Live Santa Monica ?72 Contest Option 1

I asked for an autograph?

Starting today I?ll be posting pictures of the prizes available to BowieNet members in our David Bowie ? Live Santa Monica ?72 contest. Above is a signed copy of the CD package.

I?ll post a different prize each day up until, and including, Friday, and then on Saturday you?ll be able to enter the contest by simply choosing which one of the five prizes you?d prefer.

The twist is that you?ll only be able to enter for one of the five options and we won?t be telling you how many of each prize we have until we announce the winners.

But don?t panic, from Sunday you?ll have a whole week to decide which prize to go for.

David Bowie ? Live Santa Monica ?72 Released Today

You're the blessed, We're The Spiders From Mars...

Reading through the BowieNet message boards and indeed some of the fan site boards too, it seems that those of you that have been lucky enough to get David Bowie ? Live Santa Monica ?72 early are more than pleased with both the packaging and the remastered sound.

Uncut magazine and NME in the UK have already given the album very favourable reviews, (05.24.2008 NEWS: FOUR STAR SANTA MONICA REVIEW IN UNCUT & 06.26.2008 NEWS: NME GIVES LIVE SANTA MONICA '72 8 OUT OF 10) and here are excerpts from three more that I?ve found online...

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www.bilboard.com
Here, the Spiders sound otherworldly, lean yet monstrous, simple and lethal on "Hang on to Yourself" but majestic and dramatic on a ten-minute "The Width of a Circle," flipping a hat to Jacques Brel via Scott Walker on "My Death," then stripping down such grandiose Hunky Dory tunes as "Life on Mars?" to the essentials.

What's special about this is that a night like this was indeed captured -- and with each passing year this seems more and more like the best Bowie live album.

www.guardian.co.uk
With guitarist Mick Ronson in his pomp and the band racing on adrenaline, many of the superbly recorded 17 songs are at least equal to their studio versions. The occasional unwelcome tape splice doesn't stop Bowie sounding thrillingly possessed, whether reaching out in Rock'n'Roll Suicide to tell an alienated generation "You're not alone!" or asking for "pliers, or a strong hand" in a voice so unearthly it could be from a seance.

www.virginradio.co.uk
Make no mistake. This is a work of major significance that should not be passed over. ESSENTIAL.

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Stay tuned for David Bowie ? Live Santa Monica ?72 contest news which will start today and end on Friday with different items every day.

Iselectbowie Cd Available Now

It's happening now...

In the unlikely event that you?ve forgotten about this one, consider this your early morning alarm call to get your arse down to your local newsagent to purchase the Mail On Sunday for your free iSELECTBOWIE CD before it?s all sold out. That?s presuming you?re in the UK or Ireland of course.

The above blurb takes up half of the front page of the newspaper and the warning of BEWARE IMITATIONS is no doubt a reference to the fact that The Sunday Express has an even bigger blurb proclaiming: FREE DAVID BOWIE FILM FOR EVERY READER.

To get your 'free' David Bowie film, you do have to sign up for the free 30-day trial with a DVD rental company using a code in The Sunday Express. The three films on offer are The Man Who Fell To Earth, The Labyrinth and The Prestige. Thanx to Sophie 'nothing comes for free' Marketing-Girl for the clarification.

Obviously the Mail On Sunday freebie is the real deal however, and it?s truly a superb hour of some of David Bowie?s very best work. Not to mention the brilliant re-recording of Time Will Crawl made all the more poignant by DB?s explanation of what inspired him to write the song.

As we mentioned yesterday when it was posted online, (06.28.08 NEWS: DAVID'S iSELECTBOWIE ARTICLE IS NOW ONLINE) David?s feature Entitled: DAVID BOWIE: I went to buy some shoes - and I came back with Life On Mars is an absolutely fascinating read and it can be found in the Mail On Sunday 2 supplement. The pictures used for the spread are cropped versions of the same ones that appeared in the online version.

What will we do tomorrow? I know, we?ll run another great contest in celebration of the release of David Bowie ? Live Santa Monica ?72.

Nic Roeg Talks To The Culture Show About Tmwfte & Low

You?re face to face with The Man Who Fell To Earth...

What more needs to be said other than go here to watch it.

Another Exclusive Bowie Bit Before Tomorrow

Tomorrow's really on my mind...

I'm sure nobody reading this needs another reminder regarding the iSELECTBOWIE CD free with tomorrow's Mail On Sunday and The Irish Mail on Sunday.

As you know, aside from the CD itself David has contributed an absorbing insight into each of the twelve tracks, and this one is no exception...

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Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing

I?d failed to obtain the theatrical rights from George Orwell?s widow for the book ?1984? and having written three or more songs for it already I did a fast about-face and recobbled the idea into Diamond Dogs: teen punks on rusty skates living on the roofs of the dystopian Hunger City; a post-apocalyptic landscape. A centerpiece for this would-be stage production was to be Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing which I wrote using William Burroughs?s cut-up method. You write down a paragraph or two describing several different subjects creating a kind of story ingredients-list I suppose and then cut the sentences into four or five word sections; mix ?em up and reconnect them. You can get some pretty interesting idea combinations like this. You can use them as is or if you have a craven need to not lose control bounce off these ideas and write whole new sections.

I was looking to create a profligate world that could have been inhabited by characters from Kurt Weill or John Rechy: that sort of atmosphere. A bridge between Enid Blyton?s Beckenham and The Velvet Underground?s New York. Without Noddy though. I thought it evocative to wander between the melodramatic Sweet Thing croon into the dirty sound of Candidate and back again. For no clear reason (what?s new?) I stopped singing this song around the mid-seventies. Though I?ve never had the patience or discipline to get down to finishing a musical theatre idea other than the rock shows I?m known for, I know what I?d try and produce if I did.

I?ve never been keen on traditional musicals. I find it awfully hard to suspend my disbelief when dialogue is suddenly song. I suppose one of the few people who can make this work is Steven Sondheim with works like ?Assassins? or ?Sunday in the Park with George?. I much prefer through-sung pieces where there is little if any dialogue at all. Sweeny Todd is a good example of course. Peter Grimes and The Turn of the Screw, both operas by Benjamin Britten and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny by Kurt Weill. How fantastic to be able to create something like that. - David Bowie 2008

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What a great read...Expect much more of the same tomorrow in the Mail On Sunday.

If you missed the previous two excerpts we posted here, check these out: 06.16.2008 NEWS: NEW BOWIE RECORDING ON M.O.S. iSELECTBOWIE CD & 06.22.2008 NEWS: LIFE ON MARS SINGLE IS 35 TODAY - DB REMEMBERS

David's Iselectbowie Article Is Now Online

It's happening now, Not tomorrow...

Following on from the item below, It seems the Mail On Sunday has decided to publish David's comments on the iSELECTBOWIE CD early.

Entitled: DAVID BOWIE: I went to buy some shoes - and I came back with Life On Mars, it's an absolutely fascinating piece and you can read the whole thing by going here, or by clicking on the wonderful, previously unpublished photo of the young mod above, pictured wandering around a 1967 car park for no immediately obvious reason.

FOOTNOTE: If you're in the UK, keep an eye out for the iSELECTBOWIE TV advert that's already been shown a few times tonight...It's great.

George Underwood Painting In Ra Summer Exhibition

The paintings are all your own...

I had the delightful pleasure of accompanying George Underwood around the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition in London yesterday.

George had one of his own pictures on show called I Believe In You. That's him above stood directly beneath it.

The painting is one of George's most recent and it's price tag of £8,500 didn't deter some wise buyer from snapping it up on the preview night.

Click on the image above to see a picture of George working on I Believe In You and while you're there take a look around his site to see more of his incredible work.

Don't forget that the beautiful Ziggy enamel pin set is still available...but it won't be for ever. So order your set before you regret not doing so and end up having to pay four times the amount on eBay at some point in the future.

FOOT NOTE: The first person to e-mail me with the reason why today's lyric quotation is more pertinent than you may at first think will win an appropriate prize.

Life Beyond Mars Cd Contest Winners

You gotta act tall, think big,...

We set this contest last week, (06.20.2008 NEWS: LIFE BEYOND MARS CD CONTEST) wherin we tempted you all with one of ten copies of the above Life Beyond Mars: Bowie Covered CD, kindly donated by Rapster Records.

This was clearly harder for you than I thought it would be and in fact we only just managed to get ten sets of correct answers.

Here are those answers...

Question 1: In 1974 two different female singers released Bowie cover versions as singles that were produced by Bowie and Mick Ronson and had guest contributions from the pair too. We want to know who those two women were and what Bowie songs they covered?

Answer 1: Those two women were Lulu and Dana Gilespie who released The Man Who Sold The World and Andy Warhol as singles in 1974 respectively.

Question 2: Name aforementioned first credited Bowie composition and the artist who released it even before Bowie released it himself.

Answer 2: This was the one that threw the great majority of you. I knew it was tough, which is why I gave you a bit of a clue at the time with the lyric quotation: 'Cos you're playing with the spider who possess the sky...

Of course, the song was Take My Tip and Kenny Miller recorded and released it as an A-side on Stateside in 1965 before DB's own version with The Manish Boys surfaced as the B-side of I Pity The Fool on Parlophone months later.

The ten Bowie brainboxes that got it right weren't even selected by The Random Generator, as they were the only ten members to get it right, and here they are....

arabia
j_lope
carlislekeif
maarten
Postmodernlover
scotty
thebewleybro
tonyday
visitor
zig

You know the drill...name, rank and number and we'll send you your CD pronto.

Thanx again to Rapster Records and don't forget to visit the official Life Beyond Mars mini-site.

STOP PRESS: It seems we have an eleventh winner in Diamonddude1...our e-mail filter couldn't make sense of his subject line...but a manual override saved the day.

Nme Gives Live Santa Monica '72 8 Out Of 10

He's in the best selling show...

NME has awarded David Bowie - Live Santa Monica '72 an impressive 8 out of 10 in the above review from the 28th June issue of the magazine.

You'll hopefully be able to read it in full if it gets posted on their reviews page next week. Meanwhile, here are a few lines from it...

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The reason for its position as a supernova in glam rock's firmament is obvious from the first breathless chords of 'Hang On To Yourself'.

It's a snapshot of a songwriter riding a comet's tail of creativity...More live albums should be like this. This is Bowie at his passionate and sexy best...

This feels real. Unlike most live albums, 'Live Santa Monica '72' genuinely captures a special moment in time...

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Stay tuned for our David Bowie - Live Santa Monica '72 contests coming up over the next few days.

Coincidentally, the venue itself celebrates its 50th year this month. Here's a link sent in by BowieNetter Marjorie Hammond.

Rebel Rebel Exhibition Opens In New York

Hang him on my wall...

Actor Elijah Wood and model Riley Keough (Elvis Presley?s granddaughter, above) encouraged the likes of Joshua Jackson, Agyness Deyn and May Anderson to furnish their walls in the name of charity last night when the pair co-hosted a reception for The Art of Elysium (an organisation of artists, actors and musicians voluntarily dedicating their time and talent to children battling serious medical conditions) at Chelsea's Milk Studios in New York.

On sale at the benefit were works from Rebel Rebel a special collaboration between Mick Rock and Russell Young that feature many of Rock's iconic shots of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed.

Wood, who recently entered the world of art collecting himself, said of the huge Warholesque works: "It definitely takes balls to put one of these up in your house, it's intimidating and it's expensive."

However, his co-host seemed up for the challenge: "This would go in my room," said Keough of the shocking pink David Bowie portrait above. "My room has a lot of random shit in it."

Mick (it's a hard job, but somebody has to do it) Rock, (sandwiched between model Agyness Deyn and Riley Keough above) had this to say of the collaboration with Russell Young: "Some photos have a habit of hanging around, and in his quiet and persistent way, Russell convinced me that he's approached these images with the necessary sensibility and respect."

You can judge that for yourself by visiting Rebel Rebel at the Milk Gallery, 450 W. 15th St., NYC. But you better hurry as it apparently closes on Friday.

Those of you that can't make it to the gallery will have to content yourselves with more of Dimitrios Kambouris' excellent photos from last night over at WireImage.com.

Stay Tuned For 1960s Bowie Collectors Special

Tapping out your memories...

Above are just two of the items featured in the next Bowie Collectors which we'll be running here in the next day or two.

As it's been a longer gap than usual since the last feature, we've decided to show you a few of the particularly rare items in the collections of two different BowieNetters, (both Simons) concentrating exclusively on items from the 1960s.

I can almost hear you salivating already.

Iselectbowie Cd Available This Coming Sunday...not Last!

Any day now... (Well, Sunday to be precise)

More concerned e-mails regarding the iSELECTBOWIE CD. It seems some of you were expecting it with the Mail On Sunday published on the weekend just gone, Sunday, June 22nd.

But, as we stated in previous stories, ((06.16.2008 NEWS: NEW BOWIE RECORDING ON M.O.S. iSELECTBOWIE CD & 06.21.2008 NEWS: M.O.S. iSELECTBOWIE CD ALSO AVAILABLE IN IRELAND) it's actually with this coming weekend's Mail On Sunday and The Irish Mail on Sunday both published Sunday, June 29th.

If you're one of those generous sorts helping out fellow BowieNetters to get a copy, it may be a good idea to order up front as some newsagents may put a limit on the amount you can buy and it's bound to sell out very quickly anyway.

Stay tuned for another bit from DB regarding one of the songs on the CD, shortly.

Tufo Celebrates Ziggy Stardust In Ireland

Strange, mad celebration...

BowieNetter paulbyrne has been in touch with details of his band's plans for this coming Saturday...

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Hi Blam, wanted to let you know of an upcoming gig by The Universal Funk Orchestra celebrating, by recreating, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.

The date is Saturday June 28th and the place is a brand spanking new theatre in the heart of sunny Greystones. Which is in Wicklow, the county just below Dublin.

The plan, as ever, is to have five or six guest singers help us make our way from the first track to the last, before encoring with some old favourites such as "Heroes", The Man Who Sold The World, Fame and All The Young Dudes.

Further info and booking details can be found at www.greystonestheatre.com - Cheers, Paul.

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As ever, if you manage to get along to this gig, please do send in your thoughts about it afterwards.

Maltazard Story Rears Its Ugly Head Yet Again

And I looked and frowned and the monster wasn't me...

Due to recent reports elsewhere, We've had a few e-mails in along the lines of: "I thought you said David Bowie isn't doing Maltazard again!"

Well, you're right, we did say that. (10.15.2007 NEWS: NO BOWIE IN UPCOMING MALTAZARD FILM)

Our denial stands, so if this story shows up again in another six months or so, please ignore it and it might go away.

M.o.s. Live Magazine Feature Online Now

It's happening now, Not tomorrow...

Since posting the piece below, tomorrow's Live magazine article has been posted on the Mail Online site already.

It's a lovely piece written by Dylan Jones, editor of GQ, and you can read the whole thing here while browsing "never before seen pictures of David Bowie".

In it, Dylan lifts snippets from some of his previous Bowie interviews and looks back with fondness at some of his meetings with David.

He also disects the tracklisting for the iSELECTBOWIE CD, which he gives a big thumbs up to.

M.o.s. Iselectbowie Cd Also Available In Ireland

He'll show you tomorrow...

I've had a fair few concerned members contacting me about the availability of the iSELECTBOWIE CD that we gave you exclusive news of last week. (06.16.2008 NEWS: NEW BOWIE RECORDING ON M.O.S. iSELECTBOWIE CD)

Unfortunately, it will only be distributed with the Mail On Sunday in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Ireland. In fact, that's the back cover of the Irish edition above and I know there are collectors worldwide that will need both pressings.

We have enquired about getting boxes of the CDs to distribute among members somehow, but sadly it's looking increasingly unlikely that any will be forthcoming.

My only advice is to get in touch with friends and relatives in aforementioned territories and try to blag a copy from them.

iSELECTBOWIE is free with the June 29th editions of the Mail On Sunday and The Irish Mail on Sunday.

As we mentioned last week, keep an eye out tomorrow for the Mail On Sunday's Live magazine which promises: "...rare and exclusive pictures from David Bowie's personal archive".

The same feature will run in the main newspaper in Ireland as they don't have the Live magazine.

Life On Mars Single Is 35 Today - Db Remembers

Mars happy nation...

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Life On Mars? single release, we've decided to post David's recollections regarding the track from next week's Mail On Sunday feature that will accompany the iSELECTBOWIE CD.

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For this CD compilation I?ve selected twelve of my songs that I don?t seem to tire of. Few of them are well known but many of them still get sung at my concerts. Usually by me. I?ll start off with the hit.

Life On Mars?

This song was so easy. Being young was easy. A really beautiful day in the park, sitting on the steps of the bandstand. ?Sailors bap-bap-bap-bap-baaa-bap?. An anomic (not a ?gnomic?) heroine. Middle class ecstasy. I took a walk to Beckenham High Street to catch a bus to Lewisham to buy shoes and shirts but couldn?t get the riff out of my head. Jumped off two stops into the ride and more or less loped back to the house up on Southend Road.

Workspace was a big empty room with a chaise lounge; a bargain priced art nouveau screen (?William Morris? so I told anyone who asked); a huge overflowing freestanding ashtray and a grand piano. Little else. I started working it out on the piano and had the whole lyric and melody finished by late afternoon. Nice. Rick Wakeman came over a couple of weeks later and embellished the piano part and guitarist Mick Ronson created one of his first and best string parts for this song which now has become something of a fixture in my live shows.

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Not bad for an afternoon's work!

If you missed them the first time, you can read David's comments about the new version of Time Will Crawl in this news story from last week: 06.16.2008 NEWS: NEW BOWIE RECORDING ON M.O.S. iSELECTBOWIE CD.

M.o.s. Live Magazine Online And In The Shops Now!

Sunday...

The headline says it all. We actually posted the online version of this yesterday and the magazine is now on the shelves. Enjoy!

Life Beyond Mars Cd Contest

'Cos you're playing with the spider who possess the sky...

We told you about this one last month (05.26.2008 NEWS: STAY TUNED FOR LIFE BEYOND MARS CD CONTEST) when we promised this very contest ahead of the June 30th release date of this CD.

David Bowie is one of the most covered artists of all time. Indeed, his very first credited composition was released by another artist even before he had released it himself.

And so, for this contest in which we have ten copies of the above Life Beyond Mars: Bowie Covered CD to give away, (kindly donated by Rapster Records) we thought we'd stick to the Bowie covered theme for our questions...

Question 1: In 1974 two different female singers released Bowie cover versions as singles that were produced by Bowie and Mick Ronson and had guest contributions from the pair too. We want to know who those two women were and what Bowie songs they covered?

Question 2: Name aforementioned first credited Bowie composition and the artist who released it even before Bowie released it himself.

That's it...fairly easy for many of you I would imagine...and no doubt devilishly difficult for many more.

Once you have your answers, send them to me here before midday UK time on Friday June 27th.

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. If you do neither of these things you won't be eligible to enter.

The ten winners will be announced on the afternoon of the Friday the contest closes to hopefully give enough time to get the CD to some of you at least in time for the following Monday's release.

Go here to visit the official Life Beyond Mars mini-site.

Kopparberg?s New Advertising Campaign

What?s your name?

Cheeky!