Month: July 2008

Passionate bright young things…

Well that’s possibly one of the few headlines where you’re not going to guess the story…so here it is…

The August issue of The Word (07.18.2008 NEWS: THE WORD PAYS TRIBUTE TO MICK RONSON) has a feature about record buying wherein several of the magazine’s writers recall the humiliation of buying their first records. John McCready recalls the moment he auditioned Aladdin Sane in front of his whole family…

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I’ve spent my whole life hanging round record shops dreaming up ways to get more music than I’ve ever been able to afford. At nine, I was using a ruler and a sewing needle to create authentic scratches on records I’d cassette-taped, then taking them back to get more.

There’s only one force in the known universe that’s ever been able to stop me – my mum. Buying Aladdin Sane on its day of release, I took it home to play it on the front-room family radiogram: the only record-player we had. The whole family sits down to their egg and chips at tea. “Not a patch on Johnny Cash,” says my dad. “He should eat something,” says my nan on inspection of the cover. And then we get to the track Time and the line “falls wanking to the floor”. The room goes silent but for the chink of fork on plate. “You can take that back”, says my mum quietly.

Thirty years later, standing at the counter of King Bee Records in Manchester, I look on as another mum comes in and explains she’d like to return her son’s Eminem due to the “choice language”. Owner Les politely obliges. The woman leaves with a refund. He opens the CD to find a Daniel O’Donnell disc inside. The kid had cannily switched it. “The woman’s over there at the bus stop, you can catch her,” I say. “No,” says Les, “he’s done well.”

Thirty years too late, the penny drops. I could have kept Aladdin Sane and put a Mrs Mills LP in the cover. – JOHN McCREADY

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I have to agree, that as excited as we all were by the naughty word on Time, I bet I’m not the only one who used to turn the volume down at that point if mum was around.

Finally, the picture above has absolutely nothing to do with the caption beneath it. It’s actually just one shot from one of the brilliant photo sessions in the upcoming LEMON #4, the “Heroes” issue that we told you about back in May. (05.08.2008 NEWS: SNEAK PREVIEW OF LEMON’S HEROES ISSUE)

Stay tuned for some more exclusive previews from Lemon #4 next month.

He took it all too far but boy could he play guitar…

Here’s the second of our unpublished pieces from David’s fellow musicians that didn’t make it to UNCUT’s 30 greatest Bowie songs in the UNCUT Bowie special that was published in April. (04.18.2008 NEWS: BOWIE’S 30 GREATEST SONGS IN UNCUT NEXT WEEK & 04.29.2008 REMINDER: BOWIE’S 30 GREATEST SONGS IN UNCUT)

We brought you a lovely item from Joan Wasser a few days ago, (07.16.08 NEWS: MORE UNCUT CELEBRITY TRIBUTES TO DAVID BOWIE) now’s the turn of J Mascis (above left) of Dinosaur Jr…

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J MASCIS on Ziggy Stardust

I loved early Bowie. He had such a cool look and I loved the fact his records changed over different periods. I liked most of them until he got into that MTV phase in the early ?80s, with stuff like “Modern Love”. And I admired him for helping out Iggy and The Stooges, who I really liked.

I listened to Bowie at a very early age. My older brother was always buying records and the Ziggy album [The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars] was one of them. The image played a big part too, I liked that persona he adopted. I was always into aliens and spaceships, so it appealed to me a lot. He looked so freaky. “Ziggy Stardust” was a big favourite. I think Dinosaur Jr kinda ripped off that song a little in our own “Get Me”. There?s a little break at the beginning of that song that?s lifted from “Ziggy Stardust”.

I remember going to see that movie [D.A. Pennebaker?s ZiggyStradust And The Spiders From Mars] with my friend, and I had all my money in change in this big plastic egg. I went up to the counter and they wouldn?t let us in. They realised I was too young and you needed to be eighteen or something. My friend was pissed that I showed up with this stupid egg.

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Thanx to Rob Hughes at UNCUT for supplying the above.

But boy could he play guitar…

As you all know, Tuesday finally sees the release of EMI’s David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72 limited edition CD and limited edition double vinyl LP in the US. The release date was brought forward from July 22nd to July 8th in Canada.

This long-awaited historic recording of David Bowie with The Spiders From Mars at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in October 1972, has been a favourite bootleg with Bowie fans since the mid 70s.

Enjoyed officially around the globe since the end of June, it’s now the turn of Americans to see and hear exactly what the fuss has all been about.

Judging by reviews posted here on the BowieNet news pages and comments from members on the BowieNet message boards regarding both the sound and packaging, it seems that fuss is fully justified.

Here’s what David Bowie says about the recording:

“I can tell that I?m totally into being Ziggy by this stage of our touring. It?s no longer an act; I am him. This would be around the tenth American show for us and you can hear that we are all pretty high on ourselves. We train wreck a couple of things, I miss some words and sometimes you wouldn?t know that pianist Mike Garson was onstage with us. But overall I really treasure this bootleg. Mick Ronson is at his blistering best.”

Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times was at the original show and gave it a great review for the paper at the time. That review is reprinted as part of the CD packaging.

Robert has now passed judgement on this official release of the recording. Here’s what he had to say:

“Virgin / EMI finally releases an official recording from that show next Tuesday, and against all odds the album does capture the energy and excitement of what was one of the most celebrated rock ‘n’ roll debuts ever in Southern California. The music is so fast and furious in places in the 74-minute CD that “David Bowie: Live Santa Monica ’72” is simply thrilling.”

Here’s the tracklisting for David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72…

01 – Introduction
02 – Hang On To Yourself
03 – Ziggy Stardust
04 – Changes
05 – The Supermen
06 – Life On Mars?
07 – Five Years
08 – Space Oddity
09 – Andy Warhol
10 – My Death
11 – The Width Of A Circle
12 – Queen Bitch
13 – Moonage Daydream
14 – John, I’m Only Dancing
15 – Waiting For The Man
16 – The Jean Genie
17 – Suffragette City
18 – Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide

For those that need a reminder, both the CD and the vinyl come in limited edition numbered packaging which will not be repressed. Here are the details of both formats…

? The David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72 limited edition CD is housed in a lidded box with a textured finish that has a stickered image on the front. Part of the sticker is a reproduction of the original ticket for the October 20th Santa Monica concert. The seat number is replaced with the unique stamped limited edition number.

The box will contain the following:

? A sixteen page booklet with shots taken at the actual show by Mick Rock and John Levicke.

? Four photo cards. These are facsimiles of the publicity images that were given to the press ahead of the show. (See above)

? A fold-out double-sided poster that reprints Robert Hilburn’s original review of the gig for the LA Times on one side and the We Told You So press advert on the other.

? The disc wallet/pouchette utilises George Underwood‘s cover art for the original unreleased official 1972 RCA live album.

The 180 gram heavyweight double vinyl LP comes in a non-gatefold, wide spine sleeve. Again, the seat number on the ticket is replaced with the unique stamped limited edition number. (Image at the top of this item is actually the LP version)

The inner sleeves have the George Underwood design on one side and images from the actual show on the other.

The above 36″ x 24″ DAVID BOWIE LIVE poster is exclusive to the vinyl. It’s a reprint of the extremely rare George Underwood poster that was used extensively in 1972 during the early promotion of Ziggy Stardust. You’re very unlikely to find an original in good condition for under four figures. So why not enjoy this one for free!

Customers who pre-order a copy of the David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72 CD from the BowieStore before July 22nd, will automatically be entered into a draw to win one of ten copies of the CD signed by David Bowie!

If you’ve not yet ordered or reserved a copy of David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72 you need to act quickly to ensure a limited edition numbered version. They are going fast and won’t be re-printed, although it is likely that there will be a standard issue of the CD at some point in the future.

Stay tuned for the results of our recent five part Santa Monica contest.

But boy could he play guitar…

One of the frequent points made in reviews of David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72 is just how good Mick Ronson is on the recording. Even David was moved to comment after listening to the newly remastered album: “Mick Ronson is at his blistering best.”

Of course, that in itself is not news to anybody here, but in an article entitled Dearly Departed in the August issue of The Word, the magazine’s writers attempt to identify fifteen of their favourite dead rock stars.

David Quantick opted for Mick Ronson, who he describes as his “favourite guitarist of all time”. I’ll leave you with his concluding paragraphs to give you a flavour of the piece…

“Ronson not only played on most of the records I would find it hard to live without, he wrote and sang some of them too. His effect on performers from Def Leppard to Morrissey shows he was more than just a sideman.

His early death was mourned by a lot of people who remembered a decent, talented man. And, yes, Ian Hunter’s Ronson tribute Michael Picasso can make a grown man cry.”

I, I can remember. Standing, by the wall…

Though I rarely mention them these days, I do still plough through the myriad compilation albums that feature Bowie tracks to see if there’s anything unusual worth reporting.

Puzzled at first why David Bowie would have anything to do with a greatest hits of Berlin, I realised I was on the wrong track when I saw the recently released CD above contained their “40 Top Songs”! …Erm…Take My Breath Away…and…erm…erm…

Of course, it wasn’t a CD by the one hit wonders, Berlin, but a German compilation containing music related to Berlin in Germany. The David Bowie selection is the last on the 40-track double CD, and it’s the very appropriate Bowie/Eno composition, Neuköln.

Taken from David Bowie’s 1977 “Heroes” album, (which, along with Low and Lodger was one third of what confusingly became known as the Berlin trilogy) Neuköln is a haunting instrumental memorable for it’s tortured saxophone parts with which David tried to suggest a “Turkish modal thing” as a device to illustrate that mainly Turkish area of Berlin which was Neuköln.

While the Saxophone succeeded in giving a Middle Eastern flavour to the piece, it also suggested the sound of human voices wailing in despair hinting at the displaced nature of Neuköln’s population.

I’ll leave you with the tracklisting, but you should be warned that if you were to listen to the whole thing you’d have to endure both Marillion and Alphaville before you reached your reward.

Best Of Berlin Track listing

Disc 1
01 – Kreuzberger Nachte – Gebruder Blattschuss
02 – Berlin: Dein Gesicht Hat Sommersprossen – Hildegard Knef
03 – Pack Die Badehose Ein – Conny Froboess
04 – Ich Hab’ Nach Einen Koffer In Berlin – Marlene Dietrich
05 – Berlin, Berlin (New York) – Harald Juhnke
06 – Berliner Luft/ Untern Linden/ Das Ist Der Fruhling Von Berlin (Medley) – Paul Kuhn
07 – Berliner Jungens Die Sind Richtig – Schoneberger Sangerknaben
08 – Berlin-Meine Liebe – Helga Hahnemann
09 – Mein Berlin – Reinhard Mey
10 – Berlin, Ick Lieb Dir Janz – Wolfgang Gruner
11 – Schaut Auf Diese Stadt – Gunter Pfitzmann
12 – Kleines Madchen Aus Berlin – Chris Howland
13 – Berlin Ist Ja So Gross – Mary
14 – Wenn Vata Wieda Aus Zuchthaus Kommt – Katja Ebstein
15 – Berlin Potpourri – Heino
16 – Ich Hab’ Noch Einen Koffer In Berlin – Die 3 Travellers
17 – Danke Berlin – Dieter Thomas Heck
18 – Alexanderplatz – Milva
19 – Der Hauptmann Von Kopenick – Drafi Deutscher
20 – Old Texas Town, Die Westernstadt – Truck Stop
21 – Berlin – Frank Zander
22 – Berlin – Die Prinzen

Disc 2
01 – Sonderzung Nach Pankow – Udo Lindenberg
02 – Berliner Star – Robbie Williams
03 – Berlin Du Bist So Wunderbar – Kaiserbase
04 – Mont Klamott – Silly
05 – Berlin – Ideal
06 – Sommersprossen – Ukw
07 – Der King Vom Prenzlauer Berg – City
08 – Hey, Wir Woll’n Die Eisborn Sehn – Puhdys
09 – Nur Nach Hause…Geh’n Wir Nicht – Frank Zander
10 – Brandenburg – Rainald Grebe
11 – Angel Of Berlin – Martin Kesici
12 – Dickes B – Black Kappa, Seeed
13 – Es Steht Ein Haus In Ostberlin – Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung
14 – Berlin – Keimzeit
15 – Berlin – Lou Reed
16 – Berlin – Marillion
17 – Summer In Berlin – Alphaville
18 – Neukoln – David Bowie

Will you see that I?m scared and I?m lonely?

As we promised you a couple of weeks back, (07.02.08 NEWS: UNCUT READERS CHOOSE THEIR OWN BOWIE TOP TEN) we can now exclusively show you a few of the celebrity comments regarding David’s music that didn’t make it to UNCUT’s 30 greatest Bowie songs in the UNCUT Bowie special that was published in April. (04.18.2008 NEWS: BOWIE’S 30 GREATEST SONGS IN UNCUT NEXT WEEK & 04.29.2008 REMINDER: BOWIE’S 30 GREATEST SONGS IN UNCUT)

First up is Joan Wasser who has appeared on these pages more than once, (02.02.2006 NEWS: BOWIE GETS DONE BY POLICE WOMAN & 07.19.2006 NEWS: J.A.P.W. TALKS TO BNET ABOUT DB AND SWEET THING) and who has some very nice things to say about David Bowie…

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JOAN WASSER (JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN) on “Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing”

I didn?t really have any trepidation about covering “Sweet Thing” a couple of years back. I love this song so much and there was no way I was gonna make it as enormous as Bowie did. So I just decided to do my own thing and make it a lot smaller. Bowie?s one of my all-time favourites and this is one of the greatest things he did. “Will you see that I?m scared and I?m lonely?” I mean, thank you for that line! It?s just genius.

I listened to Bowie from a very early age. I remember listening to Hunky Dory and Ziggy? and Diamond Dogs in high school and then hearing about all this other stuff that he?d done after that, like Low and Heroes. Putting it on for the first time was a combination of real fascination and horror. It was like What the fuck is this?!

And through living your own life, you get more into different phases of his life. Because I play violin and more orchestral stuff, I think I was more open to hearing that stuff on Low. But all of it is so fabulous. It?s hard to be more fabulous than that motherfucker! He is unique in so many ways. The fact that he could go from being this sort of glam alien to making the soul stuff, all pretty effortlessly, just drives me nuts. And he does it all with such flair.

I?ve never actually met him, but I have passed him in rehearsal spaces. I really stay away from attacking celebrities like that. I respect people?s privacy.

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Thanx to Rob Hughes at UNCUT for supplying the above.

I had to choose some songs, so I picked on these…

Due to an astonishing global demand, EMI is scheduled to release iSELECTBOWIE late September/early October in territories outside of the area that received the album free with the Mail On Sunday, which was the UK and Ireland.

This will come as good news to those that were considering joining other desperate eBay bidders who have been paying up to £31 GBP ($61.70 USD) for a copy.

But, even that unbelievable sum pales by comparison to a sale on a Japanese site where the CD sold for a ¥36,500 JPY (£172.40 GBP / $343.40 USD).

The CD will be identical to the MOS release apart from the fact that it will be housed in a jewel case and will contain a booklet with David’s song-by-song comments.

Somebody plays my song in tune…

As we told you last week, (07.09.2008 NEWS: BOWIE SONGBOOK FEATURED ON CANADIAN IDOL NEXT WEEK) the latest episode of Canadian Idol was dedicated to the songbook of David Bowie.

We’ve managed to get exclusive quotations from each of the ten performers regarding David Bowie and his music. (Thanx to Allie Page at Canadian Idol for making this possible)

Here they all are in order of appearance, kicking off with Drew Wright who not only sang Five Years but drummed on it too…all while wearing two different coloured contact lenses!

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?For me, the best thing about Bowie week is the freedom it gives you to be creative. His catalogue is so vast and he really covers as wide spectrum of music. This gives everyone equal opportunity by allowing them to find a song that best suits their musical style.? – Drew Wright performed Five Years

?When you actually dig into Bowie?s catalogue, it?s astounding to see the effect he?s had on pop music and also pop culture in general. And it?s a true honour for us to showcase his career.? – Adam Castelli performed Rebel Rebel

?For me, it was a little bit difficult since my style isn?t relatable to his music. But after looking through his catalogue, I realized his music really does transcend musical barriers; so in that I was comfortable and am really enjoying myself.? – Mark Day performed Dancing In The Street

?It?s groundbreaking for Idol. Bowie?s legit.? – Mookie Morris performed The Man Who Sold The World

?It?s a great opportunity to be pushed out of our comfort zone. His creativity is inspirational and it?s fun to have the opportunity to do something different.? – Amberly Thiessen performed Space Oddity

?David Bowie is a real inspiration to all of us and it?s an honour to perform his work.? – Sebastian Pigott performed Let’s Spend The Night Together

?It?s pretty cool. He?s a really great character and you can?t go wrong with his music.? – Earl Stevenson performed Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide

?He?s a great and creative artist and it?s pushing us to be more creative performers.? – Katherine St-Laurent performed Cat People (Putting Out Fire)

?I was really excited but I was also really nervous. Bowie?s someone that you can?t really try to emulate so I chose the song I did because I could really relate to it and I also found a lot of parallels with experiences I?ve had.? – Theo Tams performed Silly Boy Blue

?I?m really looking forward to tonight because I?m going to rock out which is something I?ve never really had the opportunity to do before.? – Mitch MacDonald performed Moonage Daydream

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Apparently the show began with a fitting tribute item to David, and, according to comments on the MBs from our resident Canadian members, (Hi avogadro and juliedawn) Theo Tams’ version of Silly Boy Blue was the stand out favourite.

I’m sure all of the performances will surface somewhere, somehow, in the not too distant future.

Strangers when we meet…

Scarlett Johansson has a five song session up on AOL at the moment. It’s accompanied by a new interview in which she says more nice stuff about DB, including what her original vision of his contribution could be.

Not sure if this is only available in the UK or not, sorry to those of you elsewhere if that is the case. Either way, here’s the Bowie bit…

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AOL: David Bowie sings backup on a few of the album’s tracks. How did you hook up with him?

SJ: It was a dream come true working with Bowie. When I had originally thought I would do that song, ‘Never Talk To Strangers,’ my dream would be to do a duet with Bowie singing the Bette Midler part and me singing the Tom Waits part, and we’d hold hands and walk off into the sunset!

And right before I had gone off to do the album, I was at this big event and he was there, and we happen to be seated at the same table. And he was like, “I hear you’re doing this Waits cover album, and I think it’s really cool that you’re working with Dave Sitek, who I love.” And I said something like, “If you’re ever in the neighborhood, come on down and record something with us.”

And then sure enough, several months later when Dave was mixing the album, he calls me and is like, “Guess who I’ve got in the studio?” I was over the moon! It’s just awesome to have Bowie’s support. He’s such a huge music enthusiast and he’s so cool in my book — it’s a honour to have him listening to the album and certainly to have him on the album.

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Go here to read the full thing.

Having devoured its prey it would drape the skeletons over the world wide web…

August, which went on general release in North America this week, will be available as a Region 1 DVD from August 26th.

And even though reviews have been generally disappointing, it seems David’s performance as Ogilvie is being singled out as a bit special, as in this excerpt from a review on sheknows.com.

“That role of corporate giant is personified brilliantly by David Bowie. If Judi Dench could earn an Oscar for seconds on screen in ?Shakespeare in Love,? Bowie should be considered for his icy portrayal of old guard capitalism having its revenge on the upstarts.”

We’ll let you know the theatrical and DVD release dates outside of the US as we get them.