Photo: wikipedia
David Bowie's decade defining album 'Let's Dance', celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023.
Bowie's biggest selling record, Let's Dance topped charts across the globe including a 5 week spell at #1 in Aotearoa.
But while its credited as changing the course of Bowie's Career and the perception of modern-day pop, it's a record that divides his fans. Jettisoning his trusted group of long-serving musicians and producers and teaming up with Disco legend Nile Rodgers, Bowie made a calculated decision to create a completely different sound to his previous albums - and challenged preconceptions with a far more accessible public image.
David Bowie - The Legacy of Let's Dance looks back at a pivotal time in Bowie's career and explores his successful repositioning as a 'mainstream insider' in 1983.
Featuring original material along with archived interviews, Bowie scholar Dr Ian Chapman and producer Sam Coley reflect on the importance of Bowie's biggest selling album and consider its place in history.
More about David Bowie from RNZ:
- David Bowie: Serious Moonlight over Western Springs - An insiders guide to David Bowie's 1983 concert at Western Springs, which still stands as one of Aotearoa's largest music events,
- Bowie's Waiata - at the start of his 1983 NZ tour David Bowie was welcomed on to Takapuwahia Marae in Porirua where he sang a specially written song in response. This is the story of that day.
- David Bowie: The Odyssey of a Changeling - George Kay presents a 6-part overview of Bowie's music ranging from the 1980's up to 2004.
"David Bowie - The Legacy of Let's Dance" was produced for RNZ Music by Sam Coley, Birmingham City University
