I did not have the benefit of having heard the full album prior to the sad announcement, merely the two tracks, 'Blackstar' and 'Lazarus'. Though I was mesmerised by the music of the former, the lyrics mystified me. Then upon hearing the full album after news of his passing, it all seemed to become clear. No doubt Bowie was aware of the extent of his illness when this album was being written and recorded and it must seem obvious to all now that the songs are full of hidden messages referring to his imminent demise.
Even the cover and the booklet hint at what was to come. I usually have a hatred of CD packages that are designed in colour schemes that make it impossible to read the contents. Yet here, Bowie (assuming that he had a hand in the design) chose to present the information in black ink on a black background. I suspect he was having a final joke with us.
Under the circumstances it is difficult for me to now express an opinion about the album without putting it into the context of his illness and death. However, I have tried hard to separate the events and having now listened to the seven songs on this disc almost a dozen times, I am convinced that it is an absolutely brilliant album. If this was not the case then I suspect that I may have listened two or three times and then put it to one side in favour of something else that demands my listening time (and there is plenty of competition). However I have been repeatedly drawn back to it in a way which seems quite rare these days, though is all the more welcome when it does happen.
The title track is in my opinion a work of genius and sustains my interest throughout its 10 minute duration. My feeling on first listening to it conjured up similar sentiments to when I first heard 'The Bewlay Brothers' back in 1973, not that the songs are by any means similar. It's just that few artists are or were daring enough to present us with this kind of material. It doesn't end there because on 'Blackstar' every one of the remaining six tracks offers up something new and interesting. Throughout, Bowie sounds in fine voice but it is his voice alone that reminds me that this is a David Bowie record. In other respects it sounds different to me than anything else I personally have heard by him.
At the moment, I am of the opinion that this may in fact be his finest work. What? Better than 'Hunky Dory' or 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' or - insert your own favourite here? Well this is where I may be becoming influenced by the circumstances surrounding the creation and release of this record and I accept that it will be easier to assess the merits of this album in five or ten years time. Nevertheless, the fact that I can even consider it for such an accolade is testament to just how highly I rate this wonderful piece of work.
Talk about going out with a bang. But then this is David Bowie. Why should we be surprised?
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