By: Blerim Shala (published in the "Oaza" section, "Zëri" Weekly, 1999)

Bowie changed a hundred skins, but remained one of the most original rock authors of the last thirty years

David Bowie is the chameleon of Rock.

Bowie is perhaps the only one who made all the changes, adapting to the new circumstances in the rock scene, without losing much of his authorial sincerity.

At the beginning of the seventies, Bowie was one of the glam-rock pioneers, but twenty years later, he is the only one who, emerging from glam-rock, is remembered by the public.

In the second half of the seventies, with the trilogy "Low", "Heroes" and "Lodger" and the songs "Heroes" and "Ashes to Ashes", Bowie proved that he is able to "change skin" and become a true author.

In the eighties he signed a contract with EMI for 60 million marks and in collaboration with Iggy Pop recorded the album "Let's Dance", which sold six million copies. Songs like "China Girl" and "Let's Dance", were then "brought" to MTV and disco clubs around the world.

Then with the "Tin Machine" project, he aimed to experiment with his success and somewhat faded into the margins in the early nineties, and only when Kurt Cobain and Nirvana performed his song "The Man Who Sold the World" on MTV Unplugged did it become clear how great an author Bowie is.

The story of his latest album, called "Hours...", released in October of this year, begins with the offer of a French video game company that Bowie compose the music for two new computer games. Bowie, known as a great supporter of the Internet, accepted this request but, in the meantime, in collaboration with guitarist Reeves Gabrels, managed to compose completely new songs, which have emotion, nostalgia and lines of pop melodies almost forgotten by today's audience. Rock critics are enthusiastic about the album "Hours..." and often emphasize that this could be declared the best album of 1999...

***

SEVEN

By: David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels Translated by: Blerim Shala

I forgot what my father told me.
I forgot what he told me.
I forgot what my mother told me.
while we were lying on your bed
a city full of flowers
a city full of rain
I had seven days to live my life
or seven ways to die

I forgot what my brother told me.
I forgot what he told me.
I don't regret anything at all
I remember how we lived
on the bridge of violent people
I was young enough to cry
I had seven days to live my life
or seven ways to die

I kept my face in front of you
then my heart trembled
seven days to live my life
or seven ways to die

The masters forgot that they created me
therefore I also forgot them
I hear their shadows
play on their graves
my heart was never broken
My patience was never tested.
I had seven days to live my life
or seven ways to die

seven seven seven
seven seven seven

MUSICCult