BLA part 4 - Look At The Moon! (Live Phoenix Festival 97)

“Moondust will cover you...”

Here's the press release for the fourth of six parts that make up Brilliant Live Adventures, available to pre-order here now.

#BowiePhoenix97 #DBBLA #BrilliantLiveAdventures

DAVID BOWIE ‘BRILLIANT LIVE ADVENTURES’ (1995-1999) - A SERIES OF SIX LIVE ALBUMS FROM THE 1990s

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY VIA THE DAVID BOWIE OFFICIAL STORE & WARNER MUSIC GROUP’S DIG! STORE

‘BRILLIANT LIVE ADVENTURES’ PART 4 ‘LOOK AT THE MOON! (LIVE PHOENIX FESTIVAL 97)’ TO BE RELEASED ON 2xCD AND 3xLP 12th FEBRUARY

Parlophone Records is proud to announce further details for DAVID BOWIE 'BRILLIANT LIVE ADVENTURES', a series of six live albums from the 1990s being released on vinyl and CD as limited one run only pressings.

The fourth in the series, to be released 12th February on double CD and triple vinyl, is LOOK AT THE MOON! (LIVE PHOENIX FESTIVAL 97). Recorded live at The Phoenix Festival, Long Marston, England on 20th July, 1997, LOOK AT THE MOON! features such previously unreleased rarities as a cover of Laurie Anderson’s ‘O Superman’, which the band had also played at their secret show as 'The Tao Jones Index’ show at the festival the previous day.

LOOK AT THE MOON! by David Bowie; David Bowie – vocals, guitar, saxophone, Zachary Alford - drums, Gail Ann Dorsey - bass, vocals, lead vocal on ‘O Superman’, keyboards, Reeves Gabrels – guitars, synthesisers, vocals, musical director, Mike Garson – piano, keyboards, synthesisers.

DAVID BOWIE - LOOK AT THE MOON! (LIVE PHOENIX FESTIVAL 97) TRACKLISTING

CD 1

Quicksand (David Bowie)

The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie)

Driftin’ Blues (Charles Brown/Eddie Williams/Johnny Moore)/The Jean Genie (David Bowie)

I'm Afraid of Americans (David Bowie/Brian Eno)

Battle for Britain (The Letter) (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels/Mark Plati)

Fashion (David Bowie)

Seven Years in Tibet (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels)

Fame (David Bowie/Carlos Alomar /John Lennon)

Looking for Satellites (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels/Mark Plati)

Under Pressure (David Bowie/Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor/John Deacon/Brian May)

CD 2

The Hearts Filthy Lesson (David Bowie/Brian Eno/Michael Garson/Sterling Campbell/Erdal Kizilcay/Reeves Gabrels)

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (David Bowie)

Hallo Spaceboy (David Bowie/Brian Eno)

Little Wonder (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels/Mark Plati)

Dead Man Walking (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels)

White Light/White Heat (Lou Reed)

O Superman (Laurie Anderson)

Stay (David Bowie)

LP

Side 1

Quicksand (David Bowie)

The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie)

Driftin’ Blues (Charles Brown/Eddie Williams/Johnny Moore)/The Jean Genie (David Bowie)

I'm Afraid of Americans (David Bowie/Brian Eno)

Side 2

Battle for Britain (The Letter) (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels/Mark Plati)

Fashion (David Bowie)

Seven Years in Tibet (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels)

Side 3

Fame (David Bowie/Carlos Alomar /John Lennon)

Looking for Satellites (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels/Mark Plati)

Under Pressure (David Bowie/Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor/John Deacon/Brian May)

Side 4

The Hearts Filthy Lesson (David Bowie/Brian Eno/Michael Garson/Sterling Campbell/Erdal Kizilcay/Reeves Gabrels)

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (David Bowie)

Hallo Spaceboy (David Bowie/Brian Eno)

Side 5

Little Wonder (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels/Mark Plati)

Dead Man Walking (David Bowie/Reeves Gabrels)

White Light/White Heat (Lou Reed)

Side 6

O Superman (Laurie Anderson)

Stay (David Bowie)

DAVID BOWIE - LOOK AT THE MOON! (LIVE PHOENIX FESTIVAL 97) IS AVAILABLE ON ISO RECORDS/PARLOPHONE RECORDS 12th FEBRUARY ON 2xCD AND 3xLP

Station To Station album is 45 today

“Such is the stuff from where dreams are woven”

Having been released on 23rd January 1976, Station To Station celebrates its 45th birthday today. Considered a classic among fans and critics alike, the record was unusual for a Bowie album in that it contained just six tracks, even though it still clocked in at a little over thirty-eight minutes.

For the first time ever, a David Bowie album was a bigger commercial success Stateside than in the UK. It reached #3 on the Billboard 200 and #5 on the official UK album chart.

Four of Station To Station’s six songs were released as commercial A-sides by RCA, with Golden Years being the pre-album hit. The song scored Bowie yet another top ten just in time for the Christmas UK chart in 1975, where it remained right up to the release of the album.

The montage here shows the original withdrawn US sleeve featuring the colour version of Steve Schapiro’s still of TJ Newton in The Man Who Fell To Earth.

Below the untrimmed printer’s proof is possibly the only complete version of the original vinyl album. Seventies Bowie Fan Club President, Michael Olsen, pasted the proof onto an album sleeve blank, put a brand-new copy of the record and inner bag inside and had it shrink-wrapped at the pressing plant, before adding the finishing touch of a Golden Years hype sticker.

Check out some press ads and other related memorabilia here and read Jason Draper’s superb piece regarding the album over on Dig!

#DailyBowieThing #BowieS2S #BowieS2SLPis45 #ThinWhiteDuke

BLA Part 3 - LIVEANDWELL out now

“You’re released but your custody calls”

LIVEANDWELL the third of six parts that make up Brilliant Live Adventures is released today.

We know the full title of the album contains .COM, but we don’t want to continue to upset folk by sending them to a dead page.

#BowieLiveAndWell #DBBLA #BrilliantLiveAdventures

Holy Holy 45 is 50 today

“I don't wanna be angel, Just a little bit evil, I feel a devil in me...”

David Bowie’s Holy Holy was released on this day fifty years ago (15th January 1971), as the last of the Bowie releases on Mercury. It was clear the label wasn’t really giving the record the promotion it had given the preceding Bowie singles in terms of picture sleeves and press adverts. Picture sleeves were issued in Spain (top left) and Germany only.

A Blue Mink production with Bowie on vocals and guitar, the track also featured Herbie Flowers on bass, Barry Morgan on drums and Alan Parker on guitar, all three were members of Blue Mink at the time.

In a brief interview with Kid Jensen at the time, David told him that he was trying to record a feeling that “these are the last few years of this present civilisation”, but that he didn’t think that original idea came off too well. He added that he hoped to write more material on that theme. Five Years opened an album released the following year.

Holy Holy received a positive response from the music press generally and it’s likely DB welcomed the Syd Barrett comparison made in a Melody Maker review. (See snippet in our montage)

Despite the favourable reviews and a solo performance on acoustic guitar in one of his men’s dresses on Granada TV’s Six-O-One* in the UK, Holy Holy didn't perform well on any singles chart. It would take more than another year and another label before that kind of success arrived.

A far more urgent version of the song re-recorded with The Spiders in 1972 ended up as the B-side of the Diamond Dogs single release in June 1974. The Spiders’ version has been used erroneously on both the RCA Rare album release in 1982 and the 1990 Ryko reissue of The Man Who Sold The World, where it was listed as the original Mercury version in both instances. The Mercury version was finally given an official release on the David Bowie (Five Years 1969 – 1973) box set in 2015.

* On the set at Granada, David met TV producer Roger Damon Price, who claims that he told Bowie about an idea he was working on for a TV show called The Tomorrow People. The show was to feature a master race called The Homo Superior.

#HolyHoly45 #FiveYearsBox

Can't Help Thinking About Me is 55

“I hope I make it on my own...”

David Bowie’s 7" single, Can't Help Thinking About Me, was released on 14th January 1966 in the UK, fifty-five years ago today. Issued as Pye 7N 17020, the B-side was, And I Say To Myself, another Bowie-penned tune along with the A-side.

Officially issued as David Bowie with The Lower Third, (that's what it says on the stock copy label) evidence points to the theory that this really should have been the first solo David Bowie release.

Promos of the single sport David Bowie alone, as does the front-page NME advert (published the same day as the record was released), along with the other press adverts we have used.

Further evidence can be seen in an article that appeared in a trade mag of March 3rd, 1966, (originally supplied to us by BowieNetter Shilo65) though David had parted company with the band by this time. It's also interesting to note the missing G from the song title in the shop display, reinforced by the appearance of an apostrophe in place of the missing letter in the actual copy. Where are Pauline Williams and Mary McGukin now, we wonder, and do they still have their David Bowie autographs?

In the event, the personal appearances the sharply dressed young mod made, such as the one reported above, did nothing to ensure the success of Can't Help Thinking About Me, despite three dubious weeks on the Melody Maker singles chart, a privilege which was allegedly bought with good hard cash!

Bowie also promoted the single on the TV show Ready Steady Go! with his new band The Buzz on 4th March.

Can't Help Thinking About Me contained what Bowie considered to be one of the worst lines he ever wrote:

“My girl calls my name ‘Hi Dave. Drop in, see you around, come back, If you're this way again’”.

It’s not that bad and either way David retained enough of a fondness for the song to resurrect a cracking version for the 1999 'hours...' promotional tour.

#DailyBowieThing #BowieCantHelpThinking

David Bowie: January 8th 1947 - January 10th 2016

#BowieForever

David Bowie Birthday single out now

“Trying to get to heaven before they close the door”

As promised, here’s the link you’ve been waiting for.

In case you don’t know what we’re talking about, to celebrate what would have been David Bowie’s 74th birthday today, two previously unreleased cover versions of John Lennon’s Mother and Bob Dylan’s Tryin’ To Get To Heaven, are available as a limited edition 7” single now.

The record is limited to 8147 numbered copies, 1000 of which are on cream coloured vinyl purchasable via the above link. The remainder are black vinyl. Both tracks are also available to stream and download.

#BowieBirthdaySingle2021 #BowieMotherHeaven45

★ album is five today

“If I never see the English evergreens I'm running to...”

Five years ago today (8th January 2016), David Bowie issued the much anticipated ★ album on his 69th birthday. Those who managed to get to hear it upon release (or even before), had the luxury of listening in innocence before the terrible news that followed soon after.

David’s passing gave the album a very different flavour and a poignancy to the lyrics that wasn't necessarily apparent beforehand, today’s lyric quotation being a good illustration of that.

As discussed in the BOWIE KOOKS FB group yesterday, a listening party in London on the day before the album’s release (organised by Sony and DavidBowie.com), felt like a very privileged place to be, getting to hear the album in superb sound at the Dolby Screening Room in London’s Soho.

Our montage shows the clear vinyl plus three lithographs pre-order package offered by the official David Bowie Store, an incredibly beautiful and highly desirable set.

For obvious reasons, there are some who still haven’t been able to face listening to ★, understandable, but five years on, perhaps it’s finally time to check out this masterpiece.

#BowieBlackstar

Bowie birthday single update

“Mother calls”

As we announced on 16th December, to celebrate what would have been David Bowie’s 74th birthday tomorrow (8th January, 2021), two previously unreleased cover versions of John Lennon’s Mother and Bob Dylan’s Tryin’ To Get To Heaven, will be released as a limited edition 7” single.

The 7” single is limited to 8147 numbered copies, 1000 of which will be on cream coloured vinyl, purchasable from the official David Bowie store and Warner Music’s Dig! Store only. The remainder will be black.

Both tracks will be available to stream and download and you may already be listening to them if it’s the 8th where you are.

However, the cream vinyl will go on sale tomorrow afternoon UK time, when we will be posting a link to both stores.

#BowieBirthdaySingle2021 #BowieMotherHeaven45

Happy New Year

“The European canon is here...” *

Most of you will have now entered 2021, let’s hope it’s brighter than the year we just left behind.

Aside from being a new year greeting, today’s #DailyBowieThing is in the plural. Our montage is a small sample of the Bowie things that have a significant anniversary in 2021 and that will no doubt be featured as part of the #DailyBowieThing unbroken run of posts on Facebook and Instagram.

* Today’s lyric quotation is from the title track of the 1976 album, Station To Station. Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that the Japanese advert for the album (bottom left), actually has “The European Man Is Here!!” – It’s not known if the lyric was misheard, though that’s most likely.

As if the canon v cannon debate wasn’t enough. Despite the official songbook having it as cannon, canon is correct...and that’s from DB directly.

#DailyBowieThing #Bowie2021