Barring something truly unusual or unfortunate, I should finish up another 5,000+ mile road trip later today. If you\u2019re so inclined, wish me luck.<\/p>\n
On the road, there\u2019s not much to do besides the boring and the necessary: e.g. keeping it between the lines and avoiding idiots. (As an aside: I swear, the old saying that God must love idiots because he made so many of them certainly appears true on the road. But did DMV have to issue all<\/u> of them drivers\u2019 licenses?)<\/i><\/p>\n
As I\u2019ve said before: one of the few relatively safe things you can do while driving long distance is listen to music. So yeah \u2013 I do that. And yeah, that means you\u2019re about to get another, albeit short, segment of Hondo\u2019s Classic Rock Commentary. Consider yourself forewarned. (smile)<\/p>\n
. . . <\/b><\/p>\n
The late David Bowie was a towering, singular presence in modern rock music. But because of his immense talents as a songwriter \u2013 and, in his early days, his outrageous persona \u2013 it\u2019s easy to forget just how damn good of a singer and performer he was.<\/p>\n
Here are three tunes that span 10 years, and which IMO show that greatness. They also chronicle his development from a young star hitting full stride to a mature, developed singer. All showcase his immense vocal and performance talents. And two of them are tunes that even diehard Bowie fans might not have heard recently.<\/p>\n
This first tune introduces and sets the tone for the work that made Bowie a true star: Ziggy Stardust<\/u> (full title: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars<\/u>). If you haven\u2019t listened to this one in a while, do so \u2013 and really listen to the vocals. They don\u2019t IMO showcase his vocal talent as well as the two tunes which follow \u2013 but they are absolutely spot-on for the tune nonetheless.<\/p>\n
(Sidebar: if you are a Bowie fan \u2013 or just a fan of great classic rock and roll music \u2013 you might want to give the album Ziggy Stardust<\/u> a listen, particularly if it\u2019s been a while; it\u2019s truly exceptional. How exceptional? Most \u201cTop Ten Bowie Songs\u201d lists include literally five<\/u> tunes from this album: the track which follows; \u201cMoonage Daydream\u201d; \u201cStarman\u201d; \u201cZiggy Stardust\u201d; and \u201cSufragette City\u201d. The album really is truly a classic.)<\/i><\/p>\n