Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)

by David Bowie

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 12聽September聽1980
  • Label: RCA
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Length: 45:43
  • Community rating: 4.22/5 from 18 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Released after the experimental 'Berlin Trilogy', David Bowie's 'Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)' achieved a balance of artistic innovation and commercial accessibility. [2, 4] The album's sound is a meticulously crafted blend of post-punk, new wave, and art rock, with co-producer Tony Visconti creating a dense, polished soundscape punctuated by the aggressive, textural guitar work of Robert Fripp. [1, 2, 5, 15] Bowie's songwriting became more structured, moving away from the improvisation of his past work to directly confront themes of alienation, madness, and a self-aware reflection on his own mythology, most notably by revisiting the character of Major Tom in the lead single, 'Ashes to Ashes'. [2, 3, 5, 10]

Genres

Descriptors: experimental, theatrical, tense, guitar-driven, dystopian, guitars, dissonant, synthesizers, melodic

Tracklist

  1. It's No Game (Pt. 1) (04:17)
  2. Up the Hill Backwards (03:15)
  3. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (05:13)
  4. Ashes to Ashes (04:26)
  5. Fashion (04:50)
  6. Teenage Wildlife (06:58)
  7. Scream Like a Baby (03:36)
  8. Kingdom Come (03:47)
  9. Because You're Young (04:55)
  10. It's No Game (Pt. 2) (04:26)

Credits

  • David Bowie - vocals, synthesisers, mellotron, electric piano, piano, synth-bass, sound effects, backing vocals, saxophone, producer
  • Tony Visconti - backing vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, producer
  • Chuck Hammer - guitar synthesiser
  • Robert Fripp - guitar
  • Pete Townshend - guitar
  • Dennis Davis - drums, percussion
  • Carlos Alomar - lead and rhythm guitars
  • George Murray - bass
  • Roy Bittan - piano
  • Andy Clark - synthesizer
  • Michi Hirota - voice, spoken word
  • Lynn Maitland - backing vocals
  • Chris Porter - backing vocals, engineer
  • Tom Verlaine - writer
  • Hisahi Miura - japanese translation
  • Larry Alexander - engineer
  • Jeff Hendrickson - engineer
  • Natasha Kornilof - clown costume design
  • Richard Sharah - make-up design
  • Edward Bell - artwork
  • Brian Duffy - photography

More from David Bowie: full discography