VIRGIN
Category: Digital Music Album
Buy New: $8.90
Rating:  80 reviews
Sales Rank: 7867
Genre: dance-pop-music
Media: MP3 Download
Running Time: 0 Minutes
ASIN: B000TETKA8
Publication Date: July 18, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 75 more reviews...
 From a 40 year career one of the half-dozen best October 31, 2008
Phil (San Diego, CA) (San Diego, CA)
There are so many reviews of this album already I don't want to be redundant but as someone who has every album that Bowie ever released and then some, I want to chime in and encourage you to check this out. When reviewers mince about whether the latest Bowie offering compares to his classics, "Scary Monsters" is typically namechecked as the latter bookend formalizing the classic years of Bowie's peak.
I don't agree with that; Bowie's albums may have slumped in the 80s but powerful CDs from the 90s like 1.Outside and Earthling, not to mention Buddha of Suburbia and Black Tie White Noise, measured on a par with Bowie's classics. That said...
Scary Monsters is indeed one of Bowie's finest. Once you get past some of Bowie's very best songs, "Ashes to Ashes", "Fashion" and the title track, you delve into Bowie's most harrowing work with stellar moments like both versions of "It's No Game" and the cover of Tom Verlaine's "Kingdom Come". But it's not like the other third of the album is filler, not at all. It merely had the misfortune of sharing disc space with classics like those already mentioned. Oh, I suppose I could do without "Teenage Wildlife" but 9 out of 10 is par for the course for so many Bowie albums.
This belongs in the shortlist of Bowie's finest, next to Station to Station, Diamond Dogs, Aladdin Sane, Low, Earthling, and 1.Outside, and just a titch better than 'Heroes', Young Americans or Hunky Dory. The best thing about getting this album as opposed to a 'best of' is that you get the full length versions of some of Bowie's finest moments rather than hatcheted edit versions. Did I mention this album was strongly recommended?
 Scary Monsters is Bowie's struggle with heroin September 8, 2008
David Carney (POINT PLEASANT)
1980 was a great year for albums.Genesis had Duke while Peter Gabriel had Melt.David Bowie had Scary Monsters.It starts with Its No Game and never lets up.Thank God Robert Fripp's guitar stands out like a bull in an apartment.Bowie had to fight his demons with the release of Low.The Lodger and Scary Monsters.Although many fans were turned off others were turned on.This album will be played by old and new fans reguardless of age.
If you gotta do '80s pop, might as well do it right May 30, 2008
finulanu (Here, there, and everywhere)
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Eno's out, and bizarre new-wave pop is today's special. The enjoyable failed single "Up the Hill Backwards" even sounds like something Talking Heads would do sometime around Speaking in Tongues. The record was a pretty big success, spawning three massive singles: the guitar hero title track; the weird, funky, great "Space Oddity" sequel "Ashes to Ashes", one of Bowie's most famous songs; and the fantastic, sarcastic disco-rocker "Fashion" all made large impacts on the charts and the radio and the whatever else. The singles aren't as timeless as something like "Jean Genie", but they're great period pieces, and Bowie's a creative enough gentleman to keep them from sounding like period caricatures. Besides, "Fashion" might even be catchier than "Golden Years", and I haven't been able to get "Golden Years" out of my head for the past week. Oh, don't forget the ominous, angry "Scream Like a Baby" or the paranoid fun of "Because You're Young". But sadly, it's not all that good. There's no way around it: "Teenage Wildlife" is an inferior rewrite of "Heroes", and whatever "It's No Game" is, it isn't good. Plenty weird, but not well-written or anything. I can't really get into the Television cover "Kingdom Come", either. And it hasn't endured as well as Bowie's best work, good as it may be.
 You know how people complain about albums with only one good song on them? September 12, 2007
jt52 (New Jersey)
1 out of 6 found this review helpful
Well, this is one of those albums. The song in question is "Ashes to ashes," an inventive and attractive sequel to "Space Oddity." Aside from that, this album is a self-indulgent mess.
I think the basic problem is that Bowie had lost much of his interest in his craft at this time and the results show it:
1) Lyrics: On track 3, there is a wonderful line "Scary monsters and superfreaks keep me running scared." Brilliant stuff. Even if you are stoned all the time or not paying attention to the album (I suspect both are true of Bowie at this time), this line has to strike you as pretty weak - how about avoiding including both "scary" and "scared" - you know, try to tweak it and improve the words somehow? No. If I counted correctly, these exceptional lyrics are repeated three times in the song.
2) Music: If I had to describe what the music on this album is like in words, I'd say that the songs consist of dance-type beats repeated over and over again with Bowie howling over it. At this point in his career, Bowie simply couldn't sing any more. His range is minimal, the tone is painfully ugly and he resorts to nearly shouting much of the time. Ugh. And the fact that the songs are mostly tedious and repetitive doesn't help.
Basically, this album is just one big pose. Bowie forgot why he was an interesting artist in the first place and didn't devote any serious work to making it. All hype.
I do think "Ashes to ashes" is a fine song and remains a favorite of mine. On this track, the song contains an interesting melody which is longer than the others on "Scary monsters", Bowie actually sings (although not particularly well), the production creates an interesting and memorable sound and Bowie had something to say. Otherwise, this is another forgettable album ready for the dustbin.
Scary Monsters May 8, 2007
Morton (Colorado)
David Bowie-Scary Monsters ****
Released in 1980, David Bowies Scary Monsters became one of his biggest and most popular albums to date. Expanding even further on his new wave sound which he and Iggy Pop helped to invent some four years before this album. The album helped to usher Bowie into the 1980's a decade that would serve Bowie highs higher then he had seen before and lows lower then he had seen before.
Scary Monsters is an album of ideas and creativity. Some of Bowies most inspired and original work appears on this album showcasing early influences for many of the alternative bands to imerge during the decade. The lyrics on the album are more then just simple lyrics, they are really the vocal point of the album which is a first for a Bowie album. He has always been known as an amaznig lyricist but Scary Monsters secured him as among the best.
The line up of musicians is amazing with guest apperances from the great Pete Townshend, King Crimson leader and guitar virtuoso Robert Fripp, as well as piano great Roy Bittan, and legend Tony Visconti, but the phenomonal Tom Verlaine of Television lent his hands at some of the albums lyrics.
'Its No Game (Part 1)' is a strange song, but actually a great way to open the album being as it is a little strange as a whole. With no chorus or really a hook for the matter the song is sung in strange octives and features lots of Janpanese spoken word inbetween verses. No other song would have started the album better. Also contains great socialy concious lyrics. 'Up The Hill Backwards' is very child hood sing-along. While once again the lyrics are great they loose their effect being performed over such nursery ryhme music and in a sing-along way. The track is take it or leave it. The title track 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)' is one of the best songs on the album. With a very different sound and though the song sounds very 80's it still has a great appeal. 'Ashes To Ashes' is easily the best song on the album and one of Bowies all time best songs. Fantastic keyboard and minimal drumming make the mood of the song soom very errie. The lyrics are some of the best ever written in history. Part two of the contiueing sega of 'Major Tom.' In this sequal to the original we find out that 'Major Tom' is not in space at all but mearly strung out on Heroin. A great song, truly a classic. 'Fashion' is one of the most inventive songs of Bowies career. Combining some incredible guitar playing from Fripp and a new wave feel and sound that would revolutionize the comming decade. 'Teenage Wildlife' may contain the very best lyrics Bowie has ever written. The vocal delivery is so heart felt and emotional that you truly understand and feel what he is trying to convey. The guitar work from Fripp is inspired and complaments the lyrics perfectly. One of the most honest and truly geniune songs ever written. 'Scream Like A Baby' is almost a hard rocker. Slightly intence with some restraint as too not get way out of controle. 'Kingdom Come' is a song that was written by Tom Verlaine of Television and it is so clear when you hear it beacuse it totaly sounds as if it would fit in on the bands debut. A great perfomance from Bowie here. 'Because Your Young' features lead guitar from Pete Townshend which adds to the song and makes it better. Other then the guitar this is not one of the better songs on the album, in fact the album may have been stronger had it been left off. Closing the album is 'Its Not Game (Part 2)' which is nothing like part one which opens the albums. This is much more laid back. A calm after the store or more like a cigerette after a night cap is more in line. A great tune to end the album nicly and ease the listener away.
Scary Monsters is not the best album that David Bowie ever recorded but from the 1980's this is the best he has to offer. The music is phenomonal, this is an album you will never get bored with or grow old of. The artwork in the case of the album is worth the price of the album alone, usualy I dont comment on the artwork but it is truly breath taking. So for those how are looking at this you are sligtly interested and that is a good enough reason to buy the album if this review wasnt reason enough.
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