Month: June 2008

We were so turned on…

Need I say any more? I think it’s all in the headline and you should be able to read the above text from the current issue of NME.

Of course, this isn’t the first time the Elbow singer has praised David Bowie’s classic 1971 album, Hunky Dory. He did a similar thing in the April edition of UNCUT and he chose Changes for UNCUT’s Thirty Greatest Bowie Songs in June’s special Bowie edition. (04.29.2008 REMINDER: BOWIE’S 30 GREATEST SONGS IN UNCUT & 04.18.2008 NEWS: BOWIE’S 30 GREATEST SONGS IN UNCUT NEXT WEEK)

Guy also nailed his colours firmly to the mast for the BBC’s David Bowie Day on 6 Music back in November 2004 (07.11.2004 NEWS: BBC 6 MUSIC BOWIE DAY …LISTEN AGAIN) when Elbow performed a great version of The Bewlay Brothers.

Actually, you may remember that Ian Mcculloch performed Changes on that very same show proving that his love for Bowie hasn’t waned since 1972. Ian can currently be heard performing in the Songbook series on the Sky Arts TV channel where he again reiterates the importance of David Bowie’s music and how it informed his own ideas of songwriting.

For I’ve never been a winner in my life…

Being the last week of our ten-week Rex Ray contest (04.06.2008 NEWS: THE GREAT REX RAY GIVE-AWAY STARTS TODAY) things are sad enough without me wittering on.

Having said that, I’m sure you will all want to join me in thanking Rex for his extraordinary generosity one last time…and also many thanx to DB for signing all of the prints.

And so, straight on to our final winner who is now the proud owner of the above AP which we told you all about last week. (06.08.2008 NEWS: REX RAY GIVE-AWAY PART 9 WINNER – PART 10 IS GO)

Of all of the contests so far this year, this particular contest will remain with us the longest…because not only is it…not only is it the last contest of the year…Ooops, sorry. Got carried away.

The winner is: tonyday

I’m sure you’ll all want to join me in wishing tonyday hadn’t won…So undeserving of such a wonderful prize. But, The Random Generator has spoken and the result is what it is and can’t be changed.

Well done tonyday, I suppose. Don’t bother sending us your real name and address, I’ll hand your prize over if ever I bump into you again.

Tune in next Sunday for nothing in particular.

I heard Repetition, Life On Mars, favourite melodies…

David Bowie is the subject of an upcoming Mail On Sunday cover-mount CD in the UK. But, rather than follow the usual format, David decided to select twelve of his own favourite Bowie recordings.

Called iSELECTBOWIE, (see above) the twelve track CD contains a brand new re-recording of Time Will Crawl. Here’s what DB says about this new version of the track which was originally a 1987 single release from Never Let Me Down…

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Time Will Crawl (MM Remix)
Produced by David Bowie.
Recorded & mixed by Mario J McNulty.
String arrangements by Gregor Kitziz.
String Quartet: Martha Mooke/Krista Bennion Feeney/Robert
Chausow/Matthew Goeke.
Drums: Sterling Campbell.

“There are a host of songs that I?ve recorded over the years that for one reason or another (clenched teeth) I?ve often wanted to re-record some time in the future. This track from ?Never Let Me Down? is one of those. I?ve replaced the drum machine with true drums and added some crickety strings and remixed. I?m very fond of this new version with its Neil Young of Shortlands accents. Oh, to redo the rest of that album.

One Saturday afternoon in April 1986, along with some other musicians I was taking a break from recording at Montreux studios in Switzerland. It was a beautiful day and we were outside on a small piece of lawn facing the Alps and the lake. Our engineer, who had been listening to the radio, shot out of the studio door and shouted, ?There?s a whole lot of shit going on in Russia.? The Swiss news had picked up a Norwegian radio station that was screaming for anyone who would listen that huge billowing clouds were moving over from the Motherland and they weren?t rain clouds. This was the first news in Europe of the satanic Chernobyl.

I phoned a writer friend of mine in London but he hadn?t heard anything about it. It wasn?t for many more hours that the story started trickling out as major news. For those first few moments it felt sort of claustrophobic to know that you are one of only a few witnesses to something of this magnitude. Over the next couple of months a complicated crucible of impressions collected in my head prompted by this insanity any one of which could have become a song. I stuck them all in ?Time Will Crawl?. That last sentence rhymes.” – David Bowie 2008

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We’ll post one or two more of David’s song annotations ahead of the Sunday 29th June publication date, when you will be able to read his comments on all twelve of the following tracks which make up iSELECTBOWIE.

01 – Life On Mars?
02 – Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing
03 – The Bewlay Brothers
04 – Lady Grinning Soul
05 – Win
06 – Some Are
07 – Teenage Wildlife
08 – Repetition
09 – Fantastic Voyage
10 – Loving The Alien
11 – Time Will Crawl (MM Remix)
12 – Hang On To Yourself (From David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72)

That’s what I call an impressive introduction to David Bowie’s music. Then again, DB has always had remarkably good taste when it comes to other people’s stuff, so why not his own?

This coming Sunday, a week before the Mail On Sunday publishes iSELECTBOWIE, there will be a Bowie feature in the Mail On Sunday Live magazine.

He played it left hand…

Not having an XBOX 360, I have to admit that I’m not particularly familiar with the hugely popular ROCK BAND game. However, if you’re in the UK (I don’t know about the rest of the world) it’s kind of hard to escape the TV advertising which utilises David Bowie’s Suffragette City to great effect.

I’m sure you know the gist of the game, even if you’re not a regular player. Using a dummy guitar, bass, drums or microphone, participants are encouraged to hone their playing ability by joining in with the on-screen action.

Suffragette City seems to be the voice of the advertising campaign, as you can see from these YouTube entries…

ROCK BAND UK TV Ad (Full version)

ROCK BAND UK TV Ad (30 second version)

There’s even a video of the full length onscreen version viewable here.

Other Bowie tracks available to play along with are Moonage Daydream, “Heroes” and Queen Bitch.

Finally, if you’re in the UK you can join in the fun live at various locations with ROCK BAND live.

As lonely as a moon…

Director Duncan Jones is over the, erm…moon with the confirmation that he has successfully enlisted the services of Clint Mansell to score his first feature length film. (03.12.2008 NEWS: FILMING WRAPS ON DUNCAN JONES’ SCI-FI THRILLER, MOON & 04.12.2008 NEWS: SPACEFACE INTERVIEWS DUNCAN JONES FOR COLLECTIVE)

I’m sure many of you will be aware of Mansell’s work on the two Darren Aronofsky‘s classics, Requiem For A Dream and Pi.

Those not familiar with those particular works have most likely heard something of the former Pop Will Eat Itself‘s frontman via the piece Lux Aeterna, (originally scored for Requiem For A Dream) which has been used in various incarnations including the trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and also the trailer for the Red Sox-Yankee games in the 2007 baseball season. Not to mention trailers for the films Zathura, The Da Vinci Code, Sunshine and the TV series Lost. The piece is also used on Sky Sports News and as the theme for Soccer Saturday.

Other news you may have missed is that Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has bought the distribution rights in all English-speaking territories for Moon. Independent Film Co. will handle all other territories.

Moon is set in the near future, and follows the story of a man isolated on a moon base where the precious gas that holds the key to reversing the Earth’s energy crisis is mined. The film stars Sam Rockwell (pictured above right with Jones) as that man and the tagline describes him as somebody who is “lonely but not alone”.

There is already a distinct buzz (no pun intended) about Liberty Film‘s first venture into the world of feature films, perhaps best summed up by a bit in the current issue of UNCUT’s The Must List, wherein they say: “Word reaches us to expect great things from the forthcoming sci-fi thriller, Moon.”.

Well, ain’t that poster love?

With a little over a fortnight to go until the UK/European release of David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72, (North America/Canada is scheduled for July 22nd) we can now give you details of the limited edition vinyl issue of the album.

The heavyweight double vinyl LP will come in a non-gatefold wide spine sleeve which will include a large folded (six panels) reproduction of the above George Underwood-designed DAVID BOWIE LIVE poster.

The vinyl itself will be housed in two inner sleeves which will each be printed with one half of George’s original Live 72 album sleeve design while the reverse side of each inner will feature Jon Levicke‘s photographs.

The cover will be the same design as the CD and, like the CD, it will also be numbered.

Stay tuned for a BowieNet contest to win signed copies of both the CD and the vinyl.

There will also be a separate contest for copies of the vinyl aimed at North American/Canadian members who will need cheering up somehow…seeing as they will have to wait a whole month longer than everybody else.

For those not signed up for the DavidBowie.com e-mail newsletter, you may not know about the deals in the BowieStore right now. Here a couple of links from the last e-mail blast that may interest you…

Pre-Order David Bowie – Live Santa Monica
To celebrate the upcoming release of David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72, the Bowie online store is offering a 25% discount on all posters and accessories until the album’s July 22 (U.S.) release date. While you’re taking advantage of the discount, make sure to guarantee yourself a copy of Bowie’s latest offering before it comes out…they are numbered you know.

Pre-Order David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72 T-Shirt
Be the first to get your hands on this EXCLUSIVE David Bowie T-shirt, only available through this pre-order. The shirt is charcoal grey and has the David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72 album art printed on the front.

That’s the T-shirt in the montage above, and very lovely it looks too. Stay tuned for those contests shortly.

Show me you’re real…

While recent news of a deal between the BBC and EMI may be true enough, the details in an item in The Times aren’t completely accurate.

The newspaper reports that the BBC will make available to EMI all its television and radio archives. Good news indeed. They then go on to say…

“Highlights of the BBC archive include behind-the-scenes footage of David Bowie?s 1974 Diamond Dogs tour, which will be released for sale in CD, DVD and downloadable formats. A BBC Omnibus documentary crew filmed the tour in a period when the singer was using cocaine. The result was the film Cracked Actor.”

Sadly, this seems like a bit of wishful thinking. There are no plans to release Cracked Actor in any format and it isn’t on EMI’s schedule list.

I’m afraid the classic Alan Yentob Omnibus documentary, (first shown in 1975) won’t be available commercially in the near or foreseeable future.

There’ll be others on the line filing past, who’ll whisper ‘Low’…

This interview was posted by BowieNetter Gaz on the MBs yesterday, but it’s still worth a look for those that missed it.

Following on from The Sunday Times recognition of Low, (06.08.2008 NEWS: SUNDAY TIMES SAYS LOW IS BEST ALBUM EVER MADE) it seems Thomas Dolby, (pictured above hogging the shadows at the 2000 BowieNet show at The Roseland in NYC) is in agreement with Mark Edwards regarding the importance of the album. Here’s an excerpt…

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The creative masterpiece you wish bore your signature?

Side two of Low by David Bowie. Speaking of Heroes (!) and Eno? Bowie is one hero I?ve met that did not disappoint. He was a total gentleman, and very smart and funny, as well. I played with him at Live Aid at Wembley. We had almost no rehearsal, and I was petrified. I had to open the set with the solo piano intro of ?TVC15?, which is pushing the boundaries of my ability. But somehow, staring out across those tens of thousands of people, my adolescent muscle memory just kicked in and my fingers played themselves.

Low was the most influential of all Bowie?s albums. It was a complete revolution. The first time electronic music techniques had really been applied to pop music. And side two was effectively the first time ambient music hit the mainstream. Plus the album was laden with hits like ?Sound and Vision?.

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While we’re on the subject, Looks like that reversed Low cover I highlighted in aforementioned Sunday Times news piece may actually exist. Look at this page on Record-Producer.com that has a feature regarding Tony Visconti‘s production of Low.

If anybody has this reversed version and is distressed that it is the wrong way round, I’d be willing to swap for a mint condition normal cover! 😉

Seriuosly though, if you have a copy or even if you’ve just seen one in the real world please let us know.

Living in a golden age, the golden age, the golden age now…

This item very nearly got away…But, it’s still well worth a mention now.

The Observer in the UK recently took a look back at the Meltdown festival over the last fifteen years and they managed to get quotations from a few of the curators too. Here’s what David Bowie had to say about his missed opportunity to wow audiences with British music from days of yore…

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“One thing I regret now is that I didn’t do a ‘British Rock in the Movies’ week. It could have provided more than a couple of smiles. How about 1958’s The Golden Disc, where pop star Terry Dene has to move over for Ginger Baker’s mentor Phil Seamon and his band? Nice.”

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Above is the poster for The In-Between Age, aka The Golden Disc, introducing Terry Dene. Phil Seamon and His Jazz Group are indeed listed as playing themselves in the movie and I for one am gutted that DB didn’t pull this one off. Still, never say never.

All you’ve got to do is win…

Sadly, it’s the very last instalment of our ten week Rex Ray contest. (04.06.2008 NEWS: THE GREAT REX RAY GIVE-AWAY STARTS TODAY)

I’m sure you will all want to join me in thanking Rex for his extraordinary generosity…not to mention talent…and many thanx to DB for agreeing to sign them all.

But before the final part, the winner of the above unique and highly-collectable artist’s proof of yet another unpublished portrait by Rex, signed by both DB and Rex in 2006.

And the winner is: joan1e

Well done joan1e, please send us your real name and address and we’ll have your prize flying to you like a mad thing.

Above is the last of the APs, and, as ever, signed by them both in 2006. As I’ve said previously, as far as I am aware there are no more than three or four of these in existence.

This particular print is unusual in that Rex has utilised some of DB’s live notes as part of the design. He’s also stuck a row of power socket/plug things on top of the whole design (graphically, not actually) which is probably some weird designery type comment on the Bowie classic, Are ‘Friends’ Electric?

Anyway, all you have to do to be in with a chance of being the last winner and claiming the above, is contact me here before midnight NY time on Saturday June 14th.

Usual BowieNet rules apply: Only one entry per BowieNet account per week, and please remember you must enter using your BowieNet e-mail or at least supply your BowieNet user name. If you do neither of these things you won’t be eligible to enter.

The tenth and final winner will be announced next Sunday June the 15th and lord knows what we’ll do every Sunday after that!