ADAM STEINER - SILHOUETTES AND SHADOWS: THE SECRET HISTORY OF DAVID BOWIE'S SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS)

ADAM STEINER - SILHOUETTES AND SHADOWS: THE SECRET HISTORY OF DAVID BOWIE'S SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS)



Greg Prato

Rating: 8.0




Probably more so than any other rock artist, David Bowie had the most varied "musical phases" during his long-and-winding career. And to his credit, he pulled most of them off splendidly – both artistly and commercially. While he was one of the '70s most popular rockers, he suffered from apparent death-defying substance addictions (just take a gander at how thin and emaciated looking he was circa 1974).

After closing the '70s with some of the most challenging/experimental albums of his entire career (the "Berlin Trilogy," which consisted of the LP's Low, Heroes, and Lodger), Bowie opened the '80s with Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) – an album that can be pointed to that bridged the artsiness of the Berlin Trilogy and his eventual makeover as a crossover pop star with Let's Dance.

And the new book by Adam Steiner, Silhouettes And Shadows: The Secret History Of David Bowie's Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), details the creation of this oft-overlooked LP. With most of the chapters borrowing the album's song titles, we learn the backstory of the album and what was going on in Bowie's life at the time.