Month: September 2016

 

“The return of the thin white disc”

 

The headline says it all. However, the collectors among you may be pleased to learn that, in addition to the CD, vinyl LP and digital album configurations, there will also be a limited coloured vinyl pressing, wherein the third disc (of the four Bowie originals), is pressed on white vinyl. This version is available to pre-order via the David Bowie Store now.

 

All pre-orders will instantly receive downloads of the cast versions of Life On Mars? (sung by Sophia Anne Caruso) and Lazarus (sung by Michael C. Hall). Animated visuals for these two tracks have been created by album designer Jonathan Barnbrook.

 

Keep reading for the full press release containing links to the above and the unboxing video.

 

 

#LazarusMusical  #LazarusLondon  #LazarusSoundtrack  #Lazarus  #TMWFTE  #TJNewton  

 

 

 

LAZARUS CAST ALBUM PRE-ORDER LIVE NOW

 

Animated Visuals For Instant Grat Tracks “Life On Mars?” and “Lazarus” Designed By Jonathan Barnbrook Up Now 

 

Vinyl Unboxing Video revealed at:  http://smarturl.it/lazarusvinyl

 

2CD / 3LP Featuring Three Final David Bowie Recordings To Be Released October 21 On ISO / Columbia / RCA Records

 

Pre-orders are now live for the Lazarus Cast Album, featuring the cast and band of the original New York production performing their versions of the David Bowie songs from the show, out October 21 on ISO / Columbia / RCA Records. All pre-orders will instantly receive downloads of the cast versions of “Life On Mars?” (sung by Sophia Anne Caruso) and “Lazarus” (sung by Michael C. Hall). Animated visuals for these two tracks have been created by album designer Jonathan Barnbrook—who also worked with Bowie on the ★, The Next Day, Heathen and Nothing Has Changed albums—and can be seen at http://smarturl.it/LazarusLOM and http://smarturl.it/LazarusVevo.

 

Additionally, an unboxing video of the distinctive triple LP vinyl edition has been revealed at http://smarturl.it/lazarusvinyl.  

 

In addition to the CD, vinyl LP and digital album configurations, a limited-edition white colour vinyl LP (LP 3 only) is available exclusively at Barnes & Noble and through David Bowie’s webstore. (Links below)

 

Standing alongside the Lazarus cast’s interpretations of classics from his canon are the three final David Bowie studio recordings. Co-produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti and recorded with Donny McCaslin and his quartet, the same band that played on Bowie’s ★ album, these last three songs — “No Plan,” “Killing A Little Time,” “When I Met You”— bring completely new dimensions to their cast counterparts. The original ★ version of “Lazarus” is also included on the cast album.

 

★ was shortlisted for the 2016 Mercury Prize and as part of the awards ceremony last night at the Eventim Apollo in London, Michael C. Hall performed “Lazarus” with Henry Hey and the Lazarus house band.
 
The Lazarus Cast Album was produced by the show’s musical director Henry Hey, who had previously worked with Bowie on The Next Day, and features vocals from Hall, Caruso, Cristin Milioti, Michael Esper, Charlie Pollock and other cast members backed by the seven-piece house band Hey assembled for the New York run. The album was recorded January 11, 2016. Upon arriving at the studio, the musicians and cast were shocked and saddened to learn that Bowie had passed away the evening before. Their emotional performances that day are captured on this recording.
 
Written by Bowie and Enda Walsh, directed by Ivo Van Hove and produced by Robert Fox, Lazarus opened December 7, 2015 at the New York Theatre Workshop to great critical acclaim. The New York Times raved “Ice-cold bolts of ecstasy shoot like novas through the glamorous muddle and murk of Lazarus, the great-sounding, great-looking and mind-numbing new musical built around songs by David Bowie,” while Rolling Stone hailed it as a “Surrealistic Tour de Force… milk-swimming, lingerie-sniffing, gin-chugging theater at its finest.” 

 

Following previews Lazarus begins its London run November 8 at The Kings Cross Theatre.

 

iTunes: http://smarturl.it/LazarusiT

Amazon: http://smarturl.it/LazarusAmz

David Bowie Store: http://smarturl.it/LazarusDBStore

Limited Edition Colour Vinyl LP (White LP 3 only): http://smarturl.it/LazarusColorLP

Barnes & Noble: http://smarturl.it/LazarusBN

Google Play: http://smarturl.it/LazarusGP 

 

“Hey droogie don’t crash here”

 

There are still a few tickets left for Jonathan Barnbrook’s Global Design Forum Masterclass at the V&A in London on Saturday afternoon.

 

The Alex DeLarge lookalike will be fascinating folk for 90 minutes from 15:30, covering the subjects outlined below.

 

Global Design Forum: Masterclass with Jonathan Barnbrook

What : Special Events

When : Saturday 17 September, 15.30 – 17.00

Where :  The Lydia & Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre

 

SPECIAL EVENT: Jonathan Barnbrook talks about his graphic design work highlighting his collaboration with David Bowie including the design for his last album ★. Also featured is his pioneering typefaces and the creative political partnerships with Occupy and Anti-advertising collective Adbusters

 

Jonathan Barnbrook is one of the most well-known graphic designers in Britain. Most notably for being David Bowie’s favourite graphic designer having worked on the designs of his past 4 albums and the V&A exhibition ‘David Bowie is’. Barnbrook also works with a mixture of cultural institutions, activist groups and charities as well as completing a steady stream of personal works. He is also recognised for his collaborations with Adbusters, Occupy London, Damien Hirst, his ubiquitous font designs released through Emigre and his own company Virusfonts. His contribution to graphic design was recognised by a major retrospective at the Design Museum, London in 2007.

 

Meanwhile, the Barnbrook feature in Creative Review: “Bowie, Barnbrook and the Blackstar artwork”, from November 2015, is still very much worth a read if you didn’t see it when we originally posted it.

 

FOOTNOTE: Whilst our montage today utilises elements of Barnbrook’s Bowie-related designs, we are duty-bound to point out that he is in no way responsible for the ‘design’ of the montage. Indeed, we are quite sure it’s probably done his gulliver in.

 

 

#BarnbrookBowie  #ClockworkOrange

 

“When the shadows fall down the walls”

 

The folk at Rockarchive have been in touch with details of a David Bowie photo exhibition in conjunction with Photofusion in Brixton, which runs from 16th September to the 26th October as part of Brixton Design Trail, 2016. Over to Rockarchive…

 

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‘Silhouettes and Shadows: David Bowie Remembered’ is a visual celebration of Bowie’s life and career as remembered by the music photographers who knew and worked with him.

 

The exhibition features work by twelve photographers in total, including images by Mick Rock, Geoff MacCormack, Barrie Wentzell, Steve Rapport, Ian Dickson, Terry Pastor, Mark Mawston, Stefan Wallgren and Janet Makosca, as well as new and previously unexhibited work by Fernando Aceves, Ray Stevenson and Dave Hogan. To accompany the prints will be a selection of recollections and anecdotes from the photographers on their time working with David Bowie.

 

The exhibition is free and open Monday – Saturday 11am-5pm (Thursday until 9pm) at Photofusion, 17a Electric Lane, Brixton SW9 8LA.

 

Most of the images will be available as limited edition prints signed by the photographer for fans to buy.

 

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Here’s an exclusive quotation from Fernando Aceves, regarding the picture we’ve used today…

 

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David Bowie in front of The Pyramid of the Sun at the archaeological site of Teotihuacán in Mexico in October 21st, 1997. © Fernando Aceves.

 

‘Just a few days before the only David Bowie concert in Mexico City, I received a phone call from the local promoter telling me he had special permission to take a few shots of David at the “Pyramids of Teotihuacan”, the archaeological site 50 km from the capital city in order to send them to the local media to promote the gig.

 

We had a wonderful and casual time at the Mexican pyramids. He was a very natural man, I would say “A true human being”. He was amazed to be close to the ancient constructions. I was a fly on a wall like my small German camera; the Leica M6′. – Fernando Aceves

 

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We’ll be posting more pictures and photographer quotations over the coming days.

 

More details at Photofusion.

 

 

#SilhouettesAndShadows  #BowieBrixton  #BrixtonDesignTrail

 

 

“If I did casually mention tonight, That would be crazy tonight”

 

A quick reminder that Michael C. Hall will be performing the song Lazarus with Henry Hey and the Lazarus house band as part of the 2016 Mercury Prize awards ceremony tonight (September 15th). The show will be broadcast live from the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith on BBC 4 and BBC Radio 6 Music.

 

Here’s how to see and hear it.

 

Meanwhile, the Mercury Prize team have created a snazzy little video featuring Jonathan Barnbrook quotations about his design for David Bowie’s Mercury shortlisted album artwork for ★. View it here.

 

 

#MercuryPrize  #BowieMercuryPrize  #BowieBlackstar  #Blackstar  

 

“I’m a ★”

 

Congratulations are due to Skepta after he picked up the gong for his album Konnichiwa tonight.

 

Though ★ reached the final six, the North London-born grime star was pronounced the winner of the Album of the Year at the 2016 Mercury Prize awards ceremony, which was broadcast live from the Eventim Apollo in London. (Scene of Ziggy’s last stand in 1973.)

 

Michael C. Hall, Henry Hey and the Lazarus house band performed a moving rendition of Lazarus earlier in the evening (in front of a backdrop of the video of Bowie’s own version), which you can watch here. They returned for an even more emotionally charged second version later on.

 

Pulp front man, Jarvis Cocker, presented the award, but not before he explained how close the vote was…

 

“OK I have the result here. (Holds up envelope) But, I’ve got to tell you a little bit of a story before I let you know whose name is inside here. OK?

 

Now, myself and my fellow jurors, about four months ago we started off with 223 albums. We had to listen to those and that was whittled down to the twelve that you’ve seen performances from tonight. But in the end, the winner came down to a contest between two black stars.

 

And we as a jury decided (cries of “Blackstar”, not dissimilar to the “me, me, me” at the same venue in 1973), that if David Bowie was looking down on the Hammersmith Apollo tonight…and let’s face it maybe he is, we’ve seen traces of his influence in many of the bands you’ve seen perform here tonight…if he was looking down at the Hammersmith Apollo tonight, he would want the 2016 Hyundai Mercury Prize to go to, (dramatic pause) Skepta.”

 

Skepta ended his acceptance speech and began his final performance with this: “Rest in peace David Bowie. Rest in peace Amy Winehouse.”

 

You can catch the full thing on the BBC iPlayer here.

 

 

#MercuryPrize  #BowieMercuryPrize  #BowieBlackstar  #Blackstar  #MercuryPrizeWinner

 

“Hooked to the silver screen”

 

For those that hadn’t spotted this, the BFI has announced that Michael C. Hall, star of the David Bowie/Enda Walsh-penned musical Lazarus, will join the show’s producer Robert Fox for a Q&A following a screening of The Man Who Fell To Earth this Sunday 18th at the BFI Southbank in London.

 

Among other things, the links between the film and the musical will be looked at. BFI programmer Justin Johnson hosts.

 

Tickets for the screening and Q&A here.

 

Tickets are still available for Lazarus at London’s King Cross Theatre here. Lazarus opens on November 8th, 2016 (previews from October 25th) and runs through to 22nd January, 2017.

 

Don’t forget that Michael C. Hall will also be performing the song Lazarus with Henry Hey and the Lazarus house band as part of the 2016 Mercury Prize awards ceremony tomorrow (September 15th). The show will be broadcast live from the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith on BBC 4 and BBC Radio 6 Music. (More here.)

 

Check the schedule for the remaining UK and Republic of Ireland Man Who Fell To Earth screening dates and times.

 

Aside from the cinema run, The Man Who Fell To Earth is re-released as a Collector’s Edition DVD, Blu-Ray and download from October 24.

 

 

#TheManWhoFellToEarth  #ManWhoFellToEarth  #TMWFTE  #TJNewton  #BowieBFI  #LazarusMusical  #LazarusLondon  #LazarusSoundtrack  #Lazarus  

 

“The return of The Thin White Duke”

 

This week Live Nassau Coliseum ’76 is the selected album from the upcoming David Bowie – Who Can I Be Now? (1974 – 1976) box set.

 

Recorded live at the Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, NY, U.S.A., 23rd March, 1976, the album is the official document of the Isolar/Station To Station tour.

 

Known to fans for many years as the Thin White Duke double album bootleg (among various other titles), the record didn’t get an official release for over thirty years, when it was finally issued as part of the Station To Station deluxe set in September, 2010.

 

Here’s the tracklisting:

 

Side 1

1. Station To Station

2. Suffragette City

3. Fame

4. Word On A Wing

 

Side 2

1. Stay

2. Waiting For The Man

3. Queen Bitch

 

Side 3

1. Life On Mars?

2. Five Years

3. Panic In Detroit

4. Changes

5. TVC 15

 

Side 4

1. Diamond Dogs

2. Rebel Rebel

3. The Jean Genie

 

You can listen to it now via the WCIBN playlist.

 

 

#WCIBNBox  #WhoCanIBeNowBox  #BowieS2S  #LiveNassau  #ThinWhiteDuke

 

 

 

LAZARUS CAST ALBUM FEATURING FINAL DAVID BOWIE RECORDINGS

 

2CD / 3LP To Be Released October 21 On ISO / Columbia / RCA Records

 

MICHAEL C. HALL TO PERFORM AT THE MERCURY PRIZE SEPTEMBER 15

 

September 16 Pre-Order To Include Instant Downloads Of Cast Versions Of “Life On Mars?” and “Lazarus”

 

 

As the November 8 UK opening of Lazarus at London’s King Cross Theatre approaches, the cast and band of the original New York production will release their versions of the David Bowie songs from the show as the Lazarus Cast Album on October 21 on ISO / Columbia / RCA Records. The album will be available for pre-order September 16 with all orders receiving instant downloads of the cast versions of “Life On Mars?” (sung by Sophia Anne Caruso) and the title track (sung by Michael C. Hall).

 

Standing alongside the cast’s interpretations of classics from his canon are the three final David Bowie studio recordings. Co-produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti and recorded with Donny McCaslin and his quartet, the same band that played on Bowie’s ★ album, these last three songs — “No Plan,” “Killing A Little Time,” “When I Met You”— bring completely new dimensions to their cast counterparts. The original ★ version of “Lazarus” is also included on the cast album.

 

The ★ album has been shortlisted for the 2016 Mercury Prize and as part of the awards ceremony on September 15 Michael C. Hall will be performing the song “Lazarus” with Henry Hey and the Lazarus house band. The show will be broadcast live from the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith on BBC 4 and BBC Radio 6 Music.

 

The Lazarus cast album was produced by the show’s musical director Henry Hey, who had previously worked with Bowie on “The Next Day” and features vocals from Hall, Caruso, Cristin Milioti, Michael Esper and other cast members backed by the seven-piece house band Hey assembled for the New York run. The album was recorded January 11, 2016. Upon arriving at the studio, the musicians and cast were shocked and saddened to learn that Bowie had passed away the evening before. Their emotional performances that day are captured on this recording.

 

The distinctive artwork for the Lazarus cast recording has been designed by Jonathan Barnbrook who also worked with Bowie on the ★, The Next Day, Heathen and Nothing Has Changed albums.

 

Written by Bowie and Enda Walsh, directed by Ivo Van Hove and produced by Robert Fox, Lazarus opened December 7, 2015 at the New York Theatre Workshop to great critical acclaim. The New York Times raved “Ice-cold bolts of ecstasy shoot like novas through the glamorous muddle and murk of Lazarus, the great-sounding, great-looking and mind-numbing new musical built around songs by David Bowie,” while Rolling Stone hailed it as a “Surrealistic Tour de Force… milk-swimming, lingerie-sniffing, gin-chugging theater at its finest.”

 

 

LAZARUS CAST ALBUM – Track Listings

 

CD:

 

CD 1:

1.    Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart) – Ricky Nelson

2.    Lazarus – Michael C. Hall & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

3.    It’s No Game – Michael C. Hall, Lynn Craig & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

4.    This Is Not America – Sophia Anne Caruso & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

5.    The Man Who Sold The World – Charlie Pollock

6.    No Plan – Sophia Anne Caruso

7.    Love Is Lost – Michael Esper & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

8.    Changes – Cristin Milioti & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

9.    Where Are We Now? – Michael C. Hall & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

10.   Absolute Beginners – Michael C. Hall, Cristin Milioti, Michael Esper, Sophia Anne Caruso, Krystina Alabado & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

11.   Dirty Boys – Michael Esper

12.   Killing A Little Time – Michael C. Hall

13.   Life On Mars? – Sophia Anne Caruso

14.   All The Young Dudes – Nicholas Christopher, Lynn Craig, Michael Esper, Sophia Anne Caruso & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

15.   Sound And Vision – David Bowie

16.   Always Crashing In The Same Car – Cristin Milioti

17.   Valentine’s Day – Michael Esper & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

18.   When I Met You – Michael C. Hall & Krystina Alabado

19.   “Heroes” – Michael C. Hall, Sophia Anne Caruso & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

 

CD 2:

1.    Lazarus – David Bowie

2.    No Plan – David Bowie

3.    Killing A Little Time – David Bowie

4.    When I Met You – David Bowie

 

VINYL:

 

LP 1 side A:

1.    Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart) – Ricky Nelson

2.    Lazarus – Michael C. Hall & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

3.    It’s No Game – Michael C. Hall, Lynn Craig & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

4.    This Is Not America – Sophia Anne Caruso & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

5.    The Man Who Sold The World – Charlie Pollock

 

LP 1 side B:

1.    No Plan – Sophia Anne Caruso

2.    Love Is Lost – Michael Esper & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

3.    Changes – Cristin Milioti & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

4.    Where Are We Now? – Michael C. Hall & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

 

LP 2 side C:

1.    Absolute Beginners – Michael C. Hall, Cristin Milioti, Michael Esper, Sophia Anne Caruso, Krystina Alabado & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

2.    Dirty Boys – Michael Esper

3.    Killing A Little Time – Michael C. Hall

4.    Life On Mars? – Sophia Anne Caruso

5.    All The Young Dudes – Nicholas Christopher, Lynn Craig, Michael Esper, Sophia Anne Caruso & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

 

LP 2 side D:

1.    Sound And Vision – David Bowie

2.    Always Crashing In The Same Car – Cristin Milioti

3.    Valentine’s Day – Michael Esper & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

4.    When I Met You – Michael C. Hall & Krystina Alabado

5.    “Heroes” – Michael C. Hall, Sophia Anne Caruso & Original New York Cast of Lazarus

 

LP 3 side E (one-sided):

1.    Lazarus – David Bowie

2.    No Plan – David Bowie

3.    Killing A Little Time – David Bowie

4.    When I Met You – David Bowie

 

 

#LazarusMusical  #LazarusLondon  #LazarusSoundtrack  #Lazarus  #TMWFTE  #TJNewton  

 

“All come to look for America”

 

Fifteen years on from that day in New York City, David Bowie’s solo performance of Simon & Garfunkel’s America seems more poignant than ever.

 

He performed the composition (along with “Heroes”), at The Concert for New York City, a benefit that took place on October 20th, 2001 at Madison Square Garden in NYC.

 

The concert was in honour of the first responders from the New York City Fire Department and New York City Police Department, their families, those lost in the attacks and those who had worked in the ongoing rescue and recovery efforts in the weeks afterwards.

 

Accompanying himself on the Omnichord, David’s moving and thought-provoking performance was followed by a personal acknowledgement of his local fire crew…

 

“Hi friends. Hi fellow New Yorkers. I’d particularly like to say hello to the folks from my local ladder. You know where you are. I must say it’s an absolute privilege to play for you tonight.”

 

Watch the performance of America over on Daily Motion.

 

We think you’ll agree that honouring the sentiments and performance on this day are more relevant than ever.

 

David is pictured here during rehearsals for the show.

 

#BowieAmerica

 

 

“Telling lies [Ooh, ah, visionary]”

 

On September 11th, 1996, David Bowie released Telling Lies, the first downloadable single by a major artist, after a CU-SeeMe event where Bowie and two imposters were asked questions by the audience.

 

“I often plunge myself into the deep end of a situation just to see what happens,” he said to fans on the night, right here on his official web site.

 

In the first four days of its Internet release, there were more than 46,000 downloads of the track, over 10,000 per day.

 

For the September 11 launch, Bowie was joined at a secret New York City location by two imposters: guitarist Reeves Gabrels and Patrick Briggs, outrageous frontman for Psychotica, the Bowie-influenced group who were featured on the main stage of the 1996 Lollapalooza tour.

 

It featured the three David Bowies, two in disguise (and both telling lies). The conference was simultaneously held in CompuServe’s Convention Center and on the World Wide Web. Each disguised and silhouetted “BOWIE” answered questions from the fans and those users in the Convention Center voted for whom they believed to be the real BOWIE.

 

Here’s a sample question: “What are the contents of your wallet now?”

 

DAVID #1: “Because I’m an Englishman, I don’t have a wallet. I just have a room key.”

DAVID #2: “American Express, platinum card, three condoms and two hundred dollars.”

DAVID #3: “Passport, a driver’s license and no money.”

 

Another question: “What is the reason you chose to do these four ballroom shows?” (An inquiry about his recent sold-out East Coast weekend shows, which were scheduled for fun while recording Eartling in New York.)

 

DAVID #1: “’Cause they’re all within driving distance of New York so we can drive back and get into the studio.”

DAVID #2: “Well, I’ve always liked ballrooms. I’ve always liked Fred Astaire. I figured this is one way to see those places I always wanted to see as a child.”

DAVID #3: “Well, I quite like the intimacy of a small room as most artists do.”

 

Even though the real Bowie (#1) told the truth in every answer, fans actually placed him last in their vote behind their first (Briggs #3) and second (Gabrels #2) choices.

 

Our montage shows two of the later CD releases of Telling Lies and David Bowie on stage three days after the launch, on September 14th, 1996, at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC. Picture by Kevin Mazur.

 

Listen to the song and read more about the track at Diffuser.

 

#VisionaryBowie  #BowieTellingLies