Mott’s All The Young Dudes LP is 42

“It's a real mean team”

Mott The Hoople released their David Bowie produced album All The Young Dudes this week in 1972. (September 8, UK)

The very next day the Bowie-penned title track peaked at #3 on the UK singles chart giving the band their first and biggest hit.

Indeed, at the time it was the highest charting Bowie composition thus far, though that changed a few months later with the success of The Jean Genie which reached #2 in January 1973.

The album sleeve was designed by Mick Rock with colour tinting by George Underwood.

Aside from production duties, Bowie played saxophones and provided unmistakable backing vocals on the album.

Mick Ronson scored a beautiful string arrangement for Sea Diver, typical of the arrangements he did for Bowie at the time and for tracks such as Perfect Day on Lou Reed’s Transformer.

The All The Young Dudes album eventually reached #21 on the UK album chart. You can listen to this Glam Rock classic here on Spotify.

See how many of Bowie’s contributions you can hear and don’t forget to check out the bonus version of All The Young Dudes with a Bowie lead vocal in the verses alternating with Ian Hunter’s chorus vocal.

Nothing Has Changed collection features new Bowie track

“And nothing has changed, Everything has changed”

It is with much pleasure that we can exclusively announce a career-spanning collection of Bowie’s music covering fifty years of recorded works from his 1964 debut, Liza Jane, through to a brand new recording made this year.

(Please note, the image illustrating this piece has nothing to do with the artwork for the collection, which will follow in the coming weeks)

Nothing Has Changed (named after a lyric from the Heathen album opener Sunday) compiles tracks from every period of Bowie’s career and features new single; Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime), which was specially recorded for the compilation with long-term collaborator Tony Visconti.

Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime), will be released as a limited edition 10” single and digital download the same day as the album via Parlophone in the UK on Monday, November 17th.

In the US the album will be issued on Tuesday, November 18th, along with the digital download version of the single. The physical single will be released as a Black Friday 2014 exclusive 10” on November 28th. The album and single are issued by Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings in the US.

Both the UK and US versions of the 10” will feature another exclusive 2014 recording on the B-side: 'Tis A Pity She’s A Whore.

Alongside the brand new A-side track, Nothing Has Changed features the previously unreleased Let Me Sleep Beside You from the Toy album sessions. The download only Your Turn To Drive will also be making its debut on CD for Nothing Has Changed and the 2001 re-recording of the 1971 outtake, Shadow Man, is included too.

Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks for cover artwork of both the album and single and for any regional variations of the release dates we are given.

Keep reading for formats and tracklistings of the various versions of Nothing Has Changed.

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(UK Press Release – Scroll down for US Press Release)

DAVID BOWIE ‘NOTHING HAS CHANGED’

THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION FEATURING THE BRAND NEW SINGLE

‘SUE (OR IN A SEASON OF CRIME)’

BOTH RELEASED NOVEMBER 17^th ON PARLOPHONE

 ALBUM: 3CD, 2CD, DOUBLE VINYL AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

SINGLE: LIMITED 10” VINYL AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

NOTHING HAS CHANGED released on November 17^th collects together for the first time the definitive collection of Bowie’s music from 1964 to 2014.

Fifty years on from his first recordings, David Bowie continues to be at the vanguard of contemporary culture as a musician, artist, icon and a nonpareil to generations of writers, artists and fashionistas. He remains to be a unique presence in contemporary culture.

NOTHING HAS CHANGED (named after a lyric from the ‘Heathen’ album opener ‘Sunday’) compiles tracks from every period of Bowie’s career from his earliest incarnations with ‘Liza Jane’ and ‘Can’t Help Thinking About Me’ right up to James Murphy’s ‘Hello Steve Reich Mix’ of ‘Love Is Lost’ from last year.

The album features Bowie’s first new music since he stunned the world with the critically lauded ‘THE NEXT DAY’. The new single ‘SUE (or IN A SEASON OF CRIME)’ was especially recorded for NOTHING HAS CHANGED with long time collaborator Tony Visconti and will be released as a limited edition 10” single and digital download the same day as the album.

Alongside the brand new track NOTHING HAS CHANGED features the previously unreleased ‘Let Me Sleep Beside You’ from the ‘TOY’ sessions, the download only ‘Your Turn To Drive’ making it’s debut on CD and the stunning 2001 re-recording of the 1971 outtake ‘Shadow Man’.

David Bowie is, a film of the blockbuster exhibition created by the Victoria and Albert Museum, will be released in cinemas worldwide. Distributed by Omniverse Vision, the documentary was filmed on the closing night of the V&A exhibition in London and directed by Hamish Hamilton from Done & Dusted, the BAFTA-winning Director of the Academy Awards and the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. For the trailer, participating cinemas and tickets please visit www.davidbowie.com/davidbowieisfilm

DAVID BOWIE ‘NOTHING HAS CHANGED’ TRACKLIST

3CD DELUXE EDITION/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

CD 1:

Sue (or In A Season Of Crime) (7.40)

Where Are We Now? (4.09)

Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix by James Murphy for the DFA Edit) (4.07)

The Stars (Are Out Tonight) (3.57)

New Killer Star (radio edit) (3.42)

Everyone Says ‘Hi’ (edit) (3.29)

Slow Burn (radio edit) (3.55)

Let Me Sleep Beside You (3.14)

Your Turn To Drive (4.44)

Shadow Man (4.48)

Seven (Marius De Vries mix) (4.12)

Survive (Marius De Vries mix) (4.18)

Thursday’s Child (radio edit) (4.25)

I’m Afraid Of Americans (V1) (clean edit) (4.30)

Little Wonder (edit) (3.40)

Hallo Spaceboy (PSB Remix) (with The Pet Shop Boys) (4.23)

Heart’s Filthy Lesson (radio edit) (3.32)

Strangers When We Meet (single version) (4.21)

CD 2:

Buddha Of Suburbia (4.24)

Jump They Say (radio edit) (3.53)

Time Will Crawl (MM remix) (4.18)

Absolute Beginners (single version) (5.35)

Dancing In The Street (with Mick Jagger) (3.20)

Loving The Alien (single remix) (4.45)

This Is Not America (with The Pat Metheny Group) (3.51)

Blue Jean (3.11)

Modern Love (single version) (3.56)

China Girl (single version) (4.15)

Let's Dance (single version) (4.08)

Fashion (single version) (3.25)

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (single version) (3.32)

Ashes To Ashes (single version) (3.35)

Under Pressure (with Queen) (3.56)

Boys Keep Swinging (3.17)

‘Heroes’ (single version) (3.35)

Sound And Vision (3.03)

Golden Years (single version) (3.27)

Wild Is The Wind (2010 Harry Maslin Mix) (5.58)

CD 3:

Fame (4.14)

Young Americans (2007 Tony Visconti mix single edit)  (3.13)

Diamond Dogs (5.56)

Rebel Rebel (4.28)

Sorrow (2.53)

Drive-In Saturday (4.29)

All The Young Dudes (3.08)

The Jean Genie (original single mix) (4.05)

Moonage Daydream (4.40)

Ziggy Stardust (3.12)

Starman (original single mix) (4.10)

Life On Mars? (2003 Ken Scott Mix) (3.49)

Oh! You Pretty Things (3.11)

Changes (3.33)

The Man Who Sold The World (3.56)

Space Oddity (5.12)

In The Heat Of The Morning (3.00)

Silly Boy Blue (3.54)

Can’t Help Thinking About Me (2.46)

You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving (2.32)

Liza Jane (2.18)

2CD EDITION/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

CD 1:

Space Oddity (5.12)

The Man Who Sold The World (3.56)

Changes (3.33)

Oh! You Pretty Things (3.11)

Life On Mars? (3.49)

Starman (original single mix) (4.10)

Ziggy Stardust (3.12)

Moonage Daydream (4.40)

The Jean Genie (original single mix) (4.05)

All The Young Dudes (3.08)

Drive-In Saturday (4.29)

Sorrow (2.53)

Rebel Rebel (4.28)

Young Americans (original single edit) (3.13)

Fame (4.14)

Golden Years (single version) (3.27)

Sound And Vision (3.03)

‘Heroes’ (single version) (3.35)

Boys Keep Swinging (3.17)

Fashion (single version) (3.25)

Ashes To Ashes (single version) (3.35)

CD 2:

Under Pressure (with Queen) (3.56)

Let's Dance (single version) (4.08)

China Girl (single version) (4.15)

Modern Love (single version) (3.56)

Blue Jean (3.11)

This Is Not America (with The Pat Metheny Group) (3.51)

Dancing In The Street (with Mick Jagger) (3.20)

Absolute Beginners (edit) (4.46) 

Jump They Say (radio edit) (3.53)

Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys remix) (with The Pet Shop Boys) (4.23)

Little Wonder (edit) (3.40)

I’m Afraid Of Americans V1 (clean edit) (4.30)

Thursday’s Child (radio edit) (4.25)

Everyone Says 'Hi' (3.29)

New Killer Star (radio edit) (3.42)

Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix by James Murphy for the DFA Edit) (4.07)

Where Are We Now? (4.09)

Sue (or In A Season Of Crime) (7.40)

DOUBLE VINYL

SIDE 1:

Let's Dance (single version) (4.08)

Ashes To Ashes (single version) (3.35)

‘Heroes’’ (single version) (3.35)

Changes (3.33)

Life On Mars? (3.49)

SIDE 2:

Space Oddity (5.12)

Starman (original single mix) (4.10)

Ziggy Stardust (3.12)

The Jean Genie (original single mix) (4.05)

Rebel Rebel (4.28)

SIDE 3:

Golden Years (single version) (3.27) 

Fame (4.14)

Sound And Vision (3.03)

Under Pressure (3.56)  - Queen & David Bowie

Sue (or In A Season Of Crime) (7.40)

SIDE 4:

Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys remix) - with The Pet Shop Boys (4.23)

China Girl (single version) (4.15)

Modern Love (single version) (3.56)

Absolute Beginners (single version) (5.35)

Where Are We Now? (4.09)

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(US Press Release)

DAVID BOWIE NOTHING HAS CHANGED

THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION FEATURING THE BRAND NEW SINGLE

‘SUE (OR IN A SEASON OF CRIME)’

RELEASED NOVEMBER 18^th ON COLUMBIA RECORDS/LEGACY RECORDINGS

 ALBUM: 3CD, 2CD, DOUBLE VINYL AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

SINGLE: LIMITED 10” VINYL AND DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

September 9, 2014 – New York, NY - NOTHING HAS CHANGED released by Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings on November 18th collects together for the first time the definitive collection of Bowie’s music from 1964 to 2014.

Fifty years on from his first recordings, David Bowie continues to be at the vanguard of contemporary culture as a musician, artist, icon and a nonpareil to generations of writers, artists and fashionistas. He remains to be a unique presence in contemporary culture.

NOTHING HAS CHANGED (named after a lyric from the ‘Heathen’ album opener ‘Sunday’) compiles tracks from every period of Bowie’s career from his earliest incarnations with ‘Liza Jane’ and ‘Can’t Help Thinking About Me’ right up to James Murphy’s ‘Hello Steve Reich Mix’ of ‘Love Is Lost’ from last year.

The album features Bowie’s first new music since he stunned the world with the critically lauded ‘THE NEXT DAY’. The new single ‘SUE (or IN A SEASON OF CRIME)’ was especially recorded for NOTHING HAS CHANGED with long time collaborator Tony Visconti and will be released as a digital download the same day as the album and as a Record Store Day exclusive 10” single on November 28th.

Alongside the brand new track NOTHING HAS CHANGED features the previously unreleased ‘Let Me Sleep Beside You’ from the ‘TOY’ sessions, the download only ‘Your Turn To Drive’ making its debut on CD and the stunning 2001 re-recording of the 1971 outtake ‘Shadow Man’.

On September 23,David Bowie is, a film of the exhibition created by the Victoria and Albert Museum, is scheduled for exclusive screenings in 100 movie theatres across the U.S. Distributed by Omniverse Vision, the documentary was filmed on the closing night of the V&A exhibition in London and directed by Hamish Hamilton, the BAFTA-winning Director of the Academy Awards and the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The screenings are in coordination with David Bowie Is, an exhibition opening at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in Chicago (September 23, 2014-January 4, 2015). David Bowie Is presents the first retrospective of the extraordinary career of David Bowie—one of the most pioneering and influential performers of our time. More than 400 objects, most from the David Bowie Archive—including handwritten lyrics, original costumes, photography, set designs, album artwork, and rare performance material from the past five decades—are brought together for the first time.

DAVID BOWIE - NOTHING HAS CHANGED: TRACKLIST

3CD DELUXE EDITION/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

CD 1:

Sue (or In A Season Of Crime) (7.40)

Where Are We Now? (4.09)

Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix by James Murphy for the DFA Edit) (4.07)

The Stars (Are Out Tonight) (3.57)

New Killer Star (radio edit) (3.42)

Everyone Says ‘Hi’ (edit) (3.29)

Slow Burn (radio edit) (3.55)

Let Me Sleep Beside You (3.14)

Your Turn To Drive (4.44)

Shadow Man (4.48)

Seven (Marius De Vries mix) (4.12)

Survive (Marius De Vries mix) (4.18)

Thursday’s Child (radio edit) (4.25)

I’m Afraid Of Americans (V1) (clean edit) (4.30)

Little Wonder (edit) (3.40)

Hallo Spaceboy (PSB Remix) (with The Pet Shop Boys) (4.23)

Heart’s Filthy Lesson (radio edit) (3.32)

Strangers When We Meet (single version) (4.21)

CD 2:

Buddha Of Suburbia (4.24)

Jump They Say (radio edit) (3.53)

Time Will Crawl (MM remix) (4.18)

Absolute Beginners (single version) (5.35)

Dancing In The Street (with Mick Jagger) (3.20)

Loving The Alien (single remix) (4.45)

This Is Not America (with The Pat Metheny Group) (3.51)

Blue Jean (3.11)

Modern Love (single version) (3.56)

China Girl (single version) (4.15)

Let's Dance (single version) (4.08)

Fashion (single version) (3.25)

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (single version) (3.32)

Ashes To Ashes (single version) (3.35)

Under Pressure (with Queen) (3.56)

Boys Keep Swinging (3.17)

‘Heroes’ (single version) (3.35)

Sound And Vision (3.03)

Golden Years (single version) (3.27)

Wild Is The Wind (2010 Harry Maslin Mix) (5.58)

CD 3:

Fame (4.14)

Young Americans (2007 Tony Visconti mix single edit)  (3.13)

Diamond Dogs (5.56)

Rebel Rebel (4.28)

Sorrow (2.53)

Drive-In Saturday (4.29)

All The Young Dudes (3.08)

The Jean Genie (original single mix) (4.05)

Moonage Daydream (4.40)

Ziggy Stardust (3.12)

Starman (original single mix) (4.10)

Life On Mars? (2003 Ken Scott Mix) (3.49)

Oh! You Pretty Things (3.11)

Changes (3.33)

The Man Who Sold The World (3.56)

Space Oddity (5.12)

In The Heat Of The Morning (3.00)

Silly Boy Blue (3.54)

Can’t Help Thinking About Me (2.46)

You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving (2.32)

Liza Jane (2.18)

2CD EDITION/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

CD 1:

Space Oddity (5.12)

The Man Who Sold The World (3.56)

Changes (3.33)

Oh! You Pretty Things (3.11)

Life On Mars? (3.49)

Starman (original single mix) (4.10)

Ziggy Stardust (3.12)

Moonage Daydream (4.40)

The Jean Genie (original single mix) (4.05)

All The Young Dudes (3.08)

Drive-In Saturday (4.29)

Sorrow (2.53)

Rebel Rebel (4.28)

Young Americans (original single edit) (3.13)

Fame (4.14)

Golden Years (single version) (3.27)

Sound And Vision (3.03)

‘Heroes’ (single version) (3.35)

Boys Keep Swinging (3.17)

Fashion (single version) (3.25)

Ashes To Ashes (single version) (3.35)

CD 2:

Under Pressure (with Queen) (3.56)

Let's Dance (single version) (4.08)

China Girl (single version) (4.15)

Modern Love (single version) (3.56)

Blue Jean (3.11)

This Is Not America (with The Pat Metheny Group) (3.51)

Dancing In The Street (with Mick Jagger) (3.20)

Absolute Beginners (edit) (4.46) 

Jump They Say (radio edit) (3.53)

Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys remix) (with The Pet Shop Boys) (4.23)

Little Wonder (edit) (3.40)

I’m Afraid Of Americans V1 (clean edit) (4.30)

Thursday’s Child (radio edit) (4.25)

Everyone Says 'Hi' (3.29)

New Killer Star (radio edit) (3.42)

Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix by James Murphy for the DFA Edit) (4.07)

Where Are We Now? (4.09)

Sue (or In A Season Of Crime) (7.40)

DOUBLE VINYL

Side 1:

Let's Dance (single version) (4.08)

Ashes To Ashes (single version) (3.35)

‘Heroes’’ (single version) (3.35)

Changes (3.33)

Life On Mars? (3.49)

Side 2:

Space Oddity (5.12)

Starman (original single mix) (4.10)

Ziggy Stardust (3.12)

The Jean Genie (original single mix) (4.05)

Rebel Rebel (4.28)

Side 3:

Golden Years (single version) (3.27) 

Fame (4.14)

Sound And Vision (3.03)

Under Pressure (3.56)  Queen & David Bowie

Sue (or In A Season Of Crime) (7.40)

Side 4:

Hallo Spaceboy (Pet Shop Boys remix) - with The Pet Shop Boys (4.23)

China Girl (single version) (4.15)

Modern Love (single version) (3.56)

Absolute Beginners (single version) (5.35)

Where Are We Now? (4.09)

www.DavidBowie.com

www.LegacyRecordings.com

Two weeks to go till Chicago

“Everybody's waiting for the Go-Go Boy”

Just fourteen days until David Bowie Is opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

The atmosphere is building nicely and what a lovely touch with the steps of the MCA adorned with Bowie lyrics.

Dylan Howe’s Subterranean shows start tonight

“A strange young man called Dylan”

We told you about Dylan Howe’s brilliant new album, SUBTERRANEAN - New Designs On Bowie's Berlin, recently.

Here’s a reminder that the accompanying shows kick off in Colchester, Suffolk in the UK tonight.

See the full tour schedule and read more about the project here.

Howell extended at Proud plus Bowie featured artist

“Wear your wound with honour, make someone proud”

A few months ago we told you about Morgan Howell’s one man show, 45 Revolutions, at Proud Galleries.

Originally scheduled to end on September 2nd, the show has been extended till this coming Sunday the 7th.

Meanwhile, Bowie is the featured artist on the Proud site and you can read more about both here.

When Ziggy anchored John in the UK chart

“There’s a sailor who sings”

On September 1 1972, RCA issued the non-album track, John, I’m Only Dancing, as a 45 in the UK. The, at the time, controversial suggestions made by the lyric made the record unsuitable for an American release.

The single entered the UK Top 30 at #30 on September 23, the same week that the Ziggy Stardust album peaked at #6 and the same week that Mott The Hoople’s rendition of the Bowie-penned All The Young Dudes left the UK Top 10 singles chart, having reached #3 a couple of weeks earlier.

Bowie had little time to celebrate the UK’s appreciation of all things Ziggy, as he kicked of his first American tour in Cleveland on September 22.

John, I’m Only Dancing peaked at #12 on October 14, 1972, a couple of places short of the previous release, Starman.

The single may have fared better had there been a more appropriate representation of the song on Top Of The Pops. Refusing to air Mick Rock’s promotional video for John, I’m Only Dancing (more of which in a minute), the BBC instead opted for their own specially commissioned Top Of The Pops film (TX: 28/09/1972), featuring Ruth from Pan's People dancing on a hilltop as a gang of indifferent bikers pootled around the streets below!

Around the same time, The Sun newspaper in the UK picked up the Ziggy baton and gave Bowie his first tabloid centrespread with the headline: SUPERSTARMAN! Written by Gordon Coxhill the piece made mention of the Bowie show, the hair, the fans, his ’daughter’ Zowie and why Bowie was now a better prospect than Marc Bolan. The paper also offered up a Bowie poster of the main image on the spread for 20p and ran a contest for 50 copies of the Ziggy LP.

Knowing he would be out of the country till December and unable to make a personal Top Of The Pops appearance, Bowie had Mick Rock shoot and direct the iconic promo video for John, I’m Only Dancing during rehearsals at The Rainbow on August 25th, between the three spectacular Bowie shows with Lindsay Kemp on the 19th, 20th and 30th of August.

Both the video and The Sun photos had Bowie sporting a small anchor on his left cheek. It’s not clear where the Sun photos were taken, but it’s possible they were from the August 30th Rainbow show. Were you there? Did you see the anchor ’tattoo’ at any other Bowe shows in 1972? The fan photo in our montage seems to suggest an altogether different show if the anchor is genuine.

Anyway, Bowie explained the inspiration for the adornment in the Mick Rock/David Bowie book, Moonage Daydream: “When the TV series Bewitched went into colour in the late 60s, for some strange reason Samantha occasionally wore tiny tattoos on her face. I thought it looked really odd, but inspired, so I used the little anchor on my face myself for the John, I'm Only Dancing video.”

Watch Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars perform John, I'm Only Dancing in the Mick Rock-directed video here.

Ziggy Stardust Yourself in Berlin with Audi

“People stared at the make-up on his face”

Avantgarde of Berlin have been in touch with details of a new addition to the news page of the David Bowie exhibition at Martin-Gropius-Bau...and here are those details.

Be Ziggy Stardust!

Visitors to the David Bowie exhibition at Martin-Gropius-Bau can now look like Ziggy Stardust. As an official partner of the exhibition, Audi invites visitors to a specially designed photo project. Every person attending, receives a personal photo with the famous Ziggy Stardust lightning bolt.

Since the beginning of the exhibition Audi City Berlin at Kurfürstendamm 195, has been showing an installation of Bowie record covers on their power walls. For Wayne Griffiths, head of sales Germany at Audi AG, the exhibition David Bowie is a matter close to his heart: ”David Bowie wasn’t afraid of exceeding limits and he was ahead of the times. Not least because of his attitude, he perfectly fits into our brand with the four rings.”

The news page is a great diary of events since the launch of the David Bowie exhibition and you can view it here.

If you’re not in Berlin and are feeling a little left out, you still have a chance to get the Aladdin Sane flash on your phizog by acquiring the Bowiefy app.

Our picture shows how David Bowie may have looked had he created the iconic make-up a couple of years before the Aladdin Sane album of 1973, with apologies to both David Bowie himself and Duffy!

Check out BowieDownUnder.com

“While you’re down there”

Adam Dean of bowiedownunder.com - The David Bowie Community of Australia and New Zealand, has been in touch with a few cool Bowie-related things including the following...

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SPACE ODDITY Aug 21 - 24

SYDNEY - MELBOURNE - CANBERRA

Chris Hadfield, the former commander of the International Space Station became the coolest astronaut in the world when he recorded David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” in zero gravity. Since returning to Earth, the Canadian astronaut has inspired audiences across Europe and North America with live talks on space, science and achieving your dreams.

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TMWFTE IN WELLINGTON Oct 6

WELLINGTON

Wellington Film Society presents The Man Who Fell to Earth starring David Bowie.

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THE BOWIE PROJECT Oct 8

MELBOURNE

Adam Rudegeair's Bowie Project returns.

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Adam recommends the Adam Rudegeair event, saying: “his stuff is superb and is played by a jazz quintet - songs such as Black Tie White Noise, Thursdays Child, I’m Afraid of Americans, Aladdin Sane, Underground and many others.“

For more details regarding each of the above and much more, go here.

In the long run up to the David Bowie is stint at The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (acmi) from July 16 to November 1, 2015, BowieDownUnder.com will be the place to check out for local events and the like.

And though we are duty-bound to point out that it’s not an official site, it is nevertheless a very impressive one well worth keeping an eye on for all things ’down there’.

It’s also worth remembering, these guys are from the future and they’re already enjoying tomorrow!

DB After Dark at Adler Planetarium Chicago

“Got to keep searching and searching”

There will be a David Bowie themed Adler After Dark event this coming Thursday, August 21, and we’ve received an intriguing message from the folk at Adler Planetarium in Chicago regarding it.

“We’re @adlerskywatch on Twitter and Instagram. One activity we’re doing for this week’s Adler After Dark night is #PeekABowie; we’ve hidden little David Bowies around the museum and if you find one you snap a pic and post to Instagram or Twitter using #PeekABowie.”

Curiouser and Curiouser - There’s more info about Adler After Dark: Space Oddity here and a full schedule of events here.

Hansa Studio Tour Special with Eduard Meyer

“I, I can remember, Standing, by the wall”

Well we’re into the final week of The Berlin run of the David Bowie exhibition at Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin. Online tickets have now all sold out, but if you’re in Berlin you may strike lucky on the day by going straight there.

Either way, it’s well worth trying to get a place on the popular daily Bowie Berlin Walk and/or the Hansa Studio Tour.

On the closing day of the exhibition, Sunday August 24, 2014, Hansa sound engineer, Eduard Meyer, will be present for the Hansa Studio Tour Special (in English) accompanied by expert tour guide, and all-round lovely bloke, Thilo Schmied.

If you don’t know much about Eduard Meyer, you can read a brief interview with him from last month over on exberliner.com.

We’ll leave you with the official blurb and links for the Hansa Studio Tour Special and the daily Bowie Berlin Walk...

HANSA STUDIO TOUR SPECIAL WITH EDUARD MEYER

On Sunday 24. August 2014 the extraordinary exhibition DAVID BOWIE at Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin will close the doors and travel to the United States. For this Closing Party a very special guest was invited - EDUARD MEYER - David Bowie's and Iggy Pop's former sound engineer from Hansa Studios. Edu helped Bowie & Iggy recording their albums THE IDIOT, LOW, LUST FOR LIFE and BAAL at the ‘studios by the wall’ between 1976 and 1979.

This Hansa Studio Tour Special of BERLIN MUSIC TOURS (in English) starts on Sunday 24. August 2014 at 13:00 CET in front of ‘Meistersaal’ entrance, Köthener Strasse 38, 10963 Berlin – just around the corner from Potsdamer Platz Center. The space in the studios is limited, please pre order the studio tour with Edu using BERLIN MUSIC TOURS Tickets (http://musictours-berlin.de/en/tickets) menu on the website or write an email straight to booking email: order@musictours-berlin.de

Info link: http://musictours-berlin.de/en/hansa-studio-tour

Also there is the popular daily Bowie Berlin Walk (http://musictours-berlin.de/en/bowie-berlin-walk) running at 14:30 CET in English parallel to exhibition DAVID BOWIE at Martin-Gropius-Bau in Kreuzberg district until 24. August 2014. Due to strong demand BERLIN MUSIC TOURS will continue doing the Bowie Berlin Walk also after the exhibition will be closed down. Check out the big multimedia Bowie Berlin Tour (http://musictours-berlin.de/en/bowie-tour) as well – here is the studio & bus tour combined.

Bowie Store Exclusive T-Shirt Collection

“You shall own a Bowie shirt”

For those of you not subscribed to the newsletter, The Official David Bowie Store has announced the launch of an exclusive new Bowie t-shirt collection.

These shirts, inspired by the artwork of David Bowie’s 40th Anniversary picture disc collection and beginning with Diamond Dogs, will be available exclusively for pre-order in the Official David Bowie online store and will be limited to 300 pieces per design.

Printed on high-quality, premium t-shirts and utilising the iconic artwork of Parlophone’s picture disc reissue series as inspiration, these tees will be available on subsequent releases as part of pre-order bundles only.

For this one time only though, you can pick up the inaugural Diamond Dogs t-shirt as a standalone item. The store is also taking pre-orders for the next release in this series, Knock On Wood.

Pre-order the Knock On Wood bundle and the Diamond Dogs t-shirt here.

Holy Holy picture disc available for pre-order

“Slowly, it’s good and holy”

We recently told you about the upcoming release by Holy Holy of a limited edition 7” picture disc, We Are King / Holy Holy.

Issued by Maniac Squat Records on Monday 15th September 2014, the release will be a very limited edition of 999 numbered picture discs and a digital download.  

Numbers 101-999 will be available at the gigs for £15 each and via Amazon.

Numbers 1-100 are signed by the whole band on a special insert and will only be available at the September shows for £30 each.

All pressings come with a four-page numbered information booklet which includes a new exclusive essay on The Man Who Sold The World album and the song Holy Holy by the renowned Bowie historian/writer Nicholas Pegg (The Complete David Bowie).

Tony Visconti on bass and backing vocals, and Woody Woodmansey on drums, are joined by Woody’s stellar supergroup Holy Holy, on the single:

• Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17), vocals

• Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet), vocals, sax, guitar, keyboards, stylophone and percussion

• Erdal Kizilcay (David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Freddie Mercury), bass

• James Stevenson (Chelsea, Gen X, Gene Loves Jezebel, Scott Walker, The Alarm, The Cult), guitar

• Paul Cuddeford (Ian Hunter, Bob Geldof), guitar, mandolin, acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, viola and harmonica

• Rod Melvin (Ian Dury, Brian Eno), piano

• Lisa Ronson (A Secret History), backing vocals

• Maggi Ronson (Mick Ronson, Philip Rambow), backing vocals

• Hannah Berridge Ronson (Colin Lloyd Tucker), backing vocals

• Malcolm Doherty (Rumer), backing vocals

Keep reading for the press release.

PRESS RELEASE - Limited edition 7” picture disc, We Are King / Holy Holy.

Supergroup HOLY HOLY featuring Woody Woodmansey, Steve Norman, Glenn Gregory and Tony Visconti release a double A side single comprising the new song ‘We Are King’, written and sung by Steve Norman of Spandau Ballet with a cover of David Bowie’s ‘Holy Holy’ sung by Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory.

Released by Maniac Squat Records on Monday 15th September 2014 on a picture disc limited edition of 999 and on digital download.  

Legendary Bowie bandmates, producer/bass player Tony Visconti and drummer Woody Woodmansey, are performing together for the first time since 1971 on this single and at four UK dates in September 2014. Fronting the band is Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17 and on saxophone, guitars and vocals is Spandau Ballet’s Steve Norman.

Steve Norman said: “It's a great honour to be able to contribute 'We Are King' to this wonderful project. It's a song which I wrote especially for it and with the übertalented Woody Woodmansey and all the Holy Holy band members in mind. Performing this song along with those amazing Bowie tunes makes me proud. These songs have impacted so much on my personal life as well as my musical career. Working with Tony Visconti and Glenn Gregory is the icing on the cake of this most exciting venture”.

Glenn Gregory said “It has been a little strange over the last few months, I was asked to perform live on stage with some of my absolute all time heroes singing some of the most influential Bowie songs ever, and then as if that wasn’t enough… I’m now singing on a record with those same gentlemen. I think I might just retire”.

The distinctive and robust guitar playing which contributed so much to the artistic success of The Man Who Sold The World was Mick Ronson, who sadly died in 1993. Mick’s daughter Lisa, his sister Maggi and niece Hannah sing on this record and are performing live with Tony and Woody in September. 

Tony Visconti said "It was such a pleasure to jam with Holy Holy's drummer, Woody Woodmansey, my former Hype colleague on their new single We Are King.  It felt natural, a perfect fit. Glen Gregory's vocals are wonderful on the Holy Holy cover song. I added some vocal tones to this song too. I'm very proud to be part of this recording and ever so excited playing the four TMWSTW shows in the UK this September, with this amazing band of musicians including the very talented and dedicated Steve Norman."

Woody Woodmansey said "I am really excited about playing with Tony Visconti again after so many years; a great rhythm section is always kinda special. The TMWSTW gigs in September, with such a calibre of world class players, who really know their stuff, from Steve Norman, Glenn Gregory, James Stevenson, Paul Cuddeford, Erdal Kizilcay, and the Ronson girls is going to be a little bit of history, as this album has never been performed live, ever!".

Tony Visconti on bass and backing vocals, and Woody Woodmansey on drums, are joined by Woody’s stellar supergroup Holy Holy, on the single:

• Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17), vocals

• Steve Norman (Spandau Ballet), vocals, sax, guitar, keyboards, stylophone and percussion

• Erdal Kizilcay (David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Freddie Mercury), bass

• James Stevenson (Chelsea, Gen X, Gene Loves Jezebel, Scott Walker, The Alarm, The Cult), guitar

• Paul Cuddeford (Ian Hunter, Bob Geldof), guitar, mandolin, acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, viola and harmonica

• Rod Melvin (Ian Dury, Brian Eno), piano

• Lisa Ronson (A Secret History), backing vocals

• Maggi Ronson (Mick Ronson, Philip Rambow), backing vocals

• Hannah Berridge Ronson (Colin Lloyd Tucker), backing vocals

• Malcolm Doherty (Rumer), backing vocals

Notes for Editors

• The vinyl single will include an new exclusive essay by the renowned Bowie historian/writer Nicholas Pegg on The Man Who Sold The World album and the song Holy Holy.

• Holy Holy formed in 2013 to play at Latitude Festival.

• The single was produced by Steve Norman and engineered by Paul Cuddeford, with additional recording by Tony Visconti in New York and by Erdal Kizilcay in Switzerland.

• Tony Visconti has produced more David Bowie albums than anyone else, including Space Oddity, The Man Who Sold The World, Young Americans, Low, Heroes, Lodger, Scary Monsters, Heathen, Reality and The Next Day, released in 2013, as well as mixing several others.

• Woody Woodmansey drummed on four of the most important David Bowie albums: The Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars and Aladdin Sane.

• We Are King / Holy Holy by Holy Holy is released on Maniac Squat Records, distributed by Code 7 via PHD, catalogue number: MSL2014V001

Social Media

Twitter: @holyholybowie              Facebook: www.facebook.com/holyholybowie

Live performances

September 2014 performances by Holy Holy with Woody Woodmansey, Steve Norman, Glenn Gregory and Tony Visconti:

London                The Garage                                       Wednesday 17th September                        SOLD OUT

Sheffield              O2 Academy2                                   Thursday 18th September                             £18.00 adv

Glasgow              O2 ABC                                              Saturday 20th September                             £20.00 adv

London                O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire          Monday 22nd September                             £25.00 adv

Talk

Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansey discuss the making of The Man Who Sold The World at the ICA, Tuesday 16th September:

https://www.ica.org.uk/whats-on/tony-visconti-and-woody-woodmansey-making-david-bowie%E2%80%99s-man-who-sold-world

Happy Fourteenth Birthday to Lexi

“While colour lights up your face”

We’re sure you will all want to join us in wishing many happy returns of the day to Alexandria Zahra Jones…known to her friends and family as Lexi.

Continuing a theme we started last year, here is a hand-tinted photo of Lexi’s dad, also at the age of 14, in 1961.

Looking particularly dapper, the young Jones is pictured before he received his most famous trademark from his good friend George Underwood, but that’s a whole other story that didn't happen until the following year.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Lexi, love ‘n stuff from everybody here and no doubt anybody else who thinks your father is a top banana.

More US screenings for David Bowie Is Happening Now

“It was a day in that blue month September”

At the end of last month we announced the commencement of ticket sales for the nationwide US theatrical release of the V&A’s David Bowie Is Happening Now documentary film.

Distributed by Omniverse Vision, the film is scheduled for exclusive screenings in movie theatres across the US on September 23, 2014.

We are pleased to be able to tell you that further locations and screenings have now been added and you can find your nearest participating cinema by visiting: www.davidbowie.com/davidbowieisfilm, view the trailer and book tickets while you’re there.

David Bowie Is Happening Now takes the audience on an extraordinary journey through the David Bowie Is exhibition with special guests including legendary Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto, Pulp front-man Jarvis Cocker, and other collaborators, to explore the stories behind some of the key objects that document Bowie’s artistic career. The exhibition curators, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, provide fascinating insight into the most memorable works in the exhibition, revealing the creativity and evolution of Bowie’s ideas.

The documentary was filmed a year ago this week (August 13, 2013) on the closing night of the V&A exhibition in London and directed by Hamish Hamilton, the BAFTA-winning Director of the Academy Awards and the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Below is the updated list of participating cinemas to date.

State	City/Town	Theater
Arizona	Phoenix	FilmBar	LINK
Arizona	Tuscon	Loft	LINK
California	Los Angeles	Arclight Hollywood	LINK
California	Los Angeles	Laemmle Noho7	LINK
California	Los Angeles	Laemmle Playhouse7	LINK
California	Los Angeles	Laemmle Royal	LINK
California	Los Angeles	Muvico Thousand Oaks	LINK
California	Los Angeles	Vintage Vista	LINK
California	Los Angeles	West Claremont5	LINK
California	Palm Springs	Camelot	LINK
California	Sacramento	Tower Theater	LINK
California	San Diego	Landmark Hillcrest	LINK
California	San Diego	Reading Carmel Mountain	LINK
California	San Diego	Reading Town Square	LINK
California	San Francisco	Landmark Embarcadero	LINK
California	San Francisco	Landmark Shattuck	LINK
California	Santa Barbara	Arlington	LINK
Colorado	Denver	Landmark Mayan 3	LINK
Colorado	Denver	Sie Denver Film Centre	LINK
Conneticut	Fairfield	Showcase Fairfield	LINK
Florida	Jacksonville	Sun-Ray Cinema	LINK
Florida	Miami	O Cinema	LINK
Florida	Miami	Tower	LINK
Georgia	Atlanta	Landmark Midtown	LINK
Hawaii	Honolulu	Consolidated Theater Ward	LINK
Illinois	Bloomington	Galaxy 14 Cine	LINK
Illinois	Chicago	Addison	LINK
Illinois	Chicago	Gurnee	LINK
Illinois	Chicago	Orland Park	LINK
Illinois	Chicago	Music Box	LINK
Illinois	Chicago	Muvico Rosemount	LINK
Illinois	St Louis	O'Fallon	LINK
Indiana	Indianapolis	Keystone Art	LINK
Iowa	Cedar Rapids	Galaxy 16  Cine	LINK
Kansas	Kansas City	Tivoli	LINK
Maryland	Baltimore	Harbor East	LINK
Massachusetts	Boston	Kendall Square	LINK
Massachussets	Boston	Showcase Chestnut Hill	LINK
Massachussets	Boston	Showcase Revere	LINK
Massachussets	Foxborough	Showcase Patriot Place	LINK
Michigan	Detroit	Landmark Main Art 3	LINK
Michigan	Grand Rapids	Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts	LINK
Minnesota	Minneapolis	Landmark Lagoon	LINK
Minnesota	Rochester	Galaxy 14	LINK
Misouri	Chesterfield	Galaxy 14	LINK
Misouri	St Louis	Ronnies 20	LINK
Misouri	St Louis	St Charles 18	LINK
Missouri	CapeGirardeau	Cape West 14	LINK
Missouri	Lake Ozark	Eagles Landing 8	LINK
Missouri	Springfield	Campbell 16 Cine	LINK
New Jersey	Edgewater	Showcase Edgewater	LINK
New York	Albany	Spectrum 8	LINK
New York	Buffalo	Amherst Theatre	LINK
New York	Farmingdale	Showcase Farmingdale	LINK
New York	Holtsville	Showcase Island 16	LINK
New York	Rochester	Little Theatre Film Society	LINK
New York	White Plains	Showcase City Center	LINK
New York, Manhattan	New York	Angelika New York	LINK
New York, Manhattan	New York	Paris	LINK
New York, Manhattan	New York	Village East	LINK
Ohio	Cleveland	Capitol	LINK
Ohio	Columbus	Gateway	LINK
Ohio	Springdale	Showcase Springdale	LINK
Oklahoma	Tulsa	Circle Cinema	LINK
Oregon	Portland	Hollywood 3	LINK
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	ArtsQuest	LINK
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	Landmark Ritz 5	LINK
Pennsylvania	Pittsburg	Southside Works	LINK
Rhode Island	Providence	Showcase Providence Place	LINK
Texas	Dallas	Angelika Dallas	LINK
Texas	Houston	Landmark River Oaks	LINK
Texas	Plano	Angelika Plano	LINK
Texas	San Antonio	Palladium 22	LINK
Texas	San Antonio	Santikos Bijou	LINK
Texas	San Antonio	Santikos Embassy	LINK
Texas	San Antonio	Santikos Palladium 19	LINK
Texas	San Antonio	Silverado IMAX	LINK
Virginia	Fairfax	Angelika Mosaic	LINK
Washington	Bellingham	Pickford	LINK
Washington	Seattle	SIFF	LINK
Washington	Washington	Landmark E-Street	LINK
Wisconsin	Milwaukee	Landmark Downer	LINK

TV donates signed Bowie print and lunch date

“Oh man, I need TV” 

With just a couple of days to go till the Memory of a Free Festival 2014 event in Beckenham on Saturday (http://smarturl.it/Beckenham2014FBevent), we have an updated list of all of the very desirable items kindly donated for the auction.

In case you haven’t heard yet, the very lovely Tony Visconti has not only donated the print he is holding in the picture here, but he has also offered himself up as host of an exclusive one-on-one lunch date at The Groucho Club in September!

Here follows Tony’s description of the Bowie print he is donating...

“Here is the print before I sign it. The photo was taken 14 September, 1998. We were recording vocals for Safe In This Sky Life and Mother. We needed to borrow the Shure “Elvis” mic and the owner agreed as long as we had a photo of David singing into it. To my surprise he said yes and struck a cool pose. He liked the photo, Photoshop was new and I tried to turn it into a work of art. He liked that too. Although 1998 isn’t that long ago this photo kind of catches the mood of the time -- digital photography, Photoshop manipulation and a microphone I frequently used in the 1950s. I’m sure everyone reading this knows that David and El share the same birthday too.”

Below is the full auction list followed by Tony’s conditions for the lunch date.

Updated Memory of a Free Festival 2014 auction items

~ Signed by Bowie Love Is Lost white vinyl 12" (2014 signature)

~ 2004 tour poster designed by Rex Ray, signed by both Bowie and Rex (2004 signature)

~ Limited edition 2002 Heathen CD in album packaging with a signed-by-Bowie promotional postcard (2002 signature)

~ Lunch with Tony Visconti at The Groucho Club in September (See conditions below)

~ Photo of Bowie taken by Tony Visconti and signed by Tony, as described in note from Tony, above

~ Signed by George Underwood Ziggy Stardust characters badge set

~ 1 Holy Holy ticket for sold out TMWSTW 17th Sep show

~ 2 Holy Holy tickets for 21st Dec, with backstage access

~ Duffy tour edition Aladdin Sane print (eyes open and closed)

~ Duffy framed Aladdin Sane triptych

~ Duffy/Bowie Five Sessions book by Kevin Cann and Chris Duffy

~ Framed 1969 photo of Bowie at free festival, signed by photographer David Bebbington

~ Bowie and Hutch book signed by author John 'Hutch' Hutchinson

~ Signed Reeves Gabrels & Bill Nelson CD

~ Signed Reeves Gabrels CD

~ Signed CD by Keith Christmas

~ Humble Queen CD signed by Bridget St John

~ Jolie Madame CD signed by Bridget St John

~ Rock 'N' Roll Suicide RSD pic disc

Conditions for lunch with Tony Visconti

1. Lunch will be Friday, 12 Sept, 1 PM at the Groucho Club.  If the winner can't be available on Friday then Saturday is the contingent day, it's the only other time I can do it.  It will be at another restaurant in that case as the Groucho doesn't serve lunch on Saturday, but it will be somewhere nice in Soho.  I am paying for lunch.

2. I am having lunch with only the winner, not a couple, friends of the winner, etc.  It's just a one on one lunch.

3. I am looking forward to a friendly conversation, but no sound or video recording of our lunch will be permitted.  I will have to be satisfied that no open or secret recording devices will be in the winner's possession.

4. Our waitress or waiter can take a snap of us to commemorate the meeting, no other third party can take photos.

5. That's it, very simple.  I'm looking forward to a great time.

Keep updated about this year’s festival via the Beckenham Bowie FB page and the Memory of a Free Festival 2014 event page.

See Mary Finnigan’s press release here on DavidBowie.com

Guardians of the Galaxy tops Billboard 200

“Freak out in a moonage daydream oh yeah!” 

Reuters has reported that the Awesome Mix compilation from the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack has topped the Billboard 200.

The 12-track release contains Bowie’s 1972 Ziggy Stardust classic, Moonage Daydream.

There is also a Guardians of the Galaxy 2CD Deluxe version of the album which contains the same 12 tracks from the film, but also includes the score from the movie.

Here’s an excerpt from PIYA SINHA-ROY’s Reuters report. 

The alien superheroes of Disney's "Guardians of the Galaxy" not only stormed the movie box office, but the Marvel superheroes' throwback 1970s-style soundtrack climbed to the top spot on the weekly U.S. Billboard chart on Wednesday.

"Awesome Mix Vol. 1," which includes classic hits such as Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling," The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back," and David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream," sold 109,000 copies in its second week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

It had entered the chart last week at No. 3 with first-week sales of 60,000.

The 12-track retro mix is featured heavily throughout the film as rogue hero Peter Quill's own soundtrack as he battles evil intergalactic villains to save the galaxy. It is the second soundtrack this year to top the album chart, following the success of Walt Disney Co's animated hit "Frozen."

David Bowie is at ACMI in Australia July 2015

“He will have his sky down there below” 

It is with much pleasure that we can announce another date for the David Bowie is world tour, with the news that the exhibition will now visit The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (acmi) as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces, from July 16 to November 1, 2015.

Minister for Tourism and Major Events, The Hon. Louise Asher, MP, made the official announcement at around 11am AEST to a packed press conference of excited fans and journalists alike.

Stay tuned here and to the following ACMI channels for updates:

ACMI website

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Blog

‪#‎bowieacmi

 

PRESS RELEASE

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces presents

David Bowie is

A once-in-a-lifetime exhibition charting the genius and legacy of an iconic artist and innovator

16 July 2015 to 1 November 2015

acmi.net.au/bowie

“absolutely incredible...fabulous” Jean Paul Gaultier

“a simple, ringing endorsement of pure stardom” The Independent (UK)

“a beautifully immersive, innovative show” The Huffington Post

“The sheer grandeur brought tears to my eyes” The Daily Telegraph

Opening in July 2015, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), will present exclusively in Australasia as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces, David Bowie is - the acclaimed exhibition celebrating the extraordinary career of one of the most pioneering and influential artists and performers of the modern era.

David Bowie is was created by the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London drawing upon unprecedented access to the David Bowie Archive of costumes, objects, album artwork, and memorabilia. The exhibition includes lyric sheets, hundreds of photographs, stage sets, rare videos, filmed live shows, over 50 costumes and interviews with key collaborators. Special displays within the exhibition explore Bowie’s influences as musician, stage performer, writer and actor – and his continuing legacy. At its world premiere in London in March 2013, it was the V&A’s fastest selling exhibition and became one of its most popular shows, drawing over 311,000 visitors and widespread critical acclaim.

ACMI Director & CEO, Tony Sweeney, said the landmark exhibition showcases Bowie as a true innovator in music, fashion and culture, and traces his changing style and reinvention.

“The mystery of David Bowie as an enigma is so lovingly explored in this incredible immersive exhibition you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped inside the mind of this astonishing cultural and pop icon,” Tony said. “Bowie is a figure whose social and creative influence and significance far exceeds his status as a pre-eminent rock performer and in David Bowie is, his incredible career is showcased in glorious detail.”

The V&A’s curators, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, from the Museum’s Department of Theatre and Performance, selected more than 300 objects and films for the show. Of the exhibition they said:

“The exhibition looks in-depth at how Bowie’s music and radical individualism has both influenced and been influenced by wider movements in art, design, film and contemporary popular culture over an incredible 50-year career and demonstrates how Bowie has inspired others to challenge convention and pursue freedom of expression.”

Bowie’s first major hit Space Oddity (1969) and the introduction of his first fictionalised stage persona Major Tom, inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, granted him critical and commercial success as an established solo artist. His cinematic influences abound with his elaborate storyboards and set design for the Diamond Dogs tour (1974) - originally envisioned as a musical - inspired by Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis (1927), leading him to take the combination of rock music and theatre to new heights.

Excerpts and props from Bowie’s own work in feature films such as Labyrinth (1986) and Basquiat (1996) are displayed in the exhibition, as do many of his ambitious and ground-breaking music videos. The year 1972 marked the birth of his most famous creation; Ziggy Stardust, a daringly androgynous and otherworldly being. A pivotal performance of Starman on Top of the Pops in a multi-coloured suit signalled a challenge of social conventions, daring fans to shape their own identities.

Bowie’s collaborations with artists and designers in the fields of fashion, sound, graphics, theatre, art and film are explored throughout the exhibition. On display are more than 50 stage costumes including Ziggy Stardust bodysuits (1972) designed by Freddie Burretti, Kansai Yamamoto’s flamboyant creations for the Aladdin Sane tour (1973) and the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the Earthling album cover (1997).

Bowie’s fruitful experimental period in Berlin between 1977 and 1979 is also explored through a series of pioneering records he produced known as the Berlin Trilogy, including the creation of the stylish Thin White Duke persona identified with the Station to Station album and tour (1976).

More personal items such as never-before-seen storyboards, handwritten set lists and lyrics are also featured in the exhibition as well as some of Bowie’s own sketches, musical scores and diary entries, revealing the evolution of his creative ideas. ACMI is the exclusive Australasian venue for David Bowie is. The ACMI season will include a specially curated program of talks and special events, late night programs, film screenings and live performances.

David Bowie is will open at ACMI on 16 July 2015 as part of the Victorian Government’s prestigious Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. Tickets go on sale to the general public in November 2014. To register for exclusive pre-sale ticket opportunities, visit: acmi.net.au/bowie

About the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI):

A globally unique cultural institution, ACMI presents and champions the art and culture of the moving image. Through a vibrant annual calendar of award-winning exhibitions, screenings, film festivals, live events, creative workshops, education programs and Collection resources, ACMI provides a wide diversity of audiences with an unsurpassed range of ways to engage with the moving image. As one of Victoria’s major cultural, tourism and learning attractions, and a national centre of screen culture debate and innovation, ACMI has an international reputation as one of the world’s leading moving image centres.

About the Victoria and Albert Museum:

The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity. It was established to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, the V&A’s collections, which span over 2000 years of human creativity in virtually every medium and from many parts of the world, continue to intrigue, inspire and inform. More: www.vam.ac.uk

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Exhibition organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London Sound experience by Sennheiser

David Bowie Archive:

Costumes, materials and objects courtesy of the David Bowie Archive, with thanks to Archivist Sandy Hirshkowitz.

David Bowie is…Education programs, proudly supported by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation.

BowieBall in Chicago on Thursday

“Tomorrow night, Tomorrow night”

For those of you in the Chicago area on Thursday that can’t wait till September to get your Bowie fix, why not head over to Berlin for some big Bowie fun…that’s Berlin the club, not the German city.

Full details on BowieBall.com, plus Facebook events page here.

NME’s 100 Most Influential Artists

“Someone to follow”

Congratulations are due to David Bowie with the news that NME has positioned him at #2 in their list of the 100 Most Influential Artists.

The magazine (August 9 issue) set out to "determine the most influential acts in music right now. Who are the bands and artists that the current raft of new musicians listen to before penning their own 21st-century classics?"

With quotations from James Murphy, St Vincent, Trent Reznor, Black Francis, Lorde and Lady Gaga on the importance of Bowie to their careers, the piece summed up his influence thus:

"Of all the old guard, David Bowie is the guy who young musicians still namedrop with devoted regularity today. The sheer breadth and scope of his career - from the music-hall roots to his glam explosion, plastic soul period and krautrock experiments - has provided countless modern acts with their impetus to plug in and play."

Congratulations also to Radiohead (just one of the thirty odd artists listed as having been influenced by Bowie), who topped the list.

Back in 2000, the band came second to Bowie when he was placed first in NME's Most Influential Artists of All-time list.

So today's news is a pretty impressive result for DB considering he released no new material for ten of the fourteen years since 2000.

We'll leave you with a still relevant Bowie quote from an exclusive interview he gave NME back then:

"I've always cited who my influences are. I felt it was important for people to be able to see how things are put together at any given stage. I let people know what's going through my head. I've been quite vocal about that through the years.

"It often amuses me to see bands who lie about who they're listening to, because they don't want people to know who their real influences are. They leave a trail of red herrings. It's disingenuous, to say the least. I've always loved the process - to see how things are put together."

45 years on, Beckenham is gonna have a party

“The sun machine is coming down”

Just over forty four years ago (Friday June 26th, 1970), David Bowie released the single Memory Of A Free Festival to mark an event that took place in his home town of Beckenham the previous August.

The record didn’t worry the UK singles chart and promptly disappeared from view. David Bowie’s public wasn't quite ready for him just yet.

However, the festival is now set to become an annual fundraiser in support of the dilapidated Beckenham bandstand where Bowie and friends played on the day, with the news that this year’s festival will also take place at the Croydon Road Recreation Ground in Beckenham on Saturday 16 August, just like it did exactly forty five years previously.

Last year £7,000 was collected for the restoration fund, £600 of which was raised at auction from the proceeds of Bowie-donated signed memorabilia.

David has kindly supplied a signed Love Is Lost white vinyl 12" this year and we’ve also dug into the vaults and found a ten-year-old tour poster designed by Rex Ray, signed by both Bowie and Rex in 2004.

We also found a limited edition 2002 Heathen CD in album packaging with a signed-by-Bowie promotional postcard. Scroll the images here to view the items.

Keep updated about this year’s festival via the Beckenham Bowie FB page and keep reading for Mary Finnigan’s press release.

DAVID BOWIE DOES IT AGAIN!

More support for the Beckenham bandstand

Rock mega star David Bowie is making a second generous contribution to the restoration fund for the bandstand where he performed 45 years ago.

Bowie and the Beckenham Arts Lab organised Britain's first ever Free Festival at the Croydon Road Recreation Ground in Beckenham on Saturday 16 August 1969.  The event is celebrated as a cultural milestone, immortalised by Bowie with his anthem Memory of a Free Festival.

Last year Memory of a Free Festival morphed from a song into a contemporary event – organised by fashion designer Natasha Ryzhova Lau as a fundraiser for the iconic Victorian bandstand, which is urgently in need of repair. David Bowie donated signed memorabilia which raised £600 at auction. In total £7,000 was collected for the restoration fund.

The first Memory of a Free Festival was a great success. It returns by popular request and looks set to become an annual event. The second edition this year kicks off at 1.00pm  on Saturday 16 August – in the same place, on the same day 45 years after the Bowie original. Once again David is donating signed items for the bandstand fund – including Love is Lost – a 12” white vinyl double A side single – described by fans as “very desirable”.

The lineup this year includes three musicians who played in 1969.  There's a return visit by American folk/blues legend Amory Kane who made a special trip  from California last year. He's joined by guitar maestro Bill Liesegang, who was a 16 year old prodigy in 1969.

This year the festival welcomes singer/songwriter Roger Wotton, leader of the avant garde band Comus who were resident at the Arts Lab Sunday night gigs and a star attraction at the Free Festival.

“It’s like a strange dream where my life is starting over again” says Roger,

“Comus have reformed, I'm playing the Beckenham Festival and meeting up with all the people I used to know.  It is as if the wheel has turned full circle and I'm going into a repeat pattern.”

Also on the bandstand this year are return visits from Raf and O, Low Rent Tractors and the Bowie tribute band Thin White Duke. Newcomers include Joey Herzfeld and his So Called Friends and Julia Gray.

As well as non-stop live music there's a Gingham Goose craft market, food, drinks and a beer tent.

An innovation this year is an art-in-action feature, with visual artists at work and with their creations on display.  

“We want to encourage artists to take part” says organiser Natasha Ryzhova Lau, “this can include all sorts of artistic expression –poetry, storytelling, painting and sculpture.”

Times have changed and it is no longer possible to present a free festival. There's a £5 entry fee to cover expenses, payable at the gate. Donations to the bandstand fund will be gratefully received. The auction will happen just before the festival ends at 7.00pm.

Mary Finnigan