Hours (David Bowie album)

(pictured in 2012), who departed following its release. After maintaining a relatively large media profile throughout 1997, David Bowie retreated from the limelight in 1998, primarily devoting his time to ventures outside of music, such as establishing his website BowieNet, but nevertheless continued making film appearances. He mixed a potential live album from the Earthling Tour, later released in 1999 as LiveAndWell.com, but was mostly inactive in the studio throughout 1998; his sole recording from the year was a cover of George and Ira Gershwin's "A Foggy Day in London Town", which appeared on the Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove compilation. He also reconciled with his former collaborator and producer Tony Visconti. In late 1998, Bowie composed the soundtrack for the upcoming video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul, developed by Quantic Dream and published by Eidos Interactive. The writer and director David Cage chose him over a list of applicants including Björk, Massive Attack and Archive. The biographer Nicholas Pegg contends that Bowie was drawn to the game due to its Buddhist overtones, noting that when a character died, he or she was reincarnated. Along with composing the music, Bowie appeared in the game, along with the guitarist Reeves Gabrels and the bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, as the singer of an in-game band performing gigs in the bars of Omikron City. The Omikron project was the springboard for Bowie's next studio album. Between late 1998 and early 1999, he and Gabrels amassed a large number of songs, some of which were written for Omikron and others for a Gabrels solo album, including "Survive", "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" and the B-side "We All Go Through". Unlike the experimental cut-up nature of Bowie's other 1990s recordings, the tracks were written in a more conventional style reminiscent of his mid-1980s works. He explained: "There was very little experimentation in the studio. A lot of it was just straightforward songwriting." As a result, the demos were primarily written on guitar, while "Thursday's Child" and "The Dreamers" were written on keyboards. Gabrels stated that Omikron provided the musical direction for the songs, elaborating: At an E3 press conference in 1999, Bowie said that his main priority was to imbue Omikron with "emotional subtext" and regarded this as a success. In the end, the game featured variants of most Hours tracks except "If I'm Dreaming My Life", "Brilliant Adventure" and "What's Really Happening?", along with "We All Go Through". Various instrumentals also appeared in the game, some of which were further developed for release as B-sides. ==Recording==

After Bowie completed collaborations with the band Placebo in February and March 1999, he and Gabrels entered Seaview Studios in Bermuda—his new residence after he sold his home in Switzerland—the following month to commence recording. Bowie and Gabrels completed most of the work by themselves, although the musician Mark Plati and the drummer Sterling Campbell, who played on Earthling (1997) and Outside (1995), respectively, returned to contribute. Other musicians Bowie hired included Mike Levesque on drums and percussion, Everett Bradley on percussion ("Seven"), Chris Haskett on rhythm guitar ("If I'm Dreaming My Life") and Marcus Salisbury on electric bass ("New Angels of Promise"). He was also frustrated at the hiring of Plati and the demotion of "We All Go Through" and "1917" to B-side status. According to O'Leary, Hours was mixed and mastered by June. ==Music and lyrics==

Hours marks a major departure from the experimental nature of its two predecessors. Deduced by Plati as "the anti-Earthling", it represents a style more akin to the acoustic and conventional textures of 1971's Hunky Dory. The author James E. Perone writes that the record evokes folk rock, 1960s soul and rock, while retrospective commentators have categorised it as pop rock and art pop. "What's Really Happening?" is the first of two harder rocking songs on the album compared to the sombre quality of the previous tracks. The title asserts the theme of "mistrust of reality and memory", while Grant's lyrics fit the overall "chronometric" concept. According to O'Leary, it was originally planned as a BowieNet-exclusive track before being placed on Hours. "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" is "the rockiest piece" on Hours. Buckley and Dave Thompson believe that it harkens back to Bowie's glam rock period of the early 1970s. Incidentally, the title recalls material from that era, particularly Hunky Dory, Pin Ups and the Stooges' Raw Power, which Bowie mixed. The lyrics recall themes previously showcased in "Changes" (1971) and the Scary Monsters tracks "Teenage Wildlife" and "Fashion" (1980). Perone finds that it presents a counterbalance to the positivism of "Thursday's Child". The song was first released in remixed form in the film Stigmata (1999) and its accompanying soundtrack; this version also appeared in Omikron. "New Angels of Promise" musically and lyrically revisits Bowie's late 1970s Berlin Trilogy, particularly "Sons of the Silent Age" (1977). The concept reflects the Christian themes throughout the album, as an "angel of promise" is an angel who, in O'Leary's words, "heralds a covenant with God". Originally titled "Omikron", it featured heavily in the Omikron game. "Brilliant Adventure" is a short Japanese-influenced instrumental that harkens back to "Heroes" (1977), particularly the instrumentals "Sense of Doubt" and "Moss Garden"; like the former, the track uses the Japanese koto. The lyrics of "The Dreamers" dissect a traveller who is past his prime. Like other tracks on the album, it musically recalls Bowie's past works. An "easy-listening" version appeared in Omikron. O'Leary finds a demo-like quality to the recording, noting its "acerbic chord structure, shifting rhythms [and] lengthy coda". ==Artwork and title==

, which depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus. The cover artwork for Hours depicts the short-haired Bowie persona from the intensely energetic Earthling exhausted, resting in the arms of a long-haired, more youthful version of Bowie. The artwork reflects the Christian themes of the tracks and was inspired by the Pietà, which depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus. Bowie acknowledged the inspiration, further explaining, "since I didn't want to wear a dress anymore, we made it a man. It can be visualised as life and death, past and present". Pegg interpreted the artwork as the closing of a career phase and the beginning of a new one. The back cover depicts a serpent alongside three versions of Bowie that Pegg states represent "the Fall of Man: Adam, Eve and the central figure of God", forming a theme of "Fall and Redemption". For the album's initial release, a number of copies featured a lenticular version of the cover, lending a three-dimensional effect to the image. which was changed after Gabrels stated it made him think of a Mariah Carey or Celine Dion album, as well as its resemblance to Freddie and the Dreamers. Bowie said: "[It's] about reflecting back on the time that one's lived...how long one has left to live [and] shared experience." Pegg makes comparisons to the book of hours, a medieval book that separates the day into canonical hours one must use for prayer. ==Release==

On 6August 1999, Bowie began releasing 45-second snippets of each song on BowieNet and gave track-by-track descriptions, which was followed by a square-by-square reveal of the album cover during the ensuing month. On 21September, Hours appeared in its entirety on BowieNet available for download, making Bowie the first major artist to release a complete album for download through the Internet. Bowie stated: "I am hopeful that this small step will lead to greater steps by myself and others, ultimately giving consumers greater choices and easier access to the music they enjoy." Some music retailers were critical of the move. The British-based retailer HMV announced: "If artists release albums on the Net before other people can buy them in the shops, it's not a level playing field. Records should be available to everyone at the same time, and not everyone has access to the Internet," and "It's unlikely that we would stock the artist in question. Retailers are not going to stand for it." Buckley states that with the internet release, "Bowie had accurately foreseen the revolution in the music industry that would be brought about by the download generation." "Thursday's Child" was released as the lead single from the album on 20September 1999, backed by "We All Go Through" and "No One Calls". Various remixes were also issued, including a 'Rock Mix'. It reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. The song's music video, shot in August and directed by Walter Stern, reflects the introspective mood of the song, depicting Bowie gazing at a younger version of himself through a mirror. "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" first appeared as an A-side in Australia and Japan in September 1999, replacing "Thursday's Child" as the first single from the album. The video was directed by Dom and Nic and shot in New York on 7September. It depicts Bowie rehearsing the song on stage while being confronted by various characters of his past, reflecting the theme of wanting to avoid being confronted by his own past. Hours received an official CD release on 4October 1999 through Virgin Records. In Japan, "We All Go Through" appeared as a bonus track. It was a commercial success in the UK, peaking at number five on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Bowie's highest chart placement there since Black Tie White Noise (1993), but dropped off soon after. In the US however, it peaked at number 47 on the Billboard 200, becoming Bowie's first studio album since Ziggy Stardust to miss the top 40. Elsewhere, Hours reached the top ten in France, Germany and Italy, and the top 20 in Japan. "Survive" was released as the third single from the album on 17January 2000 in a new remix by the English producer Marius de Vries. It reached number 28 in the UK. The music video, directed by Walter Stern, features Bowie sitting alone at a table waiting for an egg to boil before he and the egg start to float; it reflects the reflective quality of the recording. For its release as the fourth and final single on 17July 2000, "Seven" appeared in its original demo form along with remixes by de Vries and Beck. This release reached number 32 in the UK. ==Critical reception==

Hours received mixed reviews from critics on release. Among positive reviews, Mojos Mark Paytress announced that the album was "no masterpiece" but nonetheless "crowns a trilogy that represents significantly more than a mere coda to a once-unimpeachable career." Q considered it "a richly textured and emotionally vivid set", adding that "This time around, Bowie sounds influenced by nobody except himself, and he couldn't have picked a better role model." Keith Philips of The A.V. Club found that the album "hits the mark more often than it misses it," highlighting "Survive", "Seven" and "What's Really Happening?". Other reviewers gave more negative assessments. Besides "Thursday's Child", The Guardians Adam Sweeting found the album "sludgy and laborious". Additionally, Time Out magazine dismissed the album as "Bowie's most pointless and desultory record since Tin Machine II." Spins Barry Walters praised "Thursday's Child" but felt that throughout its runtime, the album goes from a "promising disclosure" but sinks into "another mediocre, not-quite-modern rock posture", giving the album a six out of ten. Writing for Select, John Mullen recognised the album as an improvement over Earthling, but likened Bowie to a "more high-brow" version of Sting and concluded: "Even on the personal exorcism of 'Seven' there's a lack of urgency that suggests that the 'confessional' is just another style Bowie's trying out for size." ==Promotion==

Bowie promoted the album on the Hours Tour, which ran eight shows from 23 August to 12 December 1999. The first date of the tour—Bowie's first live set since the end of the Earthling Tour—was a performance at Manhattan Center Studios for VH1's Storytellers series. VH1 executive producer Bill Flanagan said: "This is going to be the best thing that VH1 has ever shown. Scratch that, this is probably the best thing you're going to see on TV this year." Broadcast in edited form on 18 October, the full performance was later released in 2009 as VH1 Storytellers. The Storytellers performance was also Bowie's final work with Gabrels, one of his regular collaborators since the formation of Tin Machine in 1988; Plati took over as bandleader. After Bowie's death in 2016, Gabrels said of his departure: Personnel-wise, the tour consisted of returning members from the Earthling Tour, although the drummer Zack Alford was replaced with Campbell. Starting in late September, Bowie made numerous television appearances to promote Hours, including on The Howard Stern Show, Late Show with David Letterman, ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', Chris Evans' TFI Friday and Saturday Night Live. During the tour he primarily played in small venues, save for one appearance at the NetAid benefit concert at Wembley Stadium in late October. Performances from the tour were later released on Something in the Air (Live Paris 99) and David Bowie at the Kit Kat Klub (Live New York 99), as part of the Brilliant Live Adventures series (2020–2021). Songs played during the tour included Hours material, various hits such as "Life on Mars?" (1971) and "Rebel Rebel" (1974), as well as tracks Bowie had not played in decades, such as "Drive-In Saturday" (1973) and "Word on a Wing". The returning pianist Mike Garson found the Hours material was better live, telling Buckley he thought the studio recordings were "underdeveloped". This sentiment was echoed by Pegg, who viewed the Hours tracks as the highlights of the shows. Additionally, Bowie revived his 1966 single "Can't Help Thinking About Me", marking the first time since 1970 Bowie had performed any of his pre-Space Oddity material. Bowie re-recorded the song in the studio a year later for the Toy project. ==Legacy==

Hours continues to be viewed with varying reactions. On the positive side, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "It may not be one of Bowie's classics, but it's the work of a masterful musician who has begun to enjoy his craft again and isn't afraid to let things develop naturally." Three years later, Bryan Wawzenek of Ultimate Classic Rock placed Hours at number 22 out of 26, primarily criticising Bowie's vocal performances as sounding "tired" and the music mostly boring except for the occasional interesting melody. Sackllah ranked Hours Bowie's worst album in a 2018 Consequence of Sound list, finding it "dull and uninspired". ==Reissues==

An expanded edition of the album with additional tracks was released in 2004 by Columbia Records. In January 2005, Bowie's new label ISO Records reissued Hours as a double CD set with the second CD comprising remixes, alternate versions, and single B-sides. It received its first official vinyl release in 2015. In 2021, a remastered version of the album was released on both vinyl and CD as part of the box set Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001). ==Track listing==

According to the liner notes and the biographer Nicholas Pegg. • David Bowie – vocals, drum programming, 12-string guitar, keyboards • Reeves Gabrels – drum programming, guitar, synthesiser programming • Mark Plati – bass guitar, acoustic and electric 12-string guitar, synth and drum programming, mellotron • Mike Levesque – drums, percussion • Sterling Campbell – drums • Everett Bradley – percussion • Chris Haskett – rhythm guitar • Marcus Salisbury – bass guitar • Holly Palmer – background vocals Technical • David Bowie – producer • Reeves Gabrels – producer • Ryoji Hata – assistant engineer • Jay Nicholas – assistant engineer • Kevin Paul – engineer • Andy VanDette – mastering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Certifications ==Notes==