Golden Years 40th anniversary disc due November

“Nothing’s gonna touch you in these golden years”

Golden Years will be the last of the 40th anniversary 7" picture discs for 2015. Originally released on November 21 1975, the single had a lot to live up to.

As we said in our previous item, 1975 was a good year for Bowie chart action. Fame had given Bowie his first #1 Stateside and the Space Oddity rerelease became Bowie’s first UK #1.

The UK press advert for Golden Years reflected this success while making the following bold prediction:

October No. 1...Fame...USA

November No. 1...Space Oddity...UK

December No. 1...Golden Years...WORLDWIDE

In the event, Golden Years did make it into the Top Ten in the UK, peaking at #8. Nevertheless, it was a great advert for the upcoming Station To Station album, even though it was a bit of a curveball stylistically.

The general upbeat flavour of Golden Years didn't begin to hint at the emotionally cold Thin White Duke who was waiting in the wings of 1976.

Here are the track details:

GOLDEN YEARS 40th ANNIVERSARY 7" PICTURE DISC

Release date November 13th

A-Side

Golden Years (Single Version)

(David Bowie)

Produced by David Bowie & Harry Maslin

AA-Side

Station To Station (Single Edit)

(David Bowie)

Produced by David Bowie & Harry Maslin

Both the A & AA side features photos by Steve Schapiro, the AA side is a previously unpublished shot.

Listen to the original UK single edit of Golden Years here.

#GoldenYears40

Tony Visconti interviewed for MusicTech

“My friends talk, of glory, untold dream”

Andy Price from Anthem Publishing / MusicTech magazine has been in touch with an exclusive preview of an interview he’s done with Tony Visconti. Here’s a bit from the intro...

“Of all the towering figures in music production history, there is no-one quite as innovative (and unpredictable) as Tony Visconti, from his early days working with a young Marc Bolan to the career-defining highs with David Bowie, Visconti has always been keen to push the boundaries of what is possible in the studio. Andy Price sits down for a chat with a bona fide production legend…”

And here’s just one of the questions from the 5-page feature.

MT: With David, you produced The Man Who Sold The World and a whole range of classic, and stylistically, varied albums throughout his career. How did the experience of making the early work compare to working with David in his later, more experimental days on the Berlin Trilogy?

TV: Over the years, David and I have developed a vocabulary and a musical frame of reference. We met in 1967 and discovered we had very similar tastes in music, like The Fugs, The Velvet Underground, the Stan Kenton Orchestra, The Beatles, The Kinks and many, many more. The list has grown into modern music as well. We’re good friends, too, which helps, although I hardly see him unless we’re making a record. Recently, we made a single with the jazz composer, Maria Schneider, called Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime). Since we were all on the same page with Stan Kenton, Gil Evans and Maria herself, who was Gil Evans’ apprentice, we just flew through making that exciting recording.

Check out the full Tony Visconti interview in MusicTech's 150th issue, out August 20th.

#MusicTech  #TonyVisconti

Two Bowie vinyl exclusives for Groninger

“There’s a sailor who sings”

A limited edition pressing of David Bowie’s Man Of Words/Man Of Music album is to be issued on blue vinyl, alongside classic versions of Amsterdam and My Death as a limited edition orange vinyl 7" single.

The records are being released via Parlophone to celebrate the opening of the V&A’s David Bowie is at the Groninger Museum, Groningen in the Netherlands, on December 11th, 2015. The records are exclusive to the exhibition. (http://smarturl.it/DavidBowieGoingDutch)

Man Of Words/Man Of Music was the US version of the 1969 David Bowie album on Mercury, aka Space Oddity.

Amsterdam is Bowie’s 1971 cover of the Jacques Brel song (with lyrics translated to English by Mort Shuman). Produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott, the track was originally recorded during the early sessions for the Ziggy Stardust album at Trident Studios, in London. It was eventually released as the B-side of the Sorrow single in October, 1973.

Despite the simple arrangement of Bowie’s vocal and Mick Ronson’s acoustic guitar, it’s a thrilling version of the song.

The recording of My Death (Brel/Blau/Shuman) on the B-side, was recorded live at Carnegie Hall, in New York on September 28th, 1972. Both Amsterdam and My Death were popular performances during live Ziggy shows.

MAN OF WORDS/MAN OF MUSIC BLUE VINYL LP EXCLUSIVE TO THE NETHERLANDS DAVID BOWIE IS' EXHIBITION

Release date December 11th for the exhibition opening at the Groninger Museum, Groningen, the Netherlands.

AMSTERDAM 7" ORANGE VINYL EXCLUSIVE TO THE NETHERLANDS 'DAVID BOWIE IS' EXHIBITION

Release date December 11th for the exhibition opening at the Groninger Museum, Groningen, the Netherlands.

A-Side (45 rpm)

Amsterdam

(Jacques Brel/English lyrics: Mort Shuman)

Produced by Ken Scott & David Bowie

B-Side (33 1/3 rpm)

My Death (Live)

(Jacques Brel/Eric Blau/Mort Shuman)

Recorded live at Carnegie Hall 28th September, 1972

Front cover photo is a previously unpublished shot by Brian Ward. Reverse cover photo is a live shot from Carnegie Hall, 28th September, 1972 by David Gahr.

#BowieNL  #BowieExclusivesNL  #DavidBowieIs

Space Oddity is next 40th Anniversary Picture Disc

“Commencing countdown, engines on”

No prizes for guessing the next limited David Bowie 7" picture disc will be the 40th anniversary edition of Space Oddity.

Of course, we’re not talking about the anniversary of the original 1969 issue on Philips, which gave Bowie his first Top 5 hit on the UK singles chart, or even the 1973 US release which reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. No, we’re celebrating the 1975 RCA re-issue which furnished Bowie with his first ever UK #1 single.

Originally issued in the UK on Friday September 26th 1975, the single followed hot on the heels of Bowie’s first #1 hit in the USA with Fame.

This 40th anniversary disc of Space Oddity is scheduled to be released forty years and 5 days on from that original 1975 release date, and it will be available from Friday October 2nd, 2015.

Here are the track details:

A-Side

Space Oddity (UK single edit)

(David Bowie)

Produced by Gus Dudgeon and arranged by David Bowie and Paul Buckmaster

AA-Side

Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single B-side with spoken introduction)

(David Bowie)

Produced by Gus Dudgeon and arranged by David Bowie and Paul Buckmaster

Both sides stereo

A Side image from the David Bowie Archive, originally used for the 1969 Philips French picture sleeve

AA Side photo by Vernon Dewhurst

#SpaceOddity40

Five Years Box album 4: Ziggy Stardust

“I could play the wild mutation as a rock & roll star”

In the run up to the release of The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, the boundaries between David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust became more blurred.

This was in no small part due to the advertising campaign which proclaimed: “David Bowie is Ziggy Stardust!”

The creation of a cartoon Ziggy Stardust, with more than a passing resemblance to Bowie (drawn by David’s friend George Underwood), also served to add another layer of mystery to the whole concept of who and what Ziggy was.

As you can see from our montage, this cartoon image was reproduced for various posters, press adverts and even skin transfers...not to mention a prototype Ziggy Stardust doll.

One thing that was definitely for real though, was the incredible accompanying musical soundtrack to the tale of Ziggy Stardust.

#FiveYearsBox  #DavidBowie  #ZiggyStardust  #DavidBowieIsZiggyStardust  

Happy Fifteenth Birthday to Lexi

“Baby, baby, I’ll never let you down”

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.

She’s pictured here, a new-born in her father’s arms, back in 2000.

Happy Birthday Lexi, love ‘n stuff from everybody here and no doubt anybody else who thinks your father is a top-hole type of chap.

#HappyBirthdayLexi  #Lexi15

Five Years Box album 4: Ziggy Stardust

“Don't think you knew you were in this song...”

The BBC were instrumental in promoting Bowie in the run up to the release of The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.

From January 1972 right up to the release of the album, aside from catching Bowie live, the only way you were likely to hear any of the Ziggy material being performed would have been via various BBC radio sessions.

This culminated with Starman on the BBC’s Top Of The Pops (TOTPs) as we mentioned yesterday.

But before that, in February 1972, the very first sighting of Ziggy and The Spiders on TV was via the BBC’s The Old Grey Whistle Test (TOGWT). TOGWT was a late night TV show with a more ‘serious’ adult audience, but it didn’t have the reach of TOTPs.

Bowie and the band recorded Queen Bitch, Oh! You Pretty Things and Five Years, though OYPT wasn’t shown till many years later. So the very first televised Ziggy song was an emotional rendition of Five Years with Mick Ronson in less familiar role of pianist. You can watch it here.

Listen to Ziggy Stardust here now.

#FiveYearsBox  #DavidBowie  #ZiggyStardust  #FiveYears

Five Years Box album 4: Ziggy Stardust

“Switch on the TV we may pick him up on...”

We’ve been talking about Brian Ward’s January 1972 Bowie photo session for the sleeve of The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars album in London’s Heddon Street and the studio shots created by Ward for the promotion of Ziggy Stardust and the Starman release.

It seems the first use of a picture from this session was for an interview feature by Danny Holloway in NME dated Jan 29th, 1972. It was the same image as used for the Starman single sleeve three months later.

Though the album title was mentioned in the Holloway article, there was not much more said about it, aside from this brief synopsis of the concept...

“As we sat in the living room of the huge Victorian house he shares, David played the new Biff Rose album, followed by tapes of his next – titled “The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.” It`s about the adventures and eventual break-up of a pop group. Ziggy Stardust is the lead singer and The Spiders From Mars are his back-up group (David is trying to persuade his group to call themselves the Spiders.)”

The music press adverts for Starman in April were still plugging Hunky Dory, with no hint of the upcoming Ziggy album whatsoever.

Released on April 28th, Starman gave fans their first Bowie picture sleeve in the UK and two tunes from Ziggy Stardust ahead of the album’s release. The B-side was Suffragette City.

The single finally scraped into the Top 50 UK singles chart two months after its release and after a slow accent it reached the Top Ten, no doubt helped by this ...among other things.

Listen to Ziggy Stardust here now.

#FiveYearsBox  #DavidBowie  #ZiggyStardust  #Starman

Five Years Box album 4: Ziggy Stardust

“Became the special man”

This week we’re looking at 1972’s The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars album, ahead of the release of the David Bowie (Five Years 1969 – 1973) box set (due September 25th).

In January 1972 it seems BW was the first photographer to capture for eternity the beautiful creature we know as Ziggy Stardust.

Whether that BW was Brian Ward with his iconic Ziggy Stardust album sleeve session in Heddon Street or Barrie Wentzell’s pictures for Melody Maker, we’re not quite sure.

Either way, the Melody Maker piece (cover date January 22nd) was the first glimpse of Ziggy as the album sleeve wasn't pictured anywhere for several months yet.

The popular British music weekly ran the first significant Bowie front page feature of the Ziggy era with their OH YOU PRETTY THING interview with Michael Watts. Two Wentzell shots were used, one on the cover and one inside accompanying the feature.

The session took place in the Gem Music offices, and, as you can see from our montage, the front cover picture was reversed, as indeed was the other picture inside.

The feature was possibly the first to mention the forthcoming album title, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, too. The album played in the background during the interview, even though Hunky Dory had only been released the previous month.

The following year in another MM interview, Bowie highlighted the significance of this interview, stating: “Yeah, it was Melody Maker that made me. It was that piece by Mick Watts.”

Ziggy Stardust wouldn't be released for another six months and in the meantime, there were many more sightings of Ziggy, including the first public performance of Ziggy with The Spiders (even if they weren’t billed as such yet), the following weekend at Aylesbury on January 29th.

Listen to Ziggy Stardust here.

#FiveYearsBox  #DavidBowie  #ZiggyStardust

Five Years Box album 4: Ziggy Stardust

“Hey that’s far out”

Yesterday we mentioned Brian Ward’s January 1972 session for the sleeve of The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars album in London’s Heddon Street.

Today’s picture is from a subsequent session with Ward which created the images used for the promotion of Ziggy Stardust and the Starman release. More of which, tomorrow.

Listen to Ziggy Stardust here now.

#FiveYearsBox  #DavidBowie  #ZiggyStardust

Fame is number one on UK vinyl chart

“Fame, makes a man take things over”

Congratulations are due to David Bowie on the news that the 40th anniversary picture disc of Fame (released July 24), has gone to #1 on the latest UK Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40.

Having entered the chart at #2 last week, steady sales have meant the limited edition has now taken the top spot.

Fame was David Bowie’s very first #1 single when it topped the American Billboard Hot 100 during the week of 20 September 1975.

It seems Bowie fans are on a soul trip right now, with the following three bits of plastic in the Top Thirty:

#01 FAME

#21 YOUNG AMERICANS

#25 KNOCK ON WOOD

Plastic Soul pun fully intended.

#DavidBowie  #Fame40th  #FameNumberOne

Let's Dance: Bowie Down Under film at MIFF

“Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight...“

Tomorrow (Sunday) sees the Australian big screen premiere of Let's Dance: Bowie Down Under (a film by Ed Gibbs and Rubika Shah), at the 64th Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).

This follows the film’s premiere at the 65th Berlinale earlier this year.

See the Let's Dance: Bowie Down Under Facebook page, for further info.

We’ll leave you with the synopsis.

The remarkable, forgotten story behind David Bowie's biggest-ever hit record – and how an unlikely journey deep into the Australian outback led to its unprecedented success.

An early pioneer of music video, Bowie’s visual legacy hit a new peak in 1983, on the newly launched MTV. With rare political insight, Let’s Dance told the story of a young couple’s struggle with assimilation in the New World – one of the few times Indigenous Australians had been seen on global television by a mainstream audience.

Let’s Dance: Bowie Down Under looks back at this oft-overlooked period of Bowie’s celebrated career, exploring his sudden appearance in the outback, the social and cultural issues of the time, and the legacy of a remarkable work that still resonates today.

#LetsDanceBowieDownUnder #LetsDance #BowieDownUnder

Space Oddity on Chris Hadfield's debut album

“I'm just the space cadet...he's the commander“

Canadian Astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield's debut album, Space Sessions - Songs From A Tin Can, is scheduled for launch on Friday October 9th, 2015 and it includes his world-famous rendition of David Bowie’s Space Oddity as a bonus track.

Space Sessions - Songs From A Tin Can is apparently the first album recorded entirely in space, or at least it is as far as we are aware. Hadfield recorded the 12-song collection while serving as commander of the International Space Station during Expedition 34/35, which ran from December 2012 to May 2013.

He announced the album and several music-merchandise combinations via twitter, saying that they are all now available for preorder from his Shopify site, which indeed they are.

FOOTNOTE: For those of you that don’t recognise it, today's 'lyric quotation' is in fact a line delivered by an American fan regarding Bowie, from Alan Yentob’s classic Cracked Actor documentary.

#SpaceOddity #SpaceSessions #ChrisHadfield

Alternative Ziggy Stardust sleeve revealed

“...gaze a while down the old street“

For those of you that follow our Instagram page, you may have noticed that we’ve been teasing Parlophone’s rather nice alternative Ziggy Stardust cover, pictured here in its full glory.

The artwork features an alternative Brian Ward shot from the original Ziggy sleeve session in London’s Heddon Street and it has been coloured in the style of Terry Pastor’s original colour scheme.

The sleeve houses Ken Scott’s 2003 mix of The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (previously only available with the Limited Edition 40th Anniversary Vinyl version of the album), and it’s included with both the CD and vinyl versions of the David Bowie (Five Years 1969 – 1973) box set, due September 25th.

Next week we will be focusing on David Bowie’s classic 1972 Ziggy Stardust album.

#DavidBowie  #FiveYearsBox  #ZiggyStardust  #AltZiggy  #KenScottMix

Australian Sukita exhibition moves to Geelong

“Waiting Geelong, I’ve been waiting Geelong“

Following a six week stint in Melbourne, David Bowie Heroes (the exhibition of Masayoshi Sukita’s Bowie photographs), is launched at the Charles Rose Gallery in Geelong in Victoria on Thursday. Well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Go here for more details and links.

Fame enters UK vinyl chart at #2

“Is it any wonder”

David Bowie’s 40th anniversary picture disc of Fame, which was released worldwide last week (July 24), has gone straight into the latest UK Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40 at #2. 

Congratulations to all involved, not least of all David Bowie himself, and thanks to all of you for making these anniversary picture discs such a great success.

Bowie also has a further five singles listed in today’s new chart. Here’s all six listings:

#02 FAME

#08 SIDE BY SIDE - KINGDOM COME - DAVID BOWIE/TOM VERLAINE

#15 YOUNG AMERICANS

#20 LIFE ON MARS?

#23 REBEL REBEL

#35 KNOCK ON WOOD

What a lovely way to end the month!

Congratulations to Paul Weller for grabbing the #1 spot with his latest release, Going My Way.

FOOTNOTE: Our montage shows various adverts and the sheet music for the original release of Fame forty years ago.

#DavidBowie  #Fame40th  

Elephant Man’s Denver debut 35 years ago today

“I looked and frowned and the monster was me”

Here’s a piece provided by BowieNetter Spaceface regarding Bowie’s debut in his first legitimate theatrical performance.

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Today is the 35th anniversary of David Bowie’s debut as The Elephant Man in the stage play of the same name. The show ran for just six days in Denver from July 29 to August 3 at the Denver Centre of Performing Arts, followed by a further three weeks in Chicago before transferring to a hugely successful three month run at The Booth Theatre on Broadway in New York.

The real Elephant Man, John Merrick was born in South London in the 1860s and died in 1884 at the age of 27. He suffered appalling physical disabilities and deformities, due mainly to the medical condition Neurofibromatosis. What made him unique was his wit and ability to charm, despite his terrible appearance. The play tells the story of how he was rescued by a compassionate doctor and became quite famous and well liked in high society.

David’s hugely innovative interpretation of the role used no make-up or prosthetics. Instead, drawing on his training as a mime artist, he contorted his body into unlikely shapes to give the effect of profound disability. At a dress rehearsal in the Booth Theatre, even the stage hands burst into spontaneous applause at his remarkable performance.

At the time, Bowie told the Daily Mirror : “It is undoubtedly the biggest single challenge of my career. Going onto Broadway is the fulfilment of a great dream.”

That challenge was more than met, judging by the deluge of rave reviews at the time.  Here are some extracts:

“David… won the respect of both the critics and the audience” – Record Mirror

“shockingly good” – New York Post

“piercing and haunted” – New York Daily News

“preternaturally wise” – New York Times

“wordless and unmoving, he is nevertheless an electric presence.” – Rolling Stone

“Bowie.. had the audience.. in the palm of his hand.” – BBC

“Exquisite stillness and physical precision” – Theatre Magazine

“commands the stage” – Village Voice

Watch Tim Rice’s 1980 interview with David, which contains some video clips from the play itself.

Also worth a look is Kathryn Johnson, Assistant Curator of the 'David Bowie is…' London exhibition, speaking about David Bowie's only stage role. You can also see his costume.

Happy Birthday Mike Garson

“I am the best Jazz you’ve ever heard”

Many happy returns of the day to the wonderful Mike Garson on his 70th birthday.

We’re sure everybody reading this will want to join us in thanking Mike for his incredible work with Bowie and in wishing him a splendid day.

If you’re not familiar with Mike’s tale and his long journey as a key(board) player in Bowie’s band, you could do worse than read Clifford Slapper’s excellent Bowie’s Piano Man.

Happy Birthday Iman

‪#‎IMAN60‬

Five Years Box album 3: Hunky Dory

“Hooked to the silver screen”

This week we’re looking at 1971’s Hunky Dory album ahead of the release of the David Bowie (Five Years 1969 – 1973) box set (due September 25th).

One of the best-loved songs on the album is Life On Mars? which became a #3 hit when it was released as a single in 1973.

The song is frequently listed among Bowie fans’ favourite songs. In fact, it remains the UK's best-selling vinyl single of the decade so far according to The Official Charts Company.

One of the factors that has no doubt contributed to Life On Mars? continued appreciation, is the stunning video which was directed by photographer Mick Rock.

Watch the Life On Mars? video here.

Listen to Hunky Dory here.

#FiveYearsBox  #DavidBowie  #HunkyDory  #MickRock