Just about the best you can hear…
We told you about the June issue of UNCUT a couple of weeks ago (04.18.2008 NEWS: BOWIE’S 30 GREATEST SONGS IN UNCUT NEXT WEEK) and this is just a reminder to say it is worth picking up.
As you know, the magazine attempts to identify David Bowie’s thirty greatest songs via the opinions of the folk listed below:
30 – IN THE HEAT OF THE MORNING ? Alex Turner
29 – BOYS KEEP SWINGING ? Adrian Belew
28 – MOONAGE DAYDREAM ? Dave Gahan
27 – STATION TO STATION ? Stephen Morris
26 – ALWAYS CRASHING IN THE SAME CAR ? Ricky Gardiner
25 – CAN?T HELP THINKING ABOUT ME ? Miami Steve Van Zandt
24 – DRIVE-IN SATURDAY ? Morrissey
23 – KOOKS ? Rufus Wainwright
22 – SUNDAY ? Tony Visconti
21 – THE BEWLAY BROTHERS ? James Murphy
20 – LETTER TO HERMIONE ? Ricky Gervais
19 – OH! YOU PRETTY THINGS ? Phil May
18 – ROCK ?N? ROLL SUICIDE ? Marc Almond
17 – YOUNG AMERICANS ? Slash
16 – THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD ? Lulu
15 – SOUND AND VISION ? Alex Kapranos
14 – JOHN, I?M ONLY DANCING ? Siouxsie Sioux
13 – DIAMOND DOGS ? Herbie Flowers
12 – ALL THE YOUNG DUDES ? Robert Wyatt
11 – THE JEAN GENIE ? Johnny Marr
10 – LET?S DANCE ? Jimmy Page
09 – LIFE ON MARS? ? Mick Rock
08 – CHANGES ? Guy Garvey
07 – REBEL REBEL ? Rodney Bingenheimer
06 – ASHES TO ASHES – Robert Del Naja
05 – SPACE ODDITY ? Sufjan Stevens
04 – STARMAN ? Woody Woodmansey
03 – FAME ? Dave Grohl
02 – ZIGGY STARDUST – Peter Buck / J Mascis
01 – “HEROES” – John Cale
There really are some very lovely things said by these people, not least of all by Tony Visconti who also provided this touching foreword to the piece:
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“When I first met Bowie in 1967, he couldn’t get arrested. The music business and journalists just weren’t looking in his direction for the Next Big Thing. Even when Hunky Dory came out, I think the industry was still scratching their heads. David had to pull his socks up big time and invent his Ziggy Stardust persona.
“I love to work with him because I think we make really good records. His talents are exceptional, and he has rarely inhibited his creativity. I think other recording artists regard him enviably as someone who’s reached the pinnacle of unbridled creativity. He’s multi-dimensional. For most of his career, he’s been an iconoclast, not a trend follower. But then, he also has a charm and charisma usually associated with movie actor legends. Although he never denies his working-class upbringing, he’s like royalty.
“These days, we keep in touch via email. Instead of watching a film together we send each other links to YouTube. We also send each other all types of music we’ve either discovered or rediscovered. During the making of the last two albums. Heathen and Reality we used to watch episodes of The Fast Show and The Office, respectively, on our lunch breaks. We both love British comedy.
“We’ve known each other for 40 years. There’s no pretension, no awe, just a mutual love of creating something from nothing. On the other hand, we don’t take each other for granted. I respect him more than ever. He’s one of the few people I know who actually keeps on growing. He’s always full of surprises and revelations.
“Who hasn’t been inspired by Bowie’s music? Certainly not the über and unter peers contributing to this collection. David Bowie has long ago achieved Gandalf status in the rock world, and his songs have become potent magic spells.
“Welcome to Uncut’s Top 30 Bowie songs, picked to praise by an all-star cast.”
Tony Visconti, March 2008
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Aside from all the lovely words, the article is accompanied by a whole bunch of great pictures, not least of all the one at the top of this piece, coloured to perfection in the Terry Pastor style…albeit with completely inaccurate colours, just like the original…and how about the seldom seen shot above of Starman being performed by Ziggy and The Spiders on ITV’s Lift Off…great stuff.
As mentioned previously, there’s also a 12-track CD of Bowie cover versions called Rebel Rebel. To be brutally honest, there are a couple of good performances on it, but it doesn’t bear repeated listenings…
Finally, you can