Blackstar (album)

Blackstar
Studio album by David Bowie
Publication (s)	January 8, 2016
admission	2014-2015
Label (s)	ISO, RCA , Columbia , Sony
Genre (s)	Art rock , jazz , experimental rock
Title (number)	7th
running time	41:13
occupation	Vocals , acoustic guitar , fender guitar, harmonica : David Bowie Flute , saxophone , woodwinds : Donny McCaslin Guitar: Ben Monder Piano , organ , keyboard : Jason Lindner Bass : Tim Lefebvre Drums , percussion : Mark Guiliana Percussion: James Murphy Backing vocals : Erin Tonkon String instruments : Tony Visconti
production	David Bowie, Tony Visconti
Studio (s)	The Magic Shop, Human Worldwide Studios ( New York )
chronology The Next Day (2013) Blackstar -
Single releases 19th November 2015 Blackstar 17th December 2015 Lazarus April 6, 2016 I can't give everything away

Blackstar (stylized as ★) is the 25th and final studio album by British artist David Bowie . It was released worldwide on Bowie's label ISO Records on January 8, 2016, Bowie's 69th birthday. The artist died just two days after the album was released.

Blackstar was a huge hit with both critics and international sales charts; the album became Bowie's only number one album in the US .

background

Emergence

During the recording of the album, Bowie was already fighting against cancer, which he kept hidden from the public. Correspondingly, clear references to the perceived closeness to death can also be found in the lyrics. As with the previous album The Next Day , the recordings took place in secret in New York . Two songs, Sue (Or in a Season of Crime) and 'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore , had previously been released and were re-recorded for Blackstar ; the latter (named after 'Tis Pity She's a Whore by John Ford ) has new saxophone parts by Donny McCaslin . McCaslin and the rest of his jazz group were busy recording between January and March 2015, unaware of Bowie's deteriorating health.

music

The music on the album is characterized by art rock , jazz and experimental rock . According to producer Tony Visconti , elements of rock 'n' roll were deliberately avoided in this album ; He also named rapper Kendrick Lamar and his album To Pimp a Butterfly as an influence. Boards of Canada and Death Grips were named as other influences .

publication

The theme song was released on November 19, 2015 and was used in the television series The Last Panthers . The second single Lazarus was released on December 17, 2015 and was also used in Bowie's off-Broadway musical of the same name , which started in late 2015.

The Blackstar album cover was designed by Jonathan Barnbrook , who had previously worked for Bowie. It shows a large black star on a white background and underneath it six star fragments, which in a stylized form result in BOWIE . The cover of the vinyl edition differs from this in that instead of the star, a window has been built in, which reveals the black record underneath. The meaning of the black star has been discussed a lot: the Unicode number sequence of the corresponding symbol (★: U + 2605) corresponds to the birthday of Bowie's former guitarist Mick Ronson (May 26); in addition, a "black star lesion " is a sign of cancer.

Track list

All but one of the songs were written by David Bowie.

No.	title	length
1.	Blackstar	9:57
2.	'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore	4:52
3.	Lazarus	6:22
4th	Sue (Or in a Season of Crime) (David Bowie, Maria Schneider , Paul Bateman, Bob Bharma)	4:40
5.	Girl Loves Me	4:51
6th	Dollar Days	4:44
7th	I can't give everything away	5:47
Overall length:		41:13

reception

Commercial win

Blackstar sold 146,000 copies in its first week of sales in the UK alone; In addition to the album, a further 18 albums by the artist entered the top 100 of the British charts, boosted by Bowie's death. With twelve albums in the Top 40, Bowie drew level with Elvis Presley's previous record from 1977. Another 181,000 copies of Blackstar sold in the United States, where the Bowie album earned its first-ever number one placement. Only a few days after the album was released, the CD and LP editions were temporarily no longer available on Amazon.com due to the great rush. After three weeks at the top of the British charts, Bowie replaced himself there with a best-of album.

The album also reached the top of the charts in German-speaking countries. In Germany and Switzerland, Bowie reached the top of the charts for the second time after The Next Day , in Austria it is Bowie's first number one album. The album occupied the top position in the German vinyl charts for two months and also made it to number one in the annual charts , making it the best-selling vinyl record of 2016.

Chart placements

Charts	Top ranking	Weeks
Chart placements
Germany (GfK)	1 (26 weeks)	26th
Austria (Ö3)	1 (18 weeks)	18th
Switzerland (IFPI)	1 (18 weeks)	18th
United Kingdom (OCC)	1 (38 weeks)	38
United States (Billboard)	1 (12 weeks)	12

Awards for music sales

In 2016 Blackstar u. a. in Germany and Austria with a gold record and in the United Kingdom with a platinum record .

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Australia (ARIA)	platinum	70,000
Belgium (BEA)	platinum	30,000
Denmark (IFPI)	platinum	20,000
Germany (BVMI)	gold	100,000
France (SNEP)	platinum	100,000
Italy (FIMI)	platinum	50,000
Canada (MC)	platinum	80,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	gold	7,500
Netherlands (NVPI)	platinum	40,000
Austria (IFPI)	platinum	15,000
Poland (ZPAV)	platinum	20,000
Portugal (AFP)	gold	5,000
Sweden (IFPI)	gold	20,000
Switzerland (IFPI)	platinum	20,000
Spain (Promusicae)	gold	8:00 pm
United States (RIAA)	gold	500,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	platinum	300,000
All in all	5 × gold 11 × platinum	1,397,500

Main article: David Bowie / Music Sales Awards

Reviews

source	rating
Metacritic	87/100
Allmusic
Entertainment Weekly	A–
The Guardian
The Independent
Pitchfork Media	8.5 / 10
Q
Rolling Stone
Spin	7/10
Laut.de

Blackstar received mostly positive reviews from critics. In Rolling Stone magazine, David Fricke described the album as “a ricochet of structural eccentricity and splintered, pictorial work”. Andy Gill of the Independent found it "the most extreme album of his [Bowies] entire career" and as far from the pop genre (as far as he's strayed from pop) . In Q magazine, Tom Doyle compared Blackstar to his predecessor The Next Day and found that it was more concise and significantly more engaging.

The New York Times described the album as "both emotionally charged and cryptic, structured and spontaneous and, above all, self-willed, refusing to expectations of radios and fans." Michael Schuh attested to Bowie on laut.de that with Blackstar the artist had “defeated the curse of their own heroic deeds of the past that were declared unrecoverable”; he manages to “wrest new nuances from his own songwriting” and the album is suitable as “the crowning glory of his unique career”.

Web links

• Blackstar on Bowie's official website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jazz Monroe: David Bowie Confirms New Album Blackstar Coming in January. In: Pitchfork.com . Condé Nast , October 24, 2015, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
2. ↑ James Hendicott: Details of David Bowie's 25th album 'Blackstar' revealed. In: NME.com . Time Inc. , accessed February 29, 2016 . 
3. ↑ David Bowie announces new album Blackstar for January release. BBC , October 26, 2015, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
4. ↑ David Bowie confirms 25th album will be released in January 2016. In: TheGuardian.com . October 26, 2015, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
5. ↑ Hannah Furness: David Bowie's last release, Lazarus, was 'parting gift' for fans in carefully planned finale. In: Telegraph.co.uk . January 13, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
6. ↑ Brandon Griggs: David Bowie's haunting final album hints at death. CNN , January 13, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
7. ↑ Chris Payne: David Bowie's Final Album 'Blackstar' & 'Lazarus' Video Were Goodbye Notes. Billboard, January 11, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
8. ↑ Eric Holland: Producer Tony Visconti Talks David Bowie and Blackstar. In: Hollandude.com. January 6, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
9. ^ Andy Greene, The Inside Story of David Bowie's Stunning New Album, 'Blackstar'. In: RollingStone.com . November 23, 2015, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
10. ↑ Jim Fusilli: 'Blackstar' Review: Ziggy Stardust Plays Jazz. In: WSJ.com . January 5, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
11. ^ Joe Coscarelli, Michael Paulson: David Bowie Allowed His Art to Deliver a Final Message. In: The New York Times. January 11, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
12. ↑ ^{a b} Jesse Kinos-Goodin: David Bowie gains immortality with Lazarus, the boldest character of his career. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , January 11, 2016; accessed February 29, 2016 . 
13. ↑ ^{a b c d} Tom Doyle: David Bowie: ★ . In: Q . No. 354 , January 2016.
14. ↑ Stephen Dalton: David Bowie: Blackstar. TeamRock.com , November 27, 2015, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
15. ↑ Lewis Corner: David Bowie's new album Blackstar was his perfect goodbye message to fans. In: Digital Spy . January 11, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
16. ^ Neil McCormick: David Bowie, Blackstar, review: 'extraordinary'. In: Telegraph.co.uk. January 8, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
17. ↑ Ben Rayner: David Bowie's Blackstar a nearly perfect goodbye: review. In: TheStar.com. Toronto Sun , January 8, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
18. ^ ^{A b} New David Bowie album, inspired by Kendrick Lamar, features LCD's James Murphy. In: TheGuardian.com . November 24, 2015, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
19. ↑ David Bowie's new album 'Blackstar' inspired by rap group Death Grips. In: NME.com. Retrieved February 29, 2016 . 
20. ↑ Larry Bartleet: David Bowie: 7 Things We Already Know About His 2016 Album 'Blackstar'. In: NME.com. October 26, 2015, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
21. ↑ David Bowie launches trailer of new single Lazarus. In: TheGuardian.com. December 14, 2015, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
22. ↑ David Bowie's New Album BLACKSTAR, Featuring 'Lazarus' Track, Out Today. In: BroadwayWorld.com. Wisdom Digital Media, January 8, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
23. ↑ Mark Sinclair: Bowie, Barnbrook and the ★ artwork. Creative Review, November 26, 2015, archived from the original on January 11, 2016 ; accessed on September 29, 2019 (English). 
24. ^ Jude Rogers: The final mysteries of David Bowie's Blackstar - Elvis, Crowley and 'the villa of Ormen'. In: TheGuardian.com. January 21, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
25. ^ Luke Morgan Britton: Did David Bowie name 'Blackstar' album after his own cancer lesion? In: NME.com. January 13, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
26. ↑ Alice Vincent: What David Bowie's Blackstar named after a cancer lesion? In: Telegraph.co.uk. January 12, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
27. ^ Rob Copsey: How the loss of David Bowie impacted the UK charts this week. Official Charts Company, January 15, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
28. ↑ Justin Myers: David Bowie matches Elvis Presley's Official Albums Chart record. Official Charts Company, January 29, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
29. ↑ Keith Caulfield: David Bowie's 'Blackstar' Album Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart. Billboard, January 17, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
30. ^ Zach Dionne: Amazon Is Sold Out of Every David Bowie Album (And Accused of Price-Jacking). In: Fuse.tv . January 13, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
31. ↑ Justin Myers: David Bowie sees off Sia to replace himself at Number 1. Official Charts Company, February 6, 2016, accessed on February 29, 2016 (English). 
32. ↑ Michael Schmich: Format and Genre Charts 2016: David Bowie, Jonas Kaufmann and Böhse Onkelz clear away. radioszene.de, January 15, 2017, accessed on February 2, 2019 . 
33. ↑ David Bowie - ★ [Blackstar]. In: Official German charts. GfK Entertainment , accessed on February 29, 2016 . 
34. ↑ David Bowie - ★ [Blackstar]. In: Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
35. ↑ David Bowie - ★ [Blackstar]. In: Hitparade.ch . Hung Medien, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
36. ↑ Blackstar. In: Official Charts. Official Charts Company , accessed February 29, 2016 . 
37. ↑ Blackstar (David Bowie). Billboard , accessed February 29, 2016 . 
38. ^ Reviews for Blackstar by David Bowie. Metacritic , accessed December 27, 2015 . 
39. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine : Blackstar - David Bowie. In: AllMusic. Retrieved February 29, 2016 . 
40. ↑ Leah Greenblatt: David Bowie's Blackstar: EW review. In: EW.com. January 8, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
41. ↑ Alexis Petridis: David Bowie: Blackstar review - a spellbinding break with his past. In: TheGuardian.com. January 7, 2016, accessed January 11, 2016 . 
42. ^ ^{A b} Andy Gill: David Bowie's Blackstar - exclusive first review: A Bowie desperate to break with the past. In: The Independent. December 22, 2015, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
43. ↑ Ryan Dombal: David Bowie: Blackstar. Pitchfork Media, January 7, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
44. ↑ ^{a b} David Fricke: Blackstar. In: RollingStone.com. December 23, 2015, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
45. ↑ Alfred Soto: Review: David Bowie Remains the Original Starman on '★'. In: Spin. January 6, 2016, accessed February 29, 2016 . 
46. ↑ ^{a b} Michael Schuh: Aging with dignity? Better to deliver properly! In: Laut.de. Retrieved February 29, 2016 . 
47. ↑ Jon Pareles: Review: 'Blackstar,' David Bowie's Emotive and Cryptic New Album . In: The New York Times . January 7, 2016, p. C3 ( online article [accessed February 29, 2016]).