Tin Machine

Despite a professional path already notable for its unexpected turns, David Bowie still drew notice in 1988 by launching Tin Machine and setting aside his established solo trajectory to operate inside a band format. The ensemble brought together guitarist Reeves Gabrels and the brother rhythm team of Tony and Hunt Sales, whose father was the celebrated television comedian Soupy Sales. Its creation was intended to let Bowie revisit his origins by playing intimate clubs and sharing creative control in what he viewed as a genuinely equal partnership. Tin Machine’s heavy, feedback-laden approach stood apart from Bowie’s preceding solo releases, so the self-titled 1989 debut album drew favorable notices and reached MTV with its opening single, “Under the God.” Tin Machine II arrived in 1991, but the absence of fresh appeal and the media spotlight that had surrounded the first record left it largely unnoticed; the concert set Oy Vey, Baby followed later that year. Once Bowie returned to solo work with 1993’s Black Tie White Noise, the group simply dissolved.