David Bowie – Reality (180g)

David Bowie's Reality arrived in 2003 as the follow-up to Heathen, and it captures him aiming for a more direct, band-driven sound. Bowie said he wanted to write for his touring group, giving the record the straighter, more forceful rock feel he described at the time. Recorded in New York and produced again by Tony Visconti, it was a major late-period success, reaching the UK Top 5 and selling more than a million copies worldwide.

That purpose gives Reality its appeal: it moves easily between muscular rock songs and more reflective material without sounding overworked. The set includes a sharp take on the Modern Lovers' “Pablo Picasso”, a version of George Harrison's “Try Some, Buy Some”, and the long, smoky “Bring Me the Disco King”, which also appeared on the Underworld soundtrack. For a Bowie album this late in his catalogue, it is notably unguarded and song-focused, with Visconti's production keeping the record taut while still leaving room for the more haunted edges of the material.

This edition brings back the album on vinyl with the 2025 remaster, making a record that spent years less visible on LP easier to file where it belongs: among Bowie's strongest 21st-century studio albums.

Features

• LP, 2025 Remaster
• Stereo
• Black Vinyl

Reviews

• Reality is touching, intelligent and - a bonus - listenable. – The Guardian

Genre: Pop & Rock

Review