Month: November 2014

 

“All the days of my life“

 

Issue #46 of Dutch magazine, VARAgids, boasts four different Bowie covers for a six-page feature (plus a single page contest), wherein over forty experts, musicians and famous Bowie enthusiasts, choose the fifteen best ever Bowie songs.

Each front cover has the enigmatic line: Hero for 24,779 days. This is reference to the total number of days between Wednesday, January 8th, 1947 (Bowie’s birthdate), and Tuesday, November 11th, 2014 (publication date of this issue).

Each of the covers follows the same theme thus…

 

1965, the 6,629th day

1973, the 9,763th day

1983, the 13,142th day

1995, the 17,737th day

 

You do the math, as they say somewhere or other.

 

If you don’t want a spoiler for that top 15, then stop reading now as we have the full list below in descending order.

 

15 Let’s Dance (1983)

Album: Let’s Dance

14 Sound and Vision (1977)

Album: Low

13 Ziggy Stardust (1972)

Album: Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars

12 Young Americans (1975)

Album: Young Americans

11 Changes (1971)

Album: Hunky Dory

10 Golden Years (1976)

Album: Station To Station

9 Starman (1972).

Album: Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars

8 The Man Who Sold The World (1971)

Album: The Man Who Sold The World

7 Wild Is The Wind (1976)

Album: Station To Station

6 This Is Not America (with The Pat Metheny Group) (1985)

Album: The Falcon And The Snowman, Soundtrack

5 Ashes To Ashes (1980)

Album: Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

4 Life On Mars? (1971)

Album: Hunky Dory

3 The Jean Genie (1973)

Album: Aladdin Sane

2 Space Oddity (1969)

Album: David Bowie

1 “Heroes” (1977)

Album: ‘Heroes’

 

Listen to all fifteen on Spotify now: http://smarturl.it/VARAgids15Spotify

 

“It’s Monday“

 

If you’re in the UK, you can’t have failed to notice via the likes of the two-page Music Week advert and the spate of various TV adverts for Nothing Has Changed – The Very Best of Bowie, that the album is released there today.

Indeed, the single, Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime), and the album, Nothing Has Changed – The Very Best of Bowie, are both released today (Monday November 17) in the ten territories listed below.

 

Czech Republic

Denmark (Digital 14th)

France

Hungary

Hong Kong

Italy

Norway

Poland

South Africa

UK

 

Italy has apparently moved their release date forward a day to today, though their TV ad seems to suggest the 18th.

For those of you wanting to purchase either the single or the album, or both, go here for buy links and to view the video for Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime).

More information regarding other release dates to follow.

 

#NothingHasChanged

#BowieSueVideo  

 

“It’s happening now“

 

The single, Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime), and the album, Nothing Has Changed – The Very Best of Bowie, are both released today (Friday November 14) in the nine territories listed below.

 

Austria

Australia

Belgium

Finland

Germany

Ireland

Netherlands (Digital 17th)

New Zealand

Switzerland

 

For those of you wanting to purchase either the single or the album, or both, go here for buy links and to view the video for Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime).

 

#BowieSueVideo  

 

“Bow wow, woof woof“

 

As we mentioned previously, the Duffy Archive has made a generous offer to users of DavidBowie.com.

If you’ve not yet had a chance to see the remarkable Duffy/Bowie – Five Sessions book by Kevin Cann and Chris Duffy, then frankly, you’re missing out.

This fine publication is filled with wonderful recollections from the people who were present during the making of these iconic Brian Duffy images.

Five Sessions provides fascinating insights into the three album sleeve collaborations for Aladdin Sane (1973), Lodger (1979)  and Scary Monsters (1980). It also features sessions from 1972 and 1975.

The recently uncovered shot here of David with a Scottie Dog in London, 1979, is being made available exclusively to BowieNetters.

There is a separate offer for copies of the book signed by Kevin Cann and Chris Duffy, coupled with various other prints of Bowie.

So if you’re looking for something special for the Duffy-loving, Bowie fan friend or family member in your life, or perhaps you would just like to treat yourself, take a look at both the offers available exclusively to visitors of DavidBowie.com.

 

When prompted, enter the password: BOWIENET (all caps)

 

Offer 1: Signed Book & Mounted Print Offer

Offer 2: Bowie with Scottie Dog print

 

It should be noted that you can take advantage of both offers if you so wish.

 

“I kissed your face“

 

It is with much pleasure that we can announce the video premiere of Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) and publish a couple of beautiful new Jimmy King shots of David while we’re about it. (Scroll images to for more)

If you’re antsy to see the video immediately, go here now.

 

Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime), as you are well aware by now, is the new single from David Bowie taken from the forthcoming definitive collection of Bowie’s music, Nothing Has Changed.

The song was recorded earlier this year with the Maria Schneider Orchestra and produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti.

Shot in London, the film was directed by Tom Hingston and features studio footage from Jimmy King of David and the Maria Schneider orchestra in New York.

Earlier this week Bowie revealed the demo track ’Tis A Pity She Was A Whore, which is also featured on the limited edition 10’ single and digital bundle of Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime).

Watch the video here now, if you’re not already there!

 

#BowieSueVideo

 

 

“Ain’t that poster love?“

 

The new issue of NME (Out Nov 12, issue dated Nov 15) has a full four pages of classic Duffy/Bowie photographs in celebration of the quite beautiful Duffy/Bowie – Five Sessions book by Kevin Cann & Chris Duffy.

They also have details of an offer for the book within their pages, but you’ll have to buy the magazine for more details of that.

Meanwhile, stay tuned for a generous offer from the Duffy Archive for Bowie Fans.

 

“’tis my face I suppose”

 

’Tis A Pity She Was A Whore is available now as a digital download from your preferred digital emporium.

Officially released in the UK on November 10th, the track will be made available in the US the following day.

For those of you that would rather taste before you buy, don’t forget that BBC Radio 6 Music has the worldwide radio premiere of the track on the Shaun Keaveny show on Monday morning (Monday the 10th) from 7:00am UK time.

Meanwhile, we’ll leave you with the official blurb that sheds light on the inspiration for that title.

 

DAVID BOWIE ‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE’ – DIGITAL DOWNLOAD AVAILABLE NOW

 

‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE is a brand new demo track from DAVID BOWIE available for digital download now and taken from the forthcoming limited edition 10” single of SUE (OR IN A SEASON OF CRIME) which is released on Parlophone on November 17th.

 

‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE is described by Bowie as “If Vorticists wrote Rock Music it might have sounded like this”.

 

The song acknowledges the shocking rawness of the First World War and the title is a play on ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore’ a John Ford Restoration play first performed in 1629 at the Cockpit Theatre in London. The demo track was recorded, played and written by David Bowie in his home studio.

 

The artwork for ‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE was again designed by Jonathan Barnbrook continuing the linking theme of the NOTHING HAS CHANGED sleeves of Bowie looking into a mirror.

 

‘TIS A PITY SHE WAS A WHORE is also featured on the limited edition 10’ single and digital bundle of SUE (OR IN A SEASON OF CRIME) which was described by The Daily Telegraph as “the latest example of Bowie’s genius for self-reinvention. Yes, there’s the sound of a big band in the background, but it’s a deeply strange sound, without a trace of nostalgia. And as for the voice, it’s as uncanny as ever, but freighted with decades of experience. The song seems familiar and deeply strange at once, with an extraordinary blend of nostalgia and irony. If jazz is the “sound of surprise”, then Bowie has certainly found it”.

 

“Hold your mad hands”

 

Many thanks to Shaun Keaveny and BBC Radio 6 Music for premiering ’Tis A Pity She Was A Whore in the UK this morning, and for the much appreciated continued support of David Bowie. Indeed, Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime) has been on the 6 Music ‘A’ Playlist for the past month. 

Shaun’s co-presenter, Matt Everitt, created a new possibility when he unintentionally misquoted Bowie thus: “If Vorticists wrote Roxy Music it might have sounded like this”! He was quick to correct Roxy to Rock. Describing the track as “brilliant”, Matt also explained to Shaun exactly what a Vorticist is/was.

You can listen to the show again here. The Bowie section begins at 02:48:15

As we pointed out previously, the track is available now (Tuesday in North America) via the usual digital outlets, and here is the global iTunes link.

’Tis A Pity She Was A Whore is taken from the forthcoming limited edition 10” single of Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime), which is released via Parlophone on November 17th.

 

“Sordid details following”

 

Stay tuned for more regarding this in the next couple of days.

 

“Little me is waiting”

 

On this day in 1967 David Bowie recorded his first Dutch TV appearance for a show called Fan Club.

He performed the song Love You Till Tuesday, which had been released as a single in The Netherlands the previous month.

Bowie is pictured here relaxing on the set of the show and there are other shots of him with John Walker who had recorded a solo spot for Fan Club following the split of The Walker Brothers.

The show was broadcast later that month, but sadly it’s another of Bowie’s TV performances that seems to have been lost forever…unless you know differently?