Album: Never Let Me Down

Introduction
"Never Let Me Down" is the seventeenth studio album by the late English artist and singer-songwriter David Bowie, released in April 1987 by EMI America. The album saw Bowie teaming up with longtime manufacturer David Richards and multi-instrumentalist Erdal Kızılçay, in addition to guitar player Peter Frampton, who had actually performed with Bowie formerly as a teen. "Never Let Me Down" got combined evaluations upon its release and has considering that been considered a lower effort in Bowie's comprehensive discography. However, the album has its fans, who appreciate its vibrant production and stylistic diversity.

Background and Production
Following the release of "Tonight" in 1984, Bowie took a break from recording and focused on his acting profession. In mid-1986, he started dealing with "Never Let Me Down" with the objective of producing a more personal and experimental album. The initial strategy was to tape the album with a stripped-down band, however with time, the production ended up being more intricate with elaborate plans and multiple layers of instrumentation.

The recording sessions took place in Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, and the Power Station in New York City. Bowie worked mostly with manufacturer David Richards and Turkish multi-instrumentalist Erdal Kızılçay, both of whom he had actually worked together with on his previous album "Tonight". Guitar Player Peter Frampton, a youth pal, and ex-Spiders from Mars keyboardist Mike Garson were likewise hired for the sessions.

"Bowie drew motivation from a range of sources for "Never Let Me Down", touching on styles varying from personal self-questioning to political commentary. The lyrics on the album are a few of his most direct and confessional because those of his early career, showing his ongoing battle to stabilize his creative ambitions with business success.

Album Content and Style
"Never Let Me Down" includes a diverse mix of musical designs, drawing from rock, pop, electronic, and even classical influences. The opening track, "Day-In Day-Out", combines components of funk and dance-pop and condemns different forms of political and social injustice. The album's title track is an emotive and individual ballad, with a sweeping string arrangement and rich backing vocals from Mickey Rourke.

"Time Will Crawl" is a synth-driven track with a memorable melody, dealing with themes of ecological destruction. "Beat of Your Drum" is a glam-rock-influenced song with aggressive guitars and a pounding rhythm, while "Zeroes" admires 1960s psychedelia, including a winding guitar riff and Mellotron strings.

"Glass Spider" is one of the album's most speculative tracks, telling a surreal story set to a climatic and remarkable structure. "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)" is an emotional, gospel-infused song, and the album also includes a reworked cover of Iggy Pop's "Bang Bang".

Reception and Legacy
Upon its release, "Never Let Me Down" got blended reviews from critics, who praised Bowie's ambition however noted a total absence of coherence and consistency. The album reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 34 on the US Billboard 200. 3 singles were released from the album, with "Day-In Day-Out" and "Time Will Crawl" accomplishing moderate chart success.

In the years following its release, "Never Let Me Down" has frequently been considered as among Bowie's lower albums. However, it remains an interesting picture of his artistic journey in the late '80s. In 2018, a reimagined variation of the album, "Never Let Me Down 2018", was released as part of package set "Loving the Alien (1983-1988)", including new plans and contributions from longtime Bowie collaborators, intending to understand the artist's original vision for the record.