They said jump 25 years ago

“Got to believe somebody”

A 1993 Top Ten single in the UK, Jump They Say was a taster for the upcoming David Bowie/Nile Rodgers produced Black Tie White Noise album.

According to Bowie, the song tackled his feelings about his schizophrenic half-brother Terry, who had taken his own life in January 1985. The lyrics tell of a desperate man driven to a terrible act by the pressures put upon him. Bowie also cited his own feelings about jumping into the unknown metaphysically. Musically, the influence of Nile Rodgers led to a funk-based sound, though the track was also influenced by contemporary jazz, with a solo from Avant-jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie.

As the first single from the album, Jump They Say received a considerable promotional push with widespread press advertising and a slew of promotional 12" singles. The following year Jump: The David Bowie Interactive CD-ROM was released, wherein endless mixes of the song and versions of the video could be created.

The promotion also included a darkly stylish video shot by Mark Romanek, depicting Bowie as a businessman paranoid of his colleagues, who seemingly conduct experiments on him and force him to jump from the roof of the corporate building.

The video was influenced by Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 film Alphaville, Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971), as well as Chris Marker's film La jetée and Orson Welles' The Trial - both from 1962. The uniformed women shown monitoring Bowie through high powered telescopes are an homage to the stewardesses in the Pan-Am space plane in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). The video was praised by Entertainment Weekly after Bowie passed in 2016, saying “Bowie is an excellent actor, and this video may be his best character performance in a music video.”

We happen to agree, but you can make up your own mind about that here.

#BowieJumpTheySay

Bowie said Let’s Dance on this day in 1983

“To the song they're playin' on the radio”

David Bowie’s worldwide smash hit single, Let’s Dance, was released 35 years ago today in the UK. Previously recorded as a March 17 release, new evidence points to the fact that the single was actually issued on Monday March 14, 1983.

Considering the previous album, Scary Monsters, Let’s Dance heralded yet another sharp change in direction for Bowie and this single and it’s flipside (a rerecording of Cat People) were perfect tasters for the album of the same name which followed in April.

Aside from the new sound that producer Nile Rodgers brought to the table (albeit very much influenced by the sound of his own band, Chic), the late Stevie Ray Vaughan also provided his distinctive signature guitar sound for solos on both sides of the disc.

The massive success of the song was unquestionably helped by Bowie and David Mallet’s iconic video, with its observations of oppression, symbolised neatly by a pair of red shoes.

The album and attendant tour would provide Bowie with a bigger commercial success than he had previously known. But that’s a whole other story.

Released on both 12" and 7" 45s, Let’s Dance was also issued two weeks later as a cassette single. In the UK the record entered the chart at #5 and two weeks later it was at #1, where it remained for three weeks.

We’ll leave you with an indicator of the single’s success via this list of some of the peak chart positions held by Let’s Dance back in 1983.

Australian Singles Chart - 2

Austrian Singles Chart - 2

Canadian Singles Chart - 1

Dutch Singles Chart - 1

German Singles Chart - 2

Irish Singles Chart - 1

New Zealand Singles Chart - 1

Norwegian Singles Chart - 1

Swedish Singles Chart - 1

Swiss Singles Chart - 1

UK Singles Chart - 1

US Billboard Hot 100 - 1

US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play - 1

#BowieLetsDance

Falcon Heavy & Starman compilation video

“It's the freakiest show”

It’s already five weeks since Starman embarked on his fantastic 250 million mile voyage from Earth. Now the folk at SpaceX have published a 1:52 compilation video on YouTube from the February 6 launch, titled Falcon Heavy & Starman, accompanied by an edit of Life On Mars?

The video has already had approaching 3 million views since it was uploaded on March 10, so chances are you have already viewed it. But we won’t let that stop us from posting this beautiful picture of Bowie from the Hunky Dory photo session.

Hunky Dory is the 1971 album from whence Life On Mars? was lifted to become a Top 3 single in the UK, during the summer of 1973. Listen to Life On Mars? on the David Bowie Official Playlist: Top Tracks on Spotify.

Falcon Heavy & Starman video

#FalconHeavy  #SpaceX  #StarmanBowie  #LifeOnMarsBowie  #BowieForever

Moby has last word in final print edition of NME

“Then the NME dropped a bomb”

The last ever print edition of New Musical Express (NME) was published on Friday (March 9 2018), after 66 years as the UK’s most popular music weekly.

The magazine was always generous with column inches to Bowie though rival Melody Maker (MM) beat them to the first Bowie cover in January 1972.

NME retaliated with 34 Bowie covers (more than any other featured artist), published from July 15 1972 (BOWIE ZOWIE) through to January 15 2016 (So long, Spaceboy), both issues pictured here.

But it was a symbiotic relationship, as MM journalist Chris Welch explained to Paul Gorman for Gorman’s book, In Their Own Write: Adventures in the Music Press.

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Chris Welch: The NME really became a threat when Bowie came on the scene. I think they covered Bowie really well. I remember suggesting that we cover his return from Japan on the Trans-Siberian Express by going to Paris to interview him, but when we arrived, Charles Shaar Murray was already there. Mercifully, Bowie went and sat in the same carriage as our chaps, so we got a good interview.

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Charles Shaar Murray became Bowie’s biggest champion at the NME with many great exclusives under his belt, and, for that reason, we’re not even going to mention that Low review.

We’ll hopefully do a gallery of all 34 NME Bowie covers at some point.

Finally, Bowie’s old friend Moby got to have the last word on the last editorial page of Friday’s final print edition, in the regular feature: Soundtrack Of My Life.

In it, he chooses "Heroes" as the song he wishes he had written. If you can’t read what he had to say about the song and David Bowie in our montage, checkout the online version, where NME will no doubt continue to be published until all the electricity has run out.

So long NME, you were a great friend.

#BowieNME

More Bowie vinyl for RSD 2018

“Did you ever have a Deram or two?”*

As we exclusively revealed last month, Parlophone will be issuing three limited edition David Bowie discs for Record Store Day on April 21st.

You’ve probably heard of discs being released by other companies too, such as UMC’s beautifully packaged David Bowie album, first released on Deram in 1967, which we are giving you an exclusive first look at here.

This double vinyl gatefold RSD version features a blue vinyl mono disc and a red vinyl stereo one, housed in replica packaging. Confusingly, and unlike parent company, Decca, Deram had red labels for their stereo releases and brown for their mono issues.

The inner gatefold is taken up with Kevin Cann’s very thorough and informative Deram Chronology, as used in the 2010 issue of this album.

*Although not on the album, Did You Ever Have a Dream was the B-side of Bowie’s final single for Deram, Love You Till Tuesday. Today’s lyric quotation is from it, with an intentional tweak of dream to Deram.

#BowieRSD  #RSD2018  #BowieVinyl  #BowieDeram

Bowie fan art #2 at Brooklyn Museum

“The paintings are all your own”

As we mentioned last Friday, David Bowie had collected all of the fan art he was sent over the years and it had long been a wish of his to exhibit these works, which is exactly what Brooklyn Museum has done with a section dedicated to those contributions.

We will be posting a piece online every week with the hashtag #DavidBowieArt, with the aim of eventually creating an ever expanding online gallery.

Sadly, the creators of the majority of the works are unknown, but it would be a great help if anybody reading this has more information, be it the artists themselves or somebody who knows them. We’re pleased to say that the creator of last week’s painting has already identified herself. More of which very soon.

Anybody know anything about this week’s picture? The artist is clearly influenced by the Surrealist movement. We’re wondering how many clues in the work are referencing Bowie songs. Can you see any?

Finally, apologies to each artist for the low quality reproduction. Much of the work was photographed through glass and sometimes intrusive reflections were unavoidable.

You can enjoy all of the pieces on display at the exhibition until July 15th. Tickets and more here.

#DavidBowieIs  #DavidBowieIsBKM  #DavidBowieArt  #BowieFanFriday

The Next Day is five

“Five years, What a surprise”

On January 8, 2013 (Bowie’s 66th birthday), suddenly and without fanfare, David Bowie released a new single, Where Are We Now? On the same day it was announced that the song would also be on a new album titled The Next Day.

On February 28, 2013, the 14-track standard edition of the album was made available to stream as a worldwide exclusive in the iTunes Store, more than a week before the first physical version was available to buy on March 8th, five years ago today.

Here are the original release dates...

March 8th: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland.

March 11th: Asia, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Latin America, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, South Africa, UK.

March 12th: Brazil, Canada, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, USA.

March 13th: Japan (with exclusive 4th bonus track).

March 15th: Turkey

The Next Day was released in three basic formats: Audio CD Standard Edition (14-tracks); Audio CD Deluxe Edition (17-tracks); 17-track Double Vinyl LP (with free Deluxe Edition CD)

Despite a complete lack of conventional promotion (not a single interview or live performance promoted the release), Bowie's 27th studio album and first in 10 years hit #1 in the UK and 18 other countries and entered the U.S. chart at a career high #2, only topped by ★ (Blackstar) which gave Bowie his first US #1 album, albeit posthumously.

In November 2013, The Next Day Extra deluxe edition was issued. Read all about the various editions and chart placings, etc., in this exhaustive Wikipedia entry: http://smarturl.it/TNDwiki

#TheNextDay  #BowieTND

Bowie albums dominate Official UK Vinyl Top 5

“Thanking one and all”

The five selected stand-alone albums from last year’s A New Career In A New Town (1977 – 1982) (ANCIANT) box set were released on Friday, February 23rd, and they have all entered this week’s Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40, with the four studio albums dominating the top 5.

Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40

02 March 2018 - 08 March 2018

01 - Low

02 - "Heroes"

04 - Scary Monsters

05 - Lodger

19 - Legacy

24 - Stage (2017)

As you know, these vinyl albums haven’t been available officially on vinyl since 1991, so it’s no surprise that demand is high.

Thanks so much to those of you who helped these records top the charts again, and If you’ve not already got yours...

Low

"Heroes"

Stage 2017

Lodger

Scary Monsters

#BowieOCC  #BowieVinyl  #ANewCareerInANewTownBox

David Bowie fan art installation at Brooklyn Museum

“The paintings are all your own”

One of the exclusive installations at David Bowie is at the Brooklyn Museum, is a section dedicated to fan art contributions.

It’s really quite touching to think that over the years David collected all of the art he was sent and that it has been carefully stored ever since.

It had long been a wish of his to exhibit these works and the folks at the Brooklyn Museum have risen to the challenge.

We plan to post a piece online every week with the hashtag #DavidBowieArt with the aim of eventually creating an online gallery.

Sadly, the creators of the majority of the works are unidentifiable as the artworks were often accompanied by the artist’s signature only. Some pieces had more detail but it would be great if anybody seeing them could furnish us with more information, be it the artists themselves or somebody who knows them.

Anybody know anything about this beautiful first picture we are featuring?

Finally, apologies to each artist for the low quality reproduction. Much of the work was photographed through glass and sometimes intrusive reflections were unavoidable.

You can enjoy all of the pieces on display at the exhibition from March 2nd to July 15th. Tickets and more here.

#DavidBowieIs  #DavidBowieIsBKM  #DavidBowieArt  #BowieFanFriday

David Bowie is at the Brooklyn Museum

“It's amazing, go go go”

Following two preview events, the final stop for David Bowie is at the Brooklyn Museum is now open for all to go and enjoy.

There are many more items not shown at previous venues on the tour, such as the lightning bolt jumpsuit designed by Freddie Burretti that Bowie is wearing in the above Mick Rock photograph, taken during the 1973 Aladdin Sane shows in the UK.

Check out this coverage from the New York Times and Brooklyn Vegan for a glimpse of some of the other incredible items being shown for the first time.

David Bowie is at the Brooklyn Museum from March 2nd to July 15th at The Brooklyn Museum. Tickets and more here.

#DavidBowieIs  #DavidBowieIsBKM

Duncan recommends Bowie Book Club book #3

“Where there's trouble there's poetry”

Seems appropriate to share this on what is World Book Day. Following last month’s recommendation (James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time), Duncan Jones has posted his third selection for the Bowie Book Club on Twitter. It’s Spike Milligan’s Puckoon.

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Duncan Jones @ManMadeMoon Feb 27

For those keeping up, and those not, let’s reward our hard work with book #3! Spike Milligan’s hilarious tale detailing the fantastical notion of an Irish partition being screwed up by beaurecrats. PUCKOON. Oh yeah... published in 1963! All you need to do is finish by end of March.

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Here’s the synopsis for Milligan’s 55-year-old classic slapstick novel.

Spike Milligan - Puckoon

In 1924 the Boundary Commission is tasked with creating the new official division between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. Through incompetence, dereliction of duty and sheer perversity, the border ends up running through the middle of the small town of Puckoon.

Houses are divided from outhouses, husbands separated from wives, bars are cut off from their patrons, churches sundered from graveyards. And in the middle of it all is poor Dan Milligan, our feckless protagonist, who is taunted and manipulated by everyone (including the sadistic author) to try and make some sense of this mess . . .

'Bursts at the seams with superb comic characters involved in unbelievably likely troubles on the Irish border' - Observer

'Pops with the erratic brilliance of a careless match in a box of fireworks' - Daily Mail

'Our first comic philosopher' - Eddie Izzard

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Puckoon is in DAVID BOWIE'S TOP 100 BOOKS list

If you don’t do Twitter (where you can respond to Duncan directly), feel free to leave your thoughts about Puckoon in the comments section on FaceBook.

FOOTNOTE: For those who may have already read Puckoon, perhaps you’re not familiar with Spike’s very own spoken word version of the novel. Listen here.

#BowieBookClub  #ReadingIsBrainFood 

Three Bowie discs for RSD 2018

“Getting some skin exposure to the blackout”

Parlophone will be issuing the following three limited edition David Bowie discs for Record Store Day on April 21st.

~ Welcome To The Blackout (Live London '78) - 3 x LP unreleased live set

~ Let’s Dance (Full-length) - 12” single featuring full length version of the demo and live version

~ Bowie Now - White vinyl LP issue of US promo only compilation with new interior artwork

Keep reading for the full press release.

#BowieRSD  #RSD2018  #BowieVinyl  #BowieBlackout  #BowieLetsDance  #BowieNow
 

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DAVID BOWIE RECORD STORE DAY APRIL 21, 2018

THREE VERY SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION RECORD STORE DAY RELEASES

‘WELCOME TO THE BLACKOUT (LIVE LONDON '78)’ 3 x LP UNRELEASED LIVE SET

‘LET’S DANCE (FULL-LENGTH DEMO)’ 12” SINGLE FEATURING THE FULL LENGTH VERSION OF THE DEMO AND A RARE LIVE VERSION OF THE SONG

‘BOWIE NOW’ WHITE VINYL LP RARE US ONLY PROMO COMPILATION WITH NEW INTERIOR ARTWORK
David Bowie vinyl releases are always a Record Store Day highlight, and 2018 will be no exception. On April 21st Parlophone will be releasing three very special limited edition David Bowie items; WELCOME TO THE BLACKOUT (Live London 1978), LET’S DANCE (DEMO) and, available for the first time commercially, the rare Berlin era US promo album BOWIE NOW.

WELCOME TO THE BLACKOUT (LIVE LONDON '78)’ 3 x LP SET
This previously unreleased 3 LP set was recorded live during the ISOLAR II tour at Earls Court, London on the 30th June and 1st July 1978 by Tony Visconti and was mixed by David and David Richards at Mountain Studios, Montreux, 17th – 22nd January 1979. The newly designed trifold sleeve features imagery by photographers Sukita and Chris Walter.

LET’S DANCE (FULL-LENGTH DEMO) c/w LET’S DANCE (LIVE)
The 45 rpm 12” single features the first appearance of the full length demo of ‘Let’s Dance’ which was previously released in an edited form digitally for David’s birthday on 8th January this year. The full-length demo version clocks in at 7.34 and like the edited version this was mixed by Nile Rodgers (original co-producer of the demo with David) in November/December of last year.

The demo is backed by the live version of ‘Let’s Dance’ recorded live at Pacific National Exhibition Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 12 September, 1983 and mixed by Bob Clearmountain. This version can be seen in the Serious Moonlight concert film and was also previously available on the AA side of the now very rare Australian ‘David Bowie Is’ exhibition exclusive yellow vinyl 7” single. The sleeve of the 12” single is a differently coloured variation of the original ‘Let’s Dance’ single cover.

BOWIE NOW
This is the first commercial release of a rare 1977 US only promotional-only LP on white vinyl. The tracks are drawn from the Low and “Heroes” albums and all of the audio is from the A New Career In A New Town box set remastered by Tony Visconti. The package now features a newly designed inner sleeve with a rarely seen black and white image of David in Berlin in 1977.

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DAVID BOWIE - WELCOME TO THE BLACKOUT (LIVE LONDON ’78) (3 LP SET)

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. Sound And Vision
3. Breaking Glass
4. Fame
5. Beauty And The Beast

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. TVC 15
2. Stay
3. Rebel Rebel

Produced by David Bowie. Recorded live at Earls Court 30th June and 1st July 1978 by Tony Visconti. Mixed by David Bowie and David Richards at Mountain Studios, Montreux, 17th– 22nd January 1979.

Musicians
David Bowie – vocals, chamberlain
Carlos Alomar - rhythm guitar
Adrian Belew - lead guitar
Dennis Davis - drums, percussion
Simon House - electric violin
Sean Mayes - piano, string ensemble
George Murray - bass guitar
Roger Powell - keyboards, synthesizer
Background vocals - Carlos Alomar, Adrian Belew, Sean Mayes, George Murray and Roger Powell

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DAVID BOWIE - LET’S DANCE (FULL-LENGTH DEMO) (12” SINGLE)

Side A
Let’s Dance (Full-length demo) (7.34)
Produced by David Bowie and Nile Rodgers
Arranged by David Bowie and Nile Rodgers
Mixed by Nile Rodgers and Russell Graham at Le Crib Studios, November/December 2017
Recorded on 19th December 1982 at Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland by David Richards

Side B
Let's Dance (Live) (4.34)
Mixed by Bob Clearmountain. Recorded live at Pacific National Exhibition Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 12th September 1983

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DAVID BOWIE - BOWIE NOW (WHITE VINYL LP)

Side 1
1. V-2 Schneider
2. Always Crashing In The Same Car
3. Sons Of The Silent Age
4. Breaking Glass
5. Neuköln

Side 2
1. Speed Of Life
2. Joe The Lion
3. What In The World
4. Blackout
5. Weeping Wall
6. The Secret Life Of Arabia

Side 1 tracks 2 and 4 and side 2 tracks 1, 3 and 5:
Mixed by Tony Visconti at Hansa by the Wall, Berlin
Recorded at The Château d'Hérouville and Hansa by the Wall, Berlin between September and October 1976.

Side 1 tracks 1, 3 and 5 and side 2 tracks 2, 4 and 6:
Recorded at Hansa by the Wall, Berlin between July and August 1977.

Engineers - Tony Visconti and Colin Thurston, and Mountain Studios, Montreux
Assistant engineers – David Richards and Eugene Chaplin
Hansa By The Wall in-house engineer – Eduard Meyer
Mixed at Mountain Studios, Montreux
Remastering overseen by Tony Visconti

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Exclusive Bowie vinyl for Brooklyn Museum

“Time, is waiting in the wings...”

Parlophone announces the following three David Bowie exclusives in conjunction with David Bowie is at the Brooklyn Museum.

~ Time (U.S. single edit) / The Prettiest Star - silver vinyl picture sleeve 7” single

~ Live In Berlin (1978) - 8-track orange vinyl mini-LP

~ iSelectBowie - 12-track red vinyl LP

Continue reading for the full press release.

#DavidBowieIs  #davidbowieisbkm  #DBisNYTime  #DBisNYBerlin78  #BowieiSelect  #BowieVinyl

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DAVID BOWIE IS…

PARLOPHONE ANNOUNCES DAVID BOWIE EXCLUSIVES IN CONJUNCTION WITH DAVID BOWIE IS AT THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM

‘TIME’ (US SINGLE EDIT) 7" SILVER VINYL
‘LIVE IN BERLIN (1978)’ 8 TRACK ORANGE VINYL MINI LP
‘iSELECT’ 12 TRACK RED VINYL LP     

On the occasion of the opening of David Bowie Is at the Brooklyn Museum, Parlophone is pleased to announce a selection of exclusives, only available at the Brooklyn Museum starting 2nd March.

The exhibition - David Bowie Is has been touring globally for the past five years visiting London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Tokyo, Melbourne, Bologna, Chicago and will be taking its final bow at the Brooklyn Museum in New York from 2nd March.

As with many of the other stops on the tour there will be exclusive limited Bowie vinyl for sale at the Brooklyn Museum.

‘TIME’ (U.S. single edit) / ‘THE PRETTIEST STAR’ (7” silver vinyl single / rare picture sleeve)

Exclusive to the exhibition shop at the Brooklyn Museum, this item is a translucent silver vinyl version of the 1973 ‘Time’/‘The Prettiest Star’ US 7” single complete with a reproduction of the original undistributed picture sleeve.

LIVE IN BERLIN (1978) (8 Track orange vinyl mini-LP) 

Also exclusive to the exhibition shop will be an 8-track mini-LP on transparent orange vinyl, recorded live in Berlin at the Deutschland Halle, Berlin on 16th May, 1978. Four of the tracks are completely unreleased and the remaining four were only issued within the last six months, three on a digital streaming only E.P. which was only available for five days and one on the B-side of the 40th Anniversary “Beauty And The Beast” 7” picture disc released on 5th January this year. The front cover features a shot taken by fan Antoine Loogman at the show.

iSELECT (Red vinyl LP)

Due to overwhelming demand this exhibition only exclusive red vinyl LP will be made available once more. The iSelect compilation features tracks chosen personally by Bowie along with sleeve notes on a fold out insert. This LP has only previously been available in very limited quantities at other David Bowie is exhibition shops. All tracks are the studio versions from the original albums other than “Some Are”, “Time Will Crawl (MM remix)” and the live “Intro/Hang On To Yourself”. The version of “Time Will Crawl” is exclusive to vinyl on this compilation.

‘TIME’ (U.S. single edit) 7” SILVER VINYL (David Bowie is Brooklyn Museum Exhibition Exclusive)

Side A
Time (U.S. single edit) (3.41)
Produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott
Arranged by David Bowie and Mick Ronson.
Mixed and engineered by Ken Scott.

Side B
The Prettiest Star (3.31)                                         
Produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott
Arranged by David Bowie and Mick Ronson.
Mixed and engineered by Ken Scott.

LIVE IN BERLIN (1978) 8 TRACK ORANGE VINYL MINI-LP (David Bowie is Brooklyn Museum  Exhibition Exclusive)

Side 1.
1. “Heroes” (7.21)
2. Be My Wife (2.51)
3. Blackout (3.39)
4. Sense Of Doubt (3.18)

Side 2.
1. Breaking Glass (3.36)
2. Fame (4.05)
3. Alabama Song (4.08)
4. Rebel Rebel (3.37)

Produced by David Bowie
Recorded live at the Deutschlandhalle, Berlin on 16th May, 1978.
Cover photography by Antoine Loogman © 1978 Antoine Loogman

iSELECT RED VINYL LP (David Bowie is Exhibition Exclusive)

Side 1
1. Life On Mars?                   
2. Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (Reprise)     
3. The Bewlay Brothers
4. Lady Grinning Soul
5. Win
6. Some Are

Side 2
1. Teenage Wildlife  
2. Repetition
3. Fantastic voyage
4. Loving The Alien
5. Time Will Crawl (MM Remix)
6. Intro/Hang On To Yourself (from Live Santa Monica ’72)

David Bowie is March 2nd to July 15th at The Brooklyn Museum

MUTE and The Berlin Trilogy out now

“Got to keep searching and searching...”

As you know, the five stand-alone albums from last year’s A New Career In A New Town (1977 – 1982) (ANCIANT) box set were released today, February 23rd.

It’s also not really news to anybody who regularly visits these pages, that the wonderfully dark and quite superb Duncan Jones-directed MUTE premiered worldwide on NETFLIX today.

So how have we shoehorned that information into one item? Simple really…

MUTE is set in a Berlin 34 years into the future. Three of the five Bowie break out albums released today, Low, "Heroes" and Lodger, are collectively referred to by the misnomer: The Berlin Trilogy.

After watching MUTE, we at DBHQ noted that the music contained within the three albums runs to approximately 114 minutes and that MUTE, without the end titles and skipping to the end of the Philip Glass rendition of "Heroes" runs to a similar length. So we hit the mute button (pun obviously intended), and attempted to synch the film and the music. Alas, though there were some serendipitous moments, overall it didn’t really work.

Anyway, our montage shows Bowie in Berlin during the filming of Just A Gigolo, along with Jones the younger in a brief cameo and aforementioned Berlin Trilogy, which were joined in the record racks today by Stage 2017 and Scary Monsters.

On a final note, when the first opus of The Berlin Trilogy was released, Low, it wasn’t received so well by some of the prominent critics of the day. The public ignored the advice and the album went to #2 on the UK chart. Low remains a work very much loved by all who have taken it in.

If you haven’t already seen MUTE, go watch it on NETFLIX now.

How proud would Jones the elder be of his son right now?

#MUTEmovie  #DuncanJones  #ANewCareerInANewTownBox  #BowieVinyl  

Two days till ANCIANT break outs

“He opened strange doors that we'd never close again”

The five selected stand-alone albums from last year’s A New Career In A New Town (1977 – 1982) (ANCIANT) box set will be released this Friday, February 23rd. Pre-order here:

Low - https://lnk.to/LowMP
"Heroes" - https://lnk.to/HeroesMP
Stage 2017 - https://lnk.to/StageMP
Lodger - https://lnk.to/LodgerMP
Scary Monsters - https://lnk.to/ScaryMMP

Go here for the press release.

#ANewCareerInANewTownBox  #BowieVinyl  #BowieScaryMonsters

David Bowie is… looking at New York

“If you can see me I can see you”

Just a dozen days to go before the critically acclaimed David Bowie is exhibition will make the final stop of its world tour at the Brooklyn Museum from March 2nd to Jul 15th.

Keep an eye on their Facebook Page for a bunch of Bowie standees dotted about the Big Apple and for general updates.

More details and tickets here.

FOOTNOTE: Obviously, that's the current edition of TONY pictured with the Earthling.

#DavidBowieIs  #davidbowieisbkm

Four days till ANCIANT break outs

Four days till ANCIANT break outs

“Waiting so long, I've been waiting so, waiting so”

The five selected stand-alone albums from last year’s A New Career In A New Town (1977 – 1982) (ANCIANT) box set will be released on February 23rd. Pre-order here:

Low - https://lnk.to/LowMP
"Heroes" - https://lnk.to/HeroesMP
Stage 2017 - https://lnk.to/StageMP
Lodger - https://lnk.to/LodgerMP
Scary Monsters - https://lnk.to/ScaryMMP

Go here for the press release.

#ANewCareerInANewTownBox  #BowieVinyl  #BowieLodger

Six days till ANCIANT break outs

“The boy in the dark blue jacket, Jumped up on the stage”

As we mentioned previously, these Parlophone reissues are a great starting point for those wanting to build a Bowie vinyl collection from scratch. And this 2017 version of Stage is now more complete than it ever was.

The five selected stand-alone albums from last year’s A New Career In A New Town (1977 – 1982) (ANCIANT) box set will be released on February 23rd. Pre-order here:

Low - https://lnk.to/LowMP
"Heroes" - https://lnk.to/HeroesMP
Stage 2017 - https://lnk.to/StageMP
Lodger - https://lnk.to/LodgerMP
Scary Monsters - https://lnk.to/ScaryMMP

Go here for the press release.

#ANewCareerInANewTownBox  #BowieVinyl  #BowieStage

Bowie worldwide 7"s softback now available

“The solid book we wrote, can now be found again (again)”

BEWARE - These men could bankrupt you! OK, not directly, but by helping you embark on a course you may previously have managed to circumnavigate. So be warned, and don’t blame us if those of you who aren't already, get hooked to collecting David Bowie’s considerable 7" back catalogue!

Back in April last year, we told you about the now sold out SPECIAL DELUXE EDITION of the DAVID BOWIE WORLD 7” RECORDS DISCOGRAPHY 1964 – 1981 by Marshall Jarman  (left in our picture), and Reto Stöcklin (on the right). But don't fear, a softback version is now available for pre-order here.

Here’s a flavour of what this level of collecting is all about...

Q - What is the most expensive Bowie 7"?
A - It changes, but a "Space Oddity" Japan Philips sold for the incredible sum of US $20,000 in Japan last year.

Q - Do you think there is a particular area more popular among the big collectors?
A - Pre-RCA stuff and the more exotic RCA Picture Sleeves from countries like Mexico, Turkey and Japan.

Q - What would you say is the holy grail of Bowie 7" collectables?
A - "The Prettiest Star" Ireland is exceptionally rare. Only one of the well-known collectors has a copy.

Keep reading for exclusive contributions from both authors.

#BowieVinyl  #WorldBowie7s

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Marshall Jarman

I was never interested in sports as a kid, it was always music with me. The only radio station playing a steady stream of pop music was Radio Luxemburg and the reception was appalling.  I  got my first record player for my 11th birthday and watched "Ready Steady Go!" on the television for all the latest sounds. I did paper rounds, worked on the market, caddying at the golf club ... and spent the lot on records, which I bought mainly second-hand.

There were things called jumble sales, there were second-hand shops, and every market in every town seemed to have a stall with second hand records. I first became aware that some people would pay way above nominal prices when 'Rolling Stone' magazine started and small ads in the back were offering far more for some records than I could buy them for. I consequently started dealing in records when I was 14 and still at school, selling mainly 60’s beat records to Americans and later on buying American records to sell here (UK).

As far as I recall, I wasn't aware of all of David Bowie's early stuff until the George Tremlett book which was 1974. Record fairs and "Record Collector" magazine were still in the future so trading was mainly 'word of mouth' contacts and small ads in the music press. The biggest difference between the 70's and now is of course the prices. I bought my first "Liza Jane" for £40.

By the latter half of the 70's there were a few mail order dealers with rare records in their catalogues ... and record fairs had started ... and then "Record Collector" magazine ... and record collecting boomed during the 80's. Consequently, record shops and even market stalls all purchased the "Rare Record Price Guide" and the odds of finding a bargain dwindled. Today, with the various internet sites, the world is literally at your fingertips and finding rare records couldn't be easier. I doubt that it’s anywhere near as much fun though!

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Reto Stöcklin

David Bowie’s multifaceted creativity is amazing and that is reflected in his record releases across the decades. In the book we look in particular on 7" vinyl released worldwide between 1964 (Liza Jane) and 1981 (Scary Monsters). This represents well over 1,000 different records produced worldwide in not less than 45 countries.

Some will collect all issues, promotional copies and test pressings - sometimes even tiny typographic variations on the cover or labels, a never ending quest. Others will focus on a specific country, a period or look for picture sleeves only.

Amongst the most beloved 7" records are early records, picture sleeves from the Sixties, Japanese pressings (of high quality and many with unique illustrations) and a few highly sought after records, such as the USA Time or Columbian Fame picture sleeves.

The rarest - and thus most expensive ones - are doubtless the unique Japanese and UK (never released) picture sleeves of Space Oddity (both pictured in our montage), together with the South African picture sleeve of Love You Till Tuesday, some stunning Mexican sleeves (i.e. Sorrow or Rebel Rebel) and the Irish (pictured) and South African releases of The Prettiest Star, to name a few.

Some records, although much easier to find are beloved because of the originality or beauty of their sleeves (Portugal, Turkey or Yougoslavia for example). Coloured vinyl, picture discs mispressings and unofficial records are also topics of interest.

Last but not least, a hot topic are acetates (see p 8-9). These are not records per se, but direct transcriptions of recordings on metallic plates covered by a lacquer of vinyl acetate. The most valuable ones are playback acetates: those that were cut in the recording studio in a few copies only, typically used to find a record label to commercialise a new title - some containing unreleased songs. The record companies then also had their own acetates cut for internal evaluation purposes. Acetates were also used in the mastering process ("Mastering acetates") to produce master plates and stampers to press the records.

For me this project is an achievement. Collecting is quite egoistic and not productive. This book allowed me some creativity.

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Thanks for that chaps, much appreciated. Now all we need is a better relationship with our bank managers or a lottery win!

Eight days till ANCIANT break outs

“Listen to tracks by Sam Therapy and King Dice”

As we mentioned previously, original second-hand vinyl copies of most Bowie albums are attracting far higher prices in the last couple of years than they ever have done. These Parlophone reissues are a great starting point for those wanting to build a Bowie vinyl collection from scratch.

The five selected stand-alone albums from last year’s A New Career In A New Town (1977 – 1982) (ANCIANT) box set will be released on February 23rd. Pre-order here:

Low - https://lnk.to/LowMP
"Heroes" - https://lnk.to/HeroesMP
Stage 2017 - https://lnk.to/StageMP
Lodger - https://lnk.to/LodgerMP
Scary Monsters - https://lnk.to/ScaryMMP

Go here for the press release.

#ANewCareerInANewTownBox  #BowieVinyl  #BowieHeroes