“Sordid details following…”
#DBBLA #BrilliantLiveAdventures
David Bowie Era Five box set update
“Looking at the future solid as a rock because of you...”
On the day that we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Station To Station box set, we thought it would be a good time to bring you up to speed with the plans for the Era 5 set.
It seems that every time we make a post on the official channels regarding new releases, a great number of you use the opportunity to comment on the lack of news regarding the Era 5 set. That's to be expected and your frustration is understandable.
But first, here's a reminder of the first four era box releases:
Era 1 = Five Years (1969–1973) - Released 2015 = 42 years
Era 2 = Who Can I Be Now? (1974–1976) - Released 2016 = 40 years
Era 3 = A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) - Released 2017 = 35 years
Era 4 = Loving the Alien (1983–1988) - Released 2018 = 30 years
As you can see, the amount of time between the last year covered by each era box and its release date is decreasing exponentially, if that makes sense.
So with the Era 5 box which was originally going to cover the years 1993 to 1999, the plan was to release last year. Though that meant it was only a 20 year gap between 'hours...' and the release of the Era 5 box, it was considered a set that many fans were clamouring for due to the titles that hadn't been released on vinyl originally or were hard to find.
However, we then decided to increase the span of the box up to 2001, so to keep at least a 20 year gap between the last year covered and release date, it means the box won't now be released till next year.
Also, due to the effect of COVID, not only on everyday life, but its impact on plans within the music industry as a whole too, this has been an evolving situation and we thank you for your patience.
Of course, that doesn't mean you won't be getting anything new until next year. You may have noticed that various other releases have peppered the months in-between the era boxes, including live albums and the Conversation Piece set last year, along with other releases.
Indeed, stay tuned for the announcement of another exciting project before the end of next week.
May we also take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and for the enthusiasm shown for the era boxes.
#BowieEraBoxes
Space Oddity 45 reissued 45 years ago today
“I’ll be your King Volcano”
In the very same week that David Bowie achieved his first ever #1 US single with Fame (September 20th, 1975), RCA issued the Space Oddity EP. Though the original 1969 Philips issue furnished Bowie with his first top five hit in the UK, it was the 1975 reissue that gave him his first #1 UK single.
The 3-track EP was released forty years ago today (September 26th, 1975), and that's the original 1975 UK press advert in our montage, along with Steve Schapiro's beautiful shot and the Yugoslavian sleeve, possibly the only country to utilise the full colour version of the shot, albeit reversed.
It’s easy to see why the single was such a success in the UK and other European territories. Space Oddity was already well-known and loved by even the most casual appreciator of Bowie’s back catalogue, as was one of the bonus tracks, Changes.
However, for the long-term fan, the previously unreleased Ziggy-era song, Velvet Goldmine (from where today’s lyric quotation was lifted), was too hard to resist. Originally recorded in November 1971, Bowie was a little peeved that the recording had been issued without his consent, complaining that it hadn’t even been mixed properly.
David’s reservations aside, the fans weren’t complaining at this 59 new pence, picture sleeve bargain.
#SpaceOddity45
Outside hits quarter of a century today
“I'm already twenty five years older”
David Bowie’s 1. Outside album was released on this day in 1995 (26th in the US), the same week that the first single from the album, The Hearts Filthy Lesson, entered the UK Top 40.
The Bowie/Eno/Richards produced LP peaked at #8 on the UK album chart and narrowly missed the US Billboard Top 20 when it reached #21 there.
The release was supported by the 1995/1996 Outside World Tour (which kicked off on September 14th in Hartford in the US), and the beautifully disturbing video for The Hearts Filthy Lesson single.
Various CD versions of 1. Outside were released around the globe, among other formats. Friday Music had the distinction of issuing the very first double vinyl Bowie studio album when they issued a white vinyl of the full 1. Outside five years ago. A single disc version titled Excerpts From Outside was released on vinyl originally, but it omitted several tracks and had edits of others.
#BowieOutsideLP
Nacho's 40th anniversary Elephant Man trailer
“I could take you to heaven, I could spin you to hell, Or take you to New York”
That jolly good egg, Nacho, has been in touch again with his David Bowie is The Elephant Man in New York City 1980 • 40th Anniversary Documentary Trailer. Over to you Nacho:
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There is a trailer I made 4 years ago, for an imaginary documentary that I honestly thought I would never actually get around to making. Well, here we are in 2020, the 40th anniversary of Bowie in the role of John Merrick, The Elephant Man, and the documentary will be out soon.
“David Bowie is The Elephant Man in New York City 1980” is an approximately 30-minute documentary, ostensibly detailing Bowie in the role of The Elephant Man. In addition, the scope of the film contains an overview of Bowie’s time in New York during that pivotal period. The film includes all known scenes of Bowie as The Elephant Man character, and pertinent interview and other archive material.
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Go here for Nacho’s original 2016 version of the trailer and extensive notes.
#Bowie1980 #NachoBowie #BowieElephantMan
Fame #1 on BILLBOARD HOT 100 45 years ago today
“Fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame…FAME!”
As we pointed out recently and you likely knew anyway, Fame hit the top spot on the BILLBOARD HOT 100, 45 years ago today, on 20th September 1975.
Here’s a bit from Tony Visconti expressing his disappointment about the recording of Fame:
“At the same time I was working on the strings and new mixes something was afoot in New York. David personally phoned me to tell me he had met up with John Lennon and got him into to the studio with a band now consisting of Carlos Alomar, Dennis Davis and bassist Emir Ksasan. They wrote and recorded ‘Fame’ in one evening, also recording Lennon’s ‘Across The Universe’ for good measure. David said, “I’m sorry Tony, but they have to be on the album.” I also met John Lennon earlier for the first time with David and responded with, “If you gave me a day’s warning I would’ve flown myself on the Concorde to do that session.” I was quite upset. Well, anyway, ‘Fame’ is a great song; a great record and we all love it.”
And who could disagree with that? David Bowie and Harry Maslin made a pretty good fist of things and America agreed by giving Bowie his first #1 45 there.
A side: Fame (Bowie/Lennon/Alomar)
B side: Right (Bowie)
Original UK release date: July 18 1975
Highest chart position: UK: #17 US: #1
Originally appeared on: Young Americans
Produced by: David Bowie, Harry Maslin
#BowieFame #YoungAmericansGold
Bowie and Garson and My Death
“As surely as our love is bright...”
Mike Garson was singled out on many occasions to perform with Bowie as a duo for a fair few memorable one offs. Back in 2016 Mike chose one such performance for an instalment of DB Deep Cut Of The Day.
It’s a heartbreakingly emotional rendition of My Death from September 18th 1995, 25 years ago this evening. The occasion was a benefit for The Joseph Papp Public Theater, at The Grand Ballroom, Manhattan Center, New York.
Over to Mike...
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When I played the first few notes with Lorde at the rehearsal in London ALL I could think was how at times I took the gig with David for granted.
I made a decision to appreciate every moment from there on. As humans that is difficult but I will continuously try.
This version of MY DEATH might be the most poignant version ever. David’s voice is low and rich and creamy.
Not too many fans no less the world have heard this. It is beyond gorgeous. David and I performed this in NYC for a fund raiser in 1995.
I never understood why David and I never did a duet tour. Hopefully posthumously we can put out all the songs the 2 of us did together over the years.
I think you might be able to play this song 100 times and never stop crying.
Mike Garson
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You can hear the performance here on YouTube.
Photos by KEVIN MAZUR
#DBDCOTD #BowieDeepCut #BowieGarson
Young Americans gold vinyl reminder
“Fame - what you need you have tomorrow” *
As previously mentioned, in celebration of the 45th anniversary of David Bowie’s Fame becoming his first #1 single in the US, Parlophone has issued a limited edition ‘bricks & mortar’ only, gold vinyl version of the album from whence it came, Young Americans.
The Young Americans gold edition is released tomorrow on Friday 18th September, Fame peaked at #1 on the BILLBOARD HOT 100 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 in May of the same year.
* Yes, the original lyric is “Fame - what you need you have to borrow...”
FOOTNOTE: Due to the continued restrictions of the pandemic, you should be able to find the Young Americans gold edition in the online stores of your favoured high street vinyl emporiums.
#YoungAmericansGold #BowieFame #BowieVinyl
Bowie born 55 years ago today
“Fame, What's your name?”
David Bowie is 55-years-old today...at least the name David Bowie is.
The most solid evidence of when David chose to go with Bowie over Jones as his professional name first appeared in Kenneth Pitt's book, David Bowie - The Pitt Report. In it Ken talks about the transition between David’s managers from one Ralph Horton to Ken himself. In a telephone conversation of the 15th, Ralph discussed with Ken the possibility of Ken taking over the management reins.
The time wasn’t right for Ken just yet. But, by his account, he did suggest a name change for the 18-year-old Davie Jones might be pertinent, due to similarly named entertainers in the public eye at that time, not least of all a young actor who was to find world-wide fame as a singing Monkee.
Ralph responded to Ken in a letter dated the 17th in which he wrote: “I have taken the liberty of writing to you and advising you that I have now changed Davie’s name to David Bowie.” It could be argued that the name change may have been made on the day the letter was written, but it seems the 16th is the popular conclusion arrived at by Bowie experts.
Obviously it's unlikely that Ralph had any hand in the selection of the new name, as David had already been toying with various stage personas. It's also highly likely that the name of Bowie had been kicking around in David's mind for some time, particularly as he says that Jim Bowie’s Bowie knife was the inspiration for the name, a weapon that he would have been aware of since his childhood. Indeed, it transpires he had been experimenting with variations of Bowie long before then with early band names such as the Bowmen being considered.
Ahead of the release of the very first record to bear the name Bowie (Can't Help Thinking About Me released January 14th 1966, as David Bowie and The Lower Third, The Lower Third are pictured here), It seems there was a concerted effort to make the public aware of the name change before the release of the new record, with lots of press on the subject and even a two inch square box ad in the back pages of the Christmas eve '65 issue of Melody Maker. The advert contained the simple legend: BOWIE
And what a legend the name was to become!
#JonesToBowie
Outside Tour commences 25 years ago today
“It’s Hartford’s filthy lesson” *
“How do you commit commercial suicide? Well, you do this: play songs from an album that hasn't been released yet, and complement it with obscure songs from the past that you've never done on stage.”
Thus spoke David Bowie to USA Today on the opening day of The Outside World Tour, hot on the heels of the release of The Hearts Filthy Lesson single and ahead of the release of the 1. Outside album.
Opening on 14th September 1995 at Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut, the ‘support’ act during the US leg of the tour was Nine Inch Nails, who segued their set with Bowie's to form a continuous show, with the crossover section performed by both artists and including three Bowie songs and two of NIN’s: Subterraneans, Scary Monsters, Reptile, Hallo Spaceboy and Hurt.
Bowie’s band comprised the following: David Bowie (vocals/saxophone), Peter Schwartz (keyboards), Reeves Gabrels (lead guitar), Gail Ann Dorsey (bass/vocals), Carlos Alomar (guitar), Zachary Alford (drums), Mike Garson (keyboards) and George Simms (backing vocals/keyboards).
As you know, Parlophone released a live recording from this first US leg of the tour: David Bowie Ouvre le Chien (Live Dallas 95) on 3rd July this year.
Were you at this opening show? If you were, please feel free to contribute your memories to the David Bowie Memory Map.
The image on the left in our montage is from Sam Beyer’s remarkable The Hearts Filthy Lesson video, while the photograph on the right was taken by Mark Allan at rehearsals in Hartford on this very day in 1995.
* Today's lyric quotation is a play on a lyric from The Hearts Filthy Lesson
#BowieOutsideTour #BowieOutsideLP #BowieDallas95
Scary Monsters is 40 today
“He opened strange doors that we'd never close again”
Today is the 40th anniversary of the UK release of David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) LP. A lot has been said online about this record today, so why not join in and pop over to the official David Bowie FB page and join in the debate. It's your chance to tell us what you think of this landmark Bowie album.
~ When did you first hear it?
~ Which are your favourite tracks?
~ What do you think of Edward Bell’s artwork?
~ How influential do you think this release was?
~ If you heard it for the first time recently, how do you think it stands the test of time?
SIDE 1
1. IT’S NO GAME (PART 1)
2. UP THE HILL BACKWARDS
3. SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS)
4. ASHES TO ASHES
5. FASHION
SIDE 2
1. TEENAGE WILDLIFE
2. SCREAM LIKE A BABY
3. KINGDOM COME
4. BECAUSE YOU’RE YOUNG
5. IT’S NO GAME (PART 2)
Here’s a Spotify link to remind you in case you haven’t already got it on repeat today:
SCARY MONSTERS FACT FILE:
Released in the UK as RCA BOWLP 2 (PL 13647) on 12th September, 1980.
Peak UK chart position: #1
Peak US chart position: #12
#BowieScaryMonsters
Bowie joins Trading Faces 45 years ago today
“Peter met Bowie formed a dummy run gang” *
Konrads, King Bees, Manish Boys, Lower Third, Buzz, Riot Squad, Turquoise, Feathers, Zeroes, Tin Machine and no doubt others we've neglected to mention. All popular(ish) beat combos that David Bowie has been a member of, albeit fictional in the case of Zeroes. However, the very short-lived Trading Faces isn't a name you’ll come across in too many Bowie biographies.
On 8th September, 1975, Peter Sellers celebrated his 50th birthday. Naturally he had a party at his L.A. home to mark the event for which he invited along various celebrities, including several musicians. Bowie did the same for his own 50th party, albeit on a bit of a larger scale.
Anyway, there is some debate as to whether the party actually took place on Peter’s birthday or a few days before. But who cares, it happened and Terry O'Neill was there to record the event for posterity, visually at least, no known sound recordings of the impromptu gig exist.
As was frequently the case with Terry’s Bowie photographs, a tabloid centrespread including the images in our montage of David with Ron Wood and Keith Moon appeared in the UK.
Here’s a bit from Bowie by O'Neill:
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When Bowie attended Peter Sellers’ fiftieth birthday party in Los Angeles, he ran through a few blues numbers with an impromptu group called Trading Faces. Comprising: Bowie (saxophone), Bill Wyman (bass), Ron Wood (guitar), Joe Cocker (vocals), Jesse Ed Davis (guitar), Danny Kortchmar (guitar), Bobby Keys (saxophone) Nigel Olsson (drums), Keith Moon (organ, vocal, drums) and Steve Madaio (trumpet).
“When Peter celebrated his birthday, everyone who was in town came to the party. If you were anyone in Hollywood in 1975, this was the party to be at.” - Terry O’Neill
And this from Terry in 2003: “I was invited to what I thought was just a small private party by Peter, who was a close friend and didn’t realise he’d invited so many stars. I’m glad I took my camera – it was a one-off moment in rock 'n' roll history. I never knew Bowie could play the sax.”
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Apparently Bill Wyman wasn’t quite as enthused about it as Terry was: “It was hopeless – we couldn’t get one song together between us.”
David related his own recollection of the evening in 2002:
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“Bill Wyman was already discontent with being a Stone and coaxed Ronnie Wood and me into forming the band Trading Faces. The idea was to cover the big hits of the time with each of us impersonating a popular singer while the others played in the style of a band discordant to the chosen singer. This would lead to hybrids like Wayne Newton with The Troggs or my personal favourite, The Singing Postman with Tower Of Power.”
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David’s close friend, Geoff MacCormack, was in attendance but neglected to pack a camera or his vocal chords and so just ‘enjoyed’ the entertainment with the other non-participants. We’ll leave you with his account from 2007:
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“Neither David nor any of the other musicians seemed to be playing the same songs and they made such a racket it disturbed the neighbours. The police were called and Keith Moon, of all people, tried to politely reason with them whilst they threatened to arrest Sellers. Sellers didn't say a word: he just looked bemused by it all. He looked exactly like Chance, the character he later played in Being There.”
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FOOTNOTE: Following the end of filming The Man Who Fell To Earth a couple of weeks earlier, David had returned to L.A. and a few days before Sellers’ party he contributed backing vocals to Keith Moon’s song, Real Emotion.
* One of the names in today’s lyric quotation has been changed to protect the innocent.
#BOWIEbyONEILL #BowieTradingFaces
IdbD celebrates 25 years online
“We got twenty five years, what a surprise”
Ruud Altenburg has been in touch with the impressive news that he celebrates twenty five years online with the brilliant resource that is the Illustrated db Discography: “I have updated the site with the latest releases and given it a bit of a make-over for better readability.”
Surely all serious Bowie collectors must be aware of the Illustrated db Discography, which boasts the most comprehensive database of David Bowie releases, not to mention a forum that can swallow you up for days at a time with its wealth of information contributed by Planet Earth’s foremost Bowie collectors.
If you don’t already have it bookmarked, check it out here.
We’ll leave you with the intro to Ruud’s most recent entry…
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My first introduction to the music of David Bowie was at the age of 12. My niece Helen, a huge fan with Bowie posters on her bedroom walls, had taped much of her collection for me. I clearly remember being amazed at the diversity of styles while listening to those cassettes on my walkman.
The very first album that I purchased myself was the Decca Profile compilation, in retrospect not the best of choices. Over time, I tried getting the more interesting versions of the regular albums, like the gatefold editions of Ziggy Stardust and Scary Monsters. Discovering these more unusual editions meant sifting through books, fanzines and the occasional article in Record Collector. The information appeared to be scattered all over the place, so I decided to keep track of it in a series of text documents.
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#BowieIdbD
Bowie on The Tonight Show 40 years ago this evening
“I never did anything out of the blue”
Forty years ago this very evening, David Bowie’s brilliant performance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at NBC Studios, Burbank, was broadcast, having been taped two days earlier on the 3rd. Bowie performed Life On Mars? and Ashes To Ashes with a one-off band.
In the absence of Dennis Davis and George Murray, Carlos Alomar cobbled a band of young musicians together in New York, which comprised the following:
Vocals • David Bowie
Guitar & Keyboards • Carlos Alomar
Guitar • George Edward (G.E.) Smith
Bass • John Kumnick
Drums • Steve Goulding
Keyboards • Gordon Grody
After four days of rehearsals, some of which the news program 20/20 filmed (a snippet of Ashes To Ashes), Bowie and the band flew to Los Angeles for the taping at NBC Studios.
The Tonight Show performance was Bowie’s only ‘live’ appearance in 1980, and the only time Scary Monsters material was performed in the year the album was released.
A large contingent of fans camped outside NBC for tickets to see Bowie's first US performance in nine months. By the morning the crowd had swelled to 200. Waiting for the Carson taping to begin, David chatted with fans and signed a few autographs for some of the lucky attendees.
Carson introduced Bowie with a plug for the new album and his upcoming New York run in The Elephant Man. Over the loud cheering, a bemused Carson quipped: “He'd better be good after this!”.
Our montage shows images from the performance on The Tonight Show and the top mono shot is from the soundcheck. Bowie looked magnificent in an obvious tribute to James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause.
The performance no doubt helped fuel rumours of a Scary Monsters Tour which appeared as the cover story of the 20th of September 1980 edition of Musicians Only magazine in the UK, proclaiming a “BOWIE ‘MONSTER’ TOUR” scheduled for March through May, 1981. The news item also mentioned that Fashion had been performed on the show, but no other evidence of that has come to light.
It seems the Scary Monsters Tour may have been something Bowie was seriously considering, as he also mentioned the possibility in a transatlantic call to Radio One following the success of Ashes To Ashes. In what may have been a bit of mischief making, he also posited the notion of using The Spiders From Mars as his band for the shows! It’s kind of hard imagining The Spiders’ renditions of Ashes to Ashes, Fashion and Teenage Wildlife.
We’ll leave you with an amusing anecdote taken from Roger Griffin’s superb BOWIEGOLDENYEARS
John Kumnick, bass (2016): We flew back to New York that night… it was one of those red eye flights out of LA. Since we were just going out there for the one thing, we had all our guitars in big bags … we just took them on the plane with us. But on the way back, the flight was full and the airline people are saying, "No, you can't carry those on you are going to have to put them down in cargo and check them as baggage". We had someone acting as a road manager trying to deal with that. The guitars would've got all smashed up in baggage because they weren't in heavy duty cases or anything. So he's trying to deal with that and it's not going anywhere and we're all standing around the airport. Bowie hears about it and says, "I'll take care of it" and he goes up to the gate agent, and he says, 'Hi, I'm David Bowie… and Elvis gave me those guitars and so I couldn't possibly have them checked as baggage down in the hold.' He came up with that in 10 seconds. I think he viewed it as just something funny he could do – use the star power for the good. And he took care of it… that was easy – they crumbled in a second – "Yeah, sure, we’ll find a closet…"
#Bowie1980 #BowieAshesToAshes #BowieScaryMonsters
Both Bowie RSD titles in official UK album chart
“Ahhh...Wham bam thank you fans!”
The Parlophone issued CHANGESNOWBOWIE and I’M ONLY DANCING (THE SOUL TOUR 74) Record Store Day releases have both charted in the UK, occupying the top two spots on the vinyl chart.
Here’s how they fared…
Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40
#01 - CHANGESNOWBOWIE
#02 - I’M ONLY DANCING (THE SOUL TOUR 74)
Official Albums Chart Top 100
#17 - CHANGESNOWBOWIE
#18 - I’M ONLY DANCING (THE SOUL TOUR 74)
Thanks to all of you that bought either the CD or the vinyl (or both) for returning David Bowie yet again to the UK charts.
#BowieIOD74 #CHANGESNOWBOWIE #BowieRSD20 #BowieVinyl #BowieOCC
Metrobolist (AKA The Man Who Sold The World) 50th anniversary edition
“Oh no, not me, I never lost control...”
DAVID BOWIE - 'METROBOLIST’ (AKA ‘THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD') 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
REMIXED BY TONY VISCONTI WITH ARTWORK BASED ON ORIGINAL TITLE & DESIGN
RELEASED 6th NOVEMBER, 2020 ON LIMITED VINYL AND CD FORMATS, ALSO FOR STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD AT STANDARD AND HIGH RESOLUTION DOWNLOAD (96kHz/24bit)
Parlophone Records is proud to announce release details for METROBOLIST (aka THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD) 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION to be released on 6th NOVEMBER, 2020.
This November sees the 50th Anniversary of the release of David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World in North America. The rest of the world would have to wait until April 1971 to witness Bowie’s landmark entry into the 1970s, marking the beginning of a collaboration with guitarist Mick Ronson that would last through classic works including Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane—as well as the first in a 10-year series of indispensable albums stretching through 1980’s Scary Monsters…
Originally titled Metrobolist, the album's name was changed at the last minute to The Man Who Sold The World -- the original stereo master tapes were in fact labelled Metrobolist, with the title ultimately crossed out. The 2020 re-release of the album under its Metrobolist moniker has been remixed by original producer Tony Visconti, with the exception of the track ‘After All’ which Tony considered perfect as is, and is featured in its 2015 remaster incarnation.
The Metrobolist 50th anniversary artwork has been created by Mike Weller who was behind the originally intended album artwork which Mercury refused to release. The gatefold sleeve also features many images from the infamous Keith MacMillan Mr Fish ‘dress’ shoot at Haddon Hall which would cause so much controversy when one of the shots was used on the cover of the The Man Who Sold The World album in the rest of the world in spring of 1971.
The original U.S. release of The Man Who Sold The World utilised some of the original Metrobolist design elements.
As with the Space Oddity 50th anniversary vinyl, as well as a 180g black vinyl edition, it will come in 2020 limited edition handwritten numbered copies on gold vinyl (# 1971 - 2020) and on white vinyl (# 1 - 1970) all randomly distributed.
For the 50th anniversary the 1970 story of the gatefold sleeve can be told in full with unused ‘dress’ photos. As Mike Weller explains:
“There is a story concealed in the carpet-scattered playing cards, David has thrown a plain 52 card deck in the air as though “casting the runes” but in a significant break from 60s Tarot divinations such as I Ching etc he casts runes using a four-suit pack and switches man-dress, along with the Court Card of the Future from right hand to left, signifying a new decade and new cultural era.”
David personally delivered the Metrobolist concept and his gatefold plan to the record company for production and now with this release, it can finally be seen much closer to its original concept. Bowie speaking in 2000 said of the sleeve imagery:
"Mick Weller devised this kind of very subversive looking cartoon and put in some quite personalised things. The building in the background on the cartoon in fact was the hospital where my half brother had committed himself to. So for me, it had lots of personal resonance about it.”
DAVID BOWIE METROBOLIST TRACKLISTING
The Width of a Circle
All the Madmen
Black Country Rock
After All
Running Gun Blues
Saviour Machine
She Shook Me Cold
The Man Who Sold the World
The Supermen
METROBOLIST ALBUM AVAILABLE 6th NOVEMBER, 2020 ON PARLOPHONE
#Bowie1970 #BowieMetrobolist #BowieTMWSTW
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