Tin Machine II [Import]

1. Baby Universal

2. One Shot

3. You Belong in Rock & Roll

4. Amlapura

5. Betty Wrong

6. You Can't Talk

7. Stateside

8. Shopping for Girls

9. Big Hurt

10. Sorry

11. Goodbye Mr. Ed

Tin Machine II,Tin Machine,Jvc Victor,Album Rock,Hard Rock,Rock

Average customer rating: A bitter disappointment Worth reconsidering

Tin Machine II Tin Machine Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Tin Machine [ECD] Tin Machine Oy Vey, Baby Tin Machine Tonight ASIN: B000008LLS Release Date: 1991-09-03

Tracks:

1. Baby Universal
2. One Shot
3. You Belong in Rock & Roll
4. If There Is Something
5. Amlapura
6. Betty Wrong
7. You Can't Talk
8. Stateside
9. Shopping for Girls
10. Big Hurt
11. Sorry
12. Goodbye Mr. Ed

Customer Reviews:

A bitter disappointment.......2005-05-19

Tin Machine II is significantly worse than Tin Machine, perhaps indicating that Bowie was tiring of his latest facade.

It is, however, not unbearable. Most of the tracks can at least give you some old-fashioned rock n' roll bop.

Baby Universal and Goodbye, Mr. Ed are a couple of the strongest tracks Bowie has ever written. Too bad practically no one will ever hear them.

Worth reconsidering.......2003-12-07

Now that Bowie's rehabilitated himself via a second string of great albums (starting with The Buddha of Suburbia), perhaps his 80s-early 90s output should be reconsidered. This album is a worthy place to start, as it's unfairly overlooked or dismissed as Bowie slumming with his rock n' roll buddies. A word about the band: Reeves Gabrels emerged as one of the longest lived Bowie sidemen (6 albums, I believe) and the latest of his many fine guitarists (Ronson, Carlos Alomar, Earl Slick, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, et al), while the Sales Brothers have a low-profile but worthy pedigree, having worked with Todd Rundgren, Bob Welch and, most notably, Iggy Pop (propelling Lust For Life). Let's take it track by track:

Baby Universal: Not delivering quite the expected punch but still starting things with a bang, this Ziggy flashback has a strong verse though not much of a chorus. Saved by its speed and its sci-fi lyrics.

One Shot: probably the best-realized track here, a mid-paced groove that wouldn't be out of place on Scary Monsters. Scalding solos and guitar runs from Gabrels; check out the Hendrix-style fade-out as the band shifts gears.

You Belong In Rock N' Roll: the single (you may recall the video with Bowie blowing sax and a statue's big toe at the end!), and probably where much of the album's poor reputation stems from. Not a bad song, but one that simply never gets off the ground. A nice groove and cool dissonant guitar-bass interplay in the background, but still a riff in search of a melody, a verse in search of a chorus.

If There is Something: Many Bowie albums feature a cover tune, and this time Mr. B. chose an early Roxy Music number, perhaps as a nod to his glam-era competitors. In truth, it doesn't touch the original, which is slower, darker and vastly more moving. Here, Ferry's masochistic plea for love is delivered as a fast, noisy, but ultimately throwaway rave-up - though Reeves' solo almost redeems things.

Amlapura: Easily the album's highpoint, an epic acoustic ballad in the grand Bowie tradition, recalling An Occasional Dream, After All, My Death, or The Bewley Brothers, etc. Majestic, mesmerizing, a homage to Bali that would've been worthy of any Bowie disc.

Betty Wrong: Somewhat echoing Kingdom Come or Because You're Young (from Scary Monsters), a solid mid-paced shuffle with whomping drums, a few sax fills, great lyrics, and a suitably languid Bowie vocal. A catchy chorus, too, though he gets a bit overwhelmed by the band's backing vocals there.

You Can't Talk: Odd tune that combines (not entirely successfully) Talking Heads-style jerky New wave with Hendrix-esque psychedelia. One that grows on you with repeated listening (like the album as a whole), and worth it for Reeves' guitar. Check out the nod to Third Stone From The Sun at the fade-out; I wish it had gone on a lot longer.

Stateside: Another song that focuses criticism and resentment about the whole Tin Machine project. A boisterous piece of blues-rock and a love letter from Hunt Sales to his homeland, with bluesy guitar and organ perfectly complementing the cocky mood. Sales is a fine white blues singer, a la Johnny Winter or Stevie Ray, but as has been noted, you don't listen to a Bowie album to hear someone else sing. Bowie chimes in on the chorus and (I presume) serves up some clever lyrical digs at kitsch Americana, but it's still my least favorite track here. A perfectly acceptable song, just not for this record.

Shopping For Girls: Sort of "Betty Wrong" part 2. Another mid-paced track with the same thumping beat that wouldn't have been out of place on Lodger or Scary Monsters. More great lead guitar from Reeves, built around a Heroes-style sustained riff and Frippoid textures, along with dark, cyberpunk lyrics (Shades of Neuromancer, I think) and a suitably Gothic vocal from Bowie. A high point.

A Big Hurt: The only track that seems to revisit the proto-grunge of the first Tin Machine album, but probably the weakest song on the record for all that. Fast, noisy, with an over-the-top Bowie vocal, but really rather insubstantial, though the middle eight and outro recall the Aladdin Sane era, his cover of Let's Spend The Night Together in particular - which is a good thing.

Sorry: A sad, rather lovely ballad with, frankly, a great lead vocal by Sales and nice backing vox by Bowie. Unlike the bluesy Stateside, this is one that could've easily been sung by Bowie, who didn't write it (Hunt did) but would have really transformed it. As is, it recalls the progressive soul from Bowie's Plastic Soul phase -- like Win or Wild Is The Wind, just not as good.

Goodbye Mr. Ed: Its title perhaps another dig at American Kitsch, this is the most firmly Bowie-esque track on the record, up there with Amlapura as a tune that's recognizably in his style. The flavor, like Baby Universal, harks back to Ziggy / Aladdin Sane, as Bowie namechecks Warhol and the Sex Pistols over a plaintive melody and a great Frippoid guitar arpeggio from Reeves. The tune uses a false ending (like Deep Purple's Fools) to close with a jamming instrumental coda where Bowie final lets loose some of his most dissonant sax work. Note: You can get that brief piece separately, titled Hammerhead, on the CD single of You Belong In Rock N' Roll (along with a Tagalog take of Amlapura!).

That's Tin Machine II: not a great album at first listening, but one that certainly merits the clichéd assessment, "half an album's worth of good material." In truth, most of these songs, taken individually, could've fit nicely on any number of Bowie's records, and as a whole, they deserve more appreciation that they get.

Average customer rating:

Tin Machine II Tin Machine Manufacturer: Jvc Japan ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Tin Machine [ECD] Black Tie White Noise ASIN: B000E1KNTS Release Date: 2006-03-27

Tracks:

1. Baby Universal
2. One Shot
3. You Belong in Rock & Roll
4. Amlapura
5. Betty Wrong
6. You Can't Talk
7. Stateside
8. Shopping for Girls
9. Big Hurt
10. Sorry
11. Goodbye Mr. Ed

Album Description

Japanese limited edition reissue pressing comes packaged in a miniature LP sleeve. Victor. 2006.

Album Details

Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original, Uncensored Vinyl Album Artwork. Includes the Single "You Belong to Rock N Roll" and the Group's Cover of Roxy Music's "if There is Something".

Average customer rating: Worth reconsidering

Tin Machine II Tin Machine Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Oy Vey, Baby ASIN: B000008LLT Release Date: 1991-12-03

Tracks:

1. Baby Universal
2. One Shot
3. You Belong in Rock & Roll
4. If There Is Something
5. Amlapura
6. Betty Wrong
7. You Can't Talk
8. Stateside
9. Shopping for Girls
10. Big Hurt
11. Sorry
12. Goodbye Mr. Ed

Customer Reviews:

Worth reconsidering.......2003-12-07

Now that Bowie's rehabilitated himself via a second string of great albums (starting with The Buddha of Suburbia), perhaps his 80s-early 90s output should be reconsidered. This album is a worthy place to start, as it's unfairly overlooked or dismissed as Bowie slumming with his rock n' roll buddies. A word about the band: Reeves Gabrels emerged as one of the longest lived Bowie sidemen (6 albums, I believe) and the latest of his many fine guitarists (Ronson, Carlos Alomar, Earl Slick, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, et al), while the Sales Brothers have a low-profile but worthy pedigree, having worked with Todd Rundgren, Bob Welch and, most notably, Iggy Pop (propelling Lust For Life). Let's take it track by track:

Baby Universal: Not delivering quite the expected punch but still starting things with a bang, this Ziggy flashback has a strong verse though not much of a chorus. Saved by its speed and its sci-fi lyrics.

One Shot: probably the best-realized track here, a mid-paced groove that wouldn't be out of place on Scary Monsters. Scalding solos and guitar runs from Gabrels; check out the Hendrix-style fade-out as the band shifts gears.

You Belong In Rock N' Roll: the single (you may recall the video with Bowie blowing sax and a statue's big toe at the end!), and probably where much of the album's poor reputation stems from. Not a bad song, but one that simply never gets off the ground. A nice groove and cool dissonant guitar-bass interplay in the background, but still a riff in search of a melody, a verse in search of a chorus.

If There is Something: Many Bowie albums feature a cover tune, and this time Mr. B. chose an early Roxy Music number, perhaps as a nod to his glam-era competitors. In truth, it doesn't touch the original, which is slower, darker and vastly more moving. Here, Ferry's masochistic plea for love is delivered as a fast, noisy, but ultimately throwaway rave-up - though Reeves' solo almost redeems things.

Amlapura: Easily the album's highpoint, an epic acoustic ballad in the grand Bowie tradition, recalling An Occasional Dream, After All, My Death, or The Bewley Brothers, etc. Majestic, mesmerizing, a homage to Bali that would've been worthy of any Bowie disc.

Betty Wrong: Somewhat echoing Kingdom Come or Because You're Young (from Scary Monsters), a solid mid-paced shuffle with whomping drums, a few sax fills, great lyrics, and a suitably languid Bowie vocal. A catchy chorus, too, though he gets a bit overwhelmed by the band's backing vocals there.

You Can't Talk: Odd tune that combines (not entirely successfully) Talking Heads-style jerky New wave with Hendrix-esque psychedelia. One that grows on you with repeated listening (like the album as a whole), and worth it for Reeves' guitar. Check out the nod to Third Stone From The Sun at the fade-out; I wish it had gone on a lot longer.

Stateside: Another song that focuses criticism and resentment about the whole Tin Machine project. A boisterous piece of blues-rock and a love letter from Hunt Sales to his homeland, with bluesy guitar and organ perfectly complementing the cocky mood. Sales is a fine white blues singer, a la Johnny Winter or Stevie Ray, but as has been noted, you don't listen to a Bowie album to hear someone else sing. Bowie chimes in on the chorus and (I presume) serves up some clever lyrical digs at kitsch Americana, but it's still my least favorite track here. A perfectly acceptable song, just not for this record.

Shopping For Girls: Sort of "Betty Wrong" part 2. Another mid-paced track with the same thumping beat that wouldn't have been out of place on Lodger or Scary Monsters. More great lead guitar from Reeves, built around a Heroes-style sustained riff and Frippoid textures, along with dark, cyberpunk lyrics (Shades of Neuromancer, I think) and a suitably Gothic vocal from Bowie. A high point.

A Big Hurt: The only track that seems to revisit the proto-grunge of the first Tin Machine album, but probably the weakest song on the record for all that. Fast, noisy, with an over-the-top Bowie vocal, but really rather insubstantial, though the middle eight and outro recall the Aladdin Sane era, his cover of Let's Spend The Night Together in particular - which is a good thing.

Sorry: A sad, rather lovely ballad with, frankly, a great lead vocal by Sales and nice backing vox by Bowie. Unlike the bluesy Stateside, this is one that could've easily been sung by Bowie, who didn't write it (Hunt did) but would have really transformed it. As is, it recalls the progressive soul from Bowie's Plastic Soul phase -- like Win or Wild Is The Wind, just not as good.

Goodbye Mr. Ed: Its title perhaps another dig at American Kitsch, this is the most firmly Bowie-esque track on the record, up there with Amlapura as a tune that's recognizably in his style. The flavor, like Baby Universal, harks back to Ziggy / Aladdin Sane, as Bowie namechecks Warhol and the Sex Pistols over a plaintive melody and a great Frippoid guitar arpeggio from Reeves. The tune uses a false ending (like Deep Purple's Fools) to close with a jamming instrumental coda where Bowie final lets loose some of his most dissonant sax work. Note: You can get that brief piece separately, titled Hammerhead, on the CD single of You Belong In Rock N' Roll (along with a Tagalog take of Amlapura!).

That's Tin Machine II: not a great album at first listening, but one that certainly merits the clichéd assessment, "half an album's worth of good material." In truth, most of these songs, taken individually, could've fit nicely on any number of Bowie's records, and as a whole, they deserve more appreciation that they get.

Average customer rating:

Tin Machine II Tin Machine Manufacturer: Victory ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music ASIN: B000LZTH7G

Average customer rating: why? why the bad reviews? Just one of the guys? Amazing overlooked album Action 85-90! Some good stuff here

Tin Machine II Tin Machine Manufacturer: Jvc Victor ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rock | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Hard Rock | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music ASIN: B0000074HN

Tracks:

1. Baby Universal
2. One Shot
3. You Belong in Rock & Roll
4. Amlapura
5. Betty Wrong
6. You Can't Talk
7. Stateside
8. Shopping for Girls
9. Big Hurt
10. Sorry
11. Goodbye Mr. Ed

Customer Reviews:

why? why the bad reviews?.......2006-01-16

After a successful Sound + Vision, everyone expected David Bowie to deliver the goods again...and they were disappionted by Tin Machine, which was understandable. Shortly thereafter, Tin Machine II was released, and nobody even payed attention to it; it should have-would have-been a success, if only it had gotten beyond the fans of Bowie. A solid hard-rocking album highlighted by "One Shot", "If There is Something" and "Stateside", it delivers 13 songs, most of them good-to-exceptional, with great musical variety. Either of the first two of those could have been a hit single, as Reeves Gabrels shines in "If There Is Something" with terrific soloing. This is a great addition, however anonymous, to any rock-fan's collection, and worth every cent of the 10-to-20 dollars one would pay for it.

Just one of the guys?.......2003-08-19

Is it possible for David Bowie to be just another band member? Blantant attempts are made on Tin Machine II to try to convince you of this. Hunt Sales sings lead on a couple tracks. The album cover features 4 identical statues. The back cover shows the four members in similar black attire, backs turned and faceless. But let's face it, Bowie is and will always a shining star of a frontman with charisma that is hard to match. The tracks Sales sings on are simply awful. Most of the other tracks sound like boring adult rock along the lines of The Travelling Wilburys with maybe a few tricks thrown in. Egad! The only thing I see "risky" about this album is that it was released in the first place. It sounds unfinished and lacks continuity (something a leader or a band that wasn't contrived may have offered).

The only standout tracks (or at least those that don't stand out for being so bad) are 'Baby Universal', a tight pop number with great maniacal guitar licks, and 'You Belong in Rock and Roll' which is so laid back it's chilling. Their cover of 'If There is Something' ain't bad, but I've never heard a Roxy Music cover that came close to touching the original. Best thing about Tin Machine was that it unearthed guitarist Reeves Gabriels, whose skills were better inmplemented in Bowie's subsequent solo albums 'Outside' and 'Earthling'. As far as Bowie goes, I just can't see how this CD could ever be rated 5 stars by anyone who has heard the man's 1970s material.

Amazing overlooked album.......2001-12-20

Tin Machine was not what Bowie fans expected and that was the point. This was Bowies saving grace where he returned to being just part of a whole and not the lead man in charge. With Tin Machine I & II Bowie excaped the "POP Star" tag and in the process rejuvinated himself to take the new millineum by storm.

Both Tin Machine albums are amazing because they are demonstrations of an artist searchng and finding associations within himself. This was a very risky thing to do in my opinion. Imagine Madonna joining Radiohead for two albums or Prince teaming up with Ministry. These things never happen. Only someone like David Bowie could have pulled Tin Machine off.

Tim Machine is and exercize in "Intellectual Chaos" or "Educated Punk". The lyrics are some of Bowies best and the songs are an intergration of Reeves Gabrels, Hunt Sales, Tony Sales and David Bowies combined talents.

The Cd starts out with "Baby Universal" a driving spacerock story about a man searching for himself (sound familar?). Next comes "One Shot" a rocking lament to lost love. "You Belong In Rock & Roll" pulls you in and makes you move( The title tells it all.) "If There Is Something" sounds like a classic from the start with lots of inuendos and hooks. "Amlapura" is a sweeping rock colored epic ballad with lyrics that paint a world with Bowies eyes. "Betty Wrong" is a nasty grinding sax touched torch song. "You Cant Talk" twists lyrics and guitar strings with a driving beat. "State Side" a bluesrock song that casts Bowie as backup singer with Hunt Sales on lead vocals. "Shopping For Girls" rolls out Bowies gift for adstraction. "A Big Hurt" thunders out mixing metal and blues riffs seamlessly( Ziggy Stardusts Ghost?.) "Sorry" haunts with an almost middeastern sounding sax and acoustic guitar( Hunt Sales On lead vocals) very passionate ballad. "Goodbye Mr. Ed" an odd driving mesh of sadness and rock acoustics. The album caps off with a secret insrtamental track from on of their jam sessions.

An Album well worth having and full of inspirations.

Action 85-90!.......2001-03-23

Within months of the release Tin Machine, Tin Machine released his second album, Tin Machine II, a schizophrenic collection of lo-fi recordings from between 1985 and 1990. Much of the music on the album draws from the noisy, experimental post-punk of Primus and the dirty, primitive junk-rock of Meat Puppets; his absurdist sense of humor surfaces only rarely, and only in the guise of such sophomoric cuts as "Goodbye Mr. Ed" and "Stateside," while his sense of songcraft is inaudible. Essentially, the record was both a palate-cleanser, one designed to scare away the "Under The God" fans, and a bid for indie credibility, since the music on Stereopathetic is equally as uncompromising and as unlistenable as Primus or their many imitators at their most extreme.

Some good stuff here.......2000-11-24

Okay, I don't know what "emetic" means, but I have listened to the album. The first thing to mention is that you're getting two non-Bowie tracks here: "Stateside" and "Sorry," which were sung by the drummer. Why would you want someone else in the band to sing leads when your singer is David Bowie? I have no idea. Don't replace him with this guy, anyway. You'll most likely program those two tracks out right away. They really bite.

The rest of the album is decent. Reeves Gabrels doesn't dive-bomb his whammy bar all the time like on the first CD, and David throws in a little sax here and there. "Baby Universal" is nifty pop, "Big Hurt" is a stupid heavy metal song, "If There Is Something" just rocks, and "Goodbye Mr. Ed" sounds more like solo Bowie stuff. All good.

Average customer rating: overlooked gem Two times is enough

Tin Machine II Tin Machine Manufacturer: Scde ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Cutout CDs | Rock General | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Rock General | Rock | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music ASIN: B00005MKF5 Release Date: 2001-07-17

Customer Reviews:

overlooked gem.......2003-06-29

bowie was a step ahead instead of following trends as he had done throughout the 80s. this album rocks with authority and the songwriting is among bowie's best since his classic period in the 70s. the band is tight and aggressive and yet bowie's melodic sense is in full display. this album deserved more attention than it got at the time. reeves gabriel's guitar work on this album alone is worth the price.

Two times is enough.......2001-10-17

I liked the first one but the second Tin Machine CD shows a band out of ideas. The band is solid and Bowie is really trying to sell the songs, but these songs need so much work it is beyond Bowie's power to breathe life into them. Not one memorable track on this one. A driving beat cannot sell a song that is intellectually vacant (unless you're trying to dance to it) especially when sung by one of the more creative minds in rock. The Machine wisely finished up after this effort. Too bad the promise of the first CD could not have lead to a more provocative career for this band.

Average customer rating:

Tin Machine II Tin Machine Manufacturer: Victory ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music ASIN: B000LX7RUM

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