Month: May 2005

Three games for May…

Virgin TV is busy this month with at least three CD compilations that feature a David Bowie song…and that’s just the ones I’ve stumbled upon. I’m sure this is of little interest to the majority of you, but I know there are those that actually collect pretty well anything with our man on it. Hello me.

First up is the 51-track triple CD, The Best Album Tracks… Ever, released last week on May 9th and including Moonage Daydream and Vicious from Lou Reed’s Bowie/Ronson-produced Transformer album.

Despite the album’s title, I reckon at least 75% of the tracks (possibly more) on this above average compilation have been released as singles at some point, Moonage Daydream being one of the few exceptions. Obviously this Ziggy Stardust favourite is by far and away the best track on the whole thing. I would have added IMHO, but it’s an actual fact.

Next is another 51-track triple CD, Driving Rock Ballads, which contains Life On Mars? Oddly, this is yet again easily the best track out of all 51 on this so-so compilation.

Finally, Dad Rocks, is a 41-track double CD with a crap title (admittedly not much worse than the above) due on May 30, and well in time for Father’s Day here in the UK. Disc 2 contains Starman and Iggy Pop‘s Bowie-produced The Passenger (from The Idiot). Despite these two cracking tracks, you may choose to live without it.

Why is it that every one of these releases kicks off with a Queen track? And to those of you that say: “To get it over and done with!”, I will just say that Queen are one of GAD‘s very favourite bands, and you don’t want to see her riled up!

They’re just trying to see, All that we choose…

We’ve activated a new BowieNet poll that’s been suggested in recent months by a fair few of you, not least of all by BowieNetter carlislekeith, and indeed, BWW is currently running the same poll. It’s the chance for BowieNetters to decide their all-time favourite David Bowie studio album.

Obviously I have excluded live albums, compilations and soundtracks…apart from two soundtracks: The Buddha of Suburbia (for reasons I’m sure I don’t need to explain) and also Labyrinth, as over half its length is taken up with Bowie originals written specifically for the project…plus I know Labyrinth is very popular among a few of the crazy young female BowieNetters.

I nearly didn’t include Pin Ups, being an album of covers only, but I thought it was up to you to choose whether it should be regarded as one of Bowie’s finest when you decide whether or not to vote for it.

This poll will be a three-parter: Part one is the first fourteen albums from the very first David Bowie Deram album released in 1967, to 1980’s Scary Monsters. Part two will encompass the twenty years from 1983’s Let’s Dance to 2003’s Reality.

The third and final poll will be the winners of parts one and two to decide the outright winner.

Meanwhile, the previous poll we ran was about the most evenly split result we’ve had so far. (See screen grab above) With just over a thousand votes cast, you voted 56 percent to 44 in favour of making the BowieNet blogs available to BowieNet members only.

When one considers that non-BowieNet members are able to vote in these polls too, the result may have been even more in favour of keeping the blogs private among BowieNet members had it been a members-only vote.

Anyway, as close as it was, it seems we will be bending to the majority wish at some point in the near future.

To take part, click on the DISCOURSE tab above.

You get a CD, These are your favourite tracks…

OK kidz, here are the ten winners of the EMI Gold David Bowie – The Collection CD competition that I set yonks ago. (05.01.05 NEWS: THE COLLECTION OUT TOMORROW…COMPETITION TODAY)

I asked you which studio album between Space Oddity and Scary Monsters isn’t represented by any track on The Collection. The answer was of course, Pin Ups.

The following BowieNetters got that right (as did practically everybody else)

avalon
Badger
barley
bowiekat
calamityschild
hunkydory
matjohnjudge
moonlight
stendera69
twigandbuddy

Well done you lot. If you haven’t already done so, please furnish me with your real name and address so we can get this lovely little compilation out to you pronto.

As I said last time, non-winners may wish to bear in mind that Virgin here in the UK are selling the CD for just £2.99!

I want you! I need you!…

With just a couple of days to go for the three signed-by-David Bowie 12-string guitars BADD auction on eBay that we told you about last week, (05.04.05 NEWS: THREE MORE BADD SIGNED BOWIE GUITARS ON EBAY) the bidding has reached an impressive $4,300.00!

However, looking at the bid history, just two bids have reached the reserve price of $4,000. This means there’s still time for somebody to step in and get that high bid in for the first choice of the three guitars.

Those of you interested in bidding on one of the guitars can reach the eBay page by clicking on any of the above images, where you can also view David’s inscriptions for each guitar.

If you have anything you want to ask Danny before you place a bid, you can use the Ask seller a question link on the auction page. Alternatively, non-eBay members can contact Danny directly at danny@baddcentral.com

Please note that BowieNet has no direct involvement with the auction itself and only Danny can answer any enquiries you may have.

Wednesday just don’t go, Thursday goes too slow, I’ve got Friday on my mind…

Distracted by the new edit of Sweet Thing, I neglected to set an end date for the EMI Gold David Bowie – The Collection CD competition that I set last week. (05.01.05 NEWS: THE COLLECTION OUT TOMORROW…COMPETITION TODAY)

So…We’ll end it midnight on Thursday (UK time) and I’ll announce the ten winners on Friday. See aforementioned news story if you were unaware of this contest.

Non-winners may wish to bear in mind that Virgin here in the UK are selling the CD for an astonishingly low £2.99…That’s just under 25p per track!

I suggest you all stock up with as many copies as possible so that you can use the CDs as a value for money gift for those stubborn folk in your life that still need converting to the music of David Bowie!

I feel the need to point out that I haven’t received ‘a bung’ from either Virgin or EMI for this advert.

Thru’ These Architect’s Eyes…

The Arcade Fire continues to receive much Best-New-Band press around the planet, including a front cover of TIME magazine already, which the group didn’t actually want just yet.

Anyway, among the recent articles published in the UK is a 4-page feature in the current issue of MOJO magazine, (June 2005) from which, this excerpt:

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One especially enthusiastic fan declared on his website that Funeral was his favourite album of 2004. Given that the website was davidbowie.com the recommendation did not go unnoticed, particularly it seems, in Scandinavia, where sales of Funeral increased markedly afterwards.

“David Bowie’s been to three shows now,” says Win. “He said to me he thought the record wasn’t immediately accessible, you kinda had to dig into it. Which I thought was really cool. It’s like you’re an architect, and another architect who’s a lot better than you tells you they like your door.”

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The Arcade Fire is five dates into a nineteen-date European tour with tonight’s show at the Astoria in London. (Just over the road from tonight’s KY show…see yesterday’s news item.)

If you can get along to any of the shows, and you are a person of good taste, you will not be disappointed. Also, if you haven’t checked out the album yet, don’t be put off by the title…it is an anagram of “Real Fun” after all!

Free games for May… (Well, actually there’s an admission charge)

Ms Dorsey has been in touch with details of a couple of New York shows for May. Here follows the info you may need if you’re interested in attending…and if you’re in the area, you really should be interested.

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Friday, May 27th 2005 9:00 PMThe Rosendale Café, 434 Main Street, Rosendale, New York 12472

Saturday, May 28th 2005 7:00 and 9:30 PM ? 2 Shows!The Hudson River Theater, 521 Warren Street, Hudson, New York 12534

THE CHANTEUSE CLUB: MAGGIE MOORE, GAIL ANN DORSEY AND KATE PIERSON

The Chanteuse Club returns to its? origins in the Hudson Valley for a Memorial Weekend extravaganza of song and celebration! Join ringleader Maggie Moore of the hit off-Broadway musicals People Are Wrong and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Kate Pierson of the world famous B-52s, and Gail Ann Dorsey, bassist/vocalist for David Bowie, with pianist Rob Arthur as they sing in summer! Don?t miss the fun! You have three chances to get onboard The Chanteuse Club “Love Train” for an unforgettable evening of songs performed by three very unique and captivating artists.

Tickets are $20.00 for all shows.

For tickets/reservations at The Hudson River Theater call 518.828.9550
For The Rosendale Café, tickets are available at the door on a first come, first serve basis. No reservations! Start your Memorial Day off with a bang and get there early for an evening of fun dining and some of the best entertainment the Hudson Valley has to offer.
For further information visit www.rosendalecafe.com and www.hudsonrivertheater.com

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Another lass who seems to be very popular with BowieNetters is Kristeen Young. She’s currently conquering London with a fairly heavy schedule which continues tomorrow (Monday) at the 12 Bar Club. Here are the details:

9th May (time tbc)
12 Bar Club
22-23 Denmark Place
Denmark Street
London WC2
020 7209 2248
Tube: Tottenham Court Road

Kristeen has another ten or so shows in London over the month of May. Click on the image above to find out when and where you can catch the crazy lady next.

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More live action from the popular Bowie tribute acts this month too. First up, David Brighton’s Space Oddity has a show in Palm Springs this coming Saturday. Here’s the low-down:

Space Oddity – David Brighton‘s tribute To David Bowie will be performing on May 14th at:

SPA RESORT CASINO
(CASCADE LOUNGE)
Show times: 8:00pm and 10:00 pm
401 E. Amado Road
Palm Springs, CA USA 92262
Phone: 760-883-1000
www.DavidBowieTribute.com
bowielive@aol.com

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Laurence Bolwell and The Bowie Experience have a very busy May ahead of them. Here are the remaining dates:

Thursday 12th – Laurence – The Phoenix Hotel, 15 Fore Street, Chard, Somerset – Tel 01460 66444
Saturday 14th – Laurence as David Bowie & as Laurence – The Jailhouse Rock, 44 High Street, Hornchurch, Essex – 0114 2472365
Friday 20th – Laurence – The Spice Ship, 240 Preston Road, Preston, N`r Weymouth, Dorset – Tel 01305 834651
Saturday 21st – Laurence – The Old Barn Club, Old Barn Way, Yeovil, Somerset – Tel 01935 474764
Friday 27th – Laurence – The Ilchester Arms Hotel, 9 Market St, Abbotsbury, Dorset. – Tel 01305 871243
Saturday 28th – Bowiexp as 4 piece – The Shed, Wedgebury Way, Silver End, Brierley Hill, West Midlands – Tel 01384 482443 www.shedsounds.com
Sunday 29th – Bowiexp as 5 piece – Mr Kyps, 8a Parr Street, Lower Parkstone, Poole, Dorset – Tel 01202 748945 www.mrkyps.net

Don’t forget to keep an eye on the websites of these artists for more up-to-date information than I can give you.

And a loser I will be, For I’ve never been a winner in my life…

OK – I think it’s about time to put you out of your misery with the draw that we set last week. (04.22.05 NEWS: PSSST! WANNA WIN A BIT OF ULTRA-RARE BOWIE VINYL?) .

Very popular contest this, didn’t realise there were still so many vinyl collectors out there. The entries were split pretty much equally between the set of six albums and the withdrawn Hunky Dory.

If it’s true that the value of something can be measured by what somebody is willing to pay for it, then the withdrawn Hunky Dory is already worth £500! ($946) For that is the amount I was offered to throw the contest in the direction of one cheeky person who isn’t even a BowieNetter! Needless to say I declined.

And so onto the winners selected by the irreproachable Random Selector, to whom financial bribes mean absolutely nothing. A fresh can of oil on the other hand…

First up, the complete set of six Simply Vinyl limited edition albums, from Space Oddity to Pin-Ups, pressed on 180g virgin vinyl, housed in high quality faithfully reproduced covers, with lyric sheet inserts and sealed in heavy duty PVC outers. I’ve only managed to find one full set like this on eBay, for which the “Buy It Now” price is $229.99…and the winner is paulbeard.

On to that impossibly rare withdrawn Hunky Dory, that at least one person on earth is willing to pay $946 for! Hopefully, the winner, nightlight, will be more than happy to hang on to this copy and not be tempted by offers of cash…because one thing’s for sure, they won’t see another copy anytime soon.

Well done folks, if both of you could furnish me with your real name and address (if you haven’t already) you’ll have your booty faster than you can say Simply Vinyl…as long as you say it very, very slowly.

I see you see me through your camera…

Redferns, the organisers of the David Bowie photographic retrospective, David Bowie: Pin Up, have kindly agreed to a special BowieNet only view at the gallery on the afternoon of Saturday June 25th.

This means that a group of around fifty BowieNetters will be able to browse the pictures in relative comfort, without having to rub shoulders with the hoi polloi. };-)

Spaces are strictly limited and will be selected randomly from a list of those of you wishing to attend…presuming there are fifty of you who would want to be there on that particular day.

I’ll treat this like a normal contest and we’ll leave the books open until the end of May to give you plenty of time to be sure you can definitely attend before you put your name forward.

Once you’re positive you will be able to make it on the day, send an e-mail to me at TotalBlamBlam@davidbowie.com with a subject line of “I wanna be at the BowieNet view”.

Usual rules apply: Only one entry per BowieNet account and please remember to enter using your BowieNet e-mail or at least supply your BowieNet user name.

See my original news piece for the very impressive list of contributors to the show. (03.30.05 NEWS: SUMMER BOWIE PHOTOGRAPHIC RETROSPECTIVE)

David’s old manager from the sixties is the latest addition to the list of photographers, and while we all know he took some absolutely stunning shots of David, (like the one above) I don’t have a clue which particular pictures he has selected for the show.

I’ll post the list of fifty winners at the beginning of June. Speaking of winners…

Somebody plays my song in tune…

A region 1 two-Disc Special Edition DVD of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is released in the US and Canada next Tuesday, May 10th.

There will also be a single disc version for those that would rather save the $3 difference to spend on something else…though you would have to be clinically insane not to plum for the two-disc set, which contains the following features:

~ Available subtitles: Spanish, French
~ Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS 5.1)
~ Ten Deleted Scenes
~ Interview with the Cast and Crew with Behind-the-Scenes Footage
~ Select Scene Commentary with Director Wes Anderson
~ Ten David Bowie Songs performed by Brazilian recording artist Seu Jorge
~ Interview with composer and Devo member Mark Mothersbaugh
~ Mondo Monda – Italian TV Interview
~ This Is An Adventure – A Making of A Documentary by Albert Maysles
~ Fold-Out Insert with cutaway of The Belafonte with Eric Anderson’s original illustrations
~ Behind-the-Scenes photos and original artwork
~ Theatrical Trailer
~ Intern Video Journal by Actor and Real Life Intern Matthew Gray Gubler
~ Number of discs: 2

Apparently the Bowie songs performed by Seu Jorge are the full versions.

A region 2 single disc version will be released on July 4th.