DAVID BOWIE BLACK TIE WHITE NOISE (SPECIAL EDITION)
Cat No: 848 1402
EMI Catalogue are proud to release David Bowie’s Black Tie White Noise on 4th August 2003 as a special edition three disc set.
Disc 1 is the original twelve track album while CD 2 has rare and previously unreleased tracks and mixes. The third disc contains the Black Tie White Noise home video originally released as a VHS and now made available for the first time officially on DVD.
Originally released in 1993 on Arista and Savage Records, Black Tie White Noise reunited Bowie with legendary producer Nile Rodgers for the first time since their collaboration on Let’s Dance. Appearing for the first time since the days of Ziggy Stardust is Spiders guitarist Mick Ronson. Other guests include avant-garde jazz musician Lester Bowie and new jack swing vocalist Al B. Sure!. According to reports at the time, Bowie recorded the album as a wedding present for his wife Iman and as a response to the L.A. riots and the racial tension surrounding them. Black Tie White Noise was regarded by critics as a return to form following Bowie’s foray into the group set up of Tin Machine. Entering the UK album charts at number one (deposing Suede’s debut album), Black Tie… signalled a commercial renaissance whilst maintaining Bowie’s reputation for innovation. In the US the album received a limited distribution on the short lived Savage Records label but still reached a chart peak of number thirty nine.
The album features the hit singles ‘Jump They Say’, ‘Black Tie White Noise’ and ‘Miracle Goodnight’ and a cover of Morrissey’s ‘I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday’. Morrissey’s original was recorded for his album Your Arsenal which was produced by Mick Ronson and is clearly influenced by ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide’ from Bowie’s own Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Bowie said at the time he tried to record ‘…Someday’ as if he were back in 1974 – and his interpretation of the song was highly praised by Morrissey himself. Other covers included are Cream’s ‘I Feel Free’, which Bowie and Ronson used to cover in concert back in ’72, and ‘Nite Flights’ by The Walker Brothers from the album of the same name which also contains Scott Walker’s seminal ‘The Electrician’. Bowie had been a fan of Walker’s voice since the late 60’s and the material on the Nite Flights album almost led to the two collaborating.
Of the other tracks ‘You’ve Been Around’ is a radical reworking of a Tin Machine era live song, ‘Pallas Athena’ and ‘Looking For Lester’ are two experimental dance and jazz infused instrumentals respectively and ‘Don’t Let Me Down And Down’ which is a reworking, with English lyrics, of ‘Jangan Susahkan Hatiku’ an Indonesian love song. The Indonesian vocal version can be found on CD 2 of the limited edition set.
The two tracks that top and tail the album, ‘The Wedding’ and ‘The Wedding Song’ respectively, are based on the same backing track. ‘The Wedding’ is an instrumental composed for David’s wedding and musically attempts to integrate both the Church Of England and Muslim ethics of the partnership. ‘The Wedding Song’, however, is basically a love song to his bride and is an effective way of ending the set.
This is the first time Black Tie White Noise has been available through EMI, and follows on from the hugely successful Aladdin Sane and Ziggy Stardust reissues.
** Please note the 3 disc set will be only be available until December 31st 2003 **
- Tracklisting:
CD 1:
1. The Wedding
2. You’ve Been Around
3. I Feel Free
4. Black Tie White Noise
5. Jump They Say
6. Nite Flights
7. Pallas Athena
8. Miracle Goodnight
9. Don’t Let Me Down And Down
10.Looking For Lester
11.I Know It’s Going To Happen Someday
12.The Wedding Song
CD 2:
1. Real Cool World (5.25)
Previously only available on the Warners soundtrack album Songs From The Cool World (9362-45009-2).
2. Lucy Can’t Dance (5.48)
B-side previously available as a bonus track on the CD version of the original album release.
3. Jump They Say (Rock Mix) (4.04)
Previously unreleased commercially. Only previously available on a Savage Records CD promo (SADJ-50044-2) in the US.
4. Black Tie White Noise (3rd Floor US Radio Mix) (3.40)
Previously released commercially on a Savage Records CD single (74785-5045-2) in the US.
5. Miracle Goodnight (Make Believe Mix) (4.28)
Previously only available on the Miracle Goodnight 12″ single (74321 16226 1) on Arista. Previously unavailable on CD.
6. Don’t Let Me Down And Down (Indonesian Vocal Version) (4.53)
Previously only available on the Arista CD & cassette version of the album in Singapore (72431 14071 2).
7. You’ve Been Around (Dangers 12″ Remix) (7.39)
Previously released on the Arista Black Tie White Noise CD single (72431 14868 2) in edited form. This full mix is previously unreleased.
8. Jump They Say (Brothers In Rhythm 12″ Remix) (8.22)
Previously released on the Arista Jump They Say CD single (72431 13943 2).
9. Black Tie White Noise (Here Come Da Jazz) (5.32)
Only previously available on an Arista UK 12″ promo (BLACK 1).
10.Pallas Athena (Don’t Stop Praying Remix No 2) (7.26)
Only previously available on an Arista UK 12″ promo (MEAT 1).
11.Nite Flights (Moodswings Back To Basics Remix)) (9.52)
Previously only released on an Arista UK 12″ promo (HOME 1).
12.Jump They Say (Dub Oddity) (6.13)
A Leftfield mix previously only available on the Arista European 12″ single of Jump They Say (72431 13942 1).
DVD:
1. Introduction
2. With Lester Bowie
3. On Reeves Gabrels
4. You’ve Been Around (Recorded at the Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, 5/8/93)
5. Expanding and Experimenting
6. Nite Flights (Recorded at the Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, 5/8/93)
7. Otherness
8. Miracle Goodnight (Recorded at the Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, 5/8/93)
9. On Marriage
10. Black Tie White Noise (Recorded at the Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, 5/8/93)
11. With Mick Ronson
12. I Feel Free (Recorded at the Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, 5/8/93)
13. With Nile Rodgers
14. I Know It’s Going To Happen Someday (Recorded at the Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, 5/8/93)
15. Miracle Goodnight – Promo video
16. Jump They Say – Promo video
17. Black Tie White Noise – Promo video
18. Credits