Reality Live Review In Vernon Morning Star

TO BE PLAYED AT MAXIMUM VOLUME...

The Vernon Morning Star (That's Vernon, British Columbia, Canada) published a review of the A Reality Tour live double CD at the end of last month that's worth a read if you haven't already seen it.

You can read the full thing here, but here's the concluding paragraph to make sense of today's lyric quotation...OK, it's not a lyric, but you get my drift...

"Hearing his music live gives it a surprising context ?? it still sounds from the future ?? and renews the original vision. It?s music that seems removed, but feels deeply connected, and demands the decibels that the stage provides. Bowie proves that age doesn?t matter, passion does."

Tribute To The Berlin Trilogy In Italy Next Month

I, I can remember, standing, by the wall...

Alexander Macinante has been in touch with details of an event in Italy next month for which he supplied the following blurb...

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Inside ? The sound of the divided Berlin

Tuesday 8th june will see the debut of a new italian show dedicated to the legendary Berlin Trilogy.

"Inside ? The sound of the divided Berlin", produced by Ondesferiche, features a selection of tracks from David Bowie?s masterpieces "Low", "Heroes" and Lodger", all performed live, accompanied by action art and projections that aim to take the audience in the late 70?s Berlin, "a city cut off from the world" as Bowie said.

Setlist features some of the most beautiful and haunting instrumental tracks ever, like "Subterraneans", "Neuköln" and "Weeping wall", and rock gems like "Joe the lion", "Repetition" and the inevitable "Heroes".

The show debuts Tuesday 8th june in Asti, Italy, at the Palazzo Alfieri, as part of "Passepartout", one of the main literature festivals in Italy, promoted by the Asti Library. Since 2004, the festival has a different theme every year, around which shows, concerts, meetings and laboratories are built. This year?s theme is the fall of the Berlin wall, and this sounded like the right occasion to create a music event about the Berlin Trilogy.

Live Band: Alexander Macinante, Matteo Curallo, Manuel Daniele, Edoardo Accornero. Projections and "sand art": Licio Esposito. Showstarts at 10 p.m., free admittance.

More details will appear soon on www.passepartoutfestival.it

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I'm afraid I know no more about the event than you do now and I'm duty bound to point out that this project is not officially endorsed. However, if you do attend, please tell us what you thought of it.

Space Oddity Acetate Fetches $1,113 Plus Mojo Feature

You've really made the grade...

The June edition of MOJO magazine has a page and a bit feature regarding the recording of the Space Oddity single at Trident Studios on June 20th 1969.

The item is predominantly an interview with the producer on the day, the late Gus Dudgeon. However, seeing as how the interview wasn't conducted from beyond the grave, you've probably read it before.

The piece ends on a nice bit of synchronicity with the paragraph below, which also explains the presence of the MOON DVD to David's left in the picture above...

Inset in the montage above is the label from a 10? Space Oddity double-sided UK mono Trident acetate that has just gone on eBay for $1,113.00. The rectangular label is from the bag it was housed in.

If you're quick you can still view the original eBay page here, where you can also listen to a recording taken from the acetate.

The same eBayer also sold a 12? double-sided two disc UK mono Trident acetate for the David Bowie/Space Oddity album for $1,313.00.

Like the 10" single acetate which runs at 5:02 mins, the running times on the above time sheet for this double disc don't tally with the released version...and the running order for the album is quite different too.

If you were the buyer, perhaps you would let us know if there are any obvious differences, or subtle ones come to that, between the acetate and the released version of the album.

Happy 18th Anniversary David And Iman

When I'm forty five, I will jump in puddles, laugh in church and marry Iman...

Today is the eighteenth anniversary of David and Iman's civil wedding ceremony at Lausanne Registry Office, on April 24th, 1992. A formal church ceremony was later held in Florence.

The modern US doo dah for eighteen years is porcelain...so perhaps David will sing China Girl to Iman this evening. Sorry.

BowieNet members can join in and wish David and Iman a very special day by contributing to this message board thread, this year started by Bianca.

Bowie On Cover Of Mick Rock's Exposed

Photograph king, watches you go...

Due via Chronicle Books on July 28th, 2010, is Mick Rock's latest photographic collection, Exposed, featuring the rather tasty front cover above.

Aside from 200 of his finest shots selected from forty years worth of rock photography, the book also has a foreword by playwright Tom Stoppard and an afterword by producer, impresario and author, Andrew Loog Oldham

Here's the blurb...

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Exposed -- Mick Rock's photo career began with him sneaking his camera into rock shows; it ignited when he started shooting a practically unknown David Bowie in 1972 and then went on to document the rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust. Since then Mick's become a legend himself, shooting a who's who of rock, punk, and pop icons and capturing the images of stars right as they became part of the pop firmament.

Exposed collects 200 of his best photos across nearly 40 years, including unforgettable images of Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Blondie, Queen, Iggy Pop, the Sex Pistols, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Killers, Lady Gaga, U2, and many more. Featuring a revealing introduction, narrative captions, and an illuminating foreword by playwright Tom Stoppard, Exposed is a gorgeous visual celebration for music fans.

Mick Rock's photographs have helped define the image of rock 'n' roll, and have been featured on numerous album covers and in solo exhibitions around the world. He lives in New York City.

Tom Stoppard is a playwright, author, and screenwriter whose work includes Rock 'n' Roll and The Coast of Utopia. He lives London.

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We'll give you more details of the Bowie content nearer publication.

32-page Bowie Section In Art Of Classic Rock Book

Ain't that poster love?

I'm sure a few of you must have stumbled upon this already. But, even though it was published on September 3rd in the UK last year, it's still well worth a mention here.

The Art of Classic Rock - Rock Memorabilia, Tour Posters and Merchandise from the 70s and 80s by Rob Roth and Paul Grushkin, is a beautifully illustrated, large format hardback with over 750 colour photographs.

Published by Goodman Books, this lavish tome boasts a 32-page Bowie section packed with Bowie promotional posters, adverts, tour passes and shop displays from Ziggy Stardust through to A Reality Tour.

A couple of small misgivings...the captions aren't always accurate and the main body of the text is simply a potted history of each artist by Paul Grushkin that doesn't really offer anything new, though there are a couple of interesting bits with Rex Ray in the Bowie section.

However, the biggest disappointment for me is that I would have loved to have had Rob Roth's own angle on how he amassed the collection and the story behind the most interesting items...a wasted opportunity I feel.

Minor grumbles aside, the book is still worth every penny for the visual content alone. And while I know there are a few of us collectors with a more impressive Bowie collection than that featured in the book, you have to remember that Rob Roth has sizeable archives by eight artists and this probably isn't a complete record of his collection by any means.

The Art of Classic Rock isn't available in the US until October 26th, 2010, where it will be published by Collins Design.

Bowie Tribute For Cats In Minneapolis Friday

A real cool cat...

If you're in Minneapolis on Friday night, why not scurry along to REBEL, REBEL - Rock for Pussy VII - A Tribute To David Bowie ...an event that raises awareness of no-kill cat shelters.

Here's the cream...

ROCK FOR PUSSY VII, a musical tribute to David Bowie with proceeds to benefit the MN Valley Humane Society featuring Jim Walsh, Christian Erickson, Benjaman Somers Bachman, Lori Barbero, Matt Coffee, Janey Winterbauer, John Eller, David Campbell, Randy Casey, Noah Levy, Dan Wilson, Sam Keenan, Liam Watkins, Ciaran Daly, Laurie Lindeen, John Munson, Chris Pericelli, George Mckelvey, Venus and All the Pretty Horses, Chris Pavlich, Tommy Alsides, Steve Price and many more!!

REBEL, REBEL - Rock for Pussy VII - A Tribute To David Bowie
Friday, April 23rd, 2010 / 8:00 pm
18+ $8.00 adv | $10.00 door
701 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN, 55403-1327

So, if you're a cat person in Minneapolis this evening, or just a fan of David Bowie's music, get along to First Avenue for what looks like being an evening where everything is just Hunky Dory.

Uk Starman Picture Sleeve Worth A Ton According To Rc

'Cos he knows it's all worth loads...

The May edition of Record Collector has the following exchange between a disgruntled reader and Ian Shirley, editor of the magazine's Rare Record Price Guide...

Not sure I agree with RC's valuation...actually, I am sure, I don't agree. I'm not going to have yet another rant about this, but surely the only way to gauge the current value of a record is to study the recent sales history.

The only UK copies of Starman to go for that much have been demos with a picture sleeve. But even then a UK demo with a M- picture sleeve fetched only £51 just over a year ago.

Generally you're unlikely to have to pay much more than fifty to sixty quid for a decent copy and you can pick up a demo without a picture sleeve relatively cheaply too.

I think the £30 dealer offer for a copy with a torn sleeve was more than fair considering he has to try and make a profit too.

Having said that, there are copies of Starman worth considerably more than £100.

In 2008, a copy of the Angolan picture sleeve, above left, fetched a remarkable £1,750, while in the same year a UK white label promo copy, above right, went for a not too shabby £733!

Holly Johnson On David Bowie In Q And On The One Show

The church of man love is such a Holly place to be...

You may have seen the February edition of Q magazine, wherein Holly Johnson was the owner of that month's featured record collection.

Like Elly Jackson in the same feature of the May issue of Q, (04.04.2010 NEWS: HOW TO BUY BOWIE IN Q, PLUS LA ROUX AND IGGY POP ON DB) Holly has chosen two David Bowie albums out of the nine from his collection.

Here's what he chose: The Album That Validated My Sexuality was Aladdin Sane and The Album That Soundtracked A Year was The Idiot. OK, strictly speaking the latter was released as an Iggy Pop album, but it's as much a Bowie album to my mind...and I'm sure you're tired of me saying so!

Holly also popped up on the BBC's The One Show recently. This was for an eight minute feature: The First Album I Ever Bought.

Holly talked about the "bird of paradise landing in our front room" when he first witnessed Starman on TOTPs. He then went on to say how the combined effect of Starman, the Ziggy Stardust album and seeing Bowie at the Liverpool Empire in 1973 changed his life.

He also talked about how he got to chat with his hero when Bowie phoned him up and that DB was everything Holly had hoped he would be.

David Bowie Films On Itunes...in Some Territories

Hooked to the silver screen...

As you can see from the grab above, there are now four Bowie-related films on iTunes UK. Not sure when they were released digitally, as the dates accompanying each don't actually make much sense at all.

Anyway, I've only just spotted TMWFTE so I think it's a relatively new addition. It's the full-length 139 minute version and it's great to know that I can now watch it WHEREVER I am.

Thinking this was progress of sorts, I decided to check on iTunes US to see if they had the same. This is what I saw...

Twelve films! That's not fair...we want twelve films in the UK too!

Still, poor Germany only has The Prestige, while China and, more incredibly, Japan, don't seem to have any at all...so I'll stop my grumbling for now.

The Annual Bowienet No April Fool Contest Update

Lay the real thing on me...

A couple of weeks or so is probably long enough for you to have dwelt upon this one. (04.01.2010 NEWS: THE ANNUAL BOWIENET NO APRIL FOOL CONTEST!)

We posted seven unusual/rare Bowie items in aforementioned news piece on April Fools' Day, all of which exist in the real world...apart from one of them.

You've had a couple of weeks to research, now to be in with a chance of winning a mystery prize worth winning, simply tell us what that fake item is.

Once you think you know the answer, send it to me here. You have until midnight New York time on April 30th to get your selection in.

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.

Jolly good luck 'n all that.

David Bowie And The 14th Annual Webby Awards

Just a working man, no judge of men...

Though widely reported that David Bowie is still on the judging panel for the 14th annual Webby Awards, I'm sorry to report to those of you excited by the notion that he may have a hand in highlighting your work, that he is no longer a Webby judge.

You may remember that DB actually won the Webby Lifetime Achievement Award himself in 2007, (06.06.2007 NEWS: BOWIE ACCEPTS WEBBY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD) and who could forget his hilarious acceptance speech that went something like this...

"So, only got five words...Shit, that was five...Four right there...Three there...Two..."

Two Bowie Tributes In The Uk On Saturday Night

Singing old songs we loved...

Two Bowie tributes are performing in the UK on Saturday night. First up, for purely alphabetic reasons, is Absolute Bowie who are doing their thing (or David Bowie's I should say) in Barnet in Hertfordshire. Here's the stuff...

Absolute Bowie
Saturday April 17th
The Buzz Club
Underhill Stadium
Barnet , Herts
EN5 2DN
Ticket Line: 0208 761 9078

You can view more details on the Absolute Bowie site here.

Next up is...

Laurence and his merry men are celebrating David Bowie's upcoming Glastonbury tenth anniversary with a two part show. The first part will delve into Bowie's 2000 Glastonbury set, while the second half of the show will nod more towards the Reality show.

Here's a bit from Laurence...

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As well as being a show celebrating David Bowie as a timeless artist, we will also be paying tribute to Alexander McQueen who as you know passed away a few weeks back.

You would have seen Laurence clad in the `Union Flag` coat at previous gigs, a coat by McQueen. On this occasion the jacket, also by Alexander McQueen, worn by David Bowie at Glastonbury is being lovingly re-created by special commission. A beautiful piece that pays fitting tribute to another one of the UK`s great artists.

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The Bowie Experience intend to perform a two and a half hour set, so it's probably best to have a wee before you set off for the gig.

Glastonbury to Reality
The Bowie Experience
Saturday 17th April
Mr Kyps,
8a Parr Street,
Lower Parkstone,
Poole,
Dorset
Tel 01202 748945

Bowie Portrait In Npg Top 10 Plus Beatles To Bowie Tour

I'd send my photograph to my honey...

Those of you in the UK that missed the NPG's Beatles to Bowie: the 60s exposed exhibition in London, and the touring version at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne (quick it's there until Sunday April 18) can now see it from May 8th to September 5th 2010 at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery.

As you may have gathered from the headline, David Bowie's image is one of the the top ten best selling photographic postcards at the National Portrait Gallery. It's the Mick Rock shot in the montage above taken in young Zowie's bedroom at Haddon Hall in 1972.

Bowie joins a select handful to make up this top ten, listed alphabetically below in a kind of alphabetical list...

The Beatles (NPG P577) by Linda McCartney
David Bowie (NPG P755) by Mick Rock
MIchael Caine (NPG P951) by David Bailey
Sir Winston Churchill (NPG P490(17)) by Yousuf Karsh
Audrey Hepburn (NPG x40179) by Cecil Beaton
John Lennon (NPG P575) by Linda McCartney
Christopher Robin MIlne (NPG x36153) by Marcus Adams
The Rolling Stones (NPG x88063) by Gered Mankowitz
Twiggy (NPG x125452) by Ronald Traeger
Virginia Woolf (NPG P221) by George Charles Beresford

I'm not sure you buy the Bowie card individually online right now, but you can purchase the full set here for six quid.

Bowie 45 Poll Results And Signed Rebel Rebel Winner

Hot tramp, I love you so...

There's a chance that you'll still remember this one that we set back in February. (02.22.2010 NEWS: GREAT BIG BOWIE 45 PLUS WIN SIGNED REBEL REBEL CARD)

We asked you to choose a Bowie 45 label that you would have preferred to Ziggy Stardust as one of Morgan Howell's artworks, while also working as a T-shirt design.

Well, funnily enough it turned out to be Rebel Rebel with the orange RCA label, as above, though you did choose three different variants of the RCA bag between you.

Here's the top five, as chosen by you, with vote amounts in brackets...

Rebel Rebel (83)
Starman (59)
The Laughing Gnome (51)
Ashes To Ashes (49)
Memory Of A Free Festival Part 1 (37)

I don't think anybody could have predicted that, though I think perhaps The Laughing Gnome got a higher placing than it might have done had this poll been open to BowieNet members only.

Anyway, the prize (an unnumbered version of the above single and signed card) goes to BowieNetter db1964. Send me your details and I'll send you your Rebel Rebel.

On the subject of Morgan Howell's artworks, which is what kicked all this off in the first place, Dylan Jones (GQ editor), has bought Ziggy Stardust complete with the now correct RCA bag from supersizeart.com.

Read about Jones' world of pop paraphernalia in The Independent.

Gervais Talks About Cemetery Junction Soundtrack

We're juvenile delinquent wrecks...

Ricky Gervais has been talking to The Guardian newspaper about the songs on the Cemetery Junction soundtrack that we told you about at the start of February. (02.01.2010 NEWS: ALL THE YOUNG DUDES IN NEW GERVAIS/MERCHANT TRAILER)

Here's what he said regarding All The Young Dudes...

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"Don't wanna stay alive, when you're 25". Even though Cemetery Junction is set in a different time, I suppose we were trying to say that the attitude of youth never change. This song sort of became the anthem of the movie. It was written by David Bowie but of course made famous by Mott the Hoople. We used the Bowie version because his vocal gives the song more of an outsider feel."

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As I pointed out in that original news piece, the version used is actually the Bowie/Mott The Hoople hybrid version available on the most recently remastered version of the Bowie-produced All The Young Dudes album.

When Ricky says: "This song sort of became the anthem of the movie", that's certainly borne out by the trailer and the TV advert which both feature All The Young Dudes exclusively.

You can read Ricky's comments on the rest of the soundtrack over at The Guardian.

More Clark For Uk, Australia And Luxembourg

I take it on the road...

Following on from the announcement of London and Brighton dates for come, been and gone in June, (03.24.2010 NEWS: TICKETS FOR NEW RUN OF COME, BEEN AND GONE ON SALE NOW) The Michael Clark Company has now released details of a UK tour, which kicks off in Norwich on May 10th and continues through May via Coventry and Sheffield before reaching London on June 3rd.

There's then a break following the June 15th Brighton date until October performances in Melbourne and November dates in Luxembourg. Don't be surprised if the show has changed yet again before October comes around though.

Go here for more details and booking information. There may still be more to come, so stay tuned for updates.

Pose With Or As David Bowie With Faceinhole.com

Press your space face close to mine, love...

BBC 6 Music's Marc Riley sent me the image above, which is of his daughter Kate utilising the latest online sensation that is known as FACEinHOLE.com.

There's already a section dedicated to David Bowie and I look forward to seeing some of your efforts which I'll post on these pages if we get a few participants.

In the triptych above I have used a photograph I took of Doodica, (a 'bag lady') who is a lovely local character we let sunbathe in our garden when the weather permits. She allowed me to use her likeness in exchange for a nice bottle of Diamond White.

Tin Machine Ii In The 50 Greatest Lost Albums

You belong in rock 'n roll, Well so do I...

The headline says it...this is according to UNCUT magazine and I have to say I agree with them. Here's what they say about Tin Machine II...

Personally I feel both Tin Machine albums are way underrated, written off all too readily by people who haven't bothered to listen to them. There's easily a whole album's worth of great Bowie songs one can compile from all the Tin Machine releases.

In fact, below is the tracklisting I've done for my Tin Machine best of playlist: Psycho-Time-Bomb Planet.

The only rules I set myself with these playlists are that they must be a maximum of twelve songs and under forty five minutes...just like the good old vinyl album days! ;-)

01 - Tin Machine (3:34)
02 - Prisoner Of Love (4:50)
03 - I Can't Read (4:54)
04 - Amazing (3:04)
05 - Bus Stop (1:41)
06 - Run (3:20)
07 - Baby Universal (3:18)
08 - You Belong In Rock 'N Roll (4:07)
09 - Amlapura (3:46)
10 - Betty Wrong (3:48)
11 - Shopping For Girls (3:44)
12 - Goodbye Mr. Ed (3:24)

That's twelve tracks clocking in at 43 minutes and 30 seconds.

I know many of you will violently disagree with that tracklisting, but give it a listen. I think it's a great compilation that stands up well alongside many of Bowie's better appreciated albums. Feel free to send in your own versions, if I get a few I'll post them here.

Anyway, I hope justice will prevail one day and eventually both TM and TM2 will be recognised as the valuable recordings they are.

FOOTNOTE: For the spotters among you, that's the South Korean and Argentian vinyl pressings at the top of this piece.

Db And You In The May Edition Of The Word?

I like your face in the crowd...

I've been waiting for the The Word to send the May subscriber link to this one so you can view it a little more clearly, but it doesn't seem to be forthcoming so here's a close-up of a section of the crowd and what the mag says about the above picture anyway...

We'd love to hear from any of the fans in this shot. Please get in touch if you were there when this picture was taken. Or even better, show us how your pictures came out?