"Heroes" 40th anniversary picture disc

“We can be Heroes, for ever and ever, What d'you say?”

Many of you will have already worked out that "Heroes" will be the next limited edition 40th-anniversary 7" picture disc. It will be issued on 22nd September 2017 via Parlophone.

Originally released in the UK on 23rd September 1977, "Heroes" was the first single to be taken from the album of the same name, the second of the so-called ‘Berlin Trilogy’ of albums.

"Heroes" was recorded in English, French and German and has over the past forty years become an inspirational anthem. When Bowie performed the song in West Berlin in 1987 with the Wall as a backdrop, thousands of East Berliners could be heard singing and cheering along; Bowie later described it as one of the most emotional performances of his career.

The AA of the disc is a previously unreleased live version of the track from Marc Bolan’s ‘Marc’ ITV show, where the song was heard for the first time by fans in the UK. The track was recorded on the 7th of September 1977 but wasn’t broadcast until later that month by which time Bolan had passed away in a tragic accident.

"Heroes" is one of Bowie’s most-covered tracks with the likes of Prince, Blondie, Oasis, Nico, Depeche Mode, LCD Soundsystem, Peter Gabriel, Janelle Monae, King Crimson, Philip Glass, Kasabian, TV On The Radio, The Wallflowers and many more having performed it.

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DAVID BOWIE “HEROES" LIMITED EDITION 40th ANNIVERSARY 7" PICTURE DISC

A-Side “HEROES” (Single version 2017 Remaster)
(Lyrics by David Bowie, Music by David Bowie and Brian Eno)
Produced by David Bowie & Tony Visconti
Recorded at Hansa by the Wall, Berlin and Mountain Studios, Montreux
AA-Side “HEROES” (‘Marc’ show version)
(Lyrics by David Bowie, Music by David Bowie and Brian Eno)
Recorded for the television show ‘Marc’ on 7th September 1977 and broadcast on 20th September 1977
Previously unreleased

The image used on the A-side was taken by Sukita in Japan 1977, and the AA side was taken during the recording of the ‘Marc’ show in September, 1977.

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“HEROES” is released via Parlophone on September 22nd, 2017.

#DBHERO40 #BowieHeroes #BowieBolan #BowieVinyl

A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977 – 1982)

“THERE’S OLD WAVE. THERE’S NEW WAVE. AND THERE’S DAVID BOWIE...”

DAVID BOWIE - ‘A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977 – 1982)’

THE THIRD IN A SERIES OF DAVID BOWIE BOX SETS - RELEASED 29th SEPTEMBER 2017

CD, DIGITAL* AND AUDIOPHILE VINYL BOX SETS EXCLUSIVELY FEATURE ‘LODGER’ (TONY VISCONTI 2017 MIX)

‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’ (EXTENDED VERSION) AVAILABLE NOW AS AN INSTANT GRAT TRACK - PREVOUSLY UNAVAILABLE ON DIGITAL / CD: BuyANCIANT

#ANCIANTbox

Parlophone Records are proud to announce DAVID BOWIE ‘A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977 – 1982)’, the third in a series of box sets spanning Bowie’s career from 1969.

The follow-up to the awarding winning and critically acclaimed DAVID BOWIE ‘FIVE YEARS (1969 – 1973)’ and DAVID BOWIE ‘WHO CAN I BE NOW? (1974 – 1976)’ will be released on 29th September and will contain a brand new remix of the 1979 album ‘LODGER’ by long time Bowie producer/collaborator Tony Visconti.

The eleven CD box, thirteen-piece vinyl set and the Mastered For iTunes and standard digital download sets feature material officially released by Bowie between 1977 and 1982. It includes the so-called ‘Berlin Trilogy’ of albums on which he collaborated with Visconti and Brian Eno, and is completed by ‘SCARY MONSTERS (And Super Creeps)’.

The box set, named after the final track on side one of ‘LOW’, includes ‘LOW’, ‘“HEROES”’, ‘STAGE’ (ORIGINAL and 2017 VERSIONS), ‘LODGER’, ‘LODGER (Tony Visconti 2017 Mix)’, ‘SCARY MONSTERS (And Super Creeps)’ and ‘RE:CALL 3’. Finally we have the ‘“HEROES”’ E.P., which rounds up the German and French album and single versions of the track in one place for the first time, a compilation exclusive to the set celebrating the 40th anniversary of the song.

In the vinyl version of the box the original ‘STAGE’ will be pressed on yellow vinyl, replicating the limited edition U.K. release of the time. The 2017 version of ‘STAGE’ features two previously unreleased tracks.

Exclusive to each of the box sets is ‘LODGER (Tony Visconti 2017 Mix)’. The remix was started with David's blessing before his passing in January last year. Tony Visconti has revisited the original multi-tracks at Human Studios and remixed the album with the benefit of modern technology to better highlight the album’s nuances. Always a personal favourite of David’s, this version of the album will also feature newly 'remixed' artwork featuring unseen images from the original cover photographic session from the archive of the Estate of photographer Duffy, working closely with his son Chris.

Also exclusive to each box is ‘Re:Call 3’, a new compilation featuring remastered contemporary single versions, non-album singles and b-sides, and songs featured on soundtracks. The cover features a photo by Christian Simonpietri taken at Hansa Studios in Berlin during the ‘“Heroes”’ sessions in 1977. The ‘Baal’ E.P. in its entirety is making its CD debut while ‘Beauty And The Beast’ (extended version) and ‘Breaking Glass’ (Australian single version) are making their debuts on CD and digital formats.

‘Beauty And The Beast’ (extended version) is available as a digital download upon pre-order of the box set. This version of the ‘“Heroes”’ album track is making its digital and CD debut having previously only been available on a rare US promo 12” and as a limited 12” release in Spain.

The physical box set’s accompanying book, 128 pages in the CD box and 84 in the vinyl set, will feature rarely seen and previously unpublished photos by photographers including Anton Corbijn, Helmut Newton, Andrew Kent, Steve Schapiro, Duffy and many others as well as historical press reviews and technical notes about the albums from producer Tony Visconti.

The CD box set will include faithfully reproduced mini-vinyl versions of the original albums, and the CDs will be gold coloured rather than the usual silver. The vinyl box set has the same content as the CD set and is pressed on audiophile quality 180g vinyl.

*A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982) will also be made available in High Definition audio digital formats (192kHZ/24bit and 96kHZ/24bit). Content varies from other formats due to the resolution of the available original source material.

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“Tomorrow Belongs To Those Who Can Hear It Coming”

DAVID BOWIE ‘A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977-1982)’

LP Box Set:
84 Page hardback book
Low (remastered) (1LP)
"Heroes" (remastered) (1LP)
“Heroes” E.P. (remastered) (12” Single)*
Stage (remastered) (2LP Yellow Vinyl) *
Stage (2017) (remastered) (3LP)
Lodger (remastered) (1LP)
Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 Mix) (1LP)*
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1LP)
Re:Call 3 (non-album singles, single versions and b-sides) (remastered) (2LP)*

* Exclusive to ‘A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982)’

CD Box Set:
128 Page hardback book
Low (remastered) (1CD)
"Heroes" (remastered) (1CD)
“Heroes” E.P. (remastered) (CD EP)*
Stage (remastered) (2CD)*
Stage (2017) (remastered) (2CD)
Lodger (remastered) (1CD)
Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 Mix) (1CD)*
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1CD)
Re:Call 3 (non-album singles, single versions and b-sides) (remastered) (1CD)*

* Exclusive to ‘A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982)’

Digital download 192kHz/24bit box set:
Low (remaster)
“Heroes” (remaster)
“Heroes” E.P.*
Stage (original) (remaster) *
Stage (2017) (remaster)
Lodger (remaster)
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (remaster)

NB Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 mix) is not included in this digital box set.

Digital download 96kHz/24bit box set:
Low (remaster)
“Heroes” (remaster)
“Heroes” E.P.*
Stage (original) (remaster) *
Stage (2017) (remaster)
Lodger (remaster)
Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 mix) *
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (remaster)

Digital download standard/MFiT box set:

Low (remaster)
“Heroes” (remaster)
“Heroes” E.P.*
Stage (original) (remaster) *
Stage (2017) (remaster)
Lodger (remaster)
Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 mix) *
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (remaster)
Re:Call 3 (Single versions and non album B-sides) (non MFiT) *

* Set exclusives

‘A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977-1982)’ CD & Vinyl Tracklistings (showing Vinyl side breaks)

LOW
Released on RCA PL 12030 (U.K.) / CPL1-2030 (U.S.) on 14th January, 1977.

Side 1
1. Speed Of Life
2. Breaking Glass
3. What In The World
4. Sound And Vision
5. Always Crashing In The Same Car
6. Be My Wife
7. A New Career In A New Town

Side 2
1. Warszawa
2. Art Decade
3. Weeping Wall
4. Subterraneans

"HEROES"
Released on RCA PL 12522 (U.K.) / AFL1-2522 (U.S.)

Side 1
1. Beauty And The Beast
2. Joe The Lion
3. "Heroes"
4. Sons Of The Silent Age
5. Blackout

Side 2
1. V-2 Schneider
2. Sense Of Doubt
3. Moss Garden
4. Neuköln
5. The Secret Life Of Arabia

"HEROES" E.P.

Side 1
1. "Heroes"/"Helden" (German album version)
2. "Helden" (German single version)

Side 2
1. "Heroes"/"Héros" (French album version)
2. "Héros" (French single version)

STAGE (Original)
Released on RCA PL 02913 (U.K.) / CPL2-2913 (U.S.)

Side 1
1. Hang On To Yourself
2. Ziggy Stardust
3. Five Years
4. Soul Love
5. Star

Side 2
1. Station To Station
2. Fame
3. TVC 15

Side 3
1. Warszawa
2. Speed Of Life
3. Art Decade
4. Sense Of Doubt
5. Breaking Glass

Side 4
1. "Heroes"
2. What In The World
3. Blackout
4. Beauty And The Beast

STAGE (2017)

Side 1
1. Warszawa
2. "Heroes"
3. What In The World

Side 2
1. Be My Wife
2. The Jean Genie *
3. Blackout
4. Sense Of Doubt

Side 3
1. Speed Of Life
2. Breaking Glass
3. Beauty And The Beast
4. Fame

Side 4
1. Five Years
2. Soul Love
3. Star
4. Hang On To Yourself
5. Ziggy Stardust
6. Suffragette City *

Side 5
1. Art Decade
2. Alabama Song
3. Station To Station

Side 6
1. Stay
2. TVC 15

* Previously unreleased

LODGER
Released on RCA PL 13254 (U.K.) / APL1-3254 (U.S.)

LODGER (2017 Tony Visconti mix)

Side 1
1. Fantastic Voyage
2. African Night Flight
3. Move On
4. Yassassin (Turkish for: Long Live)
5. Red Sails

Side 2
1. D.J.
2. Look Back In Anger
3. Boys Keep Swinging
4. Repetition
5. Red Money

SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS)
Released on RCA BOWLP 2 (PL 13647) (U.K.) / AQL1-3647 (U.S.)

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)

RE:CALL 3

Side 1
1. "Heroes" (single version)
2. Beauty And The Beast (extended version)
3. Breaking Glass (Australian single version)
4. Yassassin (single version)
5. D.J. (single version)

Side 2
1. Alabama Song
2. Space Oddity (1979 version)
3. Ashes To Ashes (single version)
4. Fashion (single version)
5. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (single version)

Side 3
1. Crystal Japan
2. Under Pressure (single version) - Queen and David Bowie
3. Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (soundtrack album version)
4. Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy * - David Bowie and Bing Crosby
* mono

Side 4
Bertolt Brecht's Baal
1. Baal's Hymn
2. Remembering Marie A.
3. Ballad Of The Adventurers
4. The Drowned Girl
5. The Dirty Song

The running order for Re:Call 3 CD differs from the vinyl version

1. "Heroes" (single version)
2. Beauty And The Beast (extended version)
3. Breaking Glass (Australian single version)
4. Yassassin (single version)
5. D.J. (single version)
6. Alabama Song
7. Space Oddity (1979 version)
8. Ashes To Ashes (single version)
9. Fashion (single version)
10.Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (single version)
11.Crystal Japan
12.Under Pressure (single version) - Queen and David Bowie

Bertolt Brecht's Baal
13.Baal's Hymn
14.Remembering Marie A.
15.Ballad Of The Adventurers
16.The Drowned Girl
17.The Dirty Song
18.Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (soundtrack album version)
19.Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy * - David Bowie and Bing Crosby
* mono

Happy 1st birthday to Stenton David Jones

“Soon you'll grow so take a chance, With a couple of Kooks, Hung up on romancing” - The little lad’s grandad for the little lad’s dad, 1971.

Bowie’s ★ album wins at the SBSAA 2017

“I will see you in the sky, Tonight”

David Bowie received a posthumous award for his ★ album in the Pop Music category at the Melvyn Bragg-hosted South Bank Sky Arts Awards (SBSAA) 2017, at The Savoy Hotel in London tonight (Sunday).

Iggy Pop paid tribute to his long-time friend and collaborator in a pre-recorded video message from his home in the United States. Iggy reminisced about how he and David would watch The South Bank Show together in the late ‘70s.

Here’s an exclusive transcript of what he said:

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“Hi, I’m Iggy Pop and I was a sort of stowaway, if you will, on David Bowie’s Station To Station tour, during which he shared digs with me in London at a beautiful old Victorian house that was looked after by a lady named Mrs Potter. And during our time with Mrs Potter he introduced me to The South Bank Show, because it was on TV and he didn't want to miss it. He thought it was the place to be if you were going to be a who's who or what's what in British arts, performing arts especially.”
“Later, during the making of The Idiot in Hérouville, France, the producer Tony Visconti had brought over a big load of The South Bank Shows which we would watch to interrupt the hilarity of the Monty Python stuff he also brought with him.”
“So, as important as David Bowie was to a lot of us, certainly for changing the game in my life, but also for changing the game in rock and roll and in popular music, The South Bank Show meant something to him as well. I can testify to that.”
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You can watch The South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2017 in the UK, on Wednesday, July 12th, at 8:00pm on Sky Arts.

#BowieBlackstar #Blackstar #BowieIggy #SouthBankSkyArtsAwards #SouthBankShowAwards

The night Bowie introduced Lou Reed to Britain

“I could make it all worthwhile as a rock & roll star”

As David Bowie pointed out during Meltdown 2002 at The Royal Festival Hall (RFH) when he brought The Dandy Warhols onstage to join him for White Light/White Heat, July 8th 1972 is the day that he performed as the headline act for a Friends of the Earth/Save the Whale Benefit Concert at the RFH.

Bowie was referring to the show that introduced Lou Reed to the British stage (45 years ago), when Lou joined Bowie and The Spiders for White Light/White Heat, Sweet Jane and Waiting For The Man, all written by Lou himself and recorded with The Velvet Underground. This historic moment was captured by Mick Rock in pictures such as the one top left in our montage.

The item on the right is the original double-sided programme that folded out into a big poster with David superimposed, rather bizarrely and somewhat inappropriately, on what looks to be a whale harpoon! An unfolded version of this collectable sold on eBay last year for £1,200.

Support that night came in the shape of The Marmalade and The JSD Band and David was introduced by DJ Kenny Everett thus: “Here is the second greatest thing...next to God...David Bowie!”

We’ll leave you with snippets from two reviews of the show, both stating conclusively that Bowie had well and truly arrived...

“A Star is Born - When a shooting star is heading for the peak, there is usually one concert at which it’s possible to declare, "That's it - he's made it." For David Bowie, opportunity knocked loud and clear last Saturday at London's Royal Festival Hall - and he left the stage a true 1972-style pop giant, clutching flowers from a girl who ran up and hugged and kissed him while a throng of fans milled around the stage. It was an exhilarating sight.” - Melody Maker
“David Bowie will soon become the greatest entertainer Britain has ever known. His performance on Saturday at the "Save The Whale" Friends of the Earth concert was a triumph for the showmanship as well as music. His talent seems unlimited and he looks certain to become the most important person in pop music on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a real star, incorporating the things that made people like Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and The Beatles so very special.” - Record Mirror

#StarmanBowie #ZiggyStardust #BowieRFH

Starman lands 45 years ago tonight

“I had to phone someone”

UK telephone conversation, Thursday evening, July 7th, 1972...

“Hello Ashley, did you see Top Of The Pops tonight?”
“Hi Mark, yes, bet you’re calling about Starman.”
“Yes I am, incredible! Did you know that’s the same bloke that did Space Oddity, David Bowie?”
“No I didn’t, a bit weird...I wonder what colour his hair is? Looks blond*. Do you think he’s gay?”
“Who cares? Love the song and the clothes, that guitarist was pretty cool too. It all looked so futuristic. Love it, hope he’s on again next week.”

And so began a life of worship for many a British teenager, 45 years ago tonight.

If you didn’t catch it at the time, it’s still pretty potent stuff.

*Many TOTPs viewers in the UK still had black and white television in 1972.

#StarmanBowie #ZiggyStardust

Limited Labyrinth coloured vinyl due August

“You remind me of the babe”

David Bowie and Trevor Jones’ soundtrack album to Jim Henson’s enduring fantasy classic, Labyrinth, has long been out of print. Indeed, original UK pressings of the vinyl LP (which didn’t even include the inner sleeve found in other territories), sell for around fifty pounds secondhand, and have sold for as much as £120 (GBP).

But now help is at hand in the shape of limited edition green and lavender vinyl editions, due to be released on August 4 via Ume. Limited to 1500 copies of each worldwide, the special coloured vinyl variants are available exclusively for pre-order at UDiscover.

This edition of Labyrinth was remastered at Capitol Studios and includes the faithfully replicated original jacket and artwork, including the EMI America logo and the printed inner sleeve featuring photos of Bowie from the film.

Praised by film critics and moviegoers alike for its astonishing imagery and distinct characters, Labyrinth has been celebrated for being wildly ahead of its time. Directed by Jim Henson and executive produced by George Lucas, the film, which stars David Bowie as Jareth, The Goblin King, is full of memorable creatures brought to life by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, working closely with acclaimed artist and conceptual designer Brian Froud.

In a 1986 interview with Movieline, Bowie recalled his first meeting with Henson to discuss the film: “Jim Henson set up a meeting with me while I was doing my 1983 tour in the States, and he outlined the basic concept for Labyrinth and showed me some of Brian Froud's artwork. I'd always wanted to be involved in the music-writing aspect of a movie that would appeal to children of all ages, as well as everyone else, and I must say that Jim gave me a completely free hand with it. The script itself was terribly amusing without being vicious or spiteful or bloody, and it also had a lot more heart than many other special effects movies. So I was pretty well hooked from the beginning.”

Described by The Atlantic as “101 minutes of Bowie rock opera and Hensonian spectacle,” Labyrinth was the second major soundtrack that Bowie worked on, falling between his studio albums, Tonight and Never Let Me Down. He wrote and recorded five original songs for the film, including "Underground,” “As The World Falls Down” and “Magic Dance” with its famous, oft-repeated opening: “You remind me of the babe/What babe? The babe with the power/What power? The power of voodoo/Who do? You do/Do what? Remind me of the babe.”

Those opening lines, spoken rather than sung, are a direct homage by Bowie to a classic comedic exchange from the 1947 (Bowie’s birth year) movie The Bachelor And The Bobby-Soxers. In that film, older man Richard Nugent (Carry Grant) and admiring teenager Susan Turner (Shirley Temple) have the exact same exchange, except Bowie replaced the word man with babe and hoodoo with voodoo. And why not?

All songs were performed by Bowie except “Chilly Down” which was sung by Charles Augins, Richard Bodkin, Kevin Clash, and Danny John-Jules, the actors who voiced the ‘Firey' creatures in the film. In the aforementioned interview with Movieline around the film and soundtrack’s release, Bowie revealed an obstacle he encountered while recording. “With ‘Dance Magic’ - the song for Jareth and the baby, sung by them and the goblins in the castle throne room - I had problems,” Bowie explained. “The baby I used in the recording studios couldn’t, or wouldn’t, put more than two gurgles together, so I ended up doing the baby-gurgle chorus myself! It’s an up-tempo song, and visually exciting.”

The 12-track soundtrack is rounded out with Trevor Jones’ memorable score. The synth-based instrumentals, described by All Music Guide as “synthesizers blended cautiously into orchestral ensembles to provide a suitably ethereal tone,” represent pivotal moments from the film and include “Into the Labyrinth,” “Sarah” “Hallucination,” “The Goblin Battle,” “Thirteen O'Clock” and “Home at Last.” Jones and Henson previously worked together on the live action fantasy classic, “The Dark Crystal.”

Labyrinth celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and the film and soundtrack have only grown in popularity since its release on June 27, 1986. Last year, a newly restored 4K version of the movie was released back in theaters with a limited engagement theatrical run in the United States giving fans the opportunity to see it back on the big screen. On September 20th, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the film on Blu-ray, next-generation 4K Ultra HD™, and as a multi-format 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition complete with unique “mirrorbox” packaging that included a mini replica of the film’s climactic and iconic final scene. All versions include a host of all-new bonus content and a gorgeous 24-page Digibook filled with rare photos and a look behind the scenes.

LABYRINTH OST TRACK LISTING
SIDE 1
1. Opening Titles Including Underground
2. Into The Labyrinth
3. Magic Dance
4. Sarah
5. Chilly Down
6. Hallucination
SIDE 2
1. As The World Falls Down
2. The Goblin Battle
3. Within You
4. Thirteen O’Clock
5. Home At Last
6. Underground

#Labyrinth #LabyrinthTheMovie #Jareth #LabyrinthBowie #JarethBowie

New releases round-up

“Fill your heart with love today”

As if you didn’t already know about them, here’s a round-up of three releases issued by Parlophone today, on this day of the 45th anniversary of The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars album release, and the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Be My Wife 45.

Cracked Actor 2 x CD
Be My Wife picture disc
Ziggy Stardust Gold Vinyl

#CrackedActor #DBCA74 #ZiggyStardust45 #DBBMW40 #BowieVinyl

Happy 45th Birthday to Ziggy Stardust

“We’ve got forty five years, what a surprise”

As previously mentioned, David Bowie’s 1972 classic album, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, was released on June 16th 1972.

In the unlikely event that you’ve not heard this timeless recording, you’ve possibly come to the wrong page. Either way, go listen here on Spotify, but please bear in mind that this LP is “TO BE PLAYED AT MAXIMUM VOLUME” by order of Ziggy Stardust himself!

#ZiggyStardust45 #ZiggyStardust #BowieVinyl

Early Bowie cover feature in August UNCUT

“Passionate bright young thing...”

The August 2017 issue of Uncut magazine has an 11-page cover feature in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Bowie’s Deram debut.

Here’s a bit from John Mulvey’s monthly introduction to the new issue...

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History is rarely as neat as we hope it to be, especially when sitting down to write a blog about the brand new edition of Uncut (out on Thursday in the UK, though subscribers should hopefully see their issues a bit before that).
Popular myth insists that David Bowie’s debut album sneaked out on the same day as “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” – June 1, 1967 – when in fact the Beatles’ opus had been rush-released a few days ahead of that official launch date. The timelag did not materially help “David Bowie”’s sales figures, of course. That album, along with many more of the bold schemes and fleeting projects hatched by Bowie in the run-up to “Space Oddity”, have long been dismissed as juvenilia, from a time when the singer was supposedly more of a camp follower than fearless innovator. Every Beatles song can be seen to have had its own cultural impact; there are few who would argue the enduring significance of, say, “Please Mr Gravedigger”.
Nevertheless, the music that Bowie made in the ‘60s critically influenced one superstar in the making: David Bowie himself. Our cover story this month revisits those years to uncover the invention of David Bowie as we know him, with Michael Bonner conducting deep new interviews with an extensive circle of Bowie’s early court: Mary Finnigan, Keith Christmas, George Underwood, Hermione Farthingale, Phil May, John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson, Alan Mair, Lindsay Kemp, Ray Stevenson, Herbie Flowers, Rick Wakeman and John Cambridge. “Everything David did in the ‘60s lead up to the ‘70s,” Farthingale, Bowie’s former girlfriend, tells us. “Everything was an experimental part of that learning curve.”
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In a separate piece, albeit germane to the theme of the main feature, Mark Plati discusses the creation of Toy, the unreleased album which revisited the period.

Go here for more detail regarding this particular issue.

#BowieUNCUT #DavidBowieDeram #DavidBowieDebut #DavidBowie1967

Bowie’s Meltdown is 15 tonight

“All things must pass”

David Bowie’s Heathen album was released 15 years ago this week in 2002. (June 10 UK/June 11 US)

In celebration of that fact, Bowie played a BowieNet only show at The Roseland in NYC on the day of the album’s US release. Not only did he play Heathen from start to finish, but he also performed Low in its entirety.

This was considered a bit of a warm up show for the headline performance at David Bowie’s Meltdown Festival on June 29th, even if it felt so much more than a warm up, as those who were there will attest.

Bowie’s Meltdown actually kicked off properly on this day, in 2002, when the London Sinfonietta performed Philip Glass’s Low and "Heroes" Symphonies (from the music of David Bowie and Brian Eno) at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank.

The advertising campaign for Heathen utilised the legend: CLASSIC DAVID BOWIE CIRCA 2002.

Remind yourself of just how accurate that statement is here.

Stay tuned for some of Total Blam Blam’s photographs from Roseland and Meltdown.

#Bowie2002 #BowieHeathen #BowieRoseland2002 #BowieRFH2002

Iman’s anniversary tribute to David

On the 25th anniversary of David Bowie and Iman's official church wedding at Saint James Episcopal Church, in Florence, Italy in 1992, Iman paid a moving online tribute to David today:

“I would walk forever, just to be in your arms again“ – IMAN

#BowieForever

1973 Bowie film and auction details

“Well I might take a train”

As we told you last month, a signed-by-David Bowie collection of Geoff MacCormack’s beautiful Bowie photographs are to be offered as part of Bonhams’ Entertainment Memorabilia sale on June 28th.

The images will be on view at Bonhams Knightsbridge saleroom from June 25th till the sale on the 28th, accompanied by a never-before-seen film of Geoff and David’s journey from Japan to Moscow (for the ‘May Day Parade’), shot by Bowie himself and seen through his eyes, interspersed with MacCormack’s photographs. Called: ‘The Long Way Home, a film by David Bowie’, the short will be screened exclusively at the sale preview in Knightsbridge.

Viewing at Bonhams Knightsbridge:
Sunday 25th June 11am - 3pm
Monday 26th June 9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 27th June 9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 28th June 9am - 10am

“That’s all well and good,” you might say, “But what’s with the turquoise fabric with gold thread piping, Turkish-style shoes in the montage?”

Well, that’s the actual footwear worn by Bowie’s Screaming Lord Byron character during his performance of 'Blue Jean' in the Julien Temple directed 20-minute film, Jazzin’ For Blue Jean.

And the shoes are just one of the lots in a whole bunch of exciting auction items up for grabs in the same Entertainment Memorabilia sale.

Go here to download a PDF of the catalogue.

The auction lots of interest are on pages 34 & 35, and then there’s Geoff’s four pages from 36 to 39, and you might want to check out pages 65 and 80 too.

#TheLongWayHome #GeoffMacBowie #BowieSothebys

Bowie’s Deram debut is fifty today

“Did you ever have a Deram?”

David Bowie released his first album this day in 1967, albeit lacking the fanfare of The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper, purportedly released on the same day. In fact Pepper was released sometime earlier. But that’s for Beatles’ buffs to explain.

In celebration of this birthday we’ve got regular contributor (the Isle Of Wight's very own Patrick Moore), Andy Barding, to write about the album. Andy was born on the very day of the release of Bowie’s debut single, Liza Jane, so it seems fitting for him to talk about the debut album, a record he loves.

You may know Mr Barding’s writing from the fine publications produced by Cygnet Committee. Over to you Andy...

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CDs mean little to me, downloads even less. Vinyl reissues? Love some, dislike others.

But my original David Bowie LPs, even the blatantly battle-scarred and battered ones, take pride of place on my record shelf. I have a full set, arranged chronologically to span a five-decade timeline from Blackstar on the far right to today's birthday boy - the first 'David Bowie' LP on Deram - on the left.

That debut was released 50 years ago, today. And, boy, is my personal copy showing its age! It's the 1967 UK mono pressing on the usually progressive Deram label which graces my shelf. I say 'usually progressive', since the LP released immediately before David's debut was a collection of big band swing covers (Tuxedo Junction, Take The 'A' Train, etc etc) entitled 'Oscillate '67!', while the one which followed was easy listening maestro Les Reed's orchestral take on the likes of Banana Boat Song and Spanish Harlem. I suppose you could say David with his first LP (catalogued DML 1007) was already getting used to standing out from his crowd.

I obtained my copy in a sweet deal negotiated over the counter of the now sadly-gone JB's records in Hanway Street, London. It was a poignant place to find it, being just around the corner from where David used to park his band's converted ambulance, and close to the (also long-gone) Robin Hood pub where David would sometimes hold fort with his sixties mod and beat cohorts: the London boys.

The LP which would become mine was in a PVC hanger stuck to the wall when I first clapped eyes on it. It had a £100 price tag (this was some years ago), which was well out of my spending range at the time. But while lacking the cash, I DID have a spare copy of Bowie's 'Can't Help Thinking About Me' single on Pye Records. A rare and original 1966 disc which I'd been able to snap up for a bargainous £30 a few weeks before. I offered it up as part-ex... and was delighted to be offered full-ex: a straight swap. And with that exchange, the Deram album was taken down from the wall, slipped into a bag and pressed into my gleeful hands. A copy was finally mine.

I'm looking at it and playing it now. It's an ex-BBC Gramophone Library copy, and the faded purple BBC ink stamps are still visible on the back cover and labels. The sleeve has numerous little nicks and creases, and a brownish hue on the back - a legacy, maybe, of decades of being handed around BBC DJs at the smoky old Broadcasting House... not that it received a tremendous amount of airplay at the time!

It plays with plenty of crackle - each pop and rattle presumably imbued with some kind of story. None of these are my stories, of course, since I have only owned it for a trifling 20 or so years. But secondhand character is better than no character at all, and I massively prefer my ragged and bashed-up UK LP to the mint condition American copies I had owned before. Those might have been in impeccable shape, but that's for a reason - they were warehouse finds or unsold stock... never owned, loved or abused by anybody. My UK copy has obviously lived a full, secret life. It looks like it has partied hard...

Looking and listening back today, I'm struck by a few (five) trivial thoughts:

1) That cover pic! Serious-looking David, trend-setting to the max in his military jacket, Mod as you like with his shortish hair-do and dry, chapped lips (looks to me like an indicator of a London Boy-style existence), and NOT SMILING. The very antithesis of some of the jaunty, Newley-esque ditties to be found in the record's grooves.

2) Kenneth Pitt's cover notes! Isn't it fantastic how David's then-manager shaves a year from his golden boy's age, declaring him to be 19 instead of 20? Like 20 is SO old.

3) The songs! They really are quite brilliant... in places. Fantastic little vignettes and stories. 'She's Got Medals', 'Uncle Arthur' and 'Love You Till Tuesday' are charming as you like.

4) The songs (again)! 'Silly Boy Blue' and 'When I Live My Dream' have to be counted among the best of Bowie's work.

and 5) The sneeze! It's easy to forget how utterly brilliant an idea it was to break up the murderous semi-spoken tale 'Please, Mr Gravedigger' with a mock-impromptu sneezing sound effect. That's genius, right there.

So there we go. David's career as an album artist is fifty years old today. And while it's often overshadowed by the incredible Bowie albums which followed it, there' is still no reason to dismiss DML 1007 out of hand.

It's a sweet, occasionally brilliant little oddity - and it sounds great. And, without this first stab at album artistry, well, there might have been no David Bowie. I'm glad I gave it a timely revisit, today.

Happy birthday, 'David Bowie'!

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Thanks Andy, great stuff.

If that wasn’t a long enough piece for you, dear reader, try this excellent article on the same subject by Pete Paphides over on The Quietus.

FOOTNOTE: Our montage shows that original MONO copy of the album, complete with BBC Library stamp, the original Deram press release and the impossibly rare US 8-track cartridge...surely the rarest of all versions of this album.

Scroll/swipe image for aforementioned Ken Pitt sleeve notes.

#DavidBowieDeram #DavidBowieDebut #DavidBowie1967 #BowieCygnetCommittee

UNCUT first play of Rebel Rebel live 1974

“Hey babe, your hair's alright”

UNCUT magazine in the UK has an exclusive first play of Rebel Rebel from the upcoming CD and download of David Bowie Cracked Actor - Live Los Angeles '74.

So we’ve grabbed the opportunity to use another of Terry O’Neill’s superb shots from the show, courtesy of Iconic Images.

Fans of a certain vintage may remember an A2 version of this exact image in a poster magazine published in 1975. For those outside of North America who never got to see these concerts, it really was images like this that fed Bowie fans, hungry for more news of their man. Not to mention something to take to the hairdresser for instructions on how to create the latest copydog hairdo.

The CD will be released via Parlophone on June 16th. Read more here.

View more images from the Bowie By O'Neill book here.

#CrackedActor #DBCA74 #BowieUNCUT #BOWIEbyONEILL

Tony Visconti: A Life in Music London show

“What made my life so wonderful?”

Sky Arts and Serious presents: Tony Visconti: A Life in Music

Tony Visconti hosts a night celebrating 50 years in the music business. The concert will feature music from throughout Tony’s extraordinary production career including classics from David Bowie, T-Rex, Thin Lizzy and more.

Tony and a star cast will be joined on stage by some brilliant unsigned musicians from across the UK and Ireland.

With musical director Nitin Sawhney and special guests including Stewart Copeland, Bob Geldof, Holy Holy (featuring Glenn Gregory, Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansey)

The evening will be filmed and will air as a 90 minute TV special on Sky Arts. By buying a ticket you consent to being filmed. This concert is produced by Serious for Somethin’ Else.

Tickets on sale from Friday June 2nd at 10am (UK time) here.

Union Chapel, London
Mon, Jul 24, 2017
Doors Open: 6:30 PM
Entry Requirements: Under 16s accompanied by an adult.

#TVALifeInMusic

Happy Birthday Duncan and Glass Spider

“So where were the spiders”

Thirty years ago today, on Duncan Jones’s 16th birthday (Happy 46th, Duncan), David Bowie kicked off his Glass Spider World Tour at the Feyenoord Stadium, in Rotterdam. On the day, Duncan was introduced to the audience for an enthusiastic 60,000-strong singalong of Happy Birthday.

Launched in support of the Never Let Me Down album, neither the tour nor the album are remembered fondly in some quarters.

However, both have plenty of fans and though he wasn’t too kind about either at various points, David Bowie did come to the defence of the tour in 1997, arguing that it worked better in smaller indoor venues:

“I’d designed it to be an all-enveloping kind of spectacular, inasmuch as it was a bit three-ring circus, there were always three or four events happening at the same time on stage...Individually there were some incredibly good ideas on that stage, and in a small environment it really worked well...but when you're a thousand rows back it just becomes this huge mass of confusion.”

The tour’s set was spectacular by any standards. Described at the time as “the largest touring set ever,” it was designed to look like a giant spider. It was 60 feet (18.3m) high, 64 feet (19.5m) wide and included giant vacuumed tube legs that were lit from the inside with 20,000 feet (6,096m) of colour-changing lights.

The setlist consisted of much from the 80s’ Bowie canon and regular live favourites, but it also included a few surprises with the likes of All The Madmen, Big Brother, Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family, Sons Of The Silent Age (with vocal contributions from guitarist and school friend, Peter Frampton), Time and occasionally, Iggy and The Stooges’ I Wanna Be Your Dog.

If you’ve never seen this show, it’s certainly worth tracking down the DVD to make up your own mind about it.

#GlassSpiderTour #GlassSpider

Anderson channels Bowie in American Gods

“God is an American”

No, not Brett Anderson of Suede, that wouldn’t be as surprising as Gillian Anderson’s transformation into David Bowie in the next episode of the @STARZ show, American Gods.

STARZ has released footage of the actress (who plays New God, Media), confronting Technical Boy (Bruce Langley) for his past misdeeds, in a sneak peek of Sunday night’s show: Lemon Scented You. (May 28)

In the scene, Media references several different Bowie songs...can you spot them?

As you can see, Anderson fairly convincingly channels Bowie as he appeared in Mick Rock’s iconoc 1973 video, for the hit single, Life On Mars?

According to STARZ: “Media assumes whatever form will deliver her message most effectively and is often personified by iconic celebrities”.

In her first appearance she emulated Lucille Ball and apparently she will also play Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland, along with the depiction of Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust persona. (Some might argue that the character was actually Aladdin Sane, by this point)

You can watch the teaser here on YouTube, but be warned, Technical Boy is a bit potty-mouthed.

#AmericanGods #LifeOnMars #MickRockBowie #BowieTASCHEN

5th London Bowie fan charity event on sale

“Mars happy nation, sit on my karma...”

Tickets for the 5th Annual Bowie fan event at Surya in London on July 1st 2017, are now officially on sale.

All proceeds will once again go to TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST. Last year, the evening raised a very impressive £11,620, which was donated to Cancer Research UK.

Tickets cost the same as last year, £25, and this price includes entry into the wristband raffle, which gives everybody an equal chance to win a very desirable signed-by-Bowie item.

Check out the FB event page for more info and to purchase tickets.

Please take proper care to follow payment instructions and stay tuned to that same event page for updates on some of the incredible auction items and raffle prizes.

We are duty-bound to point out that this is not an official promotion. However, it is the same event that Bowie would send a message to and donate signed items to every year.

FOOTNOTE: The Little Wonder theme of our montage is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the single and Earthling album.

#LondonBowieFanEvent

Hunky Dory gold vinyl UK release date change

“Torn apart in the UK, In the dribble of May”

We recently announced the release next month of two limited edition gold vinyl retail exclusive albums, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars and Hunky Dory.

The albums are being released worldwide via Parlophone on June 16th 2017, the 45th anniversary of the original release of Bowie’s classic 1972 Ziggy Stardust album.

However, the UK will now get Hunky Dory three weeks earlier on May 26th.

As previously stated, both albums will only be available as a strictly limited edition one-off run in ‘bricks and mortar’ stores and their online storefronts, but will not be available from online only retailers.

#HunkyZiggyGold #BowieVinyl