Month: January 2006

Put on a romantic vinyl…

We’ve plugged Kashmir more than once over the past year here on BowieNet (09.02.05 NEWS: TV TALKS ABOUT KASHMIR’S SPECIAL GUESTS & 10.04.05 NEWS: HEAR NINETY SECOND SNIPPET OF THE CYNIC & 10.10.2005 NEWS: WIN ONE OF TEN COPIES OF NO BALANCE PALACE) not only because of producer Tony Visconti produce their No Balance Palance album, but because their track The Cynic features David Bowie on vocals.

Now available as the second single from the album, the European 4-track CD single features the following four tracks:

01 The Cynic (featuring David Bowie)
02 Supergirl – (demonstrations skizze)
03 Snowman – (organic draft)
04 The Dusk Hour – (sidestep walk)

There is also a limited edition 7″ 45 single available now, and the track recently topped the Swedish downlaod chart.

Visitors to the BowieNet message boards will already know about the rather cool video for The Cynic on the official Kashmir site, thanks to a posting by j_lope.

The 4:48 minute film has been cleverly created in the style of the No Balance Palace album graphics, and also features David Bowie in one of his most animated performances to date. You can check it out by clicking on The Cynic single cover above.

The Children of the summer’s end, Gathered in the dampened grass…

Julien Temple‘s Glastonbury film has just ended a successful run at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema – Documentary category.

The 135 minute film is now planned for the Berlin Film Festival on February 10th and 11th and is scheduled for an April 14th nation-wide UK cinema release via Pathe.

DB’s performance of “Heroes” from his triumphant appearance on Sunday June 25th 2000 at the famous festival (above) “features prominently towards the end of the film,” according to a marketing spokesman for Hanway Films.

The film itself follows the evolution of the festival since it began in 1970, through both professional footage and home videos collected from festival-goers. “I think the festival does bring together a certain kind of free-thinking Englishness that in a very interesting way mirrors the changes that have happened in the wider culture,” says Temple.

It was ragged and naive, It was Heaven…

Julien first attended the festival as a university student in June 1971 when he ran away from school to join 12,000 free-spirited music fans at the Glastonbury Fayre at Worthy Farm in Somerset.

The atmosphere “affected me deeply”, he says, and he clearly remembers waking up at dawn on the morning of the 23rd to see David Bowie on stage:

“There was this sense of the festival being very much one connected event and everyone waking each other up and saying ‘you’ve got to see this guy, he’s amazing. And he was.”

Julien remained impressed enough to work with David almost 25 years later on more than occasion.

Sadly it seems that 1971 performance wasn’t captured on film by a documentary crew present at the time that included one Nicolas Roeg among its number.

However, David’s set was recorded on audio tape which was generally reported to run as the list below, and included an unscheduled appearance by an enthusiastic lady during Oh! You Pretty Things who seemed to have enjoyed the local herbs…the performance was also remembered by David for a break in the set while he tried to remove a flying insect of some kind from his keyboard!:

Oh! You Pretty Things
Kooks
Changes
Amsterdam
The Supermen
Memory Of A Free Festival
Song For Bob Dylan

There is some debate as to how accurate this setlist is, as some think David may have also performed Bombers. Perhaps we’ll find out one day, as tantalisingly stated by the organisers in one of the inserts for the triple LP, Revelations – A Musical Anthology For Glastonbury Fayre, “The live tape recorded at Glastonbury will remain in our vaults until the revolution.”

Although they continued to express their gratitude to David for his performance thus: “Along with the several hundred sleepy hippies who saw and heard David at Glastonbury Fayre we’d like to say thankyou to a magic gentleman…”

As you all know, while Revelations had none of DB’s 1971 performance, it did include a contribution from him in the form of a specially re-recorded Spiders version of The Superman, which later surface as a bonus track on the Ryko version of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and on the 2002 30th Anniversary 2CD Edition of same.

The same Revelations booklet included the above shot of David outside Worthy Farm itself, site of the Glastonbury Fayre which numbered 12,000 fans in 1971 and enjoyed 112,000 paying customers last year.

Many thanks to BowieNetter Zardoz for his pointer to a BBC story about Julien’s film here.

Mannequins with kill appeal…

Those of you in Montréal tomorrow night like to know that The Diamond Dogs will be barking up your tree at the SOFA BAR.

Here’s the stuff you need to know if you fancy going along to check out these cats…erm…dogs I mean…

The Diamond Dogs in Montréal with David Mollet as David Bowie
Thursday January 26th @ 9:30pm at SOFA BAR
(451 Rachel East; corner Rivard, close to St-Denis)
Cover charge: $7
Tickets on sale at SOFA BAR
Further info: The Diamond Dogs

If you’re intending to attend, why not send in some snaps, or a report, or both?

Everyone says “hi”, And the girl next door, And the guy upstairs…

Two compilations containing Bowie music are released this week. First up (out on Jan 23rd) is the Double Disc Special Edition of the 1990 Pretty Woman soundtrack.

Originally released as a single disc and premiering the Fame 90 (Gass Mix), the album now has a second disc “featuring tracks from and inspired by Pretty Woman”. Not having seen the film (honest), I imagine the inclusion of Let’s Dance (Single Version) on the bonus CD means it did feature in the film, as opposed to being inspired by it.

Here’s the full tracklisting for those interested, though I should warn the squeamish to look away now as it contains tracks by Kenny G, Phil Collins, Huey Lewis and Peter Cetera, to name just some of the shite on it…

Disc 1
01 Wild Women Do (New Ric Wake Mix) – Natalie Cole
02 Fame 90 (Gass Mix) – David Bowie
03 The King Of Wishful Thinking – Go West
04 Tangled – Jane Wiedlin
05 It Must Have Been Love – Roxette
06 Life In Detail – Robert Palmer
07 No Explanation – Peter Cetera
08 Real Wild Child (Wild One) – Christopher Otcasek
09 Fallen – Lauren Wood
10 Oh Pretty Woman – Roy Orbison
11 Show Me Your Soul – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Disc 2
01 Heaven Is A Place On Earth – Belinda Carlisle
02 Call Me – Blondie
03 Let’s Dance (Single Version) – David Bowie
04 Kiss – Prince & The Revolution
05 What’s Love Got To Do With It – Tina Turner
06 Would I Lie To You? (Original Version) (Edit) – Charles & Eddie
07 The Power Of Love – Huey Lewis & The News
08 Can’t Help Falling In Love – UB40
09 Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) – Phil Collins
10 When You Tell Me That You Love Me – Diana Ross
11 White Wedding – Part 1 – Billy Idol
12 Listen To Your Heart – Roxette
13 We Belong – Pat Benatar
14 Songbird – Kenny G

An altogether more tasteful affair, imho, is also a double CD compiled by another DJ from Ireland’s Today FM radio station. (11.04.05 NEWS: BOWIE TRACKS ON THREE NEW COMPILATIONS)

Hot on the heels of Ian Dempsey’s Kick Start, The Definitive Tom Dunne – Vol. 01 Pet Picks 2000 ? 2006 (out on Jan 27th) is an album which claims to contain “36 modern alternative classics” representing “The best of the decade so far”.

Well, that may be debatable, but here’s a short review of this rather splendid release from www.imro.ie anyway…

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Following the success of 2005?s ?Alternative Irish Anthems?, Tom Dunne returns with another immaculately collated compilation.

This is the holy grail of alternative music for all Tom?s disciples. Curated by the man himself, with extensive listener input; the passion for the music really comes through. The Today FM ?Pet Sounds? audience are a discerning bunch and this compilation is tailored to satiate their need for only the very best in leftfield and alternative rock ?n? roll.

The tune selection has been drafted, crafted, tweaked, peaked, styled and compiled from over 3,000 hours of music played on the show in the first half of the decade.

Spanning the modern rock idiom, with all its nuances and sub – genres, this 2CD album is the 120 minute guide to twenty first century rock ?n? roll that will hold your attention and leave you wanting more.

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As you can see from the tracklisting below, David Bowie is represented by the very moving Everyone Says “Hi”.

Disc 1
01 Modest Mouse – Float On
02 Delays – Long Time Coming
03 Razorlight – Somewhere Else
04 Stereophonics – Dakota
05 Doves – There Goes The Fear
06 Badly Drawn Boy – Silent Sigh
07 Jose Gonzalez – Heartbeats
08 U2 – City Of Blinding Lights
09 PJ Harvey – A Place Called Home
10 Radiohead – There There
11 Sufjan Stevens – Chicago
12 Elliott Smith – Son Of Sam
13 Oasis – The Importance Of Being Idle
14 The Frames – Sideways Down
15 Brendan Benson – Cold Hands (Warm Heart)
16 David Bowie – Everyone Says “Hi”
17 Looper – Impossible Things # 2
18 Albert Niland – Wuthering Heights

Disc 2
01 Editors – Munich
02 Weezer – Island In The Sun
03 Primal Scream feat. Kate Moss – Some Velvet Morning
04 The Streets – Weak Become Heroes (Steve Osbourne Radio Mix)
05 Sebastian Tellier – La Ritournelle
06 Lambchop – Up With People (Zero 7 remix)
07 Ian Brown – F.E.A.R.
08 Sonic Youth – Unmade Bed
09 Super Furry Animals – Juxtaposed With U
10 Lemon Jelly – Nice Weather For Ducks
11 Shack – Lend’s Some Dough
12 Bell X1 – Bigger Than Me
13 Republic Of Loose – Comeback Girl
14 Alabama 3 – Woke Up This Morning
15 Calexico – Alone Again Or
16 Bic Runga – Sway
17 Aimee Mann & Michael Penn – Two Of Us
18 4 Hero Les Fleur

There ya go…something for everybody. Thanx yet again to BowieNetter Chris Gaffney for the news from The Emerald Isle.

Do you remember we another person…

The Sunday newspaper supplements in the UK have a couple of nice Bowie bits today. First up (above) The Observer Music Monthly has in its regular full-page FLASHBACK feature a piece written by one Michael Watts, the man responsible for that Melody Maker front page 34 years ago! (01.22.2002 NEWS: THE OUTING OF ZIGGY – 30 YEARS AGO TODAY!)

Illustrated with the very first Mick Rock photograph of a young pre-show Ziggy at Birmingham Town Hall on Friday March 17th 1972, (03.17.2002 NEWS: WHEN ROCK MET ZIGGY) and subtitled: On the cusp of fame, Bowie tells Melody Maker he’s gay – and changes pop for ever, here’s what Mr Watts had to say about that auspicious meeting with David all those years ago…

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Two confessions, mine first, as the author of the interview that broke the news: the original article now reads horribly coy.

I met Bowie in his publisher’s office, high above Regent Street. He was dolled up as Ziggy, before the world knew of rock stars from outer space. Skin-tight pantsuit, big hair, huge, red plastic boots – dazzling. Only recently had he stopped wearing a dress – ‘a man’s dress,’ he elaborated. He was charming, slightly flirtatious, but made me uncomfortable with myself. ‘Camp as a row of tents,’ I wrote – did I invent that phrase? – when I wanted to be unmanly and shout: he is unreservedly fabulous.

Soon he was coming out to me. ‘I’m gay,’ he said, ‘and always have been, even when I was David Jones.’ This sounds now like Daffyd in Little Britain, but it wasn’t comical then. In truth, I felt lucky. He’d almost spilled the beans to Jeremy magazine three years before. Did his admission matter? Well, laws on homosexuality had been reformed only five years previously. After Bowie came le deluge. He had shrewdly calculated the consequences, however. Busting taboos stokes the star-maker machinery. He was also just being honest. Sometimes, even in pop, honesty pays.

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Such sweet memories.

The Sunday Times Style magazine is also looking back to the Seventies today, asking ‘Where did all the beautiful people go?‘ with a piece about ‘The glamorous days of Studio 54’.

Illustrated by the above full-page photo of a very dapper DB and friend, the only Bowie mention in the piece is in this paragraph:

Anyone that has seen the charred carnage ? and there really is no other word for it ? escaping from underneath the numerous arches in Vauxhall at midday on Monday, after a full weekend?s tortuous excess at the pummelling gay clubs, will surely agree that it looks and sounds very much like where Dante put the sodomites in his vision of hell. It looks nothing like Bianca on a white horse, or a young David Bowie and Amanda Lear, posing by the velvet rope for the cameras. Maniacal nightclubs are horrid, period. And that, alas, is where rave culture, Studio 54?s direct legacy, took us.

Strange then that they settled on a picture of David with celebrated transvestite Romy Haag at the Alcazar club in Paris on May 15th 1976. New picture researcher please!

Please note, the bizarre pink stains on DB’s jacket are simply show-through from the preceding page during the scanning process, as opposed to an uncharacteristically colourful fashion statement from The Thin White Duke.

Here he comes, he’s all dressed in black…

David Bowie popped along to the Gallery at Hermes in New York last night to check out his old mucker’s new photography exhibition, Lou Reed: New York.

The event was also attended by Lou‘s partner Laurie Anderson and friends Julian Schnabel and Moby, as well as photographer Peter Beard and the very beautiful Carmen Dell-Orefice, among others.

Opening to the general public today (January 20th) Lou has two simultaneous exhibitions of his New York City photography all shot on a digital camera.

Aside from aforementioned Gallery at Hermes at 691 Madison Avenue, you can also check out Lou’s pictures, like the stunning shot above, at the Steven Kasher Gallery at 521 West 23 Street.

The exhibitions run until February 25th.

NB: BowieNet members can view a couple more unpublished pictures of David from last night on the MBs.

I’ve got Friday on my mind…

Space Oddity, David Brighton’s Tribute To David Bowie will play Santa Barbara on Friday. Over to Aladdin Bowie’s clothing, David Bedford, for the details…

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Space Oddity – David Brighton’s Tribute To David Bowie returns to Santa Barbara for a special evening of the sights and sounds of David Bowie.

From pre-Ziggy through the 80s, experience the Bowie spectacle with us…

January 20th
SOhO Restaurant and Music Club
Show time: 8:30pm
Opening act: The Fallout Police(a brilliant Police Tribute)
Admission: $10.00
1221 State Street, #205
Santa Barbara, CA 93101 USA
Phone (805) 962-7776
www.DavidBowieTribute.com

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One of these days these guys will venture over the water…I’m sure of it.

And I looked and frowned and the monster was me…

Inspired by an e-mail I received from BowieNetter, stephanlahaye, about this rather amusing Dutch site and the clever use of Bowie album covers therein, I thought the idea might be popular among some of the more resourceful BowieNetters among you.

I’ve kicked off proceedings on the MBs with the above effort of my pooch Henry who has unwittingly become half dog/half erm…dog!

There are no rules, just be sure to include a Bowie album cover of your choice and incorporate it in an original picture of your own creation.

Check out aforementioned Dutch site for many more examples and post your entry on the sticky MB post which can be reached by clicking on the reclining canine above.

You never know, the best effort may even be rewarded with a little something or other, just like BowieNetter juliedawn is going to be for being the first to locate the words psychodelicate and transformation! (01.08.06 NEWS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID BOWIE)

I hope I make it on my own…

David Bowie’s 7″ 45 single Can’t Help Thinking About Me was released forty years ago today, on January 14th 1966 as Pye 7N 17020. The flipside was And I Say To Myself, another Bowie-penned tune along with the A-side.

Officially issued as David Bowie with The Lower Third, (that’s what it says on the label) evidence points to the theory that this really should have been the first solo David Bowie release.

Promos of the single sport David Bowie alone, as does the front page NME advert for the single from my archives, (above) published the same day as the record was released.

Further evidence can be seen in the picture below from an article that appeared in a trade mag of March 3rd 1966, (kindly supplied by BowieNetter Shilo65) though David had parted company with the band by this time. It’s also interesting to note the missing G from the song title below, reflected by the appearance of an apostrophe in the actual copy.

Where are Pauline Williams and Mary McGukin now, that’s what I’d like to know.

In the event, the personal appearances the sharply-dressed young mod made, such as the one reported above, did nothing to ensure the success of Can’t Help Thinking About Me, despite three dubious weeks on the Melody Maker singles chart, a privilege which was allegedly bought with good hard cash!

The track has been re-issued numerous times in many different formats, and while one can expect to pay anything up to around $750 USD (£422 GBP) for a mint copy of the original UK release, a Japanese promo reissue complete with Ziggy era sleeve sold just last week for an astonishing $2,627.00 USD (£1,480 GBP)!!

David retained enough of a fondness for the song to resurrect a cracking version for the 1999 ‘hours…’ promotional tour, even if it did contain what he considered to be one of the very worst lines he had ever written in: “My girl calls my name ‘Hi Dave Drop in, see you around, come back, If you’re this way again'” …Indeed.

Q is out of sight and out of sounds…

(Ooops, this item should have gone live on the 6th…but due to a technological burp… Oh well, still worth posting. Better late, etc.)

The February edition of Q magazine has been published with what it reckons to be the 100 Greatest Albums Ever and sporting the above rather colourful Peter Blake cover.

These polls are kind of becoming meaningless, if they’re not already, as many publications have realised that this annual nonsense shifts copies and starts healthy debates on the state of rock music.

However, as stated in the headline, three Bowie albums make the list so I’m duty-bound to report. The albums are as follows: 41 Ziggy Stardust; 46 Hunky Dory; 80 Low.

I’m sure I don’t have to point out David’s involvement with two other albums that make the grade, Iggy Pop‘s Raw Power (95) and Lou Reed‘s Transformer (97), the latter helping DB to the position of fourth best producer in the list, behind George Martin, Nigel Godrich and Scott Litt.

Anyway, despite my earlier comments, I think it’s still cool to be recognised in this way, and here follows excerpts from the comments on all three albums…

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41 = The Rise And fall Of Ziggy Stardust And the Spiders From Mars
Ziggy Stardust’s flimsy saga of a band that made it and then fell apart was rock’n’roll’s first morality tale. Embracing both life’s big picture (the knowing swagger) and minutiae (Suffragette City’s “Wham bam, thank you, ma’am!”), the music was sensational and for all the ’70s trappings, it’s quality is timeless.

This was the sound of an artist shedding his quirky past in order to discover both style and substance. Bowie never looked back, while Ziggy spawned glam rock, Queen, multi-hued sexuality and the sense that rock could be dirty, flash and enormously popular at the same time.

46 = Hunky Dory
Multiple aliases followed, but Bowie’s fourth album was where he became Bowie: The Rock Star. From here on he’d pick and mix high and low art, gender bending, glam, kitsch and space-age woo-woo. It remains a firm favourite of fans, musicians and the artist himself.

80 = Low
Glam space cadets Bowie and Brian Eno were never going to make a conventional album. On Sound and Vision the Thin White Duke invented the “pop” end of new romanticism; on Warszawa and Weeping Wall, the “art”.

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So there you have it. If you want to find out what else made the Top 100, buy the magazine or try and work it out from the image above.