Posts Tagged ‘David Bowie’

DAVID BOWIE – ” Be My Wife “

Posted: May 7, 2017 in MUSIC
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David Bowie ‘Be My Wife’ 40th Anniversary Picture Disc 7″
Released Friday 16th June ,For those that follow these releases, it will be no surprise that Be My Wife is the latest in Parlophone’s series of 40th-anniversary Bowie 7″ picture discs.

Originally released in the UK on June 17th 1977, Be My Wife was the 2nd and final single from the ground-breaking album Low, the first of the so-called Berlin Trilogy. Despite a promotional video, the single didn’t chart, not helped by the fact that it was almost impossible to view it anywhere in the UK back in 1977.

With echoes of Life On Mars?, the Stanley Dorfman-directed promo was shot in an empty white room, with Bowie using a red Fender Stratocaster as a prop, while half-heartedly miming the guitar part. He somehow manages to appear nonchalant and anguished at the same time, in this bizarre plea for marital union.

The image used on the A Side is from the Be My Wife video shoot, while the AA side was taken during a visit to the studio of Victor Vasarely. Both photos are by Christian Simonpietri and were taken in Paris in June 1977.

Be My Wife is backed with a previously unreleased live version of the Low instrumental, Art Decade, recorded in Perth, Australia in 1978 during the ISOLAR II tour.

DAVID BOWIE – ” Reality Tour “

Posted: April 1, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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David Bowie’s 2004 ‘A Reality Tour” saw him performing an extensive overview of his greatest hits, popular album tracks and fan favourites all over the world, with the incredible performance from the Dublin show being chosen for release on DVD and CD but never vinyl and definitely not translucent blue vinyl, until this year.

The 180 Gram Audiophile 3 LP Box Set of these final concert tour recordings features almost three hours of music on six sides of heavyweight vinyl, with songs from Bowie’s classic and modern rock eras, all present.

Also included are two first time poster inserts featuring the wonderful 12″ x 12″ front cover image as well as a 12″x24″ double-sided poster featuring unique live performance shots. A fitting tribute to one of the most poignant casualties of 2016.

DAVID BOWIE – ” Cracked Actor Live In Los Angeles 1974 and Bowpromo ” Record Store Day Releases

Posted: March 11, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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rsd cracked actor 1000sq Rare and unreleased David Bowie albums coming for Record Store Day

Two unreleased David Bowie albums will be unearthed as part of this year’s Record Store Day on April 22nd.

 Cracked Actor (Live in Los Angeles 1974) marks the first official release of a Philly Dogs Tour show from September 1974 at Los Angeles’ Universal Ampitheatre. The full concert is documented on the triple-LP, five-sided album, with a sixth side featuring an etching of the Diamond Dogs era Bowie logo. It was mixed by longtime Bowie collaborator Tony Visconti, The album features a different set-list from David Live and a new band line-up which included Luther Vandross on vocals (he would go on to contribute vocals to Young Americans and indeed gets a co-writing credit for Fascination).

The second release is a recreation of the ultra rare 1971 pressing Bowpromo. Featuring alternate mixes of some songs that eventually wound up Hunky Dory, Bowie’s manager Tony Defries originally had 500 copies of the promotional album made in order to secure the singer a new record deal. The Record Store Day version adds five exclusive Bowie prints and new sleeve notes, while it leaves off the five B-side tracks by fellow GEM artist Dana Gillespie. Bowpromo is largely comprised of alternate versions of songs that would later appear on Hunky Dory, as well as a version of “It Ain’t Easy”, which would eventually appear on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

DAVID BOWIE – ” No Plan ” EP

Posted: February 16, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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CD fans rejoice as David Bowie‘s final three recordings, made during the sessions for ★ (Blackstar), are to be issued on a CD single (and vinyl) as the No Plan EP.

Issued digitally last month, the No Plan EP brings together the songs No Plan, Killing A Little Time and When I Met You (which were previously only available physically as part of the Lazarus Cast Album) and Bowie’s original version of Lazarus.

In addition to the CD, two vinyl versions will be available, including a limited edition white vinyl pressing with die-cut sleeve and special laser etching on the B-side. This comes bundled with a lithograph and is available exclusively via the official David Bowie store.

A black vinyl edition without the die-cut sleeve and lithograph (but with the laser etching) is significantly cheaper and should be more widely available.

So three editions of the No Plan EP and three different release dates. The CD will be issued on 24th February, the black vinyl on 21st April and the limited made-to-order white vinyl on 26th May 2017.

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DAVID BOWIE – ” The Collaborator “

Posted: January 31, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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BOWIE – THE COLLABORATOR
THE LEGENDARY BROADCASTS
4 CD SET

For Bowie fans who have all the available official releases already, this four CD set is a worthwhile purchase as an addition to the collection. As these types of recordings go, the sound quality is generally very good – three or four tracks on CD4 sound a little ‘muddy’.

Disc 1 features tracks from the 1980 Floor Show from October 1973, so post the last Ziggy show on July 3rd. It is very much the Ziggy era sound and, of course, the real curio here is the duet of ‘I Got You Babe. It’s also interesting for the live version of tracks from Pin Ups. The only sound fault I noted on this disc was a momentary drop in sound on ‘Time’ at about 2:29. Sadly it also fades 1984 before it gets to the ‘Dodo’ part and instead goes straight into ‘Can’t Explain’. The fade isn’t too messy but it would have been good to have the full 1984/Dodo.

disc 2 was of least interest as the 1978 live sound is already well represented by the Stage album. However, it’s a pleasant enough listen and it’s nice to have a live version of ‘Suffragette City’ from this period.

Disc 3 might also appear of less interest if, like me, you already have the Back in Anger double cd set of this gig with the Nine Inch Nails. The big advantage of the version included here is that, unlike Back in Anger, it doesn’t have the jumps on ‘Andy Warhol’ and ‘Breaking Glass’. It does still have some of the ‘clicking’ in the background on ‘Under Pressure’. Also you don’t get ‘We Prick You’, ‘Joe the Lion’ , ‘A Small Plot of Land’ and ‘Teenage Wildlife’ that are included on the Back in Anger album.

Disc 4 contains a set of tracks taken from various radio and TV broadcasts. It’s level of appeal is likely to depend on the Bowie era you favour – 5 of the 16 recordings from 1975. My main interest in this CD was this Young Americans era material – I have always had a soft spot for the medley with Cher because it is so cheesy. It helps if you are also an Iggy fan as tracks 7, 8 and 16 are him performing songs from The Idiot album. Bowie, of course, co-wrote these – I don’t know if this was sufficient for the compilers of this CD to include them or if Bowie is also playing keyboards as he did on Iggy’s tour at around this time. It’s a shame this final disc didn’t include some of the songs Bowie performed at his 50th birthday celebration with Lou Reed.

Disc 1 – The best of the legendary US broadcast entitled ‘The 1980 Floor Show’, which was actually produced in 1974. Notable collaborators include Marianne Faithfull, Trevor Bolder and Mick Ronson.
1. Sorrow
2. Everything’s Alright
3. Space Oddity
4. 1984
5. Can’t Explain
6. Time
7. The Jean Genie
8. I Got You Babe

Disc 2 – The live broadcast of the last night of The Isolar II World Tour from the NHK Hall in Japan on 12th December 1978. Collaborators include Adrian Belew, who would later join King Crimson, and violinist Simon House, who formerly played in Hawkwind.
1. Warszawa
2. Heroes
3. Fame
4. Beauty And The Beast
5. Five Years
6. Soul Love
7. Star
8. Hang On To Yourself
9. Ziggy Stardust
10. Suffragette City
11. Station To Station
12. TVC15

Disc 3 – The FM radio broadcast of Bowie’s Outside album tour live from St Louis on 11th October 1995, featuring Nine Inch Nails.
1. Subterraneans
2. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
3. Reptile
4. Hallo Spaceboy
5. Hurt
6. Look Back In Anger
7. I’m Deranged
8. The Heart’s Filthy Lesson
9. The Voyeur Of Utter Destruction
I0. Have Not Been To Oxford Town
11. Outside
12. Andy Warhol
13. Breaking Glass
14. The Man Who Sold The World
15. Nite Flights
16. Under Pressure

Disc 4 – Stunning bonus disc featuring rare TV and Radio broadcasts, with notable collaborators from Cher to Iggy Pop.
1. Young Americans (Medley)
2. Fame
3. Can You Hear Me
4. Stay
5. Five Years
6. Heroes
7. Funtime
8. Sister Midnight
9. Life On Mars
10. Ashes To Ashes
11. The Man Who Sold The World
12. Nite Flights
13. Black Tie White Noise
14. Strangers When We Meet
15. The Heart’s Filthy Lesson
16. China Girl

DAVID BOWIE – Royal Mail Stamps

Posted: January 26, 2017 in MUSIC
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Image of the six David Bowie Special Stamps [from Royal Mail)

We’re thrilled to reveal the next instalment in our Music Giants Special Stamp series: a tribute to David Bowie, one of the most influential music and cultural figures of all time.

This Special issue will be released on 14th March 2017. Alongside the Special Stamps, First Day Covers and Presentation Pack, this exciting issue will feature several limited edition David Bowie souvenirs, some of which have an edition limit of just 950.

Image of David Bowie Presentation Pack

“Heroes” Framed Stamp and Print

• Numbered, limited edition of just 950
• High quality Giclee print with the postmarked stamp included in the border

Image of Heroes Framed Stamp and Print

The Berlin Years Souvenir Cover

Image of David Bowie Berlin Years Souvenir Cover

•  Marks the period when Bowie was based in West Berlin
•  Limited edition of just 3,000

DAVID BOWIE – ” Low ” Released 14th January 1977

Posted: January 14, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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“Don’t you wonder sometimes, ‘Bout sound and vision”. On this day 40 years ago, David Bowie released ‘Low’.

Low is the eleventh studio album by David Bowie, released through RCA Records on 14th January 1977. Recorded following Bowie’s move to West Berlin and after a period of drug addiction and personal instability, Low became the first of three collaborations with musician Brian Eno and producer Tony Visconti who later termed the “Berlin Trilogy”. The album was in fact recorded largely in France, and marked a shift in Bowie’s musical style towards an Electronic approach that would be further explored on the subsequent albums “Heroes” and “Lodger”.

Though it was initially met with mixed critical reviews, Low has since become widely acclaimed as one of Bowie’s best and most influential works.

Low lies in the foundations by Bowie’s previous album “Station To Station” and in the music he recorded for the soundtrack to The Man Who Fell To Earth . Bowie presented his material for the film to Nick Roeg, but the director decided that it would not be suitable. Roeg preferred a more folksy sound. Elements from these pieces were incorporated into Low instead. The album’s cover, like Station to Station, is a still from the movie.

Following Bowie’s Thin White Duke period, he was eager to escape the drug culture of Los Angeles where he had developed a cocaine drug habit, He blamed his erratic behaviour around his Thin White Duke period on his addictions and precarious mental state, Bowie would move to Switzerland in the second half of 1976. Later that year, he, along with friend and singer Iggy Pop would retreat to the city of Berlin in a further attempt to kick his drug habit and escape the spotlight.

While sharing an apartment with Pop, Bowie would become interested in the German music scene, including acts like Kraftwerk and Neu . During the months of his recovery, he had also become interested in the minimal style of Brian Eno eventually meeting with him in 1976.

DAVID BOWIE – ” No Plan “

Posted: January 10, 2017 in MUSIC
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The final three songs known to be recorded by David Bowie have been released as an EP entitled No Plan. The tracks were all previously available as part of the cast album for Bowie’s 2016 musical Lazarus.

The four-track EP, features the songs “No Plan,” “Killing a Little Time” and “When I Met You,” along with “Lazarus” from Bowie’s final studio album “Blackstar” .  The No Plan songs were recorded during the same sessions that birthed that acclaimed album. In addition, a new video for the EP’s title track has been released and can be seen above.

January 8th marks what would have been Bowie’s 70th birthday. He commemorated his 69th birthday last year by releasing the acclaimed, jazz-inflected Blackstar. Two days later, he died following a previously undisclosed battle with cancer.

It has been widely reported that Bowie planned Blackstar to be a farewell album, but recently video director Johan Renck, who directed the video for “Lazarus,” says the singer didn’t know his treatments would be unsuccessful until after the record had been completed. “I found out … the week we were shooting, it was when he was told it was over,” Renck said, “they were ending treatments and that his illness had won.”

David Robert Jones would have been celebrating his 70th birthday . Mr. Jones has been known by many names including Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke and the most famous of all, David Bowie.

We lost David Bowie last year, just 2 days after his 69th birthday. He lost his battle with cancer which he had decided not to tell anyone publicly about. It was one of the major shocks to a generation.

THIS WEEKS ESSENTIAL NEW RELEASES – Friday 6th January 2017

Posted: January 6, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC, THIS WEEKS ESSENTIAL PURCHASES
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Sundara Karma – Youth is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect

Sundara Karma finally release their debut album. Indie-Springsteens with arena ambitions give four-square guitar rock a refreshing, euphoric makeover. Sundara Karma aspire to the driving, rousing anthemia of Bruce Springsteen and Arcade Fire, with big ideas about death and sacrifice and music up to the task of reflecting same.

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Nirvana  –  Hollywood Rock Festival, Rio ‘93

Double 180 Gram Green Vinyl set in Gatefold Sleeve. Nirvana, live at Hollywood Rock Festival, Praça Da Apoteose, Rio De Janerio on January 23rd 1993. Prior to the release of their raw and uncompromising In Utero album in September 1993, Nirvana performed in various parts of the world, kickstarting with two shows as part of the Hollywood Rock Festival in Brazil. This set was recorded in Praça Da Apoteose, Rio De Janeiro on January 23rd, and originally broadcast on MTV Brazil. It finds the band playing tracks spanning their entire career, with a guest appearance from Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, and is presented here together with background notes and images.

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David Bowie – Legacy – The Very Best of David Bowie

Music, art and fashion would not be in the place it is today without the seminal influence of David Bowie. A titan of popular music and pioneer of changing culture, it is not surprising that his death in January was met with such shock and sadness across the globe. Throughout his life, David Bowie has amassed such an influential and varied musical back catalogue, that he leaves behind him a body of work that can be unrivalled – a true legacy. In this must-have Bowie collection, you can experience Bowie’s genius from start to finish. From his early days as the iconic Ziggy Stardust, to his final days before his sudden passing, Legacy brings you the best material from Bowie’s star-studded career. Not only is Legacy the ultimate Bowie collection to own, but it also features a previously unreleased mix of his renowned song Life On Mars ?. With a more orchestrated and cleaner mix, this unreleased version was mixed by Ken Scott the original producer of the track

CD – 20 Tracks, 2CD – 40 Tracks – deluxe digipack with additional photos. 2LP – This special 180 Gram Double vinyl edition of the album comes as a Gatefold with 2 limited edition 12” art prints of the 2 images used on the sleeve.

IGGY POP – ” Funtime “

Posted: December 9, 2016 in MUSIC
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The other day I was listening to an old Mark Mothersbaugh interview (well, technically it was a “Booji Boy” interview, ) and at one point, in talking about the Krautrock band Neu!, he threw a bit of shade at David Bowie, saying Bowie had ripped off Neu! for a song he produced for Iggy Pop. This peaked my interest so I quickly googled “Bowie, Iggy, Neu!” and the first search result was the wikipedia page for Iggy’s “Funtime.” According to that post, “Funtime” bears marked similarities to “Lila Engel” by Neu!

“Funtime” is a song written by David Bowie and Iggy Pop first released by Iggy Pop on his 1977 album entitled The Idiot  It reflects Iggy and Bowie’s growing fascination with the German music scene, It has been covered by numerous others.

I found most interesting was how often the song had been covered by so many different other artists.

I was previously unaware of any other versions of the track, and very quickly I found several. And really, they’re all pretty great in their own way—definitely worth sharing.

First up, check out The Cars’ cover of the tune. This was cut during the Shake It Up sessions with Ben Orr on vocals. According to the liner notes for Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology, Iggy was present at the recording session and complimented Orr’s vocal impersonation, telling him “you sound more like me than me.”

I hate to admit it, but I like this cover better than the original:

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