Black Tie White Noise

Black Tie White Noise is the eighteenth studio album by the English musician David Bowie, released on 5 April 1993 through Savage Records in the United States and Arista Records in the United Kingdom. Conceived following Bowie's marriage to the model Iman and the disbandment of his rock band Tin Machine, it was recorded for most of 1992 between studios in Montreux, Los Angeles and New York City. Bowie co-produced with his Let's Dance (1983) collaborator Nile Rodgers, who voiced dissatisfaction with the project in later decades. The album features several guest appearances, including previous collaborators Mike Garson and Mick Ronson, and new arrivals Lester Bowie and Chico O'Farrill.

Inspired to write the title track after witnessing the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Black Tie White Noise is primarily separated into themes of racial harmony and David's marriage to Iman. It features prevalent saxophone work from Bowie and a wide variety of musical styles, from art rock, electronic and soul, to jazz, pop and hip-hop influences. It also contains multiple instrumentals and cover versions. The album's lead single "Jump They Say" alludes to Bowie's step-brother Terry, who died in 1985.

Released amidst the rise of Britpop in the UK, Black Tie White Noise initially received favourable reviews from music critics, who praised its experimentation but criticised its lack of cohesion. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, with each of its three singles reaching the UK top 40. Its promotion in the United States was stalled following the dissolution of Savage Records, resulting in the album's rarity until later reissues. Instead of touring, Bowie released an accompanying film of the same name to support it.

Despite mixed assessments from critics in subsequent decades, Black Tie White Noise marked the beginning of Bowie's commercial revival and improved critical standing following a string of poorly received projects. An interactive CD-ROM based on the album was released in 1994. It was reissued by EMI in 2003 and remastered in 2021 as part of the box set Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001).

Background

David Bowie began recording material with his former Let's Dance (1983) collaborator Nile Rodgers months after disbanding the rock band Tin Machine. The pair, who had reconnected in New York City after a 1991 Tin Machine concert, first recorded "Real Cool World" for the animated film Cool World. Released as a single in August 1992, it appeared on the film's accompanying soundtrack album and featured a sound that foreshadowed Bowie's direction for his next solo record, his first since Never Let Me Down six years earlier.

Both Bowie and Rodgers gave positive statements regarding the sessions in contemporary interviews. Speaking with Rolling Stone, both said they were not looking to do Let's Dance II, Bowie remarking they "would have done [that] years ago". In 1993, Bowie told Rolling Stone that his intent for Black Tie White Noise was making a new type of house record that brought back the "strong melodic content" of the 1960s, finding "the new R&B [of today]" a mixture of "hip-hop and house". He commented: "I think this album comes from a very different emotional place. That's the passing of time, which has brought maturity and a willingness to relinquish full control over my emotions." To evoke the racial theme, the lyrics reference "We Are the World" by the supergroup USA for Africa (1985) and Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" (1971); Pegg says that the "black and white voices" of Al B Sure! assist in the theme's presentation. Musically, the track is funky, with prevalent saxophone and trumpet by David and Lester Bowie, respectively. "Jump They Say" discusses themes of mental illness, and is loosely based on David's step-brother Terry Burns, who died by suicide in 1985 after being hospitalised for schizophrenia. Bowie stated, "It's the first time I've felt capable of addressing it." On the title, Bowie told Record Collector in 1993:

Release and promotion

thumb|upright=1.1|alt=Suede performing in 2010|Black Tie White Noise was released amidst the rise of [[Britpop bands such as Suede (pictured in 2010). An interview with Bowie and Suede's Brett Anderson generated publicity for the two artists.]]

By the end of 1992, the rise of Britpop bands such as Blur, the Auteurs and Suede had influenced the UK music scene. These artists, particularly Suede, acknowledged Bowie's influence in interviews and their music, with Buckley describing Suede's debut single "The Drowners" as an homage to Bowie's glam rock work of the early 1970s. Shortly before the release of Suede's debut album and Black Tie White Noise, NMEs Steve Sutherland interviewed Bowie and Suede's lead singer Brett Anderson together, where the two discussed influences and exchanged compliments. The interview generated a large amount of publicity for the two artists' upcoming albums in the UK. Additionally, the author Paul Trynka states that Ronson's guest appearance earned Black Tie White Noise more attention.

The lead single, "Jump They Say" backed by a remix of "Pallas Athena", was released on 15 March 1993. It came in numerous formats that contained various remixes of the track, a trend that continued in Bowie's work throughout the rest of the 1990s. The single became the artist's biggest hit since "Absolute Beginners" seven years earlier, peaking at number nine on the UK Singles Chart. It was supported by a Mark Romanek-directed music video featuring numerous references to Bowie's prior work. Pegg calls it one of his finest videos, praising its "non-linear" imagery.

Black Tie White Noise was issued shortly after on 5 April 1993 on different LP and CD formats. The LP release removed "The Wedding" and "Looking for Lester", while the CD edition featured a remix of "Jump They Say" and the outtake "Lucy Can't Dance". Meanwhile, the Japanese and Singaporean CDs contained a remix of "Pallas Athena" and "Don't Let Me Down & Down", respectively. Before its release, Bowie expressed love for the album, stating, "I don't think I've hit this peak before as a performer and a writer." In America, it charted at number 39 on the Billboard 200,

The title track, backed by a remix of "You've Been Around", was released as the second single on 1 June 1993, credited to David Bowie featuring Al B. Sure! Charting at number 36 in the UK, it was supported by a Romanek-directed music video, featuring both Bowie and Al B. Sure! and displaying, in Pegg's words, "a deft bricolage of images against the backdrop of an urban ghetto." "Miracle Goodnight", backed by "Looking for Lester", was issued as the third and final single in October 1993, charting at number 40 in the UK. Pegg argues it would have been a bigger hit had it been the lead single. "Nite Flights" was intended as the fourth single, but was cancelled by Arista Records following the performances of the two previous singles. Meanwhile, "Pallas Athena" was remixed by numerous DJs and anonymously became a popular club track in London and New York.

Critical reception

Black Tie White Noise received generally favourable reviews from music critics on release. Some reviewers considered it Bowie's finest since Scary Monsters. He primarily criticised the lack of "obvious" hit singles, but felt the record was full of "imagination and charm" and deemed Bowie's saxophone performances some of his best to date. Rolling Stones Paul Evans hailed it "one of the smartest records of a very smart career", finding references to the artist's previous works as well as new innovations that "point the way to future risk, to brave changes yet to come". Entertainment Weekly Ken Tucker described Black Tie as a "stultifying yet annoying" record save for "Miracle Goodnight" and "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday".

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| rev3 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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| rev4 = Pitchfork

| rev4score = 6.8/10

| rev5 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

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| rev6 = Spin Alternative Record Guide

| rev6score = 1/10

| rev7 = Uncut

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Bowie did not tour in support of Black Tie White Noise, telling Record Collector that it "takes up so much time". with one reviewer later calling it a perfect way to begin the next chapter of his career. praising individual tracks but finding the album as a whole subpar. Pegg summarises: "It's a supremely confident, professional and commercial piece of work, and its best moments are exceptional."

Some also felt the production aged poorly, In AllMusic, Erlewine called it "an interesting first step in Bowie's creative revival", identifying ideas that Bowie further expanded with on later releases. In a 2018 list which included Bowie's two albums with Tin Machine, the writers of Consequence of Sound ranked Black Tie White Noise number 18 out of 28. David Sackllah wrote that the record holds up "fairly well" and, as the beginning of an experimental era, Black Tie "stood as one of his better works from the decade".

CD-ROM and reissues

In 1994, an interactive CD-ROM based on Black Tie White Noise was developed by ION and released by MPC. The CD-ROM, which Bowie intended to be "fully interactive", gave users a chance to remake the "Jump They Say" video using pre-existing footage and view excerpts from the Black Tie White Noise film. It was not well received, although Perone considered it innovative for its time. Bowie initially expressed excitement in the project, but it ultimately did not live up to his expectations, stating in 1995 that he "absolutely loathed it".

In August 2003, Black Tie White Noise was reissued by EMI in a 3-CD deluxe edition to mark its tenth anniversary. It featured the original album, a CD of remixes and other tracks from the period (such as "Real Cool World"), and the original Black Tie White Noise film. In 2021, the album was remastered and included as part of the box set Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001).

Track listing

Notes

"Jangan Susahkan Hatiku" ("Don't Let Me Down & Down" with the first half-sung in Indonesian) supplanted "Don't Let Me Down & Down" in the version of the album released in Indonesia.

Personnel

According to the liner notes and the biographer Nicholas Pegg.

David Bowie – vocals, guitar, saxophone, dog alto
Nile Rodgers – guitar
Poogie Bell, Sterling Campbell – drums
Barry Campbell, John Regan – bass
Richard Hilton, Dave Richards, Philippe Saisse, Richard Tee – keyboards
Michael Reisman – harp, tubular bells, string arrangement
Gerardo Velez – percussion
Fonzi Thornton, Tawatha Agee, Curtis King, Jr., Dennis Collins, Brenda White-King, Maryl Epps – background vocals
Al B. Sure! – vocal duet on "Black Tie White Noise"
Reeves Gabrels – lead guitar on "You've Been Around"
Mick Ronson – lead guitar on "I Feel Free"
Wild T. Springer – lead guitar on "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday"
Mike Garson – piano on "Looking for Lester"
Lester Bowie – trumpet on "You've Been Around", "Jump They Say", "Pallas Athena", "Don't Let Me Down & Down" and "Looking for Lester"
Fonzi Thornton, Tawatha Agee, Curtis King, Jr., Dennis Collins, Brenda White-King, Maryl Epps, Frank Simms, George Simms, David Spinner, Lamya Al-Mughiery, Connie Petruk, David Bowie, Nile Rodgers – choir on "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday"

Production

David Bowie – producer
Nile Rodgers – producer
Jon Goldberger, Mike Greene, Dale Schalow, Michael Thompson – engineer
Gary Tole, Andrew Grassi, Louis Alfred III, Lee Anthony, Neal Perry, Andy Smith – assistant engineer
Bob Ludwig – mastering engineer
Nick Knight – photography
Peter Gabriel – session photography

Charts

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+Weekly chart performance for Black Tie White Noise

!scope="col"|Chart (1993)

!scope="col"|Peak<br/>Position

!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)

|12

!scope="row"|Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria Top 40)

|18

!scope="row"|Canadian Albums (RPM)

|13

!scope="row"|Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)

!scope="row"|European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)

| 6

!scope="row"|French Albums (SNEP)

|14

!scope="row"|German Albums (Media Control)

|15

! scope="row" | Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)

| 6

!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)

!scope="row"|New Zealand Albums (RIANZ)

!scope="row"|Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)

!scope="row"|Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)

|22

!scope="row"|Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)

|18

!scope="row"|Swiss Albums (Swiss Hitparade)

|18

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+Year-end chart performance for Black Tie White Noise

!scope="col"|Chart (1993)

!scope="col"|Position