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“Je, Je me rapelle”
Rolling Stone France (October 2015 – #78) has published a 16-page cover feature in celebration of the David Bowie (Five Years 1969 – 1973) box set.
Articles include: Watch That Man!, L’Homme Qui Venait D’Ailleurs (The Man Who Fell To Earth), Bowie by Mick Rock, Ziggy In America and Bowie by Iggy.
Aside from the feature there’s also a full-page advert for the box set and five star review of it by Thomas Grimaud.
You can purchase the magazine here online.
#RSFR #FiveYearsBox
“And the papers want to know whose T-shirts you wear”
Many of you will have received an email regarding a Space Oddity 40th Anniversary T-shirt/Pic Disc bundle pre-order offer. But, for those that haven’t…
These Tees are produced in very limited quantities and this one is no exception with just 200 bundles available.
Despite the imagery used for this disc and T-shirt set, we’re not talking about the anniversary of the original 1969 issue on Philips, which gave Bowie his first Top 5 hit on the UK singles chart, or even the 1973 US release which reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973.
We’re actually celebrating the 1975 RCA re-issue which furnished Bowie with his first ever UK #1 single. Originally issued in the UK on Friday September 26th 1975, Space Oddity followed hot on the heels of Bowie’s first #1 hit in the USA with Fame.
This 40th anniversary disc of Space Oddity is scheduled to be released forty years and 5 days on from that original 1975 release date, and it will be available from Friday October 2nd, 2015.
Here are the track details:
A-Side
Space Oddity (UK single edit)
(David Bowie)
Produced by Gus Dudgeon and arranged by David Bowie and Paul Buckmaster
AA-Side
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single B-side with spoken introduction)
(David Bowie)
Produced by Gus Dudgeon and arranged by David Bowie and Paul Buckmaster
Both sides stereo
A Side image from the David Bowie Archive, originally used for the 1969 Philips French picture sleeve
AA Side photo by Vernon Dewhurst
#DavidBowie #SpaceOddity40 #SpaceOddityNumber1
“Fame, What’s your name?”
David Bowie is 50-years-old today…at least the name David Bowie is.
The most solid evidence of when David chose to go with Bowie over Jones as his professional name, first appeared in Kenneth Pitt’s book, David Bowie The Pitt Report. In it Ken talks about the transition between David’s managers from one Ralph Horton to Ken himself. In a telephone conversation of the 15th, Ralph discussed with Ken the possibility of Ken taking over the management reins.
The time wasn’t right for Ken just yet. But, by his account, he did suggest a name change for the 18-year-old David Jones, due to similarly named entertainers in the public eye at that time, not least of all a young actor who was to find world-wide fame as a singing Monkee.
Ralph responded to Ken in a letter dated the 17th in which he wrote: “I have taken the liberty of writing to you and advising you that I have now changed Davie’s name to David Bowie.”
Obviously it’s unlikely that Ralph had any hand in the selection of the new name, as David had already been toying with various stage names. It’s also highly likely that the name of Bowie had been kicking around in David’s mind for some time, particularly as he says the Bowie knife was the inspiration for the name, a weapon that he would have been aware of since his childhood days. Indeed, it transpires he had been experimenting with variations of Bowie long before then with early bad names such as the Bowmen being considered.
Ahead of the release of the very first record to bear the name Bowie (Can’t Help Thinking About Me released January 14th 1966, as David Bowie and The Lower Third, The Lower Third are pictured here), It seems there was a concerted effort to make the public aware of the name change ahead of the new record, with lots of press on the subject and even a two inch square box ad in the back pages of the Christmas eve ’65 issue of Melody Maker. The advert contained the simple legend: BOWIE
And what a legend the name was to become!
Happy 50th David Bowie. Never look back, walk tall, act fine.
“Hey boy welcome to Reality”
Reality, David Bowie’s 26th studio LP, was released in the USA on this day in 2003. (September 15th in the UK)
Produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti the album peaked at #3 on the UK chart and fared even better in many other European countries.
If for some strange reason it’s an album you’re unfamiliar with, check it out now.
“He’s outrageous, he screams and he bawls”
As we previously mentioned, the biggest hit single taken from Aladdin Sane was The Jean Genie which peaked at #2 on the UK singles chart in January 1973.
Mick Rock filmed and directed the rousing accompanying promo video for the track in San Francisco in October 1972.
Intercut with live footage from the Winterland Audiorium and scenes of DB with a cavorting Cyrinda Foxe outside the aptly named Mars Hotel, the film also featured footage of Bowie miming to the track in a hired studio with The Spiders From Mars.
You can watch the video here, and listen to Aladdin Sane on Spotify.
#FiveYearsBox #AladdinSane #TheJeanGenie
“He opened strange doors that we’d never close again”
David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) was released on September 12th 1980.
This Bowie/Visconti-produced classic entered the UK album chart at #1 while the #1 single which preceded it, Ashes To Ashes, was still in the UK Top Ten.
If you need reminding of just how well this album has stood the test of time and still sounds fresh and exciting to this day, go listen to Scary Monsters now.
#DavidBowie #ScaryMonsters35
“Passionate bright young things…”
Just a fortnight to go until the worldwide release of the David Bowie (Five Years 1969 – 1973) box set on September 25th.
For the rest of this week we’re focusing on the penultimate studio album in the box, Aladdin Sane.
Preceded by The Jean Genie and Drive-In Saturday singles (both narrowly missing the top spot: #2 and #3 respectively), Aladdin Sane was released in April 1973.
The clamour for anything bearing David Bowie’s name at this point, ensured that the album entered the UK album chart at #1 on the strength of pre-orders alone.
Listen to this classic Bowie album here on Spotify.
#FiveYearsBox #DavidBowie #AladdinSane
“The Stardust trail leading back to you”
Following a private view and the launch of TASCHEN’s beautiful volume of Mick Rock’s photographs, The Rise of David Bowie: 1972-1973, this evening, the accompanying exhibition, Shooting For Stardust, opens to the general public tomorrow at the TASCHEN Gallery in Los Angeles.
Check out the TASCHEN Publishing FB page here.
Visit the TASCHEN site for further details and order links for the book.
#ShootingForStardust #TASCHENgallery #MickRockBowie
“Not only is it the last show of the tour…”
Last week we had a brief look at David Bowie’s final Ziggy show at Hammersmith Odeon on July 3rd, 1973, and the record of the event which was Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars – The Motion Picture.
We linked to Bowie’s mesmerising solo performance of My Death, and now you can check out more from the show via the David Bowie YouTube channel.
You can also listen to the soundtrack here.
#FiveYearsBox #DavidBowie #ZiggyStardust #ZiggyStardustMoPi
“Screening along in South London“
Details of the 59th 2015 BFI London Film Festival have been announced and Ed Gibbs and Rubika Shah’s Let’s Dance: Bowie Down Under, will be showing as part of Sound Mirrors: Nine diverse short films all on a musical theme.
There will be two screenings of the film…
Saturday 10 October 2015 21:00 – BFI Southbank, NFT2 – On sale: 17-09-2015 10:00 am
Monday 12 October 2015 20:45 – Ritzy Cinema, Screen 2, Brixton – On sale: 17-09-2015 10:00 am
See the Let’s Dance: Bowie Down Under Facebook page, for further info.
#LetsDanceBowieDownUnder #LetsDance #BowieDownUnder