Singing old songs we loved...
With advance orders of over 150,000, Pin-Ups spent five weeks at number 1 in the UK album chart upon it's release in October 1973 and remained in the top 40 for twenty weeks. However, despite these impressive sales figures, Pin-Ups is one of the more underrated of David Bowie's albums, IMHO.
Though it contains no original Bowie compositions, it is a fine collection of twelve of David's favourite songs from the 1964-1967 period.
The public had been given a taster of what was to come with the release of the Sorrow single from the album the previous week, (10.12.2008 NEWS: SORROW SINGLE RELEASED THIRTY FIVE YEARS AGO TODAY) and as with that song, Bowie really made these recordings his own by breathing new life into them and making them more timeless than the originals in most cases.
Pin-Ups remains a glam rock classic with superb arrangements and sublime performances from all involved, not to mention Bowie and Ken Scott's faultless production.
Pin-Ups was the last album to feature Mick Ronson in his role as Bowie's guitarist and it was also the last with Ken Scott. Though Trevor Bolder was retained for the sessions, Aynsley Dunbar sat on Woody Woodmansey's stool. Mike Garson, Ken Fordham and Geoff MacCormack who had all appeared on the previous album, Aladdin Sane, were retained for Pin-Ups.
The album was released bang in the middle of David's three-day stint at The Marquee in London's Wardour Street where he was recording The 1980 Floor Show for NBC TV's The Midnight Special.
See aforementioned Sorrow news item for more regarding the sleeve of Pin-Ups.