Bowie cover of the week: Jimmy Flemion sings “Seven”

At first glance, this is a “guy in his basement” video, which, at the end of the day it essentially is. But the guy is Jimmy Flemion, late of the Frogs. The Frogs had a fairly large cult following that included many better known rock stars and performed for more than thirty years. While I’m not personally familiar with their work, Jimmy is anything but an amateur.

That said, he has a pretty straightforward acoustic cover of “Seven” from the hours… album. I have recently been reevaluating hours…, which I have long thought of as Bowie’s weakest later album. The problem with the album is that it’s a mixed bag, with some of the stronger songs obscuring some very thoughtful, introspective and serious songs that deserve more respect than the album as a whole. “Seven” is one such song, along with “Thursday’s Child” and “Survive.” If these songs anchored the project, supported by other solid contributions like “Something’s In the Air” and “New Angels of Promise,” Bowie would have had a fine expression of his middle-age introspection. I’m about the age Bowie was when he made hours…, and perhaps that’s why these songs are finally speaking to me. Like many of Bowie’s best songs, they are evocative without being explicit. They seem reflect a man at mid-life reflecting on his regrets and lost youth, but in all of these cases, the lyrics seem to be headed in one direction but veer off before confirming that the song is what you think it’s about. Bowie does that well.

In contrast, “The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell” is overt— the title tells you all you need to know. “What’s Really Happening” is gimmicky— some of the lyrics come from a guy who won a contest. And “If I’m Dreaming My Life” is a long, ponderous song that almost sinks the entire album.

But there’s value in there. “Seven” is worth revisiting. For that reason, I selected Flemion’s cover for this week’s feature.