Month: August 2002

Just about the best you can hear…

EMI have released more details about the 21st October release (UK date) of the Best Of Bowie, which has been tailor made for different territories around the world. This means that there will be 23 different running orders for the album, with quite different track listings and formats. For example, The UK will have a double CD and a cassette, while the USA will have single and double CD versions.

Other peculiarities mean that both Norway and Sweden will have a single CD made up of 7″ single edits of each song only, while being completely different track listings for both countries. Another example is Holland who will have the only version of the album with David Bowie and Tina Turner’s live version of ‘Tonight’, as it was a number one hit in that country…lucky things! };-)

This excerpt from the EMI press release explains further:

“Upon compiling a tracklist for global release, it became quickly apparent, there were localised discrepancies in what constituted a definitive Best Of collection, and many key titles were omitted from centrally compiled albums. As a consequence, and in a remarkable initiative, each territory was able to compile it?s own unique tracklisting.”

The UK double CD tracklisting (Version 19) can now be confirmed as follows:

CD1
Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold The World
Oh! You Pretty Things
Changes
Life On Mars
Starman
Ziggy Stardust
Suffragette City
John, I’m Only Dancing
The Jean Genie
Drive-In Saturday
Sorrow
Diamond Dogs
Rebel Rebel
Young Americans
Fame
Golden Years
TVC15
Wild Is The Wind

CD2
Sound & Vision
“Heroes”
Boys Keep Swinging
Under Pressure
Ashes To Ashes
Fashion
Scary Monsters
Let’s Dance
China Girl
Modern Love
Blue Jean
This Is Not America
Loving The Alien
Dancing In the Street
Absolute Beginners
Jump They Say
Hallo Spaceboy
Little Wonder
I’m Afraid Of Americans (V1)
Slow Burn

While the USA double CD tracklisting (Version 23) can now be confirmed thus:

CD1
Space Oddity
The Man Who Sold The World
Changes
Life On Mars?
Oh! You Pretty Things
Moonage Daydream
Suffragette City
Ziggy Stardust
All The Young Dudes
The Jean Genie
Panic In Detroit
Rebel Rebel
Diamond Dogs
Young Americans
Fame
Golden Years
TVC15
Sound & Vision
“Heroes”
DJ

CD2
Ashes To Ashes
Fashion
Scary Monsters
Under Pressure
Cat People
Let’s Dance
China Girl
Modern Love
Blue Jean
This Is Not America
Dancing In the Street
Absolute Beginners
Time Will Crawl
Under The God
Jump They Say
The Heart’s Filthy Lesson
I’m Afraid Of Americans (V1)
Thursday’s Child
Slow Burn

For those of you still following this, here is the world-wide breakdown of the 23 versions, which we’ll be posting the full tracklisting details of shortly.

All versions are Single CD formats unless otherwise stated.

Australia (Version 1)
Belgium (Version 2)
Brazil (Version 3)
Canada (Versions 4 & 22) (Single and Double CDs)
Chile (Version 5) (Double CD)
Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/Venezuela (Version 6)
Denmark (Version 7) (Double CD)
France (Version 8)
Germany/Austria/Switzerland (Version 9)
Greece (Version 10) (Double CD)
Holland (Version 11)
Italy (Version 12)
Japan (Version 13)
Mexico (Version 14)
New Zealand (Version 15) (Double CD)
Norway (Version 16)
South Africa (Version 17)
Sweden (Version 18)
UK (Version 19) (Double CD and Cassette)
Ukraine/Hungary/Slovenia/Turkey/Bulgaria (Version 20) (Cassette)
USA (Versions 21 & 23) (Single and Double CDs)

We will soon be making available David Buckley’s excellent track by track notes that were written to accompany the press release too…Phew!

Btw, It’s my birthday on September the 3rd if anyone out there feels like putting in a pre-order for the set. };-)

Details on the Best Of Bowie DVD, due for release on 4th November featuring videos, live performances and rare TV appearances, will follow in the next few days.

Look out you rock ‘n rollers…

Hunky Dory has re-entered the top fifty 30 years after its release here in the UK. Though the album didn’t chart on its original release, it has enjoyed a lot of time on the UK album chart since. Peaking at number 3 at the height of Ziggymania in 1972, it re-entered the top 40 in 1981 and 1990, and currently stands at number 42.

Some of these extra sales are obviously down to the fact that Hunky Dory is currently available at a very silly price here, as is most of the Bowie EMI back catalogue. Virgin Megastores are running a promotion for fifteen of the albums (see press ad above) where all but three of the CDs are priced at £5:99, and Hunky Dory, Pin-Ups and Never Let Me Down are a mere £3:99!

If you’ve not yet got the Bowie back catalogue, I doubt you’ll pick these CDs up cheaper at any point in the near future. If you buy all fifteen at Virgin here in the UK, you can get the lot for just over a third of the RRP at £83:85…a total saving of £152!

Personally, I reckon you’re best to go get another set even if you already have ’em, what with all the flooding and stuff here in Europe at the moment, it would be prudent to keep a safety set in a high place, such as a bird box etc. Anyway, I digress…

Further sales of Hunky Dory may be encouraged by Virgin’s current Summer Sale TV advert, which features the album among lot’s of other ludicrously low-priced classics, while ‘Changes’, Hunky Dory’s famous opening track, plays in the background.

I’m just about the best…

It’s time to vote in the 2002 Q awards, and possibly win a place at the star-studded ceremony at a secret London venue on 21 October 2002 while you’re about it. Though it’s been a while since David won a Q award, (Bowie and Eno won the Q Inspiration Award in 1995) let’s show the folk over there the might of the Bowie Online Army.

There are six categories to vote in: Best Single; Best Album; Best Video; Best New Band; Best Live Act; Best Act In The World Today…and I think you’ll agree who deserves at least half of those awards!

Click on the image above to take you to the online voting form. The closing date for votes is 1 October 2002.

BEST OF BOWIE TRACKLISTING
EMI Records
Cat no: 539 8222 / 539 8232

EMI are proud to release the Best Of Bowie on 21st October 2002. A double CD, the Best Of is the first time David Bowie’s hits and best loved songs have been available together. An authoritative collection for fans old and new. Upon compiling a tracklist for global release, it became quickly apparent, there were localised discrepancies in what constituted a definitive Best Of collection, and many key titles were omitted from centrally compiled albums. As a consequence, and in a remarkable initiative, each territory was able to compile it’s own unique tracklisting. As a result, there will be 23 tailored releases including the UK version. All tracklisting details are available now on www.davidbowie.com, and the UK tracklisting can now be confirmed as follows:

CD1 Space Oddity The Man Who Sold The World Oh! You Pretty Things Changes Life On Mars? Starman Ziggy Stardust Suffragette City John, I’m Only Dancing The Jean Genie Drive-In Saturday Sorrow Diamond Dogs Rebel Rebel Young Americans Fame Golden Years TVC15 Wild Is The Wind

CD2 Sound & Vision Heroes Boys Keep Swinging Under Pressure Ashes To Ashes Fashion Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) Let’s Dance China Girl Modern Love Blue Jean This Is Not America Loving The Alien Dancing In The Street Absolute Beginners Jump They Say Hallo Spaceboy (PSB remix) Little Wonder

The Best Of Bowie is a career encompassing helicopter ride over one of the most prolific and perennially avant-garde artists of our times.

A Best Of Bowie DVD will be released on 4th November featuring videos, rare tv appearances and previously unseen footage.

The Best Of Bowie is a career encompassing helicopter ride over one of the most prolific and perennially avant-garde artists of our times.

There’s a sailor who sings…

A Bowie musical is something that has been hinted about as far back as 1966, when David apparently planned to work on one with his then musical director, Tony Hatch! Rumours have abounded since, with both the Ziggy and Diamond Dogs (1984) projects originally conceived as musicals.

Since my return from Italy at the weekend, I have heard from a few fans who have seen reports (UK press and SKY TV news) that DB is again planning to write a musical. Well, you know me, always one to grab an exclusive quote from the man himself when I can…so here ya go:

“This ‘news-story’ was taken completely out of context from some interview or other that I did earlier this year. The interviewer asked me if I would like to do a musical, to which I answered that if I ever did, it would be more along the lines of either Glass’s ‘Einstein On The Beach’ or ‘ Jacques Brel’s ‘Alive And Well’ rather than ‘Mama Mia’ or suchlike.

This became ‘Bowie to Write Musical’. Needless to say I am not about to embark on a musical at present.”

So now you know kidz…It’ll be nice if it happens one day, but it’s not going to just yet. Thanx for clearing that one up David.

NB – For those of you wondering why I used a line from ‘Amsterdam’ in today’s lyric quote, both ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘My Death’ are songs from the original performance of ‘Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris’. But you all knew that anyway. };-)

Don’t let me hear you say life’s taking you nowhere, Angel…

Just a quick bit of silly Sunday fun for you here. It seems that alien-loving Drew Barrymore is the latest in a long line of celebs who have adopted the Aladdin Sane trademark. According to yesterday’s Daily Express here in the UK, Drew has glammed up for her latest role as a female wrestler in Charlie’s Angels 2. I make that around eight celebrities who have applied the famous blue and red Aladdin Sane flash, but almost thirty years later…”the original’s still the greatest!”

I ain’t never did no wrong…

David Bowie ended the Area 2 tour in Rattlesnake-infested Seattle last night, with a brilliant one hour and forty-five minute set at The Gorge. David was in even higher spirits than normal, chatting between songs, and generally enjoying a bit of silliness at every given opportunity.

DB also performed stunning versions of two of Elvis Presley’s earlier recordings on what was the 25th anniversary of The King’s death. He started the encore with ‘I Feel So Bad’, which, despite being a top 5 UK hit in 1961, is not the best known of Elvis’s recordings, unlike the next song David sang, ‘One Night’, (possibly better remembered by many as ‘One Night With You’) which was a number one hit round the world early in 1959.

Those of you familiar with the song know what a very sexy number Presley’s version of ‘One Night’ is, well just imagine what a slice of dirty filth it must have been in the hand’s of David Bowie and his band! Sends shivers doesn’t it? Anyway, David has very kindly written a few words about last night just for you:

“Moby gave us all one of the most enjoyable tours we’ve ever been on. Everyone was just a gas and we all made such good friends. Last night left us quite sad as it dawned on us that this was the last of Area 2. The Gorge was just the most splendid location for a finale and, because of its majesty, put me in mind of the mountain Shokan location where it all began last year with the recording for Heathen.

We pushed the time button last night and managed a full hour and forty five minutes, including hasty but enthusiastic renditions of Presley’s ‘One Night’ and ‘I Feel So Bad’. Will probably have to do a journal over the weekend, now. And then put thoughts together for the little Euro leg coming up.”

All of the pictures in this piece were taken by the ever so generous Mark Plati, who also supplied the set list from last night:

Life On Mars?
Ashes To Ashes
Breaking Glass
Cactus
China Girl
Slip Away
Space Oddity (Teaser and Stylophone advert!)
Fame
I?m Afraid of Americans
I?ve Been Waiting For You
5:15 The Angels Have Gone
“Heroes”
Heathen (The Rays)
——————–
I Feel So Bad
One Night
A New Career In A New Town
Fashion
Hallo Spaceboy
Everyone Says Hi
Let’s Dance
Ziggy Stardust

Ever-present superfan, Simone, managed to throw yet another dress up on stage during ‘Cactus’ (presumably not the one she was wearing) which, according to Simone, David danced rather suggestively with, he then said something along the lines of “now that’s a nice artefact…na maybe not, but could be useful later on” and threw it to a corner of the stage.

Simone also managed to get her Stylophone order to David during ‘Everyone Says Hi’…it’s a long story, and one that she’ll hopefully share with you all on the MBs along with her other anecdotes from the Seattle show. Thanx again for your help over the last few weeks Simone, and also a huge thanx to Spaceface, Susans and H2 for their brilliant work during my last two weeks away in Venice. You did far too perfect a job for my liking…I was meant to come out of this looking good! };-)

Anway, here’s to Europe next month…of which we’ll have more news very soon…yippee!

He was awful nice – really quite paradise..

San Francisco yesterday joined neighbouring Los Angeles with some excellent reviews of David’s set at the Shoreline Area: 2 Show on Wednesday evening.

The Examiner focused on David himself rather than the songs, and said:- “Area 2 was the opportunity to stand (or sit) in the presence of a rock god. ….what was most impressive was the 50-something’s ability to win the mostly under-30 crowd’s attention and respect just by being Bowie — simultaneously oozing humility and undeniable star power.

..Using few electronic tricks, he even held the interest of characteristically ADD-suffering dance music fans. …in under an an hour-and-a-half, Bowie proved that even in 2002, less is still much more.

..In the end, everyone in the audience hoped for a slice of Bowie’s ageless cool. (sigh..)

The San Francisco Chronicle led, as many reviewers have, with an examination of the mixture of artistic styles on offer. They decided:- “Opposites do attract” and continued with a quote from Moby:- “If you had come to me when I was 15 years old and told me I’d be sharing a stage with David Bowie,” he told the Shoreline crowd at the conclusion of his 95-minute set, “I would never have believed you.”

They continued:- “In both present and past incarnations, Bowie epitomizes anti-rock sophistication, carefully choreographed performances and sleek sensuality.

Looking blond and fit and wearing an ensemble — black vest and trousers, white shirt — that evoked his Station to Station tour, the still-thin White Duke was in fine voice, easily crescendoing from low croons to his early material’s trademark high notes. His seven-piece band, which included stalwart guitarist Earl Slick, was proficient in delivering Bowie’s material from his impressive new “Heathen” album and reworked versions of older standards like “Ashes to Ashes,” “China Girl” and the still-funkified “Fame.”

“This is so ’80s; it could not be more ’80s,” Bowie declared in introducing “Fashion.” …A luminous “Ziggy Stardust” closed the set with a blast from the early ’70s; an unexpected “Breaking Glass” nodded to Bowie’s Berlin-inspired late-’70s artistic era, which climaxed with a the rock- orchestral sweep of “Heroes.”

The “Heathen” songs segued remarkably well into this 85-minute retrospective, from the moody “Slip Away” and “5:15 the Angels Have Gone” to a lush cover of the Pixies’ “Cactus.”

At The Examiner there is also an email interview online, which David gave in advance of the gig. Entitled “The art and times of David Bowie”, it is fascinating stuff. Topics range from New York post 9/11 and David’s contribution to The Concert For New York City, to the films, books, records and painters which have inspired David lately. (Brits in particular will adore the ‘Boys From The Blackstuff’ quotes “Giz a job… go on.. gizzit”). David closes with this:-

“It’s a satisfying life. My family and I are as happy and content as is possible in these strange days.”

Between song banter in San Francisco included more Stylophone fun and David even treated the crowd to a small snatch of ‘Space Oddity’ on the said instrument! His Stylophone price is dropping rapidly as the tour draws to a close… He greeted the crowd with “Good Evening, Palo Alto” in Californian accent, and asked them to reply “Good Evening, David”, this time in his ‘English Gentleman’ voice. He spent a moment or two with his back to the crowd, and then apologised, saying he had to keep an eye on Sterling as he “wants to learn to play the drums”.. 🙂 (Thanks Simone)

As you can see from the other two shots, we have more images from Mark Plati today, and so we leave you with this great backstage shot of Gail and ‘Cat’ “doing it for themselves”.

Setlist

Life on Mars?
Ashes to Ashes
Breaking Glass
Cactus
China Girl
Slip Away
Fame
I?m Afraid of Americans
I’ve Been Waiting For You
5:15 The Angels Have Gone
“Heroes”
Heathen (The Rays)

Encores

A New Career In A New Town
Fashion
Everyone Says Hi
Let’s Dance
Ziggy Stardust

Thanks once again to SusanS for all of her help over the past two weeks. We’ve had a lot of fun! Hope you have too.

:))