“But he jumped into the furnace, Singing old songs we loved…”
(ANCIANT = A New Career In A New Town)
This is the second instalment of our album focus on David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps).
Here’s another snippet from Tony Visconti taken from the introduction of the Scary Monsters recording notes in the ANCIANT book.
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When we began ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ David and I jokingly said, “Let’s make this our ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’.” With every album we made together since then, we aired that silly phrase again. On reflection, when I listen to ‘Scary Monsters’ it feels more like we made our ‘Revolver’. Maybe it’s because the opening of ‘It’s No Game (No. 1)’ is a tip of the hat to the opening of ‘Taxman’. We were pushing the boundaries further than we ever had with this album.
‘Revolver’ took about nine weeks to make. We spent four weeks at The Power Station in New York and another five weeks at my own Good Earth Studios in London. There was a two-month gap in between as David said he needed the time to write the lyrics and melodies. David had written the ‘Berlin trilogy’ in the studio, sometimes whilst singing the lead vocal on microphone! This was a departure from procedure.
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SCARY MONSTERS FACT FILE:
Released in the UK as RCA BOWLP 2 (PL 13647) on 12th September, 1980.
Peak UK chart position: #1
Peak US chart position: #12
Tracklisting
SIDE 1
1. IT’S NO GAME (PART 1)
2. UP THE HILL BACKWARDS
3. SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS)
4. ASHES TO ASHES
5. FASHION
SIDE 2
1. TEENAGE WILDLIFE
2. SCREAM LIKE A BABY
3. KINGDOM COME
4. BECAUSE YOU’RE YOUNG
5. IT’S NO GAME (PART 2)
All songs written by DAVID BOWIE except ‘KINGDOM COME’ written by TOM VERLAINE.
Produced by DAVID BOWIE and TONY VISCONTI.
Recorded at THE POWER STATION, NEW YORK and GOOD EARTH STUDIOS, LONDON, by DAVID BOWIE and TONY VISCONTI in February and April, 1980.
Assistants at THE POWER STATION, NEW YORK – LARRY ALEXANDER and JEFF HENDRICKSON.
Bonus tracks on 1992 RykoDisc reissue:
Space Oddity (4:57) Re-recorded single B-side 1979
Panic In Detroit (3:00) Re-recorded version, previously unreleased, 1979
Crystal Japan (3:08) Japanese single A-side 1979
Alabama Song (3:51) UK single A-side 1979
Original UK Singles
Ashes To Ashes/Move On – August 1980 – (Issued with 3 covers and 4 sets of Bowie-designed stamps) (Peak UK chart position: #1)
Fashion/Scream Like A Baby – October 1980 – (Peak UK chart position: #5)
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)/Because You’re Young – (Also issued as Bowie’s first cassingle) (Peak UK chart position: #20)
Up The Hill Backwards/Crystal Japan – (Peak UK chart position: #32)
Significant non UK Singles:
It’s No Game (Part One)/Fashion – October 1980 – Japan
Promotional videos were made for Ashes To Ashes and Fashion.
Listen to Scary Monsters on the official David Bowie: A New Career In A New Town playlist here.
Pre-order ANCIANT here.
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