The Buddha of Suburbia (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
The Buddha of Suburbia is a 1993 soundtrack album by David Bowie
which accompanied the 4-part television serial
The Buddha of Suburbia
on BBC2 (itself adapted from the book The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
).
The album is David Bowie's nineteenth full-length studio recording, sitting between Black Tie White Noise
(also released in 1993) and Outside (1995). It was produced and mixed at Mountain Studios
(Montreux
) in Switzerland
and according to Bowie it took only six days to write and record, but fifteen days to mix due to some "technical breakdowns".
The album has been classified as a soundtrack although the title track was the only song to be featured in the television programme (see below).
Two of the tracks are ambient
instrumentals and quite similar to Bowie's work with Brian Eno
in the late 1970s. Other tracks on the album make strong use of saxophone
, electronic keyboard
s and piano.
dramatization of Hanif Kureishi's book with the same name (which remains unreleased). Rather, after writing the actual soundtrack Bowie decided to work further on the same motifs, creating the radically different pieces that are heard on the album. Only the title track remained unaltered from the original soundtrack.
for many years, or as Bowie put it: "The album itself only got one review, a good one as it happens, and is virtually non-existent as far as my catalogue goes – it was designated a soundtrack and got zilch in the way of marketing money. A real shame."
To confuse matters even more a "Buddha of Suburbia
" single was also released in various guises, including a CD with holographic print. Consequently the album itself is sometimes overlooked, despite the fact it is a full length studio recording and featured 10 tracks previously unreleased by the artist.
The album was re-issued on 17 September 2007, in the UK and on 2 October 2007 in the U.S. The official press release showed that the cover of the re-issue would be similar to the 1995 U.S. cover, but in colour and Bowie holding a slightly different pose, however the actual cover is just a colorized version of the original U.S. cover art. The re-issue contains both Bowie's former liner notes from the original UK issue and the inner artwork of the original U.S. issue.
Free association lyrics, Pink Floyd
, Harry Partch
, Costume, Blues Clubs, Unter den Linden
, Brucke Museum
, Pet Sounds
, Friends of the Krays, Roxy Music
, T-Rex, The Casserole, Neu, Kraftwerk
, Bromley
, Croydon
, Eno
, Prostitutes & Soho
, Ronnie Scott's Club, Travels through Russia, Loneliness, O'Jays, Philip Glass
in New York clubs, Die Mauer, Drugs.
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
which accompanied the 4-part television serial
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
The Buddha of Suburbia
The Buddha of Suburbia (TV serial)
The Buddha of Suburbia was a 1993 BBC television miniseries, directed by Roger Michell. It was based on the novel of the same name by Hanif Kureishi. The programme starred Naveen Andrews as the main character, Karim Amir. Other cast members included David Bamber, Steven Mackintosh, Harish Patel,...
on BBC2 (itself adapted from the book The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
Hanif Kureishi
Hanif Kureishi CBE is an English playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker, novelist and short story writer. The themes of his work have touched on topics of race, nationalism, immigration, and sexuality...
).
The album is David Bowie's nineteenth full-length studio recording, sitting between Black Tie White Noise
Black Tie White Noise
Black Tie White Noise is an album by David Bowie. Released in 1993, it was his first solo release in the 1990s after spending time with his hard rock band Tin Machine, retiring his old hits on his Sound+Vision Tour, and marrying supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. This album featured his old guitarist from...
(also released in 1993) and Outside (1995). It was produced and mixed at Mountain Studios
Mountain Studios
Mountain Studios is a recording studio previously located in Montreux, now located in Attalens, Switzerland. It was owned by the rock band Queen from 1979 until 1993...
(Montreux
Montreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
) in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and according to Bowie it took only six days to write and record, but fifteen days to mix due to some "technical breakdowns".
The album has been classified as a soundtrack although the title track was the only song to be featured in the television programme (see below).
Two of the tracks are ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
instrumentals and quite similar to Bowie's work with Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
in the late 1970s. Other tracks on the album make strong use of saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, electronic keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
s and piano.
Soundtrack
Although classified in the album cover as a soundtrack, this album is not the soundtrack Bowie wrote for the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
dramatization of Hanif Kureishi's book with the same name (which remains unreleased). Rather, after writing the actual soundtrack Bowie decided to work further on the same motifs, creating the radically different pieces that are heard on the album. Only the title track remained unaltered from the original soundtrack.
Deletion
Despite Bowie once hailing it as his favourite album the American and European versions were deletedDeletion (music industry)
Deletion is a music industry term referring to the removal of a record or records from a label's official catalog, so that it is out of print, but usually at a record artist's request....
for many years, or as Bowie put it: "The album itself only got one review, a good one as it happens, and is virtually non-existent as far as my catalogue goes – it was designated a soundtrack and got zilch in the way of marketing money. A real shame."
To confuse matters even more a "Buddha of Suburbia
The Buddha of Suburbia (song)
- Cassette single :* UK, Germany, Netherlands: Arista-BMG / 74321 17705 4- CD single :* UK, Germany, Netherlands: Arista-BMG / 74321 17705 2- Collectors Edition CD single :Collectors edition with a holographic CD.* UK: Arista-BMG / 74321 18168 2...
" single was also released in various guises, including a CD with holographic print. Consequently the album itself is sometimes overlooked, despite the fact it is a full length studio recording and featured 10 tracks previously unreleased by the artist.
The album was re-issued on 17 September 2007, in the UK and on 2 October 2007 in the U.S. The official press release showed that the cover of the re-issue would be similar to the 1995 U.S. cover, but in colour and Bowie holding a slightly different pose, however the actual cover is just a colorized version of the original U.S. cover art. The re-issue contains both Bowie's former liner notes from the original UK issue and the inner artwork of the original U.S. issue.
Inspirations
On the European version of the album Bowie provides comprehensive liner notes on the themes and production techniques involved, and reveals a list of 'residue from the 1970s' as his inspiration for the songs. The list includes the following references:Free association lyrics, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Harry Partch
Harry Partch
Harry Partch was an American composer and instrument creator. He was one of the first twentieth-century composers to work extensively and systematically with microtonal scales, writing much of his music for custom-made instruments that he built himself, tuned in 11-limit just intonation.-Early...
, Costume, Blues Clubs, Unter den Linden
Unter den Linden
Unter den Linden is a boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is named for its linden trees that line the grassed pedestrian mall between two carriageways....
, Brucke Museum
Brücke Museum
The Brücke Museum in Berlin houses the world's largest collection of works by Die Brücke , an early 20th century expressionist movement.-Origins:...
, Pet Sounds
Pet Sounds
Pet Sounds is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band The Beach Boys, released May 16, 1966, on Capitol Records. It has since been recognized as one of the most influential records in the history of popular music and one of the best albums of the 1960s, including songs such as "Wouldn't...
, Friends of the Krays, Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
, T-Rex, The Casserole, Neu, Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Prostitutes & Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, Ronnie Scott's Club, Travels through Russia, Loneliness, O'Jays, Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
in New York clubs, Die Mauer, Drugs.
Releases
- The album was first released in the UK and included extensive liner notes by Bowie that were not included with the later U.S. release.
- The album was packaged with an alternative cover in the U.S. and was not released until 1995 (possibly due to a dispute between Bowie and the music industry).
- Arista/BMG released a special edition of the soundtrack in a translucent plastic box, packaged with the Hanif Kureishi book. The catalogue number is Arista/BMG 4321178222.
Track listing
All songs written by David Bowie.- "Buddha of SuburbiaThe Buddha of Suburbia (song)- Cassette single :* UK, Germany, Netherlands: Arista-BMG / 74321 17705 4- CD single :* UK, Germany, Netherlands: Arista-BMG / 74321 17705 2- Collectors Edition CD single :Collectors edition with a holographic CD.* UK: Arista-BMG / 74321 18168 2...
" – 4:28 - "Sex and the Church" – 6:25
- "South Horizon" – 5:26
- "The Mysteries" – 7:12
- "Bleed Like a Craze, Dad" – 5:22
- "Strangers When We Meet" – 4:58
- "Dead Against ItDead Against It"Dead Against It" is a song written by David Bowie in 1993 for the soundtrack of the BBC series The Buddha of Suburbia.-Other releases:* It was also as the B-side of the single "The Buddha of Suburbia"...
" – 5:48 - "Untitled No. 1" – 5:01
- "Ian Fish, UK Heir" – 6:27
- "Buddha of Suburbia" (featuring Lenny KravitzLenny KravitzLeonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
on guitar) – 4:19
Production credits
- Producers:
- David Bowie
- David RichardsDavid Richards (record producer)David Richards is an English-born Swiss-based record producer, engineer and musician. In the Mountain Studios in Montreux, owned by the rock band Queen, and in Attalens he engineered and co-produced many albums by Queen, David Bowie and other artists. Richards also played keyboards on some records...
- Musicians:
- David Bowie – vocals, keyboard, synthsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, guitar, alto saxAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
, baritone saxBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
, keyboard percussion - Erdal KizilcayErdal KizilcayErdal Kizilcay is a multi-instrumental musician of Turkish birth who has worked with, among others, David Bowie. He lives in Aegerten, Switzerland.-With David Bowie:*Never Let Me Down...
– keyboards, trumpet, bass, guitar, drums, percussion - 3D Echo – drum, bass, guitar on "Bleed Like a Craze, Dad"
- Mike GarsonMike GarsonMike Garson is an American pianist, most notable for his work with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Billy Corgan, Free Flight, and The Smashing Pumpkins.- Early career :...
– piano on "Bleed Like a Craze, Dad" and "South Horizon" - Lenny KravitzLenny KravitzLeonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
– guitar on "Buddha of Suburbia"
- David Bowie – vocals, keyboard, synths