Month: December 2009

Don’t look at the card, pet, I drew a little something extra on it…

OK, so the ‘little something extra’ we promised the five winners of our Space Oddity 40th Anniversary Limited Edition CD contest can all stop wondering now. (12.03.2009 NEWS: SPACE ODDITY 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION CD WINNERS)

You guessed right, along with your original CD win you’ll also receive the above double-sided promotional postcard signed by David Bowie on the reverse!

As I think I explained previously, all of the Space Oddity 40th CDs are sealed. So, rather than break the seal we thought it was better to provide an associated item that would be far easier to frame than the CD packaging…assuming you want to frame your autograph that is. You’re still free to display it in any other way you see fit…within the law at least.

In case they had forgotten, these were the five winners who should all now supply their names and addresses if they haven’t already done so…

gmoney
ikehatabin
jungtheforeman
tenimmo
zig

On Thursday we’ll be running the next contest to win more Space Oddity 40th Anniversary Limited Edition CDs and vinyl…all with exclusive and 100% genuine hand-signed (at least I think that’s what he uses) accompanying promotional postcard.

PLUS… We’ll be running another contest concurrently to win something else signed by David Bowie to make up for the lack of a new contest last Thursday…and that won’t be the end of it.

Boys like Peter aren’t afraid of wolves…

The British poet, playwright and novelist, Simon Armitage, has written a nice piece in The Guardian regarding Prokofiev‘s Peter and the Wolf, ahead of a performance of it with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London, from December 28th to the 30th.

Here’s his opening paragraph…

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Question: what do Mikhail Gorbachev, Sting, Sean Connery, Sir David Attenborough, David Bowie, Patrick Stewart, Sharon Stone, Terry Wogan, Captain Kangaroo, Dame Edna Everage, Mia Farrow and Bill Clinton have in common? No, unfortunately it isn’t the leaked line-up for the next series of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, in which we’ll cover our eyes as “Dave” Attenborough tucks into a par-boiled koala bear testicle.

The unlikely answer is that they have all played the role of the narrator in Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, presumably with varying degrees of success. I haven’t heard every one, but the Bowie recording from 1992 is particularly good value. In a voice somewhere between Harry H Corbett and a Radio 3 continuity announcer, Bowie led us through the garden gate towards a little pond to tell us a story about a duck, a bird and a boy called Peter. Bowie: “Are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin.”

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Simon is obviously referring to one of the CD reissues when he says 1992, as the album was originally released in 1978. David apparently recorded Peter and the Wolf as a gift to young Zowie Bowie, (who would have been just seven when the LP was released) and to children everywhere.

Initially released on green vinyl, supposedly as a limited edition, it seems both the green vinyl and the single-sided promo are both more common than the straight black vinyl version of the original release.

Finally, I’ll leave you with a couple of excerpts from the original Bowie biog album insert, bearing in mind it was primarily aimed at kids…

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Some people thought Bowie “became” the orange-haired rock star Ziggy. But if he did, he didn’t remain Ziggy for long. He produced albums for other performers, made records as different as one about a disaster city and one of his favourite songs from the late ’60s.

He had a hit record with Fame, which was played for disco dancing, and then he made music influenced by modern German expressionism and European electronic abstractionism.

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You can read the full Guardian piece here.

Free yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah…

The ever industrious David Brighton has been in touch with details of a ‘Special Free Holiday Show’ on December 26th…by way of thanks to all of those that have supported Space Oddity throughout the past year.

Here’s the thingumy stuff…

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David Brighton and the Space Oddity Band return to Southern California for a Special Free Holiday Show on Dec. 26th. Space Oddity will be performing a 90 minute, full David Bowie Tribute production show, featuring material dating from pre-Ziggy through the 90s, with as always, special surprises. We hope to see you there!

Here’s the info:
12/26/2009 8:00 PM at Pala Casino – the Grand Cabaret
11154 HWY 76, Pala, California 92059

For Directions: www.palacasino.com
1-877-WIN-PALA (1-877-946-7252)
www.palacasino.com/entertainment
www.davidbowietribute.com

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As if that wasn’t enough, it probably won’t rain either. So, as somebody once said: “What could be nicer for you?”.

See my life in a comic…The little details in colour…

Ashamed to admit that I hadn’t even heard about this project until Google Alerts highlighted a piece about it on Pitchfork.com.

The project, an online collection of illustrations compiled by comic artist, writer and critic, not to mention huge Bowie fan, Sean T. Collins, is called The Thin White Sketchbook and lots of great comic artists and illustrators have contributed incredibly good drawings of Bowie to it.

The ongoing project started in September 2007 and has just been updated with a piece (far right in the above montage) by TV on the Radio‘s Tunde Adebimpe.

The other drawings above, from left to right are by Cliff Chiang, Tom Kaczynski, Seth and director Michel Gondry.

Check out the remaining seventy four drawings contributed so far over on Sean’s flickr page dedicated to The Thin White Sketchbook.

It was a day in that blue month October… (Well, the seasons are all over the shop)

Seems a few of you really did miss this one the first time around, (11.26.2009 NEWS: THANKSGIVING CONTEST EVERY THURSDAY UNTIL 2010) as we did get a load more entries during our extended week. (12.03.2009 NEWS: SIGNED CALENDAR CONTEST EXTENDED BY ONE WEEK)

Ten copies of the above 2010 official calendar signed by both David Bowie and Mick Rock…were the prizes in this first of our autograph-based contests to take us up to David’s birthday next year.

All you had to do to be in with a chance of winning one of these very desirable prizes was supply the venue, the month and the year that the cover shot of the calendar was taken.

The answer was, and actually still is: The Marquee Club, London, October 1973.

I don’t think that particularly stretched you, but the ten members who were plucked from the gloomy uncertainty of The Random Generator‘s big hat to the bright sunshine of a glorious win were as follows…

anel
dreamgirl
flux
glamfan
ladinsane
rusphillips
Simone
Soosan
sriusmoonlight
stevesmith

So, the sooner you smug buggers send us your postal whereabouts, the more likely you are to get your calendar before 2010.

Stay tuned for the next instalment of these contests in which you too could win a genuine David Bowie autograph.

White Light make me sound like Lou Reed…

In my last piece about Michael Clark‘s newest work (12.04.2009 NEWS: BERLIN IS LAST CHANCE TO SEE CLARK’S COME, BEEN, GONE) I recommended that those attending the last shows in Berlin should “try and catch the interval music before come, been, gone…you’ll like it!”.

Well, that teaser got a few of you wondering and you e-mailed me for further details. Well, it’s not that big a deal, but they were good choices that I imagine Mr Clark chose himself and they really got the place buzzing with anticipation.

Anyway, here’s what was played…

Warm Leatherette – The Normal

(Swamp)

Waiting For The Man – David Bowie Bowie At The Beeb
Queen Bitch – David Bowie Bowie At The Beeb
White Light/White Heat – David Bowie Bowie At The Beeb
Velvet Underground – Jonathan Richman I, Jonathan

(come, been, gone – Act One)

Lady Stardust (Demo) – David Bowie Ziggy Stardust – 30th Anniversary Edition
Hang On To Yourself – Arnold Corns Ziggy Stardust – 30th Anniversary Edition
Moonage Daydream – Arnold Corns Ziggy Stardust – 30th Anniversary Edition
The Gospel According To Tony Day – David Bowie David Bowie Deluxe Edition – Due January 2010

(come, been, gone – Act Two)

No Fun – Iggy & The Stooges ~ The Stooges

See aforementioned news story for the music used during the actual dance sequences.

FOOTNOTE: For those of you wondering where today’s lyric quotation came from, it’s from the May 23rd, 1972, BBC John Peel session version of White Light/White Heat available on Bowie At The Beeb or on the Original John Peel Session digital EP. Well, you might not have known.

Carving up my children’s future, Read ’em pal and grin…

BowieNetter Peter Cami has been in touch with details of a new learning aid created by designer Christopher Monro DeLorenzo. You’ve probably got the gist of it from the images above, but here’s a bit from Christopher anyway…

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We used to learn our alphabets by reading those classroom banners that associated each letter with an animal or object. These days as kids become increasingly computer dependent at an early age I thought it was about time to adapt an old method to a new medium.

From cultural icons to greek mythology, this keyboard sticker set will advance the alphabetical knowledge of any child, or adult.

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Cool idea, Christopher. But how about a Bowie-centric version for us guys. I’ll start you off…Aladdin Sane, Bowie, Cat People, Diamond Dogs, Elephant Man…it could work.

I wrote a note for you…

Those of you who subscribe to the Genesis Publications newsletter should have received a notification regarding the above signed by David Bowie facsimile of a While You Were Out memo.

The facsimile has been produced as a bookplate to paste in to the Collector Edition of From Station To Station, as the Deluxe copies were signed by Bowie anyway.

Here’s the content of that e-mail for those that haven’t subscribed yet…

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While you were out… David Bowie Called

In a move that will delight Bowie fans and Genesis book collectors alike, David Bowie is signing copies of Geoff MacCormack’s FROM STATION TO STATION – available to purchase from Genesis Publications today.

These very special books are a must-have for any collector and are available to order now. Purchase your copy of this fabulous limited edition with a facsimile ‘While You Were Out’ memo, hand-signed and dated by David Bowie, pasted into the inside front cover of your book.

Geoff MacCormack’s tales of his travels with Bowie from ’73-76 have already earned his fascinating book five star reviews, with Goldmine describing the book as “leather-bound, gold-trimmed and so full of great, candid pictures that you feel by the end of it that you yourself were on tour with Bowie – without the sex, drugs and rock and roll, of course.”

We are delighted and honoured to announce David Bowie’s participation; it offers a remarkable close to our 35th anniversary year.

David Bowie: “What a terrifically clever idea this is. Take the two of us and pretend that we went to America, Japan and, wait for it, f’ing Russia of all places… and then write a book about it. Brilliant!”

In January 2010 we will be outlining a scheme whereby readers who already own a copy of FROM STATION TO STATION may, if they wish, submit their book to Genesis for the addition of the ‘While You Were Out’ bookplate. This is in thanks for your support, and will be a complimentary service, provided you are able to cover shipping to the Genesis office. More details to be announced soon.

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If you subscribed to the Deluxe Edition you will be pleased to learn that you’re not being left out. Indeed, you’re probably already aware of that fact, as you should have received the following communication by now…

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Re. Deluxe copies From Station To Station

You may have read in a recent e-newsletter that David Bowie is signing Collector copies from the limited edition, From Station To Station.

We will be providing a scheme in 2010 where readers who have previously purchased Collector copies may have their book signed as well.

Your Deluxe copy of From Station To Station was of course already signed and dated by David Bowie at the time of publication.

Nevertheless, we would like to provide something for everyone. So, to that end, please expect a signed photographic print to be arriving soon courtesy of the book’s author, Geoff MaCormack.

He is signing 350 special numbered prints that are made exclusively for Deluxe customers of From Station To Station. This will be an archival-grade print produced from the negative, created and despatched to you with our compliments, as a token of our thanks.

We’re very grateful. None of these editions would be made possible without your support.

We look forward to writing more in the New Year.

Yours, Nick Roylance – Genesis Publications Limited

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Pretty generous of Genesis, eh?

Boogie down with Daddy now…

Perhaps it’s not easy to imagine in these days of bonus CDs of extra tracks and previously unreleased versions, etc., just how big a deal the release of John I’m Only Dancing (Again) was to the Bowie faithful, in December 1979.

Aside from the fact that the record was Bowie’s very first UK 12″ 45, John I’m Only Dancing (Again) was legendary among fans aware of the song’s existence, but who hadn’t actually heard it until this release.

The track seemed to have evaded bootleggers and this release provided the full length version, (along with an edited version for the UK 7″) not to mention a new mix of the original Ziggy Stardust sessions version of John I’m Only Dancing.

Here’s the text from the UK press advert…

And here’s the text from the US press advert…

To sum up, the tracks released went thus….

UK
12″ 45
A – John I’m Only Dancing (Again) (full length version)
B – John I’m Only Dancing (1972) (1979 remix)

7″ 45
A – John I’m Only Dancing (Again) (edited version)
B – John I’m Only Dancing (1972) (1979 remix)

US
12″ 45
A – John I’m Only Dancing (Again) (full length version)
B – Golden Years

7″ 45
A – John I’m Only Dancing (1972) (1979 remix)
B – Joe The Lion

This 1979 remix of the original 1972 Ziggy version of John I’m Only Dancing created a third version of the track.

The first version was released by RCA as a UK 45 on September 1st 1972. (There was no US release of the track at this time.) This version was superseded by a second version recorded during the Aladdin Sane sessions which eventually came to be known as the Sax Version.

Evidence points to the fact that this second version was released without fanfare sometime close to the release of Aladdin Sane in 1973. Though Bowie’s RCA singles remained on catalogue for many years after their release, for a time John I’m Only Dancing was unavailable.

It would appear that once John I’m Only Dancing was once again made available as a back catalogue single, it was the Sax Version, and not the Ziggy version, that unsuspecting buyers got. Either way, the same RCA 2263 catalogue number was used for both pressings.

In fact, it wasn’t until one or two thousand (depends where you read it) ‘mispressed’ copies of the 1976 CHANGESONEBOWIE album were released with the Sax Version included that the different versions became known to fans. Indeed, I can’t recall any mention, anywhere, of the Sax Version before the CHANGESONEBOWIE mispress.

Therefore, the 1979 remix created a third version, albeit a very slight variation of the original Ziggy version.

What isn’t generally known is that when RCA pressed black label variations of their 45s in the UK (including the Lifetimes series) they inadvertently created a fourth version by swapping the stereo channels!

Coincidentally, both the 1972 and 1979 45s reached #12 on the UK single chart.

Finally, I know there are a few of you out there that collect the press ads for Bowie releases, as I get enquiries every time I post a rare one in the news. So, just in case you can’t identify the four on this page…At top left is the A2 UK record shop colour poster. Next to that is the US music trade advert.

The two mono ads pictured above are both versions of the UK music press advert which collectors don’t seem to realise exist. Everybody I’ve pointed out the variations to were previously unfamiliar with both. So, ner, ner, ner, ner, ner!

Battle For Britain…

Congratulations are due to Duncan Jones and everybody involved in the creation of MOON for picking up two gongs at the prestigious British Independent Film Awards on Sunday evening.

MOON won Best Film and Duncan also picked up the Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director at the ceremony at The Brewery, Chiswell Street in London.

The BIFAs, for British independent films with a budget of less than £10m, are sometimes seen as a hint at the films that may do well at the Oscars. Last year’s big BIFA winner was Slumdog Millionaire.

MOON had received 7 nominations in 6 categories, and did incredibly well to win Best Film, particularly when considering the very strong competition in An Education, Fish Tank, In The Loop and Nowhere Boy.

Duncan himself wasn’t present at the awards as he is currently in Los Angeles preparing for his next movie, the Sci-Fi thriller Source Code, for which he will be directing Jake Gyllenhall.

You can view the full list of 2009 BIFA winners here.