David Bowie: "Shake It"

Okay kids, the weekend's here, which means we're about to get our awesome on. That being said, we wanted to leave you with a tidbit to fuel your party vibe, and this here's it. Enjoy.

Let's Dance is probably the most lamented David Bowie album that's actually fucking good. Largely the product of the fact that it spawned three massive radio hits, the Serious Moonlight tour, and Bowie's subsequent one-two punch of mediocrity with Tonight and Never Let Me Down.

But the reality is that Let's Dance is a magnificent album. Produced by Nile Rodgers it is, yes, undeniably poppy. But the underlying songwriting is amazing, the arrangements are bulletproof, and listening to the eight tracks straight through will put a smile on your face almost immediately. Never mind the fact that it's the record that took Bowie, essentially an art/cult rock figure (albeit a massive one) up until this point, and truly placed him squarely in the mainstream.

The most interesting part is that in the shadow of the record's three radio hits, the other five tracks barely get a head knod in current day assessment of the record. Between the expert production, Stevie Ray Vaughn's lead guitar work, and some frankly solid songwriting, that's a travesty. Case in point: "Shake It".

The last track on the record, "Shake It" was also the B-Side to China Girl, and it's probably the funkiest track on the record. Maybe a tad lightweight for devout Bowie fans, it is nonetheless one of our overlooked faves in the Bowie catalog. Bowie manages to take a relatively insipid lyric about hitting the town, and infuse it with enough joy and charisma to win over even the most pessimistic of listeners. Combine that with a positively solid performance from the band, and, well, give it a spin this weekend. You won't be sorry.

mp3: David Bowie - Shake It