Month: December 2006

Just a mortal with potential of a superman…

The review section of today’s Observer newspaper in the UK has a full-page feature by Lynsey Hanley headlined: Not just a pretty thing…Bowie at 60.

It’s a touching appreciation by Lynsey, summed up with the strapline: Millions spent their formative years idolising David Bowie. As he starts his seventh decade, we salute Britain’s most dazzling pop star.

To give you a flavour, here’s a bit from Lynsey’s summing up…

What Bowie did, and continues to do, is to exert a hold over people who are open to the idea that you can go far beyond what is expected of you in life. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I owe the life I have now to him and to the artists he inspired. It’s a lot to ask of our pop stars, but in my experience it’s what they’ve proved to be best at. Inspiring others to try and fulfil their potential isn’t superhuman: it’s mere, mortal humanity at its best.

There’s also a section where ‘Famous Fans’ show their appreciation, which you should be able to read in the scan above, or simply visit the online version to read the whole thing.

If you’re reading this, Lynsey, next time you visit your parents, take a picture of your old bedroom wall mural and mail it to me…we’ll post it up here.

He’s so divine, his soul shines…

Well, it’s been a long time coming, but the Special Edition CD & DVD of Young Americans finally has a firm release date.

As we predicted over a year ago, (11.16.2005 NEWS: YOUNG AMERICANS COLLECTORS EDITION DUE IN MARCH) the release is due in March…OK, we quibble, so it’s a different March, but March it is, and it’s the 19th at that.

The two disc set will include some incredible pictorial content in the packaging, (which we hope to give you a sneak preview of well before the release) along with extensive sleevenotes and timeline.

The tracklisting remains as we said it would be in aforementioned news item, and it goes something like this…

Young Americans Special Edition CD & DVD (EMI 351 2582)

Disc 1 = CD

01 Young Americans (2007 Digital Remaster)
02 Win (2007 Digital Remaster)
03 Fascination (2007 Digital Remaster)
04 Right (2007 Digital Remaster)
05 Somebody Up There Likes Me (2007 Digital Remaster)
06 Across The Universe (2007 Digital Remaster)
07 Can You Hear Me (2007 Digital Remaster)
08 Fame (2007 Digital Remaster)
09 John, I’m Only Dancing (Again) (2007 Digital Remaster)
10 Who Can I Be Now? (2007 Digital Remaster)
11 It’s Gonna Be Me (With Strings)

Disc 2 = DVD

01 Young Americans (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
02 Win (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
03 Fascination (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
04 Right (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
05 Somebody Up There Likes Me (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
06 Across The Universe (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
07 Can You Hear Me (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
08 Fame (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
09 John, I’m Only Dancing (Again) (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
10 Who Can I Be Now? (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
11 It’s Gonna Be Me (With Strings) (5.1 DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital)
12 Young Americans (2007 Digital Remaster)
13 Win (2007 Digital Remaster)
14 Fascination (2007 Digital Remaster)
15 Right (2007 Digital Remaster)
16 Somebody Up There Likes Me (2007 Digital Remaster)
17 Across The Universe (2007 Digital Remaster)
18 Can You Hear Me (2007 Digital Remaster)
19 Fame (2007 Digital Remaster)
20 John, I’m Only Dancing (Again) (2007 Digital Remaster)
21 Who Can I Be Now? (2007 Digital Remaster)
22 It’s Gonna Be Me (With Strings)
23 1984 (Live On The Dick Cavett Show)
24 Young Americans (Live On The Dick Cavett Show)
25 Dick Cavett Interviews David Bowie

As I say, stay tuned for some exclusive sneak previews of some of the pictorial content used in the packaging.

Somebody special…

Don’t have too many details about this MOJO Bowie birthday edition just yet, but, apart from what you can glean from the above advert, I can tell you that it’s a 148-page birthday tribute which promises some previously unpublished pictures among other things.

From deep behind sixty year old eyes…

Mr Sane graces the front cover of the January 2007 edition of Rolling Stone magazine in Italy, above, for a celebration issue in honour of David Bowie’s 60th birthday…hot-on-the-heels of a similar edition in Spain. (12.02.2006 NEWS: SPANISH RS HAS BOWIE COVER AND RETROSPECTIVE)

Apart from the front cover of this issue, BowieNetter Stefano from www.velvetgoldmine.it informs me that it’s another 12-page retrospective that again looks at the career of David Bowie through interviews with the magazine.

If it helps any (actually, I’ve just done this for the fun of it) here’s the translation of the Italian blurb into English using Babel Fish Translation…

David Bowie: 8 January 2007 the “alieno” enters in the third age. We have travelled over again its career through 30 years of interviews with RS and storys of two witnesses (we say) ocular.

Which is fair enough when one considers how famous ‘its’ ocular irregularities are…Now that’s the kind of sentence I probably wouldn’t have guessed I’d have to write about David Bowie.

I said I think this rock is grand…

The December issue of The Voyeur fan magazine should be reaching subscribers about now, complete with the stylish front cover above and four pages of colour inside, along with all the usual news and features.

Details regarding the content of this new edition and information about back issues can be found on The Voyeur homepage at http://go.to/bowiefanclub.

Arnold Layne, Arnold Layne, Arnold Layne…

Following on from yesterday’s digital release, the physical formats of Arnold Layne are released in Europe today, and to mark the event we set this contest to win five copies of each of the promo CDs (above) and the regular CDs (below) a few days ago. (12.22.2006 NEWS: ARNOLD LAYNE CD COMPETITION AND UPDATES)

Well, here are the winners…

Arnold Lane promo CD winners

BrittaRuth
Eastberg
iforgot
fshion
MOTHTRAP

Arnold Lane regular CD winners

avogadro
corinap
Jackie_C
jwells
Lizcoop

If you could all please send me your real names and addresses, we’ll have your discs out to you pronto.

Here’s a reminder of the formats once again.

01 European promo CD single in card slipcase (CDEMDJ 717)
Released early December 2006
02 European limited edition CD single in slimline jewel case (CDEM 717)
Released 26th December 2006
03 European limited edition 7″ vinyl single in card sleeve (EM 717)
Released 26th December 2006
04 North American limited edition 10″ vinyl single in card sleeve
Due 16th January 2007

All four formats contain the same three tracks, as below, though the vinyl releases both include David Gilmour’s introduction of David Bowie to the stage, which has been omitted form the CD versions.

01 Arnold Layne – David Gilmour, featuring David Bowie (live)
02 Arnold Layne – David Gilmour, featuring Richard Wright (live)
03 Dark Globe – David Gilmour (live acoustic version)

As we exclusively revealed last week, don’t forget that the Bowie/Gilmour version of Arnold Layne will receive its first terrestrial TV airing on BBC TWO’s TOTP2 in the UK at 5:05pm on Saturday January 6th.

It’s Monday…

Just a few Christmas Day reminders for those of you that just can’t stay away from BowieNet. The simplest way to do this is to just refer back to the original news items, as I personally enjoy a bit of Christmas celebration and don’t want to spend too long in front of a screen…

First up: The Arnold Layne digital download is available from today. (12.22.06 NEWS: ARNOLD LAYNE CD COMPETITION AND UPDATES) Visit the same story if you haven’t yet entered the contest for the Arnold Layne CD EP…this contest ends at midnight tonight UK time. Winners announced tomorrow morning.

If you’ve just remembered you forgot to send a card to somebody close to you, imagine how chuffed they would be to receive a personal message from David Bowie himself. (12.23.2006 NEWS: VIEW BOWIENET HOLIDAY E-CARD WITH NEW MESSAGE FROM DB)

For those of you that haven’t logged on for a couple of days or more, you will have missed yesterday’s item about a spiffing new contest to win a day recording at Abbey Road. (12.24.2006 NEWS: COVER ARNOLD LAYNE AND WIN A DAY AT ABBEY ROAD)

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of The Godfather of Soul, James Brown, who has died aged 73 in hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, from the effects of pneumonia this morning.

Bowie fans will know just how important David Bowie found the work of James Brown, particularly the LIVE AT THE APOLLO 1962 album, (above) which left a very big impression on the teenage Jones.

Finally, Happy Christmas from everybody here at BowieNet to those of you that celebrate the occasion.

Arnold Layne, Don’t do it again…

I’m pretty sure everyone reading this couldn’t deny the brilliance of David Bowie and David Gilmour‘s cover of Arnold Layne, but, perhaps you think it’s not quite how you would have handled the song had you been given a crack at it.

Well now, courtesy of EMI, you have the chance to prove yourself and win a day at Abbey Road recording studios to get some of your own stuff down. Here’s a bit from the contest blurb…

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Originally released in 1967, ‘Arnold Layne’ was Pink Floyd’s debut single, launching one of the world’s most respected & influential bands. Written by Syd Barrett, the band’s legendary co-founder and original front man, the track is frequently cited as one of the finest psychedelic pop songs of its time.

On the 25th of December David Gilmour, with notable friends David Bowie & Richard Wright, will release their recording of this classic. (One for you rock trivia fans – Syd Barrett had a major impact on Bowie who consequently named his 1971 pre-Spiders From Mars band Arnold Corns after the song.)

To celebrate this we’re giving a MySpace band the chance to win a ‘money can’t buy’ session at the world famous Abbey Road studios in London. We’re asking you to cover this classic track. The best interpretation, as judged by a combination of MySpace users, ourselves & David Gilmour himself, will win both the studio time & the opportunity to have a logo designed by Storm Thorgerson.

———————————————————————————————————————–

You’ve got until January 22nd 2007 to submit your version, so click on the logo above to get to the Arnold Layne contest page on MySpace now.

Got a message from the action man…

Click on the image above to get to this year’s BowieNet Holiday e-card, with a brand new audio message from David Bowie and a few exclusive shots from Geoff MacCormack‘s upcoming From Station To Station book.

That’s Geoff above with the loneliest guy in the world on the set of TMWTE.

As ever, there is the facility to forward the e-card on to those you think deserve it…or why not just sit there listening to David’s message over and over by repeatedly hitting F5. You never know, passers by may think you’re having a conversation with a Rock God in your very own lounge.

Whatever you do do, BowieNet would like to wish you a happy, safe and healthy holiday, and a wonderful 2007.

He dug it…

With just a few days to go before the official Christmas Day release of the download version of David Bowie’s performance of Pink Floyd’s Arnold Layne with David Gilmour at the Royal Albert Hall in May, we are pleased to announce that we have five of the stock copies of the European only 3-track CD (above) to give away, courtesy of the ever-generous EMI.

But, if you’re not tempted by that, how about…

We are fairly chuffed to announce we also have five copies of the European only 3-track promo CD (above) to give away, obviously courtesy of EMI too.

The most difficult thing you have to do for this contest is decide which you’d prefer, the stock copy in the slimline jewel case or the promo in the card slipcase. The music is identical on both.

Usual BowieNet rules apply: Only one entry per BowieNet account, and please remember you must enter using your BowieNet e-mail or at least supply your BowieNet user name. (Some entrants still don’t bother with either and are immediately disqualified.)

The contest will be open until midnight of December 25th only, so that the winners can be announced on the morning the discs go on sale on the 26th.

Click on your chosen format below to enter the contest.

Stock CD

Promo CD

A further incentive to purchase the download for those Gilmour fans among you, is the fact that if you pre-order before midnight on Dec 24th, or buy either single track or 3 track bundle before 12.00pm on Saturday December 30th through 7 Digital, you’ll get immediate access to exclusive video footage of David Gilmour performing Comfortably Numb live at the Mermaid Theatre show earlier this year.

We can also exclusively reveal that the Bowie/Gilmour version of Arnold Layne will receive what I think could possibly be its first terrestrial TV airing on BBC TWO’s TOTP2 in the UK at 5:05pm on Saturday January 6th.