You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving is 55 today

“Sometimes I'm so glad, so glad”

Released this day (August 20th) in 1965 was the Davy Jones 45, You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving.

Baby Loves That Way was on the flip and both songs were composed by the young Jones before he Bowied-up for his next release the following year.

Produced by Shel Talmy (who was producing The Who and The Kinks at the time), and backed by The Lower Third, the influence of Townshend and his gang is more than apparent on both sides of this disc. (Listen to them both on the Bowie 1965! EP.

Today’s graphic is not an attempt at a fake sleeve, rather an illustration of the fact that Ziggy Stardust time travelled to London’s Heddon Street and nicked the young Jones’ hairdo, before he nipped forward seven years for a photo session in the same street. True story.

Either way, Bowie thought enough of both the A and B sides to rerecord them in 2000 for the Toy project. Both remakes were released as extra tracks on the third Everyone Says 'Hi' UK CD single in 2002 and the Japanese Slow Burn CD single in the same year.

#BowieHabit #BowieToy

There’s Something In The Air

“He’s in the best selling show”

As you know, the previously unreleased David Bowie live album, ‘DAVID BOWIE SOMETHING IN THE AIR (LIVE PARIS 99)’ recorded live at the Elysée Montmartre on 14th October, 1999, was available to stream from 14th August.

Have you had a listen yet? What do you think?

If this is the first you’ve heard about this, check out the press release we recently posted.

#BowieSomethingInTheAir

Young Americans 45th gold vinyl due

“What’s your name?”

In celebration of the 45th anniversary of David Bowie’s US release of Fame becoming his first #1 single in the US, Parlophone will issue a limited edition ‘bricks & mortar’* only, gold vinyl version of the album from whence it came, Young Americans.

The Young Americans gold edition will be released next month on Friday 18th September. Fame, co-written with John Lennon and Carlos Alomar, peaked at #1 45 years earlier to the week, on 20th September, 1975.

Fame was preceded by the Young Americans single in the US, a release which was also a Top 30 hit on the BILLBOARD HOT 100 in May of the same year.

Young Americans is the latest in a series of 45th anniversary Bowie vinyl albums reissued in recent years. Previous releases in the series have included gold vinyl versions of Hunky Dory and The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, a silver vinyl release of Aladdin Sane plus a red vinyl edition of Diamond Dogs.

Young Americans tracklisting

Side 1

Young Americans

Win

Fascination

Right

Side 2

Somebody Up There Likes Me

Across The Universe

Can You Hear Me

Fame

*For those unfamiliar with the term, ‘bricks & mortar’ refers to physical stores as opposed to online retailers.

#YoungAmericansGold #BowieFame #BowieVinyl

Ashes To Ashes full length video

“You'd better not mess with Major Tom”

Ashes To Ashes is forty years old today, the video is pretty much what everybody thinks of when they hear it, so our good friend Nacho has made the video a bit longer:

“This video is a new extended edit of David Mallet’s ground-breaking Ashes to Ashes promo video, re-cut to the full-length version of the enduring Bowie classic.”

Check it out here.

#BowieAshesToAshes #NachoBowie

Something In The Air (Live Paris 99) details

“I guess you know I never wanted anyone more than you”

DAVID BOWIE ‘SOMETHING IN THE AIR (LIVE PARIS 99)' ALBUM AVAILABLE TO STREAM FROM 14th AUGUST

'DRIVE-IN SATURDAY' FROM THE ALBUM AUDIO AVAILABLE 7th AUGUST

Parlophone Records is proud to announce the third in a series of three digital David Bowie live releases from the 90s.

The previously unreleased David Bowie live album, ‘DAVID BOWIE SOMETHING IN THE AIR (LIVE PARIS 99)’ recorded live at the Elysée Montmartre on 14th October, 1999, is available to stream from 14th August.

DRIVE-IN SATURDAY from the same show is available as audio from 7th August, with the video premiere on YouTube this evening at 19:00 GMT.

SOMETHING IN THE AIR (LIVE PARIS 99) is a 15-track live album, featuring 12 previously unreleased recordings and three tracks used as B-sides for singles from the ‘hours…’ album. The day of the show was a momentous one for Bowie, as that afternoon he was awarded the Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the highest artistic honour that France can bestow.

The Elysée Montmartre performance was one of only seven full shows performed during the promotion of the ‘hours…’ album. For this special limited run of gigs Bowie dug deep into his back catalogue making these shows particularly memorable. Standout tracks include ‘Can’t Help Thinking About Me’ first released in 1966 and not performed live in over 30 years, 'Word On A Wing' from Station To Station was reinstated into the set after an absence of 23 years. 'Drive-In Saturday' had not been performed since 1974, and ‘hours…’ track 'Something In The Air' made its live debut at this show.

SOMETHING IN THE AIR (LIVE PARIS 99) was recorded live at the Elysée Montmartre, mixed by Mark Plati, and features Page Hamilton - guitar, Gail Ann Dorsey - bass, vocals, Mark Plati – guitar, Sterling Campbell – drums, Mike Garson – piano, keyboards, synthesisers and Emm Gryner and Holly Palmer – backing vocals.

DAVID BOWIE - SOMETHING IN THE AIR (LIVE PARIS 99) TRACKLISTING:

Life On Mars? (David Bowie)

Thursday’s Child (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels)

Something In The Air (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels)

Word On A Wing (David Bowie)

Can’t Help Thinking About Me (David Bowie)

China Girl (David Bowie/Iggy Pop)

Always Crashing In The Same Car (David Bowie)

Survive (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels)

Drive-In Saturday (David Bowie)

Changes (David Bowie)

Seven (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels)

Repetition (David Bowie)

I Can’t Read (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels)

The Pretty Things Are Going To Hell (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels)

Rebel Rebel (David Bowie)

#BowieSomethingInTheAir

Revisiting the Elephant Man in Chicago

“I've seen the city”

As it’s forty years today since David Bowie commenced a run of the Elephant Man at the intimate Blackstone Theatre in Chicago (following its initial run in Denver and ahead of its Broadway debut), it’s worth revisiting a piece posted by The Chicago Reader by Patrick Sisson, titled: The time David Bowie called Chicago home.

The article relates to Bowie’s time in the Windy City while performing the lead role of Joseph Merrick from 5th to 31st of August, 1980. It was published during the run of David Bowie is at the MCA in Chicago in 2014 and here are a few excerpts from it…

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During a talk at the MCA last Sunday, Geoffrey Marsh, who curated the original exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, discussed how Bowie's subversive genius lay in not directly challenging the political and social status quo, but rather in being such a daring and unique person that he would stand as a symbol for liberation and individuality. Joseph Merrick was yet another outlet for Bowie to explore those themes. Whether spent draped in that white loincloth or walking through the Museum of Science and Industry, Bowie's time in Chicago may have been one of his most exposed, an example of one of rock's most famous outsiders exploring what it means to stand alone.

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Here’s a bit from Julie Weiss, the production's costume designer…

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“Watching David Bowie become the Elephant Man, it was so much more than a cap, a hood, and a loincloth for me. It was seeing the soul of Merrick scream the line 'I am not an animal! I am a human being!' He understands what it's like to be an outsider. When the audience saw David Bowie playing Elephant Man, they were reminded of the shame we should all feel rejecting those who are different.”

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Elephant Man director Jack Hofsiss had this to say about Bowie’s approach to playing the Elephant Man…

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“David really embraced the idea that this child had been beaten up and pushed around because of his deformities, and he was much more weary of interacting with people. It's a significant difference in the way the character was played like that, and I was astonished how well it worked. David understood it, having grown up on the tougher streets of London, and made it very much his own."

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Read the full article over on The Chicago Reader, where the Polaroid in our montage of Bowie at Neo in August 1980 with Noni Martin and Noah Beadreaux, is also explained.

#BowieElephantMan

Let’s Dance and Absolute Beginners hmv exclusives

“While colour lights up your face”

Following the recent reissue of the Absolute Beginners Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, hmv in the UK has announced exclusive coloured vinyl versions of both the soundtrack and Let’s Dance.

Absolute Beginners will be an exclusive neon pink and blue vinyl pressing (limited to 1,000 numbered copies), while Let’s Dance will be pressed on transparent blue vinyl in an edition of 1,500. Both pressings are part of the store’s Vinyl Week 2020 exclusives and will be available instore from Saturday August 15th, with strictly just one copy of each per customer.

Though hmv are saying Absolute Beginners will be available instore only on that day and that any remaining copies will go online after 24 hours, it seems the album is already available for pre-order online. This is not the case with Let’s Dance, which will definitely only be available instore on the day.

#hmvBowie #hmvVinylWeek #hmvExclusive #BowieLetsDance #BowieAbsoluteBeginners #nipper7