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Two special Bowie releases for RSD anniversary

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“Crack baby crack, show me you're real”

TWO VERY SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION DAVID BOWIE RELEASES TO CELEBRATE RECORD STORE DAY’S 10th ANNIVERSAY ON 22nd APRIL 2017

~ CRACKED ACTOR (LIVE IN LOS ANGELES 1974) 3 x LP SET

~ BOWPROMO SINGLE-SIDED ALBUM BOXSET FEATURING ALTERNATE MIXES OF HUNKY DORY ERA TRACKS AND EXCLUSIVE PRINTS IN A PRESENTATION BOX

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Record Store Day on April 22nd, Parlophone will be releasing two limited edition David Bowie albums, CRACKED ACTOR (Live In Los Angeles 1974) and a facsimile of the ultra-rare Hunky Dory era promo album BOWPROMO.

The former is the first official release of this Philly Dogs Tour show from September 1974, some of which was featured in Alan Yentob’s BBC documentary, Cracked Actor. The full concert is documented on this triple vinyl five-sided album. The sixth side features an etching of the Diamond Dogs era Bowie logo.

All of the multi-track tapes were finally reunited in one place in November of last year and mixed officially for the first time by long time Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti. The packaging features newly commissioned artwork with rare and unseen photographs from the 1974 Universal Amphitheatre show by Terry O’Neill and Jamie Andrews in a gatefold sleeve.

The album differs greatly from Bowie’s David Live album (also from 1974), as it features a new band line up including soul legend Luther Vandross on vocals. It also has a different set list including two tracks that had just been recorded for the album The Gouster, which was finally released for the first time last year as part of the critically acclaimed ‘Who Can I Be Now?’ box set.

 

DAVID BOWIE - CRACKED ACTOR (LIVE LOS ANGELES ’74) (3 LP SET)

Side 1:
Introduction
1984
Rebel Rebel
Moonage Daydream
Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing

Side 2:
Changes
Suffragette City
Aladdin Sane
All The Young Dudes
Cracked Actor

Side 3:
Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me
Knock On Wood
It’s Gonna Be Me
Space Oddity

Side 4:
Diamond Dogs
Big Brother
Time

Side 5:
The Jean Genie
Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide
John, I’m Only Dancing (Again)

Side 6:
David Bowie logo etching

Recorded live at Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles on 5th September 1974. Produced by David Bowie. Mixed by Tony Visconti at Human Studios, NYC in October/November 2016.

Musicians:

David Bowie - vocals, guitar, harmonica
Earl Slick - guitar
Carlos Alomar - guitar
Mike Garson – piano, Mellotron
David Sanborn - alto sax, flute
Pablo Rosario - conga
Doug Rauch - bass
Greg Errico – drums
Backing vocals - Warren Peace, Anthony Hinton, Luther Vandross, Ava Cherry, Diane Sumler and Robin Clark.

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BOWPROMO was originally pressed in very small quantities in 1971 and it features alternate mixes of some of the songs that would eventually be released on the Hunky Dory album.

The A-side contained seven Bowie tracks, relatively new material at the time, five of which would appear on Bowie’s next album, Hunky Dory. On the B-side were five tracks recorded by another artist on the GEM roster, Dana Gillespie.

This RSD, one-sided release faithfully replicates the original promo featuring Bowie's seven tracks plus five exclusive Bowie prints and new sleeve notes regarding the original promo, all housed in a special presentation box.

BOWPROMO SINGLE SIDED BOXSET LP

1. Oh! You Pretty Things (3.18)
2. Eight Line Poem (2.59)
3. Kooks (3.01)
4. It Ain’t Easy (3.04)
5. Queen Bitch (3.21)
6. Quicksand (5.09)
7. Bombers / Andy Warhol Intro (3.39)

Produced by Ken Scott (assisted by The Actor), mixed by Ken Scott at Trident Studios, London.

Musicians:

David Bowie – vocals, guitar, piano, phased piano
Mick Ronson – guitar, vocal
Trevor Bolder – bass
Woody Woodmansey – drums
Rick Wakeman – piano on Kooks and Quicksand

Swipe/scroll (or click on little dots) for more images

#BowieRSD  #RSD2017  #BowieVinyl  #CrackedActor  #BOWPROMO  

tags: 2017 March
Thursday 03.09.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

No Plan EP CD #1 On UK Chart

“Here is my place without a plan”

In January, the No Plan digital EP reached #1 on the iTunes charts of 11 countries including the UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Finland and Sweden, and broke the Top 20 in more than 30 territories.

Now the CD EP has gone straight in at #1 on the UK’s Official Physical Singles Chart Top 100.

Meanwhile the 40th anniversary Sound And Vision picture disc is enjoying its third week at #1 on the UK’s Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40.

Finally, there are still four Bowie albums on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40.

#10 Legacy
#12 ★
#25 Diamond Dogs
#37 Station To Station

Here’s a recap of the different configurations of the physical No Plan EP.

~ CD - FEBRUARY 24 (available via all usual outlets)
~ BLACK VINYL 12" - APRIL 21 (available via all usual outlets)
~ LIMITED EDITION NUMBERED CLEAR BLUE VINYL 12" - APRIL 21 (available exclusively from independent stores)
~ LIMITED EDITION NUMBERED MADE-TO-ORDER DIE-CUT WHITE VINYL 12" WITH EXCLUSIVE ARTWORK LITHOGRAPH - MAY 26 (Orders are now closed for this)

Aside from the latter, all versions are available here.

Read previous No Plan EP news items, here and here.

#BowieNoPlan  #BowieNoPlanEP  #BowieOCC

tags: 2017 March
Friday 03.03.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

★ Achievements round-up

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“Something happened”

As the RIAA publishes its full list of Gold and Platinum awards for February in the U.S., we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you that helped make ★ such an incredible worldwide success since its release on David Bowie’s 69th birthday on January 8th, 2016.

Here’s a round-up of some of the things you helped ★ achieve...

David Bowie's 28th and final album, ★ (ISO/Columbia), certified gold in the U.S. by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000 units. This followed the news from the bpi that the album had already reached Platinum status in the UK with sales in excess of 300,000.

In conjunction with the Global Recording Artist award, IFPI also issued its annual Global Top 10 list. David Bowie took second place on the global chart, with ★ reaching number one in 24 countries, including Bowie's first U.S. #1.

Additionally, ★ won in every one of the five categories in which it was nominated at the 59th Annual Recording Academy / GRAMMYs : Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance, Best Alternative Music Album, Best Recording Package, and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

Bowie and ★ also won two BRIT Awards: British Male Solo Artist and British Album of the Year.

Also in the UK, ★ was placed at #6 on the Official Artist Albums Chart of 2016  (Parlophone’s Best Of Bowie was #10 on the same chart), while Bowie was the biggest-selling vinyl artist in the UK, with 5 albums posthumously featuring in the top 30 best-sellers on the Official Vinyl Artist Albums Chart of 2016, including ★, which was 2016’s most popular vinyl recording, selling more than double the number of copies of 2015’s best vinyl seller.

★ closed out 2016 dominating critics’ year-end best of lists: The album was rated #1 by the AV Club, Flavorwire, The Los Angeles Times, MOJO, Newsweek, Now, Paste, Q, The Wire, Uncut and more, with #2 spots including the BBC, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, NPR and Rolling Stone, and more Best of 2016 placements in major publications than any album released last year.

 

http://smarturl.it/BlackstarAlbum

http://smarturl.it/NoPlanEP

 

#BowieBlackstar  #Blackstar

tags: 2017 March
Thursday 03.02.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

Mick Rock Tokyo exhibition and talks

“We had a friend, a talking man”

As you may already know, Mick Rock’s photo exhibition - David Bowie by Mick Rock - is currently underway at VACANT in Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan, boasting approximately 50 iconic Bowie images shot by Mick Rock.

Here’s a bit from Mick...

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“I'm delighted to be returning to Tokyo for my first time in a decade. In 2007 I did a book and an exhibition (called Tamashii), with my friend Kanzaburo Nakamura, the great Kabuki Master. Unfortunately he died in 2012. I met and worked with him on several occasions and we had a wonderful relationship.

I also did a spectacular retrospective exhibition called 'Rock N Roll Eye' at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in 2003. But this is my first ever Bowie solo exhibition in Japan. Most of the photos have never been exhibited in Japan. And over 50% have never been exhibited anywhere in the world previously. I hope everyone will love these intimate and iconic images of my legendary friend, David. I can't wait to get back to Tokyo, one of my all-time favourite cities!!”

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Mr Rock himself will be having a bit of a public natter regarding his work with David Bowie, in a talk that happens on Monday, March 13th.

Also, on Friday March 3rd, there will be a lecture by Yoichiro Yamazaki, editor-in-chief of the wonderful rockin’on magazine. The event is called Voice of Bowie and this promises to be a good one, as rockin’on magazine has flown the Bowie flag high since Ziggy first landed.

Tickets for both these events are on sale now, see below for links.

Official merchandise and vinyl will also be available at the venue, along with signed copies of Mick Rock’s photo book “The Rise of David Bowie, 1972-1973 (TASCHEN)”.

 

#BowieTASCHEN  #BowieMickRock  #BowieMickRockVacant  #BowieVacant  #ボウイ展  #DBisTokyo  #BowieTokyo  #DavidBowieIs

Sordid details following...

Photo Exhibition information:
Period: 25 February to 13 March 2017
Venue: VACANT, Harajuku, Tokyo
Open: 12pm – 8pm (last admission at 6pm on 3 March and 11 March)
Admission: 500 yen (you get a free badge as a ticket)

VACANT official website, SNS
Official website: http://www.vacant.vc/davidbowiebymickrock 
FB: (ID @vacantvc)  https://www.facebook.com/vacantvc
Twitter: (ID @VACANTbyNOIDEA)  https://twitter.com/VACANTbyNOIDEA
Instagram: (ID @vacant.vc)  https://www.instagram.com/vacant.vc/

Talk session info
March 13th (Mon) David Bowie by Mick Rock special talking session
Date: March 13th (Mon) 2017 doors open 19:00/Start 19:30 Duration: approx 1 hour
Venue: Vacant 2nd floor
Guest: Mick Rock, and tba guest
Ticket: 1,500 JPY (1,000 JPY + 1 drink ticket 500JPY included) ticket will come with a special button badge
Access to Peatix http://peatix.com/event/240726 for ticket purchase
First ticket sale through Feb 25th 12PM ~ March 2nd 8PM
Second ticket sale through March 3rd 12PM ~
Please note photo exhibition will close at 6:30PM this day

March 3rd (Fri) David Bowie by Mick Rock Special lecture “Voice of Bowie”
Date: March 3rd (Fri)  Door open 7PM/Start 7:30PM duration approx 1 hour
Venue: Vacant 2nd floor
Guest appearance: Yoichiro Yamazaki (editor in chief/rockin’on)
Ticket: 1,000 JPY ticket will come with a special button badge
Access to Peatix http://peatix.com/event/241390 for ticket purchase
Please note photo exhibition will close at 6:30PM this day

Merchandise information
David Bowie by Mick Rock official merchandize
T shirt (2 type) 3,500JPY each
Long sleeve T shirt (2 type) 4,000JPY each
Tote Bag (2 type) 2,200JPY each
iPhone (made-to-order) 2,800JPY each

tags: 2017 February
Tuesday 02.28.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

Two Bowie wins at the BRITs

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“’Cos we believe in you”

David Bowie has won both British Male Solo Artist and Mastercard British Album Of The Year for ★ at the @BRIT Awards 2017 ceremony at London’s O2 Arena this evening.

The British Male Solo Artist award was collected by Michael C. Hall after being presented by Zane Lowe. Here’s Michael’s acceptance speech:

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“If David Bowie could be here tonight, he probably wouldn't be here tonight. But since he can't be here tonight, I'm here tonight on his behalf, on behalf of his family, to accept this testament to a man beholden to nothing but his own boundless imagination and daring, who's ever expanding artistic vitality, simultaneously soothes us and seers us and astonishes us...maybe he is here tonight, I don't know.

But, I'm honoured to stand before you and acknowledge the potency of his work and if I may too also acknowledge that David's kindness and generosity and enthusiasm will forever inspire me to be a better man. On his behalf, thank you.”

Watch it here.

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Towards the end of the evening, Noel Gallagher announced the Mastercard British Album Of The Year, with the following: “And the winner is, the King, David Bowie, Blackstar.” He then introduced “David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones”.

Here’s Duncan’s moving tribute to his father and all of you reading this, The Kooks...

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Hi everyone. I lost my dad last year, but I also became a dad. And I was spending a lot of time after getting over the shock of trying to work out, what would I want my son to know about his grandad?

And I think it would be the same thing that most of my dad's fans have taken over the last 50 years. He's always been there supporting people who think they're a little bit weird, or a little bit strange, a little bit different, he's always been there for them.

So, this award is for all the Kooks and all the people who make the Kooks. Thanks Brits and thanks to his fans.

Watch it here.

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FOOTNOTE: Bowie also won the British Male Solo Artist Award in 1984 and went on to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Music award in 1996.

He won British Male Solo Artist again in 2014, for which Kate Moss collected the statuette while delivering a particularly memorable message from Bowie. (http://smarturl.it/BNetBRITS2014)

Last year, following moving spoken word tributes from singer Annie Lennox and actor Gary Oldman, Oldman accepted the BRITs Icon Award on Bowie’s behalf. Lorde then joined David Bowie’s touring band for an emotionally charged performance of Life On Mars? (http://smarturl.it/BNetBRITS2016)

 

#BRITs  #BRITs2017  #BowieBRITs  #Blackstar  #BlackstarAlbum

tags: 2017 February
Wednesday 02.22.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

Brixton Bowie memorial crowdfunding now

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“Screaming along in South London”

Below is an edited excerpt from the press release for a truly impressive landmark of a memorial to David Bowie, which is crowdfunding for the next 28 days here.

#ZiggyZag  #BowieBrixton

 

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In a fifty year career David Bowie blazed a trail that brought joy to millions, changing lives and opening minds. Many of us would not be the people we are, were it not for Bowie.

When David Bowie died, the world lost an irreplaceable talent. Brixton also lost a son. David Bowie, our Brixton boy.

Now the Brixton community is building a permanent memorial in the place of his birth.

The Artists, This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll – designers of the Brixton Pound paper currency that features David on the B£10 note – have reimagined the iconic lightning flash from Duffy’s Aladdin Sane LP cover in gravity-defying red and blue-sprayed stainless steel. This is a monumental piece of public art and a spectacular memorial to David Bowie.

Just as an otherworldly David Bowie landed in our lives, the memorial (affectionately nicknamed the ZiggyZag), stands embedded in the Brixton pavement – a three storey tall bolt from above. A nine metre missive from another dimension, hurled from afar.

Unexplained, yet utterly familiar; a poignant reminder that life does exist beyond the everyday. That music and art and curiosity are vital, positive contributors to our collective existence.

Five streets away from Bowie’s Stansfield Road birthplace, and situated next to Jimmy C’s internationally famous Aladdin Sane mural – smack-bang-opposite Brixton tube – the memorial will be the first thing most visitors see when they come to Brixton.

Standing across the road from the equally famous Electric Avenue, the memorial will be a defining part of this most iconic neighbourhood.

Like the man himself, Brixton is an enigmatic flame attracting all manner of moths. Rooted in the grand traditions of music hall and theatre, both are emblematic of seismic post-war societal shifts. At once completely out-there and utterly down-to-earth.

The memorial is crowdfunding now at http://smarturl.it/ZiggyZagCrowdfunder – there are great exclusive rewards to be had.

This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll’s (http://smarturl.it/ThisAintRockNRoll) Charlie Waterhouse says “This is a wonderful opportunity for the international David Bowie community to come together to deliver a heartfelt thank you. A thank you to a man who changed our lives – and changed the world. A thank you not from government, nor from industry, but from us. The people. The fans. Us ordinary weirdos who were never quite the same again after meeting the Thin White Duke.”

 

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tags: 2017 February
Tuesday 02.21.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

S&V in at #1 plus five new entries on LP chart

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“The return of The Thin White Duke”

Bowie releases continue to dominate the UK’s Official Vinyl Charts with the news today that Sound And Vision is straight in at #1 on the Official Vinyl Singles Chart and the Official Vinyl Album Chart has five new Bowie entries in the Top 20.

Official Vinyl Albums Chart

NEW #3 - STATION TO STATION - PARLOPHONE
NEW #4 - DIAMOND DOGS - PARLOPHONE
NEW #5 - YOUNG AMERICANS - PARLOPHONE
NEW #8 - LIVE NASSAU COLISEUM '76 - PARLOPHONE
NEW #12 - DAVID LIVE - PARLOPHONE
#13 - LEGACY - PARLOPHONE
#21 - ★ - RCA

As you can see, both Legacy and ★are both still doing very well too.

Check out the full current Official Vinyl Album Chart here: http://smarturl.it/OCCVinylLPsFeb17

Diamond Dogs - https://parlopho.ne/dbowieddlp
David Live (2005 mix) - https://parlopho.ne/dbowielivelp
Young Americans - https://parlopho.ne/dbowieyalp
Station To Station - https://parlopho.ne/dbowiesslp
Live Nassau Coliseum '76 - https://parlopho.ne/dbowienasslp

 

#WCIBNBox  #WCIBNBreakouts  #WhoCanIBeNowBox  #BowieVinyl  #BowieOCC

tags: 2017 February
Friday 02.17.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

★ is MPG’s UK Album of the Year

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“Sounds of laughter, shades of life are ringing through my open ears...”

David Bowie’s ★ album was given the Music Producers Guild (MPG) UK Album of the Year Award, at a ceremony for the 9th MPG Awards event at Grosvenor House, in London's Park Lane this evening (Thursday 16th). The accolade was awarded to David Bowie and Tony Visconti.

Tony collected the gong, as he also did for MPG International Producer of the Year Award (sponsored by British Grove Studios). And to think he was only there to collect the MPG Outstanding Contribution to UK Music Award (sponsored by PPLUK).

Tom Elmhirst won the MPG Mix Engineer of the Year Award (sponsored by Solid State Logic). Tom mixed ★ with Tony.

Go here to watch a rather humbled Mr Visconti on being presented with that well-deserved Outstanding Contribution to UK Music Award, courtesy of PPL.

Congratulations to Tony and Tom and to all involved with the making of ★

 

#BowieBlackstar  #Blackstar  #BowieVisconti  #MPGAwards  #MPGAwards2017  #MusicProducersGuild

tags: 2017 February
Thursday 02.16.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

Barnbrook designs San Marino Bowie stamps

“So send me a letter”

The multi award-winning designer and Luton fan, Jonathan Barnbrook, has designed a beautiful set of Bowie stamps for the Most Serene Republic of San Marino (Italian: Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino).

Produced for the 70th anniversary of the birth of David Bowie, here’s the description regarding the 3 stamps from the AASFN page:

 

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The philatelic set celebrates the long and eclectic career of David Bowie, famous singer-songwriter and actor, who was born in London on the 8th January 1947. Jonathan Barnbrook, who took care of the graphic art of his last album covers, is the designer of the souvenir sheet and of the first day of issue postmark.

The first stamp shows the young Bowie as astronaut Major Tom, one of the many characters embodied by the rock star; above on the right, a black star refers to his last album, “Blackstar”.

The second value depicts an interpretation of the “Aladdin Sane” record cover highlighting the instantly recognizable Ziggy Stardust’s flash.

The third stamp shows Bowie’s profile picture that was used for both the “Low” album cover and poster of “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, above Bowie in this stamp, a crown refers to his character “The Thin White Duke” and that this issue is a celebration of one of the 20th and 21st century’s most notable creative men.

The logo, also created by Barnbrook, represents both Bowie’s name and that it is the 70th anniversary of his birth.

Values: souvenir sheet made up of 3 values of €1.60 each
Print run: 30,000 souvenir sheets
Printing: 4 colour offset, a Pantone  and yellow fluorescent invisible ink by Cartor Security Printing
Perforation: 13¼ x 13 Stamp size: 30 x 40 mm
Souvenir sheet size: 140x70 mm
Designer: Jonathan Barnbrook
Photographs: M. Sukita – S. Schapiro
By courtesy of Jones/Tintoretto Entertainment Company LLC

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The first day covers will have the special postmark, also designed by Barnbrook.

Barnbrook has kindly given us a little extra insight into the thinking behind these philatelic delights...

 

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“The colours were chosen to echo the 70s but also to be very modern. The Bowie logo utilises the number 70.

The first stamp relates to all of those soviet cosmonaut stamps that captured my imagination from my youth. I thought it would be fun and a fitting tribute to our hero, Major Tom, to have him on one of the stamps.

For the second design I played with the level of abstraction of Aladdin Sane, to see how one of the most recognisable record covers in the history of music can be abstracted and still recognisable. This is one of the ‘midway’ points. The Aladdin Sane flash was added on top for graphic dynamism.

Finally, the third stamp parodies the history of European stamp design by having the reigning monarch in side profile. Created because of the similar side profile on the cover of Low (which is also one of my favourite Bowie albums), and of course (as the explanatory text says), the monarch comparison is also to do with The Thin White Duke.”

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Thanks Jonathan, fantastic work. Go here for more.

 

#BowieBarnbrook  #BarnbrookBowie  #BowieStamps  #SanMarinoDBstamps

tags: 2017 February
Tuesday 02.14.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

★ wins all five nominated GRAMMYs

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“Ladies and gentlemen...and others”

Congratulations are due to all involved with the creation of David Bowie’s ★ album, after the news that the release enjoyed a clean sweep at the Grammy Awards tonight, with all five nominations winning the gongs in the following categories...

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12. Best Rock Performance
(Accepted by Donny McCaslin)
Blackstar
David Bowie
Track from: Blackstar
Label: ISO/Columbia Records

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14. Best Rock Song
(Accepted by the presenters)
Blackstar
David Bowie, songwriter (David Bowie)
Track from: Blackstar
Label: ISO/Columbia Records; Publisher(s): Nipple Music admin. by RZO Music, Inc.

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16. Best Alternative Music Album
(Accepted by Donny McCaslin)
Blackstar
David Bowie
Label: ISO/Columbia Records

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65. Best Recording Package
(Accepted by Jonathan Barnbrook)
Blackstar
Jonathan Barnbrook, art director (David Bowie)
Label: ISO/Columbia Records

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69. Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
(Accepted by Kevin Killen and Joe LaPorta)
Blackstar
David Bowie, Tom Elmhirst, Kevin Killen & Tony Visconti, engineers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer (David Bowie)
Label: ISO/Columbia Records

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Today’s 'lyric' quotation was taken from Bowie’s introduction to Aretha Franklin when he presented her with the Grammy for Best R & B Female Vocalist in 1975. (See picture)

In a nod to that moment, the same words were used by Jonathan Barnbrook in his introduction when he accepted the Grammy for Best Recording Package this evening.

Barnbrook also had this to say of Bowie: “He had this very rare quality of getting people to produce their best work, but doing it in a way that was wonderful, charming, a great, great enjoyable ride, and I want to thank him for that.”

Speaking about the power and importance of music, Barnbrook offered the following observation: “I've seen how important what musicians do for people is. It's there when you're born, it's there when you get married, it's there when you die at your funeral. So we should celebrate that, absolutely.”

You can watch Donny McCaslin’s touching speech, when (along with the ★ band), he accepted the Best Rock Performance gong on behalf of David Bowie, here.

In a backstage interview later, Donny spoke of the sheer joy expressed by Bowie during the creation of ★ - That is a joy that will live forever in the grooves of ★

 

#59thGrammyAwards  #Grammys2017  #BowieGrammyAwards  #BowieBlackstar  #Blackstar

tags: 2017 February
Sunday 02.12.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

Duncan Jones Tweets following ★ Grammy wins

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“But I know you’ll hold your head up high”

A very moving message from proud son to his father.

 

#DuncanJones  #59thGrammyAwards  #Grammys2017  #BowieGrammyAwards  #BowieBlackstar  #Blackstar

tags: 2017 February
Sunday 02.12.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

Sound And Vision is forty today

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“And I will sing”

Originally released on Friday February 11th 1977 in the UK, Sound And Vision became a #3 hit when it was released as the lead single from the  extraordinary Low LP.

It was unusual for a single not to precede an album release, and considering this and the fact that RCA didn’t really promote either the album or the single in the UK, it’s surprising Sound And Vision performed so well on the chart.

This lack of promotion for Low was probably meant as a bit of a rap across the knuckles for Bowie from RCA. The label was still smarting after Bowie’s stablemate, Lou Reed, delivered Metal Machine Music in 1975. RCA didn’t know what to do with Low, they wanted another Young Americans or Station To Station and their lack of vision was matched by some of the hostile music press reviews of the album.

Thankfully, Bowie fans and the record buying public had their ears and minds open and rewarded this artistic bravery by getting Low to #2 on the UK album chart.

Sound And Vision itself was a brave release too, in that the lead vocal didn’t appear until half way through the song. Brilliantly produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, the song features a guest vocal from Mary Visconti (Nee Hopkin), the co-producer’s then wife. It also boasts a backing vocal from Brian Eno and was the first record to enter the UK singles chart featuring his voice, albeit not too obviously. (Eno didn’t sing on the early Roxy Music hits and his solo singles didn’t make the Top 40.)

Yesterday saw the release of the limited edition 40th anniversary Sound And Vision picture disc on Parlophone. The A side of this release has a brand new remaster of Sound And Vision, while the AA side sees the first physical release of the 2013 Sony Experia mix of the song, as remixed by Sonjay Prabhakar.

 

#BowieSoundAndVision #DBSAV40  #BowieVinyl

tags: 2017 February
Saturday 02.11.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

Last chance to hear Exploring 'Life On Mars?'

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“To the seat with the clearest view”

Another final chance to hear one of the many excellent BBC Bowie tributes from last month. This time it’s Tris Penna’s fascinating Exploring 'Life On Mars?', presented by Martin Kemp and originally broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on January 9th.

If you have access to the BBC, you really have to listen to this very well-researched documentary while you still can...and that’s not only for the reveal of the hilarious dialogue at the end of the recording of Life On Mars?

Go here within the next eight hours to catch it.

We’ll leave you with the blurb from the BBC Radio 2 page.

#ExploringLifeOnMars  #HunkyDory  #LifeOnMars  #BowieAtTheBBC

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Is 'Life on Mars?' Bowie's legacy song - the one he will be most remembered for? We have exclusive access to unheard recordings of Bowie's original demo and other archive.

'Life on Mars?' is one of David Bowie's most astonishing songs, prompting some observers to describe it as Bowie's own 'My Way'. The irony is, it very nearly was: in 1968, Bowie wrote an early lyric (A Fool Learns to Love) to French singer Claude Francois' 'Comme D'Habitude' which was rejected - Paul Anka's lyrics weren't & the song eventually became Sinatra's 'My Way'. Three years later when 'Life on Mars?' was released on the Hunky Dory album 'Inspired by Frankie' is written in David Bowie's handwriting on the back cover.

We tell the story of how the song came about and we learn what it was like working in the studio with Bowie. Bowie described it as being 'a young girl's reaction to the media'; the lyrics best described as being 'painting-like', impressionistic. Contemporary singer/songwriter Marc Almond examines the lyrics and uncovers the origins of inspiration for the song. We speak to Sophia Anne Caruso, the 15 year old actor who worked with Bowie on his musical Lazarus and is now singing 'Life on Mars?' in the London production.

We speak to Bob Grace who was Bowie's music publisher, record producer Ken Scott, studio engineer Ray Staff, and we hear from Mike Garson, who played the piano in Bowie's live performances, and he played the song over 200 times live. We also hear from Mick Rock who filmed the video for the song, from singer Dana Gillespie, friend of Bowie - Wendy Kirkby, Music Publisher Geoff Heath, Bowie biographer Kevin Cann & author Nicholas Pegg.

Presenter: Martin Kemp, Presenter/Writer & Co-producer: Tris Penna. This is a Sue Clark Production for BBC Radio 2.

tags: 2017 February
Wednesday 02.08.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

No Plan EP clear blue vinyl 12"

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“Distorted view, see through baby blue”

Aside from the formats of the No Plan EP we announced a couple of days ago, (CD and two vinyl 12" versions) there will now be a clear blue vinyl 12" produced exclusively for independent record shops.

This numbered limited edition (one-run only), also features the laser etching on the B-side of the vinyl. It will be released internationally on April 21st.

Here’s a recap of the different configurations of the physical No Plan EP.

~ CD - FEBRUARY 24 (available via all usual outlets)
~ BLACK VINYL 12" - APRIL 21 (available via all usual outlets)
~ LIMITED EDITION NUMBERED CLEAR BLUE VINYL 12" - APRIL 21 (available exclusively from independent stores)
~ LIMITED EDITION NUMBERED MADE-TO-ORDER DIE-CUT WHITE VINYL 12" WITH EXCLUSIVE ARTWORK LITHOGRAPH - MAY 26 (Available exclusively here.)

Read previous No Plan EP news item, here.

And for anybody wondering about today’s lyric quotation.

 

#BowieNoPlan  #BowieNoPlanEP  #BowieVinyl

tags: 2017 February
Wednesday 02.08.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

UK MOJO Ziggy souvenir for March 7 only

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“It’s the last show that we’ll ever do”

CinEvents and MOJO have given us the exclusive reveal of the Ziggy souvenir cover that will only be available to attendees of the March 7th Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars screenings in UK cinemas. Every attendee will receive a copy of the magazine which will fully document the Ziggy-era.

This is a special limited edition cover for the April 2017 issue (281) and it is set to be one of the rarest covers ever produced by the award-winning MOJO team. It will not be available in the shops or at screenings outside of the UK on March 7th.

In addition to the main attraction, the evening will include a new film produced by MOJO magazine exclusively for these screenings. This film will feature MOJO’s Editor-In-Chief Phil Alexander in conversation with The Spiders From Mars drummer Woody Woodmansey. Re-living that fateful night in 1973, Woody will provide further insight into what he describes as “the adventure of a lifetime”.

Go here to book tickets at your nearest participating cinema.

Keep reading for the full press release.

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REMINDER: Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars screening at London Eventim Apollo next week

There are still February 16th tickets available for the separate screening and live event at the scene of the original concert, London Eventim Apollo (formerly the Hammersmith Odeon), here. - It should be noted that the MOJO Ziggy souvenir cover will not be available and the Woody film will not be screened at this event. Go here for the full February 16th event press release.

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#ZiggyStardust  # ZiggyStardustMoPi  #ZiggyHammersmith  #ZSMoPi2017  #SpiderWoodyWoodmansey

 

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CinEvents brings Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars back to cinema.

The concert film Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars will be broadcast to an international cinema audience on March 7, 2017, in celebration of the life and music of David Bowie, courtesy of recently launched event cinema company, CinEvents. The evening will include a new film produced by MOJO magazine exclusively for this screening.

The film will be screened in multiplex and independent cinemas across the UK as well as selected countries across Europe; Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Germany, France and with further details to come.

Directed by pioneering rock film-maker D.A. Pennebaker, this documentary and concert film captures Bowie and his band, The Spiders From Mars, performing at London’s Hammersmith Odeon on July 3, 1973. It was at this now-infamous concert that Bowie made a sudden announcement, shocking fans and media alike by stating “it’s the last show we’ll ever do”. Rather than marking his withdrawal from music, his declaration signalled the retirement of the Ziggy Stardust persona, and the end of a hugely influential chapter in Bowie’s own story.

In addition to the concert movie, the evening will include a new film produced by MOJO magazine exclusively for these screenings. This film will feature MOJO’s Editor-In-Chief Phil Alexander in conversation with The Spiders From Mars drummer Woody Woodmansey, whose own acclaimed memoir, My Life With Bowie: Spider From Mars, has just been published by Sidgwick & Jackson. As well as re-living that fateful night in 1973, Woody will provide further insight into what he describes as “the adventure of a lifetime.”

CinEvents are working with MOJO magazine – Britain’s biggest-selling music magazine, which Bowie guest edited in 2002 – to further enhance the cinema-going experience. Every attendee will receive a copy of the magazine which will fully document the Ziggy-era, and which will also feature an exclusive David Bowie/Spiders From Mars Collectors’ Cover. This special souvenir cover will not be available in the shops, and is destined to become one of the rarest covers ever produced by the award-winning MOJO team with a retail value of £7.99

Tickets will be on sale from 11 January and customers will be able to find their closest participating cinemas via www.ziggystardust-cinevents.com

Picturehouse Entertainment is partnering with CinEvents for distribution of this event.

tags: 2017 February
Tuesday 02.07.17
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 

Bowie’s top 100 books - the complete list

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“Lend us a book we can read up alone”

It’s likely that most people reading this will have already seen either the original story on openbookstoronto.com last week, or a version of it referring back to that original list of “DAVID BOWIE'S TOP 100 BOOKS”.

There have also been numerous suggestions of a Bowie Book Club to tackle each of the 100 volumes. However, there was a problem with that particular openbookstoronto.com feature in that only 75% of the books were actually listed!

For anybody planning on completing this epic voyage of discovery, we’ve listed every single one of the 100 books here (in no particular order) for your reference.

You may have also noticed the two chaps in the middle of our montage. Well, it’s none other than David Bowie sporting a Clockwork Orange T-shirt (the book by Anthony Burgess is in the list) with his old chum, George Underwood.

George kindly supplied the previously unpublished photograph, which according to him was taken aboard Amtrak somewhere between New Orleans and Chicago on the first US tour in 1972.

And so, on to that COMPLETE list of David Bowie’s Top 100 (count 'em) Books.

Interviews With Francis Bacon by David Sylvester

Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse

Room At The Top by John Braine

On Having No Head by Douglass Harding

Kafka Was The Rage by Anatole Broyard

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

City Of Night by John Rechy

The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Iliad by Homer

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Tadanori Yokoo by Tadanori Yokoo

Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin

Inside The Whale And Other Essays by George Orwell

Mr. Norris Changes Trains by Christopher Isherwood

Halls Dictionary Of Subjects And Symbols In Art by James A. Hall

David Bomberg by Richard Cork

Blast by Wyndham Lewis

Passing by Nella Larson

Beyond The Brillo Box by Arthur C. Danto

The Origin Of Consciousness In The Breakdown Of The Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes

In Bluebeard’s Castle by George Steiner

Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd

The Divided Self by R. D. Laing

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Infants Of The Spring by Wallace Thurman

The Quest For Christa T by Christa Wolf

The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin

Nights At The Circus by Angela Carter

The Master And Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodieby Muriel Spark

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Herzog by Saul Bellow

Puckoon by Spike Milligan

Black Boy by Richard Wright

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Yukio Mishima

Darkness At Noon by Arthur Koestler

The Waste Land by T.S. Elliot

McTeague by Frank Norris

Money by Martin Amis

The Outsider by Colin Wilson

Strange People by Frank Edwards

English Journey by J.B. Priestley

A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

The Day Of The Locust by Nathanael West

1984 by George Orwell

The Life And Times Of Little Richard by Charles White

Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock by Nik Cohn

Mystery Train by Greil Marcus

Beano (comic, ’50s)

Raw (comic, ’80s)

White Noise by Don DeLillo

Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm And Blues And The Southern Dream Of Freedom by Peter Guralnick

Silence: Lectures And Writing by John Cage

Writers At Work: The Paris Review Interviews edited by Malcolm Cowley

The Sound Of The City: The Rise Of Rock And Roll by Charlie Gillete

Octobriana And The Russian Underground by Peter Sadecky

The Street by Ann Petry

Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon

Last Exit To Brooklyn By Hubert Selby, Jr.

A People’s History Of The United States by Howard Zinn

The Age Of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby

Metropolitan Life by Fran Lebowitz

The Coast Of Utopia by Tom Stoppard

The Bridge by Hart Crane

All The Emperor’s Horses by David Kidd

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess

The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos

Tales Of Beatnik Glory by Ed Saunders

The Bird Artist by Howard Norman

Nowhere To Run The Story Of Soul Music by Gerri Hirshey

Before The Deluge by Otto Friedrich

Sexual Personae: Art And Decadence From Nefertiti To Emily Dickinson by Camille Paglia

The American Way Of Death by Jessica Mitford

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence

Teenage by Jon Savage

Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh

The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

Viz (comic, early ’80s)

Private Eye (satirical magazine, ’60s – ’80s)

Selected Poems by Frank O’Hara

The Trial Of Henry Kissinger by Christopher Hitchens

Flaubert’s Parrot by Julian Barnes

Maldodor by Comte de Lautréamont

On The Road by Jack Kerouac

Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonders by Lawrence Weschler

Zanoni by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Transcendental Magic, Its Doctine and Ritual by Eliphas Lévi

The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels

The Leopard by Giusseppe Di Lampedusa

Inferno by Dante Alighieri

A Grave For A Dolphin by Alberto Denti di Pirajno

The Insult by Rupert Thomson

In Between The Sheets by Ian McEwan

A People’s Tragedy by Orlando Figes

Journey Into The Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg

#BowieBookClub

tags: 2013 October
Tuesday 10.01.13
Posted by Joey Porterfield
 
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