Month: April 2015

 

“And as the sunrise stream, Flickers on me“

 

We know there are a lot of Labyrinth fans out there, so we thought we’d tell you about this event in the UK nice and early so you have time to get your outfit together.

FLICKERAMA  – the world’s first greenfield film festival, will be screening Jim Henson’s 1986 cult favourite Labyrinth (which features David Bowie as the rather tricky Goblin King, Jareth), alongside hosting a Labyrinth Masquerade Ball in August.

Here’s the official blurb with more detail…

 

FLICKERAMA’s Labyrinth Masquerade Ball

We are getting excited already here in Flickerama Towers for a night of mystery and wonder as we host a very special Masquerade Ball on Saturday 15th August alongside a screening of Jim Henson’s 1986 cult favourite Labyrinth.

Following the film screening we will be hosting a masquerade ball based on the eccentric party Sarah and the Goblin King attend in the film, complete with themed cocktails and a sumptuous meal. There will even be a prize for the dandiest dresser. So don your finest evening wear, raise a Venetian mask and enter a world of fantasy…

Go here for more with links to the Early Bird ticket offer.

 

Thanks to Neil ‘Sir Didymus’ M for the pointer.

 

“Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight”

 

Though it reached #10 in our album poll in 2013, such was the global success of Let’s Dance it’s possibly the album that most people are familiar with around the world and it remains Bowie’s best-selling album.

Produced by David Bowie and Nile Rodgers, Let’s Dance was released on this day (April 14th) worldwide, spending 13 weeks in the UK Top 5. The album also made it to #4 on the US chart.

The attendant singles, Let’s Dance, China Girl and Modern Love were also worldwide smashes and you can remind yourself of the reason why here.

 

“We can dance and we can see the singles swing“

 

The Official Charts Company (OCC) in the UK announced the first ever Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40 (12 April 2015 – 18 April 2015) on Sunday evening.

The chart is compiled by the OCC from the UK’s biggest vinyl singles of the week, based on sales of 7, 10 and 12 inch formats across a seven day period.

Bowie currently has three singles in the Top 40 (more than any other artist), with two of those in the Top 20.

 

#07 = Young Americans (Peak position #1, previous week #1, 8 weeks on chart)

#20 = Diamond Dogs (Peak position #1, previous week #20, 32 weeks on chart)

#39 = Rebel Rebel (Peak position #8, Re-entry, 33 weeks on chart)

 

All of the above are from the 40th anniversary series of limited edition picture discs. See this week’s full chart here.

Though the Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40 wasn’t published until today, previous charts are available to view and last week’s chart (05 April 2015 – 11 April 2015) was even more impressive for Bowie, with 5 placings in the Top 40, four of which were previous #1s!

 

#01 = Young Americans (Peak position #1 – previous week #3)

#13 = Knock On Wood (Peak position #1 – previous week #23)

#20 = Diamond Dogs (Peak position #1 – Re-entry)

#25 = Life On Mars? (Peak position #4 – Re-entry)

#33 = Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) (Peak position #1 – Re-entry)

 

See last week’s full chart here.

 

“He’s in the best selling show“

 

Congratulations are due to David Bowie with the news that Life On Mars? has been recognised as the best-selling vinyl single of the decade so far by The Official Charts Company (OCC) in the UK. 

Originally appearing on the 1971 RCA album, Hunky Dory, Life On Mars? was first released as a single on June 22nd, 1973, reaching #3 on the Official UK Singles Chart back then.

We told you about the impressive performance of Bowie’s recent vinyl singles in our previous piece.

And even though Life On Mars? isn’t in the current Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40, it seems it’s been a consistent seller since its release as a limited edition 40th anniversary 7” picture disc through EMI on June 24th, 2013.

Life On Mars? is joined by another five Bowie singles in the Top Forty Official Biggest Selling Vinyl Singles of the Decade (so far)

 

#01 – Life On Mars?

#14 – Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)

#20 – Sorrow

#24 – Rebel Rebel

#27 – The Next Day

#40 – Love Is Lost

 

Bowie’s only studio album of the decade so far, The Next Day, also made the Top Twenty Official Biggest Selling Vinyl Albums of the Decade (so far) where it is placed at #16.

So thanks so much for all of your support folks, these fantastic results couldn’t have been achieved without you.

Check out the OCC’s David Bowie page for many more interesting Bowie chart facts.

 

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FOOTNOTE: The Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40 archive covers the period from May 11 2014 to the present day.

We had another delve back in overnight and found that there were six Bowie vinyl singles in the chart for the week of 01 March 2015 – 07 March 2015. 

 

#02 = Young Americans

#15 = Knock On Wood

#27 = Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)

#29 = Diamond Dogs

#35 = Rebel Rebel

#37 = Life On Mars?

 

We’ll be keeping a close eye on the chart to see if that achievement is ever beaten.

 

“You’re face to face with”

 

 

David Bowie’s third studio album, the Tony Visconti-produced The Man Who Sold The World, was released on this day (April 10th) in 1971 in the UK.

Issued the previous November in the US, the UK release was delayed in no small part due to problems regarding the sleeve artwork.

Pictured here (clockwise from top left) are the original US and UK versions, the German round cover, and the standard worldwide 1972 RCA reissue.

Four great sleeves, one classic album. Remind yourself here.

 

“I heard the news today, oh boy“

 

To mark the release in February of the Young Americans / It’s Gonna Be Me 40th anniversary 7″ picture disc, The David Bowie Store has produced a limited edition T-shirt, as modelled by the familiar looking chap in our picture.

Go here for details.

 

“From the brow of the superbrain“

 

Mick Rock posted a particularly glowing tribute to David Bowie on his FB page on Thursday.

We don’t need much of an excuse to share one of his Bowie shots here, but this will suffice…

 

“I do not use the word ‘genius’ lightly, but if David Bowie is not a genius, then there is no such thing.“ – Mick Rock

 

Spoil yourself with another classic Mick Rock Bowie portrait over on the David Bowie (Official) FB page.

 

“Who’d have ever dreamed“

 

David Bowie guitarist, Gerry Leonard (AKA Spooky Ghost), will be performing a couple of Bowie tunes at his first London solo show in June.

Tickets are on sale now for the gig at Peckham Liberal Club on June 20th.

We’ve also heard whispers that Gerry may be clambering onstage to guest as a part of Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansey’s Holy Holy with Glenn Gregory while he’s in the vicinity.

Keep reading for more on both Gerry and support on the night, Jessica Lee Morgan.

 

 

Spooky Ghost

Spooky Ghost is the solo stage name of renowned guitarist, producer and songwriter, Gerry Leonard. Gerry has a history of creative collaborations with David Bowie, Suzanne Vega and many other top artists. He will play a set of his own haunting Spooky Ghost compositions at Peckham Liberal Club; building up layers of exquisite sound using loops and sonic textures.

This is Gerry’s first solo gig in London. He will also perform two David Bowie songs with which he has a particular connection and one Suzanne Vega track, which he co-wrote.

Best known by Bowie fans for his contributions to the New York triptych of albums Heathen, Reality and The Next Day, including two co-writes with Bowie on the latter, Boss Of Me and I’ll Take You There.

Gerry was Bowie’s musical director on the 2003/04 Reality World Tour. One of the Bowie songs in the Spooky Ghost set for this gig is the live 2003 version of ‘Loving the Alien’, arranged by David Bowie and Gerry Leonard.

The second Spooky Ghost album, “The Light Machine” (2002) has been described by David Bowie as “Quite the most beautiful and moving pieces of work I have possessed in a long time.”

 

Support: Jessica Lee Morgan

For eclectic read indecisive. A true Gemini, Jessica Lee Morgan dips into styles as she pleases, one minute going electro-pop, the next a lush folky arrangement. Live, she is mostly found with her guitar. The daughter of legendary Bowie and Bolan producer Tony Visconti and Welsh songstress Mary Hopkin.

 

SPOOKY GHOST – GERRY LEONARD

Jessica Lee Morgan

Peckham Liberal Club

LONDON: Peckham Liberal Club

SAT 20TH JUN, 2015 7pm – late

 

“Speak English, French and Dutch?“

 

Lazarus director, Ivo van Hove, talked about Lazarus on daily Dutch TV chat show, De Wereld Draait Door (The World Keeps Turning), on Wednesday.

The full interview is available to view online, but for those that don’t understand Dutch, our man in The Netherlands, Maurice, kindly supplied the following.

 

 

How Bowie came to work with Van Hove:

 

When producer Robert Fox contacted Van Hove by mail about working with Bowie, Van Hove initially thought someone was playing a joke on him. But just in case it wasn’t a prank, he decided to reply in a not too eager kind of way. Robert Fox immediately called him and three weeks later Van Hove met DB in his New York office.

Robert fox had made the suggestion about Bowie working with Van Hove because he knew they were aware of each other’s work and that they needed a director for the Lazarus project and they didn’t want to create a typical Broadway musical.

 

 

About meeting Bowie:

 

Van Hove didn’t want to present himself as an excitable fan, even though he admitted he had been all his life. After twenty minutes, it was clear that Bowie was more than aware of Van Hove’s previous projects. This knowledge gave Van Hove the courage to admit that he had seen Bowie perform in the Elephant Man at the Booth Theatre in New York, to which Bowie apparently replied: ‘You must have still been in your diapers then!’. Van Hove was 18 at the time.

 

 

On Lazarus:

 

According to Van Hove, Bowie has already composed 4 new songs for Lazarus. Older songs will be re-arranged for the music theatre play (Van Hove preferred to call it a music theatre play instead of a musical), or, as Bowie put it to him: ‘I’m gonna put them in a new skin’.

 

 

On the script:

 

During the interview Van Hove had the script laying in front of him, but was careful not to let the cameras see it. Then, encouraged by the host, he started to read a little from the opening scene while saying he would keep the character’s gender unspecific. After reading a tantalising excerpt in English, Van Hove invited the host to guess what the opening song is. The host guessed Space Oddity to which Van Hove smiled and agreed that that would be fantastic.

 

 

On Bowie’s efforts to move freely around NY:

 

Van Hove recounted that Bowie makes every effort to live his life as a private person and that he manages to go about his business in New York anonymously but without having to use disguises.

 

 

On seeing the 1972 TOTPs Starman clip:

 

In the same way that it affected many others, Van Hove described just how much the BBC’s Starman footage meant to him when he first viewed it. The fact that DB’s flirtation with Ronson was shown openly on TV made him feel more comfortable about having feelings for other boys.

 

The interview ended with Van Hove explaining that he will continue his projects for the Amsterdam Theatre company. He also reminded viewers that Bowie will not perform in the play himself.

 

“(The Man Who Fell To) Earth keeps on rolling“

 

As Bowie fever continues to overwhelm the people of France, Nicolas Roeg’s remarkable film, The Man Who Fell To Earth, is given the remastered treatment exclusively for the French today.

The film, which stars David Bowie as the sexiest alien of all time in the form of Thomas Jerome Newton, is in cinemas there today and is also available on View On Demand (VOD).

We understand that this remastered version of the film is to be issued on the popular DVD/Blu-ray formats in the near future too. Read more here.