The group recorded two studio albums and a live album before dissolving in 1992, when Bowie returned to his solo career. The group was generally reviled, often receiving scathing critical reviews.
David Bowie’s Never Let Me Down album (already a move into slightly "harder" rock territory) and subsequent "Glass Spider Tour" had been savaged by critics, and the singer was aware of his low stock. Eager to return to making music for himself rather than the mainstream audience he had acquired following the Let's Dance album, Bowie began collaborating with Reeves Gabrels (who pushed the singer to rediscover his experimental side and went on to work closely with Bowie for much of the next decade) and multi-instrumentalist Erdal Kizilcay on new material in 1988. The first fruits of this came with a new version of Bowie’s 1979 song "Look Back in Anger", performed at the "Intruders At The Palace" benefit concert on 1 July 1988. They then began to plan a concept album based on Steven Berkoff's play East as a Bowie solo album, but this idea was scrapped. Bowie and Gabrels began working with producer Tim Palmer on new material. Bowie then recruited brothers Hunt Sales and Tony Sales (the sons of comedian Soupy Sales) as a rhythm section. Bowie had worked with them on Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life album and ran into them at a party in Los Angeles around this time.
The Sales brothers moved the tone of the sessions in Nassau away from art-rock and more towards hard rock, and Bowie looked to one of his favorite bands at the time, Pixies, for inspiration. The Sales brothers heckled Bowie into greater spontaneity, with most songs recorded in one take, and lyrics left unpolished, thus giving the band a ragged, punk rock edge similar to the Pixies.
The group chose the name Tin Machine after one of the songs they had written (Gabrels would later credit the Sales brothers with this choice). The group set up allowed Bowie a certain level of anonymity, much needed after his 1980s overexposure, and he was happy to let the rest of the band (notably Hunt Sales) take the lead in interviews.
The band’s self-titled first album (Tin Machine) produced mixed but generally positive reviews on release in May 1989, picking up favorable comparisons with Bowie’s three more recent solo albums. However, many critics were scornful of Bowie’s latest attempt to reinvent himself as a bearded band-member. Commercially, the album initially sold well, reaching #3 in the UK charts, but sales quickly tailed off. The band undertook a low-key tour in small venues between 14 June and 3 July 1989, before further recording sessions in Sydney, Australia. During these sessions Tin Machine contributed to a surfing compilation album called Beyond the Beach, with a new instrumental song titled "Needles on the Beach.
The group then went on hiatus while Bowie conducted his solo "Sound+Vision Tour." In December 1990, Bowie split from EMI. Both parties stated that the split was amicable, although it is believed EMI refused to release another Tin Machine album in an exasperated attempt to secure another album similar to Let's Dance. In March 1991, the group signed to Victory Music, a new label launched by JVC and distributed worldwide by London Records and Polygram, and recorded more new material. This was combined with tracks from the Sydney sessions to form Tin Machine II album. This time the commercial success was even more fleeting, and Bowie was already tired of being shackled to a group set-up. From 5 October 1991 to 17 February 1992, the group undertook a larger tour, known as the "It's My Life Tour". The band was joined on this tour by guitarist Eric Schermerhorn, who would go on to play with Bowie's friend Iggy Pop.
Tracks from this tour were released on the July 1992 album Tin Machine Live - Oy Vey, Baby. Shortly afterwards, Bowie returned to solo recording with his single “Real Cool World” and the band dissolved.
Bowie promised Tin Machine III or at the very least a boxed-set of unreleased material in the mid-1990s, but his solo career had taken precedence, making him reluctant to dedicate energy to an old project. He continued to work with Gabrels, spanning four albums after Tin Machine: Black Tie White Noise (Gabrels contributed to only one track), Outside, Earthling, and Hours. After the last album, Gabrels felt that Bowie was moving in a softer, gentler direction that he did not want to travel in, so the two parted ways professionally. In some interviews he has also indicated his disappointment in the retrospective projects Bowie was planning at the time (the Toy album, which never surfaced, as well as the Ziggy 2002 project) played a part in his parting with Bowie.
I Can't Read
Tin Machine Lyrics
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I don't know a book from countdown
I don't care which shadow gets me
All I've got is someone's face
Money goes to money heaven
Bodies go to body hell
I just cough and catch the chase
I can't read shit anymore
I just sit back and ignore
'Cause I just can't get it right, can't get it right
I can't read shit, I can't read shit
When you see a famous smile
No matter where you run your mile
To be right in that photograph
Andy where's my fifteen minutes, fifteen, yeah
I can't read shit anymore
I just can't read shit anymore
No matter I just can't get it right
I can't read shit, I can't read shit, no, no
The lyrics of Tin Machine's song "I Can't Read" convey the frustration and confusion of the modern era. The singer starts by admitting that he is unable to process written information - he can't read or write. He feels lost and disconnected from the world, unable to distinguish between significant and insignificant things. Moreover, he doesn't care about his own safety - he is willing to risk his life for a face he recognizes. The second verse addresses the concept of mortality and the disparity between rich and poor. The singer notes that those with money and power often have an easier path to death and are treated with more dignity than the less fortunate. He also remarks that he has become desensitized to violence and danger, flipping through channels on TV until something catches his eye.
The chorus of the song stresses the singer's inability to make sense of the world around him. He cannot read anything correctly and chooses to ignore what he can't understand. The bridge refers to the idea of fame and how people are willing to go to great lengths to be noticed or "capture" their own fifteen minutes of fame. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "I can't read shit," emphasizing the frustration and hopelessness that comes with feeling disconnected from society.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't read and I can't write down
The singer is illiterate.
I don't know a book from countdown
The singer does not recognize books or the TV show Countdown.
I don't care which shadow gets me
The singer is indifferent to the potential dangers around him.
All I've got is someone's face
The only thing the singer has is a memory of someone's face.
Money goes to money heaven
The rich always become richer, while the poor remain poor.
Bodies go to body hell
All human bodies inevitably decay and die.
I just cough and catch the chase
The singer passively watches the events around him unfold.
Switch the channel, watch the police car
The singer is apathetic towards violence and crime news on TV.
When you see a famous smile
The singer is commenting on the obsession with celebrity culture.
No matter where you run your mile
The singer believes that fame is unattainable for most people.
To be right in that photograph
The singer desires to be famous and recognized in a photograph.
Andy where's my fifteen minutes, fifteen, yeah
The singer is referencing Andy Warhol's quote about fame being accessible to everyone for fifteen minutes.
I just can't read shit anymore
The singer is not able to understand or process information anymore.
I just can't get it right, can't get it right
The singer is frustrated with their inability to understand what is happening.
I can't read shit, I can't read shit
The singer is reiterating their illiteracy.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Bowie, Reeves C Gabrels
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind