Month: July 2017

 

“Oh, look out you rock ‘n rollers”

 

At the tail end of last year, the GRAMMY Awards department announced that David Bowie’s Changes was being inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame, 45 years after its release as a 45.

 

They’ve recently been in touch with a certificate and the award to mark that fact.

 

So congratulations to all those involved with the making of this classic track, which was originally to be heard on the Hunky Dory album.

 

But, of course, special mention must be made of Bowie himself, the man who wrote what is considered by many to be his signature song, and a good one word summation of the essence of his outlook.

 

 

FOOTNOTE: Pictured here with the certificate from the GRAMMY Hall of Fame, are the original 1972 US and UK press ads for the Changes single release.

 

 

#BowieChanges

 

“…speak Chinese, French and Dutch?” *

 

As you may already know, Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant, has announced that David Bowie and Enda Walsh’s Lazarus will open in Amsterdam next year.

 

Here’s an edited excerpt in English from the interview with Albert Verlinde:

 

 

A beaming Albert Verlinde (56) greets me in his office in the Zuidas business district of Amsterdam. He has news. He has managed to bring a special production to the Netherlands: Lazarus, the musical which director Ivo van Hove created with David Bowie in 2015. ‘I’m so proud’, says Verlinde. ‘We’ve already started casting. It will have a Dutch cast, but the songs will stay in English.’

 

‘18 months ago, I invited Ivo van Hove and Jan Versweyveld to an introductory dinner when all three of us were in New York. We haven’t stopped talking since then. It took quite some doing to get the rights, which are managed by the major producer Robert Fox. He’s nobility, you could say.’

 

The aim is for Lazarus to run at the DeLaMar for at least half a year. Van Hove is starting to reign supreme on the lively Leidseplein square, with his own repertory company Toneelgroep Amsterdam in the Stadsschouwburg and his direction of the musical on the other side of the Marnixstraat.

 

Verlinde has high expectations for the production. ‘David Bowie’s legacy appeals to a wide audience. Just look how many people came to see the Bowie exhibition in the Groninger Museum (200,700). When you add in Ivo, who put on successful productions of Lazarus in New York and London, I think: this is the one.’

 

 

So, to recap: Ivo van Hove-directed Dutch language version of Lazarus (with songs in the original English), to run at the DeLaMar Theater in Amsterdam for at least six months from September, 2018. More details as we get them.

 

 

* Just Dutch.

 

 

#LazarusMusical  #LazarusAmsterdam  #DeLaMarTheater  #Lazarus  #TMWFTE  #TJNewton

 

“We can be Heroes, for ever and ever, What d’you say?”

 

Many of you will have already worked out that “Heroes” will be the next limited edition 40th-anniversary 7″ picture disc. It will be issued on 22nd September 2017 via Parlophone.

 

Originally released in the UK on 23rd September 1977, “Heroes” was the first single to be taken from the album of the same name, the second of the so-called ‘Berlin Trilogy’ of albums.

 

“Heroes” was recorded in English, French and German and has over the past forty years become an inspirational anthem. When Bowie performed the song in West Berlin in 1987 with the Wall as a backdrop, thousands of East Berliners could be heard singing and cheering along; Bowie later described it as one of the most emotional performances of his career.

 

The AA of the disc is a previously unreleased live version of the track from Marc Bolan’s ‘Marc’ ITV show, where the song was heard for the first time by fans in the UK. The track was recorded on the 7th of September 1977 but wasn’t broadcast until later that month by which time Bolan had passed away in a tragic accident.

 

“Heroes” is one of Bowie’s most-covered tracks with the likes of Prince, Blondie, Oasis, Nico, Depeche Mode, LCD Soundsystem, Peter Gabriel, Janelle Monae, King Crimson, Philip Glass, Kasabian, TV On The Radio, The Wallflowers and many more having performed it.

 

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DAVID BOWIE “HEROES” LIMITED EDITION 40th ANNIVERSARY 7″ PICTURE DISC

 

A-Side “HEROES” (Single version 2017 Remaster)

(Lyrics by David Bowie, Music by David Bowie and Brian Eno)

Produced by David Bowie & Tony Visconti

Recorded at Hansa by the Wall, Berlin and Mountain Studios, Montreux

 

AA-Side “HEROES” (‘Marc’ show version)

(Lyrics by David Bowie, Music by David Bowie and Brian Eno)

Recorded for the television show ‘Marc’ on 7th September 1977 and broadcast on 20th September 1977

Previously unreleased

 

The image used on the A-side was taken by Sukita in Japan 1977, and the AA side was taken during the recording of the ‘Marc’ show in September, 1977.

 

 

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“HEROES” is released via Parlophone on September 22nd, 2017.

 

 

#DBHERO40  #BowieHeroes  #BowieBolan  #BowieVinyl  

“THERE’S OLD WAVE. THERE’S NEW WAVE. AND THERE’S DAVID BOWIE…”

 

DAVID BOWIE – ‘A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977 – 1982)’

 

THE THIRD IN A SERIES OF DAVID BOWIE BOX SETS – RELEASED 29th SEPTEMBER 2017

 

CD, DIGITAL* AND AUDIOPHILE VINYL BOX SETS EXCLUSIVELY FEATURE ‘LODGER’ (TONY VISCONTI 2017 MIX)

 

‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’ (EXTENDED VERSION) AVAILABLE NOW AS AN INSTANT GRAT TRACK – PREVOUSLY UNAVAILABLE ON DIGITAL / CD: BuyANCIANT

 

#ANCIANTbox  

 

Parlophone Records are proud to announce DAVID BOWIE ‘A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977 – 1982)’, the third in a series of box sets spanning Bowie’s career from 1969.

 

The follow-up to the awarding winning and critically acclaimed DAVID BOWIE ‘FIVE YEARS (1969 – 1973)’ and DAVID BOWIE ‘WHO CAN I BE NOW? (1974 – 1976)’ will be released on 29th September and will contain a brand new remix of the 1979 album ‘LODGER’ by long time Bowie producer/collaborator Tony Visconti.

 

The eleven CD box, thirteen-piece vinyl set and the Mastered For iTunes and standard digital download sets feature material officially released by Bowie between 1977 and 1982.  It includes the so-called ‘Berlin Trilogy’ of albums on which he collaborated with Visconti and Brian Eno, and is completed by ‘SCARY MONSTERS (And Super Creeps)’.

 

The box set, named after the final track on side one of ‘LOW’, includes ‘LOW’, ‘“HEROES”’, ‘STAGE’ (ORIGINAL and 2017 VERSIONS), ‘LODGER’, ‘LODGER (Tony Visconti 2017 Mix)’, ‘SCARY MONSTERS (And Super Creeps)’ and ‘RE:CALL 3’. Finally we have the ‘“HEROES”’ E.P., which rounds up the German and French album and single versions of the track in one place for the first time, a compilation exclusive to the set celebrating the 40th anniversary of the song.

 

In the vinyl version of the box the original ‘STAGE’ will be pressed on yellow vinyl, replicating the limited edition U.K. release of the time. The 2017 version of ‘STAGE’ features two previously unreleased tracks.

 

Exclusive to each of the box sets is ‘LODGER (Tony Visconti 2017 Mix)’. The remix was started with David’s blessing before his passing in January last year. Tony Visconti has revisited the original multi-tracks at Human Studios and remixed the album with the benefit of modern technology to better highlight the album’s nuances. Always a personal favourite of David’s, this version of the album will also feature newly ‘remixed’ artwork featuring unseen images from the original cover photographic session from the archive of the Estate of photographer Duffy, working closely with his son Chris.

 

Also exclusive to each box is ‘Re:Call 3’, a new compilation featuring remastered contemporary single versions, non-album singles and b-sides, and songs featured on soundtracks. The cover features a photo by Christian Simonpietri taken at Hansa Studios in Berlin during the ‘“Heroes”’ sessions in 1977. The ‘Baal’ E.P. in its entirety is making its CD debut while ‘Beauty And The Beast’ (extended version) and ‘Breaking Glass’ (Australian single version) are making their debuts on CD and digital formats.

 

‘Beauty And The Beast’ (extended version) is available as a digital download upon pre-order of the box set. This version of the ‘“Heroes”’ album track is making its digital and CD debut having previously only been available on a rare US promo 12” and as a limited 12” release in Spain.

 

The physical box set’s accompanying book, 128 pages in the CD box and 84 in the vinyl set, will feature rarely seen and previously unpublished photos by photographers including Anton Corbijn, Helmut Newton, Andrew Kent, Steve Schapiro, Duffy and many others as well as historical press reviews and technical notes about the albums from producer Tony Visconti.

 

The CD box set will include faithfully reproduced mini-vinyl versions of the original albums, and the CDs will be gold coloured rather than the usual silver. The vinyl box set has the same content as the CD set and is pressed on audiophile quality 180g vinyl.

 

*A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982) will also be made available in High Definition audio digital formats (192kHZ/24bit and 96kHZ/24bit). Content varies from other formats due to the resolution of the available original source material.

 

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“Tomorrow Belongs To Those Who Can Hear It Coming”

 

 

DAVID BOWIE ‘A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977-1982)’

 

LP Box Set:

84 Page hardback book 

Low (remastered) (1LP)

“Heroes” (remastered) (1LP)

“Heroes” E.P. (remastered) (12” Single)*

Stage (remastered) (2LP Yellow Vinyl) *

Stage (2017) (remastered)  (3LP)

Lodger (remastered) (1LP)

Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 Mix) (1LP)*

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1LP)

Re:Call 3 (non-album singles, single versions and b-sides) (remastered) (2LP)*

 

* Exclusive to ‘A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982)’

 

CD Box Set:

128 Page hardback book 

Low (remastered) (1CD)

“Heroes” (remastered) (1CD)

“Heroes” E.P. (remastered) (CD EP)*

Stage (remastered) (2CD)*

Stage (2017) (remastered) (2CD)

Lodger (remastered) (1CD)

Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 Mix) (1CD)*

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1CD)

Re:Call 3 (non-album singles, single versions and b-sides) (remastered) (1CD)*

 

* Exclusive to ‘A New Career In A New Town (1977-1982)’

 

Digital download 192kHz/24bit box set:

Low (remaster)

“Heroes” (remaster)

“Heroes” E.P.*

Stage (original) (remaster) *

Stage (2017) (remaster)

Lodger (remaster)

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (remaster)

 

NB Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 mix) is not included in this digital box set.

 

Digital download 96kHz/24bit box set:

Low (remaster)

“Heroes” (remaster)

“Heroes” E.P.*

Stage (original) (remaster) *

Stage (2017) (remaster)

Lodger (remaster)

Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 mix) *

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (remaster)

 

Digital download standard/MFiT box set:

Low (remaster)

“Heroes” (remaster)

“Heroes” E.P.*

Stage (original) (remaster) *

Stage (2017) (remaster)

Lodger (remaster)

Lodger (Tony Visconti 2017 mix) *

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (remaster)

Re:Call 3 (Single versions and non album B-sides) (non MFiT) *

 

* Set exclusives

 

‘A NEW CAREER IN A NEW TOWN (1977-1982)’ CD & Vinyl Tracklistings (showing Vinyl side breaks)

 

LOW

Released on RCA PL 12030 (U.K.) / CPL1-2030 (U.S.) on 14th January, 1977.

 

Side 1

1. Speed Of Life                                        

2. Breaking Glass                                       

3. What In The World                                              

4. Sound And Vision                                      

5. Always Crashing In The Same Car                               

6. Be My Wife                                   

7. A New Career In A New Town  

                 

Side 2

1. Warszawa                                              

2. Art Decade                                                                          

3. Weeping Wall                                         

4. Subterraneans

 

“HEROES”

Released on RCA PL 12522 (U.K.) / AFL1-2522 (U.S.) 

 

Side 1

1. Beauty And The Beast 

2. Joe The Lion 

3. “Heroes” 

4. Sons Of The Silent Age 

5. Blackout 

 

Side 2

1. V-2 Schneider 

2. Sense Of Doubt 

3. Moss Garden 

4. Neuköln

5. The Secret Life Of Arabia

 

“HEROES” E.P.

Side 1

1. “Heroes”/”Helden” (German album version) 

2. “Helden” (German single version) 

 

Side 2

1. “Heroes”/”Héros” (French album version) 

2. “Héros” (French single version)

 

STAGE (Original)

Released on RCA PL 02913 (U.K.) / CPL2-2913 (U.S.) 

 

Side 1

1. Hang On To Yourself

2. Ziggy Stardust

3. Five Years

4. Soul Love

5. Star

 

Side 2

1. Station To Station

2. Fame

3. TVC 15

 

Side 3

1. Warszawa

2. Speed Of Life

3. Art Decade

4. Sense Of Doubt

5. Breaking Glass

 

Side 4

1. “Heroes”

2. What In The World

3. Blackout

4. Beauty And The Beast

 

STAGE (2017)

Side 1

1. Warszawa

2. “Heroes”

3. What In The World

 

Side 2

1. Be My Wife

2. The Jean Genie *

3. Blackout

4. Sense Of Doubt

 

Side 3

1. Speed Of Life

2. Breaking Glass

3. Beauty And The Beast

4. Fame

 

Side 4

1. Five Years

2. Soul Love

3. Star

4. Hang On To Yourself

5. Ziggy Stardust

6. Suffragette City *

 

Side 5

1. Art Decade

2. Alabama Song

3. Station To Station

 

Side 6

1. Stay

2. TVC 15

 

* Previously unreleased

 

LODGER

Released on RCA PL 13254 (U.K.) / APL1-3254 (U.S.) 

 

LODGER (2017 Tony Visconti mix)

Side 1

1. Fantastic Voyage 

2. African Night Flight 

3. Move On 

4. Yassassin (Turkish for: Long Live) 

5. Red Sails 

 

Side 2

1. D.J.  

2. Look Back In Anger 

3. Boys Keep Swinging 

4. Repetition  

5. Red Money

 

SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS)

Released on RCA BOWLP 2 (PL 13647) (U.K.) / AQL1-3647 (U.S.) 

 

Side 1

1. It’s No Game (Part 1)                                                

2. Up The Hill Backwards                                                

3. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)                            

4. Ashes To Ashes                                                       

5. Fashion                                                              

 

Side 2

1. Teenage Wildlife                                                     

2. Scream Like A Baby                                           

3. Kingdom Come                                                 

4. Because You’re Young 

5. It’s No Game (Part 2)

 

RE:CALL 3

Side 1

1. “Heroes” (single version) 

2. Beauty And The Beast (extended version) 

3. Breaking Glass (Australian single version) 

4. Yassassin (single version) 

5. D.J. (single version) 

 

Side 2

1. Alabama Song 

2. Space Oddity (1979 version) 

3. Ashes To Ashes (single version) 

4. Fashion (single version) 

5. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (single version)

 

Side 3

1. Crystal Japan 

2. Under Pressure (single version) – Queen and David Bowie

3. Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (soundtrack album version) 

4. Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy * – David Bowie and Bing Crosby

* mono

 

Side 4

Bertolt Brecht’s Baal

1. Baal’s Hymn 

2. Remembering Marie A. 

3. Ballad Of The Adventurers 

4. The Drowned Girl 

5. The Dirty Song

 

The running order for Re:Call 3 CD differs from the vinyl version

 

1. “Heroes” (single version) 

2. Beauty And The Beast (extended version) 

3. Breaking Glass (Australian single version) 

4. Yassassin (single version) 

5. D.J. (single version) 

6. Alabama Song 

7. Space Oddity (1979 version) 

8. Ashes To Ashes (single version) 

9. Fashion (single version) 

10.Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (single version)

11.Crystal Japan 

12.Under Pressure (single version) – Queen and David Bowie

 

Bertolt Brecht’s Baal

13.Baal’s Hymn 

14.Remembering Marie A. 

15.Ballad Of The Adventurers 

16.The Drowned Girl 

17.The Dirty Song 

 

18.Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (soundtrack album version) 

19.Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy * – David Bowie and Bing Crosby

* mono

 

“Soon you’ll grow so take a chance, With a couple of Kooks, Hung up on romancing” – The little lad’s grandad for the little lad’s dad, 1971.

 

“I could make it all worthwhile as a rock & roll star”

 

As David Bowie pointed out during Meltdown 2002 at The Royal Festival Hall (RFH) when he brought The Dandy Warhols onstage to join him for White Light/White Heat, July 8th 1972 is the day that he performed as the headline act for a Friends of the Earth/Save the Whale Benefit Concert at the RFH.

 

Bowie was referring to the show that introduced Lou Reed to the British stage (45 years ago), when Lou joined Bowie and The Spiders for White Light/White Heat, Sweet Jane and Waiting For The Man, all written by Lou himself and recorded with The Velvet Underground. This historic moment was captured by Mick Rock in pictures such as the one top left in our montage.

 

The item on the right is the original double-sided programme that folded out into a big poster with David superimposed, rather bizarrely and somewhat inappropriately, on what looks to be a whale harpoon! An unfolded version of this collectable sold on eBay last year for £1,200.

 

Support that night came in the shape of The Marmalade and The JSD Band and David was introduced by DJ Kenny Everett thus: “Here is the second greatest thing…next to God…David Bowie!”

 

We’ll leave you with snippets from two reviews of the show, both stating conclusively that Bowie had well and truly arrived…

 

“A Star is Born – When a shooting star is heading for the peak, there is usually one concert at which it’s possible to declare, “That’s it – he’s made it.” For David Bowie, opportunity knocked loud and clear last Saturday at London’s Royal Festival Hall – and he left the stage a true 1972-style pop giant, clutching flowers from a girl who ran up and hugged and kissed him while a throng of fans milled around the stage. It was an exhilarating sight.” – Melody Maker

 

“David Bowie will soon become the greatest entertainer Britain has ever known. His performance on Saturday at the “Save The Whale” Friends of the Earth concert was a triumph for the showmanship as well as music. His talent seems unlimited and he looks certain to become the most important person in pop music on both sides of the Atlantic. He is a real star, incorporating the things that made people like Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and The Beatles so very special.” – Record Mirror

 

 

#StarmanBowie  #ZiggyStardust  #BowieRFH  

 

“I will see you in the sky, Tonight”

 

David Bowie received a posthumous award for his ★ album in the Pop Music category at the Melvyn Bragg-hosted South Bank Sky Arts Awards (SBSAA) 2017, at The Savoy Hotel in London tonight (Sunday).

 

Iggy Pop paid tribute to his long-time friend and collaborator in a pre-recorded video message from his home in the United States. Iggy reminisced about how he and David would watch The South Bank Show together in the late ‘70s.

 

Here’s an exclusive transcript of what he said:

 

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“Hi, I’m Iggy Pop and I was a sort of stowaway, if you will, on David Bowie’s Station To Station tour, during which he shared digs with me in London at a beautiful old Victorian house that was looked after by a lady named Mrs Potter. And during our time with Mrs Potter he introduced me to The South Bank Show, because it was on TV and he didn’t want to miss it. He thought it was the place to be if you were going to be a who’s who or what’s what in British arts, performing arts especially.”

 

“Later, during the making of The Idiot in Hérouville, France, the producer Tony Visconti had brought over a big load of The South Bank Shows which we would watch to interrupt the hilarity of the Monty Python stuff he also brought with him.”

 

“So, as important as David Bowie was to a lot of us, certainly for changing the game in my life, but also for changing the game in rock and roll and in popular music, The South Bank Show meant something to him as well. I can testify to that.”

 

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You can watch The South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2017 in the UK, on Wednesday, July 12th, at 8:00pm on Sky Arts.

 

 

#BowieBlackstar  #Blackstar  #BowieIggy  #SouthBankSkyArtsAwards  #SouthBankShowAwards  

 

“I had to phone someone”

 

UK telephone conversation, Thursday evening, July 7th, 1972…

 

“Hello Ashley, did you see Top Of The Pops tonight?”

 

“Hi Mark, yes, bet you’re calling about Starman.”

 

“Yes I am, incredible! Did you know that’s the same bloke that did Space Oddity, David Bowie?”

 

“No I didn’t, a bit weird…I wonder what colour his hair is? Looks blond*. Do you think he’s gay?”

 

“Who cares? Love the song and the clothes, that guitarist was pretty cool too. It all looked so futuristic. Love it, hope he’s on again next week.”

 

And so began a life of worship for many a British teenager, 45 years ago tonight.

 

If you didn’t catch it at the time, it’s still pretty potent stuff.

 

*Many TOTPs viewers in the UK still had black and white television in 1972.

 

 

#StarmanBowie  #ZiggyStardust