4ad Reissues Tvotr's Province Tomorrow

Suddenly, all your history's ablaze...

I know you're all aware that David Bowie contributed backing vocals to the song Province on TVOTR's Return To Cookie Mountain album.

You may remember that the song was also released as a limited edition green vinyl 7" 45 and as a download single back in May of last year, ahead of the album's release in July, 2006.

Well, now 4AD is reissuing the song tomorrow as a two-track 45, in the sleeve above, and as a three-track download single. Here's the breakdown:

Province - Released 02 July 2007

7" 45 - AD 2724
A - Province (Featuring David Bowie)
B - Dumb Animal

Digital (AAC) Digital Download - EAD 2724S
1 - Province (Featuring David Bowie)
2 - Dumb Animal
3 - Wasted Weekend

If Province has thus far escaped you, for one reason or another, you can check it out on TVOTR's MySpace page.

You can order Province directly from 4AD by clicking on the image above.

Ten Glass Spider Dvd/cd 3-disc Sets To Be Won

Waiting in the wings...

As promised yesterday, if you're a BowieNet member, today is your chance to win David Bowie's Glass Spider region 2 DVD & 2CD set, of which we have ten copies to give away courtesy of those ever-generous folk at EMI.

It's a really well produced set that is light years ahead, in terms of both sound and vision, of any previous incarnation of the film.

We're going to keep this one relatively easy because BowieNetter ppr145 requested it be that way. Sometimes you only have to ask! ;-)

OK, five easy pieces, that should do it...

Question 1 ~ Above is the front of the DVD booklet which utilises a shot from one of the breathtakingly stunning moments from the Glass Spider show. What song would have been performed at this point?

Question 2 ~ One of the Glass Spider band members' fathers used to be David's art teacher at Bromley Tech. What was the name of that teacher?

Question 3 ~ The two CDs in this set were actually recorded at a different show to that at which the film was made. The Olympic Stadium , Montreal, August 30th, 1987 and The Entertainment Center, Sydney, November 7th and 9th, 1987 were the shows in question. But, which show was the film made at, and where were the CDs recorded?

Question 4 ~ Who was the guest guitarist in the film during I Wanna Be Your Dog and White Light/White Heat?

Question 5 ~ Which artists originally recorded the songs mentioned in the previous question?

Once you've solved all five questions, please send your answers here.

Usual BowieNet rules apply: Only one entry per BowieNet account, and please remember you must enter using your BowieNet e-mail or at least supply your BowieNet user name.

The contest ends at midnight NY time on Saturday June 30th, with the winners being notified shortly thereafter.

On a final note, if you can't play region 2 DVDs please understand that by entering you may be taking away the chance of winning one from someone who can. Having said that, you could enter for the CDs and just buy the single DVD suitable for your region. Please disregard this final note.

Glass Spider Dvds Released Today

Jah Jah Jah Jah Jah...

David Bowie's Glass Spider film is released as a standard DVD edition and a DVD & 2CD edition today, tomorrow in North America.

See our previous news story or click on the image above for track details, (05.02.2007 NEWS: GLASS SPIDER DVD DETAILS AND COVER PREVIEW) and stay tuned for a contest to win 10 copies of the region 2 DVD & 2CD edition tomorrow.

While we're on the subject of today's DVD releases...

Kijak Confirms More Bowie On Scott Walker Dvd

The movie has come through...

Stephen Kijak's Scott Walker - 30 Century Man gets a Region 2 PAL format DVD release via Verve Pictures on September 10th.

Stephen has been in touch with details of some of the confirmed extras:

"Hey Blam, what's up? The DVD extras will include a few more snippets from the Bowie interview plus more Scott, Eno, Jarvis, the previously unseen Divine Comedy interview, things like that, a director commentary, the full "Jesse" video...not a bad little package."

Indeed, not bad at all. Negotiations are underway for a Region 1 version of the DVD, more of which nearer the time.

The film continues to get shown around the world and you can receive the schedule for current screenings by signing up to The Scott Walker Film Newsletter.

Barnbrook Bible Includes Contribution From Db

You gotta act tall, think big, if you wanna make a mark in his book...

Also published today (it's a busy, busy day) is Barnbrook Bible: The Graphic Design of Jonathan Barnbrook. It's a 320 page hardback, published by Booth-Clibborn Editions, and it apparently includes a section on Barnbrook's work for David Bowie.

You may recall Barnbrook's fine contributions to both the Heathen and Reality album covers, both of which are apparently covered here. I can't tell you how exactly as I haven't seen the book myself yet.

For what it's worth, here's the synopsis: "A tour of the works of the highly regarded graphic designer explores his well-known and unpublished personal projects, offering insight into the thought processes and preparations leading up to his work, as well as the complex graphic and sociopolitical issues addressed by his designs."

I also understand that the Bowie section includes written contributions from DB himself, I'll let you know more about the nature of these contributions as soon as I am able.

Arthur And The Invisibles Region 2 Dvd Out Now

He's so small, we don't notice him...

The Arthur And The Invisibles region 2 DVD is released through Momentum Pictures today. Extras include...

~ Free stickers and a sticker book
~ The Voice of Arthur and the Invisibles
~ "Quest For Love" Music Video, performed by Jewel
~ In the Recording Studio with Jewel
~ Beautiful Day Video performed by Ellijah
~ Theatrical Trailer

Speaking of stickers and posters, the outrageously delayed prizes for our Arthur And The Invisibles contest (02.10.2007 NEWS: ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES CONTEST WINNERS) will finally be despatched this week.

We had been waiting for some unfolded posters to arrive, but sadly it's not to be, so I'm afraid folded it must be.

The region 1 DVD was released on May 15th. (05.15.2007 NEWS: ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES REGION 1 DVD OUT TODAY)

Polyphonic Spree Latest Gets Bowie Approval

Joined the Fragile Army, passed the medical. Don't ask me how it's done...

By all accounts, the surprise highlight of The High Line Festival, for those that hadn't already been smitten, was The Polyphonic Spree. (04.26.2007 NEWS: DB PICKS YOUTUBE SNIPPETS OF HIGH LINE ACTS & 05.14.2007 NEWS: POLYPHONIC SPREE PICTURES, REPORT AND SET LIST)

This week sees the release of the band's latest opus, The Fragile Army, which David Bowie has described in the pre-release publicity as: "The Poly's Best & Deepest Album Yet".

But, as High Line Festival-goers will tell you, as good as the band's recorded output is, for sheer spectacle and emotional impact the best way to experience the band is live...which is handy as they are about to embark on a North American tour, taking them through to Europe for festival dates in September. Go here for ticket details.

Here's the tracklisting for The Fragile Army...

01 Section 21 [Together We're Heavy]
02 Section 22 [Running Away]
03 Section 23 [Get Up And Go]
04 Section 24 [The Fragile Army]
05 Section 25 [Younger Yesterday]
06 Section 26 [We Crawl]
07 Section 27 [Mental Cabaret]
08 Section 28 [Guaranteed Nightlite]
09 Section 29 [Light To Follow]
10 Section 30 [Watch Us Explode (Justify)]
11 Section 31 [Overblow Your Nest] 12 Section 32 [The Championship]

Listen to the full album on AOL Music.

Watch the video for 'Running Away' and vote for it on Fuse.

Go to the Official Website for The Polyphonic Spree for news, info and more
The Polyphonic Spree on MySpace.com
The Polyphonic Spree on PureVolume.com
TVT Records

The Buddha Of Suburbia Press Release

Never bored, so I'll never get old...

Normally we'd just post this kind of thing in the press release section above. But, I think this one is worth a mention here, if not only for the excerpt from David's contribution to the CD booklet...

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The Buddha of Suburbia - EMI Catalogue Marketing

Release date: 17th September 2007

The Buddha of Suburbia was David Bowie?s 19th full studio album released in 1993. Asked to write and perform the music for the BBC2 four part mini series, although classified as a soundtrack, only the title track on the album was featured in the programme itself. A television adaptation of a 1990 book written by Hanif Kureishi, The Buddha of Suburbia is a (semi) autobiographical tale featuring Karim ? a South London teenager desperate to escape the suburbs which confine him. Kureishi at the time was already well known for his screenplay of My Beautiful Launderette, the 1985 film which centered on issues of sexuality, race and class in volatile 1980?s Britain.

Tracklisting:

01 Buddha Of Suburbia (4:28)
02 Sex And The Church (6:25)
03 South Horizon (5:26)
04 The Mysteries (7:12)
05 Bleed Like A Craze, Dad (5:22)
06 Strangers When We Meet (4:58)
07 Dead Against It (5:48)
08 Untitled No. 1 (5:01)
09 Ian Fish, U.K. Heir (6:27)
10 Buddha Of Suburbia (4:19) (featuring Lenny Kravitz on guitar)

All songs written by David Bowie

As David himself explains:

?This album may well have been one of the most enjoyable projects that I?ve been involved with. Although this collection of music bears little resemblance to the motif driven small pieces that became the actual transmitted soundtrack for the BBC play of Buddha, director Roger Mitchell?s request that I supply some stuff for Hanif Kureishi?s fabulous play got me on a real roll.

Weeks later however, left to my own devices, these same pieces just took on a life of their own in the studio, with lots of narrative provocation from Hanif?s play and dozens of personal 70's memories providing a textural backdrop in my imagination that laid the groundwork for a truly exciting work situation.

I took the TV play motifs and discarded them completely except that is for the theme song.  The pace of work was unbelievably frenetic taking only 6 days to write and record though a full fifteen days to mix, owing in part to some technical breakdowns ? nothing too serious but enough to put our team out by five or six days.

My personal memory stock for this album was made up from an almighty plethora of influences and reminiscences from the 1970`s. Here, below, is just a tiny selection of what went through my mind while writing.

Free association lyrics
Kraftwerk
Pink Floyd
Bromley
Harry Partch
Croydon
Costume
Eno
Blues clubs Soho
Prostitutes & Soho
Unter de Linden
Ronnie Scott`s club
Brücke Museum in Berlin
Travels thru Russia
Pet Sounds
Loneliness
Friends of the Krays I had known
O`Jays
Neu
Mark Bolan
Philip Glass in New York clubs
Richard Strauss
Philip Glass playing in London 1970/1
Drag
T.Rex
Die Mauer, Berlin
The Casserole
Drugs
Roxy Music
Mum

The list is actually endless but the above initially springs to mind. Fifty percent of the lyrical content is used just because I like the sound of the word. Some of it is reasonably narrative driven. Many of my working forms are taken in whole or in part from my collaborations with Brian Eno, (who in my humble opinion occupies a parallel position in late 20th century popular music that Clement Greenberg in the 40`s or Richard Hamilton in the 60`s had to visual art.) The cut-up style that is obviously used on such tracks as Bleed Like A Craze, Dad (yes, it is a play on Krays) and Dead Against it springs from the Brion Gyson/William Burroughs school of Fucking with the Fabric of Time. The very magical multi-instrumentalist Erdal Kizilcay was so pivotal in interpreting my musical desires, foibles and arrangements that it's just not funny.?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Buddha of Suburbia CD and DVD are both released on September 17th. (05.14.2007 RUMOUR: BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA TO GET DVD AND CD RELEASE? & 06.04.2007 NEWS: BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA DVD AND CD UPDATE).

Ziggy Stardust Cover Contest Update

No matter what or who you've been...

OK, the deadline for entries to the Ziggy Stardust 35th Anniversary Cover Contest (06.07.2007 NEWS: ZIGGY STARDUST 35TH ANNIVERSARY COVER CONTEST) has now closed, (Actually, it hasn't. See FOOTNOTE!) and you can view all thirty six (including eight late entries) here.

We'll be setting up the voting page shortly, but meantime go and peruse the handiwork of your fellow BowieNetters and ready yourself to cast your vote.

Don't forget to check out the brilliant non-competition entry from Zardoz by clicking on the image above, which hints at just four of the ten or so clickable bits of audio/visual fun to be had.

FOOTNOTE: Ooops. As pointed out by BowieNetter RaMOANa, we said in that last news piece that the contest is open until midnight of July 17th UK time and not June 17th. I guess that means we're going to have to keep it open for another month for any of you that thought you still had plenty of time to enter. Sorry folx.

Ricky Gervais On Desert Island Discs

I walk through a desert island song...

As suggested above, Ricky Gervais is the castaway for the upcoming Desert Island Discs presented by Kirsty Young this coming Sunday, June 24th, 11:15am to midday on Radio 4.

The only question remaining is: will Ricky follow in the footsteps of fellow Bowie fans, Tracey Emin (Young Americans), Charles Kennedy (Young Americans), Neil Tennant (Changes) and erm, Jeremy Clarkson ("Heroes"), by picking a Bowie song? Tune in to find out.

You can listen online by clicking on the image above.

Bowieball In Nyc On Friday...tv's There, Db's Not

The Pretty Things Are Going To BowieBall...

If you're in New York City on Friday you'd have to be a bit mad not to attend the latest BOWIEBALL at Don Hills in Greenwich St, which has been organised to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Ziggy Stardust's release. (06.06.2007 NEWS: ZIGGY STARDUST IS THIRTY FIVE TODAY)

You can glean all the information you need about the evening's entertainment by reading the flyer below, or by visiting WWW.BOWIEBALLNYC.COM

You may have already had an e-mail regarding BOWIEBALL, in which the organisers hint: "we've gotten word that the man himself will show!"

I asked DB if this was likely, but sadly, he told me that though he would have loved to have gone, he has to be somewhere else on the night.

Also, some of the early publicity mentions the presence of one Earl Slick, but regrettably he's not going to be able to make it either.

However, Tony Visconti will be there as guest bass player for Semi Precious Weapons, and it looks like the whole thing will be too much fun.

Check out some great photos from the last BOWIEBALL over at WWW.BOWIEBALLNYC.COM for a taste of the sort of spectacular crowd that the event attracts. Takes me right back to the Bowie Nights at Billy's and Blitz in London...*sigh*. To recap...

*BOWIEBALL*

Date: Friday June 15 2007, 10 pm-4am
Location: Don Hill's (511 Greenwich St.)
Dress Code: Vermillion Mullets, Thespian Jumpsuits & Space Age Lame!
Cost: $10 w/RSVP or Costume $15 without
RSVP: BowieBall@gmail.com
WWW.BOWIEBALLNYC.COM

Lou Reed And Devo On Working With David Bowie

?Hey white boy, what you doin' uptown?? Two old friends greet each other at
W New York Union Square during a dinner in honour of Lou Reed back in April.

It's a real mean team...

Lou Reed has been giving some rare interviews in advance of forthcoming UK performances of his classic 1973 album Berlin. In his interview with Radio 2?s Mark Radcliffe Lou was asked about his relationship with David Bowie after the release of Transformer:

MR: You?d been working with David Bowie, and you moved from working with him to Bob Ezrin. Was that a deliberate shift in gear? Or did David Bowie go off and do something else and leave you in the lurch like the heartless beast he is?

LR: David Bowie is a truly great guy and I really love him dearly. I never thought he was in charge of my recording career. There was (that) one time and one time only. A great experience for both of us. I?ve always thought of David as a really stand-up guy. He?s always there if you need him. Really, incredibly talented. I?m sure Wild Side and Perfect Day wouldn?t have been a hit without David or Ronson. You know Ronson?s arrangements?

MR: Absolutely

LR: And David?s incredible background vocals. He was a great producer I thought.

You can listen to the whole interview on this link. The Lou Reed interview starts at around 1hr 19mins in to the show.

Lou also gave exclusive interviews to Mark Riley for BBC 6 Music (forward to 1hr 38mins to listen) and Terry Christian for BBC Manchester (not archived at the moment).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also in the news this week, seminal artrockers Devo have been giving interviews in conjunction with their imminent Meltdown appearance and short UK tour. Devo were also early recipients of David?s unique brand of enthusiasm and encouragement and they touched on this briefly in an interview for The Event Guide.

Q: Having people like Bowie, Eno, Iggy Pop and Robert Fripp championing you very early on must have helped enormously.

A: That was great, having people that we respected, people who inspired us, it was very gratifying to have them offering to help us, trying to nurture us.

:))

First Random Picture Contest Winner

You made me forget myself...

We posted a picture from a dinner in honour of Lou Reed at the W New York - Union Square, (04.27.2007 NEWS: DB ATTENDS DINNER IN HONOUR OF LOU REED) for the first of our random picture contests last month. (05.30.2007 NEWS: WIN SIGNED ITEM IN FIRST RANDOM PICTURE CONTEST)

For the contest we asked you to identify the four people around the table in the picture we posted and to tell us what recording unites all four of them.

Well, 99% of you identified them as Bono, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and David Bowie and you went on to correctly state that they all appeared on the BBC's 1997 Perfect Day recording in aid of the Children in Need fund.

The winner gets a copy of the above CD (without the flashing red boxes) personalised by David Bowie himself.

If the winner would like to contact me with details of how they want their CD personalised, (i.e., real name or BowieNet user name) we'll get the wheels in motion ASAP.

I suppose you want to know you are, dear winner? Well, you go by the BowieNet user name of skyline.

For those not familiar with the track, click on the cover above and follow the breakdown below of exactly who performed which bits on this magnificent version of Perfect Day...

Lou Reed - Just a perfect day, Drink Sangria in the park...
Bono - ...And then later, when it gets dark...
Morcheeba - ...We go home....
David Bowie - ...Just a perfect day...
Suzanne Vega - ...Feed animals in the zoo...
Elton John - ...Then later, a movie, too, And then home...
Boyzone - ...Oh it's such a perfect day...
Lesley Garrett - ...I'm glad I spent it with you...
Burning Spear - ...Oh! such a perfect day...
Bono - ...You just keep me hanging on...
Thomas Allen - ...You just keep me hanging on...
Brodsky Quartet - Instrumental
Heather Small - ...Just a perfect day...
Emmylou Harris - ...Problems all left alone...
Tammy Wynette - ...Weekenders on our own...
Shane McGowan - ...It's such fun...
Sheona White - Instrumental
Dr. John - ...Just a perfect day...
David Bowie - ...You made me forget myself...
Robert Cray - ...I thought I was someone else...
Huey - ...Someone good...
Ian Broudie - ...Oh! it's such a perfect day...
Gabrielle - ...I'm glad I spent it with you...
Dr. John - ...Oh such a perfect day...
Evan Dando - ...You just keep me hanging on...
Emmylou Harris - ...You just keep me hanging on...
Courtney Pine - Instrumental
Andrew Davis/BBC Symphony Orchestra - Instrumental
Brett Anderson - ...You're going to reap just what you sow...
Visual Ministry Choir - ...Reap, reap reap...
Joan Armatrading - ...You're going to reap...
Laurie Anderson - ...Just what you sow...
Heather Small - ...You're going to reap just what you sow...
Tom Jones - ...You're going to reap just what you sow...
Visual Ministry Choir - ...Reap, reap reap what you sow...
Lou Reed - ...Oh! What a perfect day...

Stay tuned for another random picture contest shortly.

Recognition Of Life On Mars?' Genius Continues

Just about the best you can hear...

The recognition of Life On Mars? by the world at large as the best song ever written, continues in this week's NME, issue dated June 9. You can read what they had to say about the song, above. Good to see their enthusiasm for the possibility of future Bowie live dates is as keen as yours...But, as NME says, if only it were true.

There has been fair appreciation of the song so far this year, as reflected in these stories: 01.17.2007 NEWS: BOWIE SONG ON FACTORY GIRL SOUNDTRACK & 04.07.2007 NEWS: LIFE ON MARS ENDS ON TUESDAY WITH TWO BOWIE CLASSICS & 04.15.2007 NEWS: LIFE ON MARS BACK IN THE UK SINGLES CHART & 05.18.2007 NEWS: LIFE ON MARS? 'GREATEST SONG EVER WRITTEN'

I also stumbled upon this review of the Life On Mars TV show soundtrack in a local newspaper...

Obviously somebody else who appreciates the classic Hunky Dory opus...Hang on a minute, though. Karen Dawson? Hallo Spaceface!

Post 5671

Watch Db's Lifetime Achievement Webby Award Speech

Never look back, walk tall, act fine...

Earlier in the week we said we'd hopefully have more for you of David Bowie's attendance at the 11th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on June 5th. (06.06.2007 NEWS: BOWIE ACCEPTS WEBBY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD)

Well, you can't get much more than this, another exclusive shot, above, plus footage from the event, below, including David's introduction and THAT acceptance speech in full...all in far greater quality than you've seen elsewhere.