Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jan 16 - 01:17 PM

There are 'bootlegs' of Bowie's early pre-fame acoustic demos available - many on youtube..

which positioned his aspirations on the fringes of commercial 'Simon & Garfunkel' harmony soft folk rock.

crackly distorted tapes & acetates.. shame some were never released properly.
I have a soft spot for his 1960s recordings.

All us teen fans probably got suckered by that Decca "World of David Bowie" LP with the ziggy cover photo.
But I genuinely enjoyed it and sought out the expensive expanded double LP...

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,Doc John
Date: 12 Jan 16 - 04:15 PM

Dave Bowie was honourable enough to refuse two British honours: an OBE in 2000 and a knighthood in 2003. Good on you for refusing to take part in this archaic, class ridden, imperialist, royalist nonsense.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 12 Jan 16 - 04:32 PM

Yeah Ake moaned about the disproportionate prioritisation of news coverage yesterday...

for pity's sake it's f@ck all compared to the endless days of tributes we'll all have to put up with
when her majesty finally pops her clogs... 😬

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,Allan Conn
Date: 12 Jan 16 - 05:47 PM

BBC News just said that Blackstar is going to be number 1 in the album charts this week which it was on course for even before the news of his death. However they added that the estimate is now that 12 out of the top 15 albums this week are expected to be Bowie albums. And 9 entries in the singles charts. As the bulk of downloads are by young 'uns it seems a whole new generation are going to be immersed in his music. Probably because of downloads and streaming too but this seems to be a bigger impact on sales than even Lennon's death had.

Aladdin Sane was the first Bowie album I had Musket but, all personal taste of course, I don't rate it as one of his best myself. Still really good album as it has some of his best songs on it right enough but one or two fillers too and an awful cover of "Let's Spend The Night Together"! The tile track; Lady Grinning Soul; Time; Drive In Saturday; Jean Genie...........all really great though.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 12 Jan 16 - 07:31 PM

Drive in Saturday is just one amazing song. It has given me the shivers since I first heard it as a lad. (I'm not too distant in age to you Allan.)

Today on a long drive, I listened to Ziggy for the first time in ages. Wow. I am used to throwing in a comment on any subject but seriously, I can't describe how perfect that album is.

Mind you, I am posting this being driven home from a gig. I ended with Ziggy Stardust (it has always been available given a particular audience) and without trying to sound too luvvy, it was, let's say, well received.

His appeal is over so many years and so many incarnations of himself that anybody with any musical soul has Bowie in their musical makeup somewhere.

Coming out with platitudes. There are times when it's allowed. Bowie is such a time.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,BanjoRay
Date: 12 Jan 16 - 08:02 PM

I'm sure he was a splendid bloke with great politics and influenced a lot of people, changing lives etc. Sorry, but I just never got him - none of his recordings did anything for me in the way many other people's did, like the Beatles, Stones, Leadbelly, Dylan, McColl, Joannie Mitchell, Robert Johnson, King Oliver/Louis Armstrong, Skillet Lickers, New Lost City Ramblers, Tommy Jarrell, Planxty, etc ad infinitum.
His looks and window dressing took him a long way......

Cheers
Ray

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Jan 16 - 08:24 PM

Your final sentence confirms that, indeed, you didn't get him. Which is fine! I don't get Dylan at all.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 12 Jan 16 - 09:14 PM

well c'mon BanjoRay... your name is a bit of a give away to your prefered tastes in music..

Not as if it's LespaulRay.. or Marshall200wattampRay...

See your list, I've enjoyed listening to most of 'em....
some much more than others...

No big problem if you're not too keen on Bowie - opinions vary, and as long as we can respect each other's differences.


Me personally, I think Mick Ronson was the key creative artist behind my favourite Bowie LPs.
They were an amazing team - each bringing the best out of each other to = sheer pop/rock perfection.

It just so happens that by pure simple accident of birth, geography and culture
Bowie.. and Alice Cooper, Marc Bolan, the Sweet and Slade.. etc.. [errrrmmm.. Gary Glitter..]
were the catalystic artists that engaged and thrilled me
as i Left childhood and entered the crazy world of teenage rebellion...

.. and the early 70s were an amazingly special intense melting pot of music and counter culture
that came to fruition from the endeavours of post war and swinging 60s experimentalist pioneers.....😎

It was a very odd, confusing, and wonderful era to start learning how to be a young adult...

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,Allan Conn
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 07:56 AM

I agree it is everyone's personal opinion but I don't agree with the idea that Bowie is just a lot of looks and window dressing. Yes he was very enigmatic but that does not take away from the body of work itself. There were several periods where he specifically went for a very commercial approach (ie Ziggy Stardust then later Let's Dance and its disappointing follow ups) however the Ziggy album especially stands up to scrutiny and holds its own against even the greatest of albums. Packed with great songs. My favourite Bowie album is "Hunky Dory" which was not particularly driven by a look etc. Just a great set of songs, wonderfully arranged etc which stands up to anything Dylan, the Stones or Beatles produced. In fact it is possibly my favourite album full stop! Likewise there are times where he specifically turned his back on the prevailing trend and went totally uncommercial. The Low and Heroes albums had basically no character or fashion etc attached to them. Just great innovative albums. He could produce experimental albums then come up with massive commercial pop albums like Scary Monsters which still sounds fresh and thrilling today.

He often worked with great people but also was multi talented himself. A writer of great songs. Various musicians have written about how impressed they were with his vocals in the studio and how quickly he got his vocals down often just on one take. On for instance the Diamond Dogs album he plays many of the instruments. All guitars (apart from one track) are played by him as are all the keyboards and saxophone. In fact everything apart from the rhythm section and string arrangements.

And yes many would argue that the Beatles were better but let's face it the Beatles had three great songwriters. Post Beatles the various individuals had their high points but none of their solo canons come anywhere close to Bowie's string of great albums.

I too love the Stones and Dylan. And yes Dylan went from acoustic to rock but Bowie's canon is again far more diverse than either the Stones or Dylan. Simply no comparison. I know just because it is diverse it doesn't mean it is great - but he managed to be diverse, be popular, and still be great most of the time. No mean achievement. In only a few years he went from acoustic hippydome, to heavy rock, through singer songwriter type material, to glam rock popdom; to blue-eyed soul, the crooning ballads on Station To Station, to electronic experimental music, world music inspired songs, to New Romantic pop, and then to disco rock hybrid. Arguably he has more variety on Aladdin Sane than many artists have in their entire career.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,Allan Conn
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 08:16 AM

"I echo all the previous thoughts on this post and should be interested to learn about his 'Folk' days. He was involved with the running of a Club - where and when was that? Any memories out there?"

Clive there is a letter in the Mail (yes I know) today from a guy called Ken Simons who says that he drove Bowie around various folk clubs in the south-east looking for gigs or just floor spots. The below paragraph from the club history section of Orpington Folk Club web page seems to back this up.

"On that first night, over two hundred people attended. So many that the guest group performed outside for 60 or more of those who were unable get into the room. In its infancy the club regularly featured such notables as Ralph May later to become Ralph McTell (Ralph had his first ever paid gig at Orpington) John Renbourn, Davey Graham (who wrote the guitar tune "Angie"), Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick. David Bowie and his side kick Ken "Wild Man" Simons did several floor spots, Wally Whyton, Bill Clifton and many more have all played at the club."

http://orpingtonfolkclub.org.uk/History/History/1965.htm

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 08:20 AM

I've often toyed with the idea of singing Bowie's "Please Mr Gravedigger" at a folk club, as it's unaccompanied on Bowie's recording. Would work quite well I reckon, if it's not too spooky, that is...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgLy2PAJRiQ

Some of those early Bowie recordings in the 60s, for Deram and the BBC, before he became properly famous, are a quite music-hall-ish and satirical and much more melodically simple than his later stuff. Songs like "Gospel according to Tony Day" or "Join the Gang" could be folked-up I reckon.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 09:21 AM

"From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jan 16 - 01:17 PM

There are 'bootlegs' of Bowie's early pre-fame acoustic demos available - many on youtube..

which positioned his aspirations on the fringes of commercial 'Simon & Garfunkel' harmony soft folk rock.

crackly distorted tapes & acetates.. shame some were never released properly.
I have a soft spot for his 1960s recordings.

All us teen fans probably got suckered by that Decca "World of David Bowie" LP with the ziggy cover photo.
But I genuinely enjoyed it and sought out the expensive expanded double LP..."

That was me - forgot to type my name again...

I even think "Ching a Ling" is a great track - sorry.. but i do..

My 'Bowie' is the David Jones 1960s through to David Bowie "Diamond Dogs" era.
I have an OCD completist collection of near all legit releases and most of the significant bootlegs.
Used to love doing Camden market stalls in the early 90s for newly pressed bootleg CDs haggling on ridiculously high cash prices..

The BBC recordings are absolutely essential listening.

Post Diamond Dogs.. well i guess I have eventually acquired most CDs,
and even some of that 80s output is still brilliant, but very patchy.

In the late 80s to mid 90s I became more indifferent as Prince eclipsed Bowie in my estimation.

Prince however burned bright, then burnt out, before completely disappearing up his own arse hole.

Bowie for all the gaps and lapses, is the only artist I suppose i was truly besotted with.

"Lazarus" is a brilliant return to form.

My order of favourites - obviously Ziggy Stardust
followed by Man Who sold the World and Pinups in joint second place,
then Aladin Sane 3rd place,
Still can't decide if I prefer Diamond Dogs, Space Oddity or Hunky Dory for 4th..
haven't listened to them for at least 10 years.

People tend to overlook Pin Ups in the canon of work,
But I think it's the best produced, most powerful sounding Ziggy era LP
and despite being a covers album, was heavily influential on me and my contemporaries - 14 / 15 year old guitarists - for that very reason.

Bowie sparked an interest and curiosity to delve deeper into the best of 1960s power pop & short sharp rock..
which catalysed a lifelong love for me;
Why I believe Pin Ups is the single most important proto punk culture LP..

really that significant an influence on young teen guitar bashers, fed up with prog and charts soft rock,
looking for their own adolescent angry energy sound...

Pete townshend filtered through Bowie and Mick Ronson... -> the Jam, The pistols etc.....

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,Allan Conn
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 11:11 AM

'Station To Station' is among my favourites as are 'Low' and 'Scary Monsters'. Like 'Heroes' too but don't think the intrumental tracks on that are as good as 'Low'. Good tracks on 'Lodger' but several fillers too. I thought his two albums which followed 'Let's Dance' are real low points though by his own admission he had little to do with 'Tonight' other than put on a vocal. I think he'd lost interest. The Tin Machine albums aren't great but they seemed to do the trick on getting him up for it again. I agree that though his 90s and 00s albums good they are patchier, with maybe 'Heathen' being the only classic, though some great tracks just the same. "Motel" on his album 'Outside' is one of his best. I love "Seven Years In Tibet" from "Earthling" too.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 11:28 AM

yeah Tin Machine - I might be one of the few people who really got into Tin Machine..

I'd hoped to get to see one of the gigs as I lived in London at the time - Bowie in a small sweaty rock club..

But can't remember now why I couldn't...

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: Will Fly
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 11:32 AM

I was never really a Bowie fan, though I do like a few numbers of his very much. What I always recall is that much of the guitar work on the recording of "Space Oddity" was played by a great friend of mine who, alas, died many years ago: Mick Wayne. I believe Mick was paid £10 for the session fee! He played in early Bowie groups along with Mick Ronson and Tim Renwick - also led an "underground" group called Junior's Eyes, played with the Pink Fairies and toured the US with Joe Cocker on the Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour. He died in a fire in his US apartment, and I still miss him very much.

I'm glad to say that Mick's brother (my closest friend for over 45 years) is still with us, but sad to see how many of that generation - now including Bowie - have gone from us.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: Brian Peters
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 11:35 AM

The emperor will now have to get himself another new suit of clothes.

A bit uncharitable, or what!? Though I remember at the time some of the music papers were very sniffy about him: 'musical magpie, no original ideas of his own, etc etc' (they gave another hugely talented figure, Brian Eno, short shrift too). The outfits and image revamps were not just 'window dressing', but a key part of his artistry and almost as influential subsequently as the music itself. But on musical grounds alone his work stands high - 'Life On Mars', are you seriously trying to tell us that is the work of an unclothed emperor??

I'm surprised that 'Hunky Dory' doesn't figure higher in the lists you lot have offered. Some of his best work on that, though I loved the louder stuff too. Perhaps you're all too young - HD was the soundtrack to many a party when I was in my late teens.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: Brian Peters
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 11:46 AM

WHo could forget this brilliant performance of a great song - I remember the huge adrenaline surge (even at the wrong end of a TV tube) when they let rip after 2 minutes...

Heroes, Glasto 2000

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: Jack Campin
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 11:53 AM

I hadn't heard "All Coppers Are Nanas" before just now..

It would go well with Jim Eldon's "I Wish There Were No Prisons". Their styles of delivery aren't all that different, for all that you could hardly name two pro musicians with more divergent careers.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 11:57 AM

from vague memory...

there may be different verses in the Bowie demo acetate
and the official 7" single release by Oscar [Paul Nicholas ?]
which may have been banned by the beeb ????

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: Brian Peters
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 12:14 PM

"It would go well with Jim Eldon's "I Wish There Were No Prisons". Their styles of delivery aren't all that different, for all that you could hardly name two pro musicians with more divergent careers."

I'd have liked to see Jim Eldon in the one-legged jumpsuit.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 12:16 PM

Not unexpected,
Last night at Whitchurch Rugby Club's 'open mike' night, an early appearance was a rendition of Major Tom.
I followed up with The Laughing Gnome.
Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the end, so don't know whether there were others.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: voyager
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 12:35 PM

Are you listening Major Tom -

Space Oddity - Tribute to David Bowie from the International Space Station (ISS)

A revised version of David Bowie's Space Oddity, recorded by Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station.

voyager

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,Clive Pownceby
Date: 13 Jan 16 - 02:29 PM

Thanks Allan (Conn) for that priceless Orpington FC bit of history - just the sort of arcane info. that I enjoy. At least it's a true story unlike the oft-repeated one about us (Bothy FSC, Southport) sending Paul Simon away with a flea in his ear after one song in 1965 saying something along the lines of "you're not traditional enough!"
The germ of truth in there is small compared to the myth, which people still ask me about today, and go away still believing what they want to believe.
Why let accuracy stand in the way of a good story huh?

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,Pete from seven stars link
Date: 14 Jan 16 - 10:09 AM

Quant story in yesterday's London evening standard by a ...Paul Thomas.. He was at a band gig in notting hill oct 69 ,all saints church hall when the vicar announced that due to noise complaints it was being cancelled, but then appeared with Bowie from the audience who offered, and did a free acoustic set.    There was another thing on Facebook with a vid of a retired vicar in Devon , who in his youth had recruited Bowie age16 , into his band on vocals and sax .

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,Pete from seven stars link
Date: 14 Jan 16 - 10:11 AM

.......and another with a photo of him at the three tuns folk club , beckenham.

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Jan 16 - 01:31 PM

Nobody has mentioned "Panic in Detroit," which is the Bowie song which succeeded in grasping me by the hair.

Bowie was at it for a long time and turned out such a quantity of work. To impress somebody as removed from it all as I was, that is what he had to do: arrive young, work hard, produce a lot of songs, and just keep going regardless. What a work ethic he must have had, regardless of the flaming dramatis personae of his alter egos. In the end, though his tastes rarely coincided with mine (I went to hear Elly Stone who was touted as an influence on David Bowie, and sneaked away at intermission, going, Ewww, not for me), I have to take my hat off to all that hard work and accomplishment. John Lennon was no respecter of persons, and even he respected Bowie.
(Hate to digress, but: to read Yoko Ono speaking of David Bowie as exceptional since 'John and I had very few friends'....freezes my blood.)

Subject: RE: Obit: David Bowie RIP (1947-2016)
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 14 Jan 16 - 01:52 PM

Kebroxu - that's a good idea...

"Bowie songs that anybody hardly ever mentions"

Mine's "Soul Love" - it just got me the first time I ever Heard the Ziggy LP...
and stayed with me ever since...

Just a gentle corny love song that's arranged to perfection.
Over the years I've accepted that for many, it's the song they wish was dropped from the LP...???

It's maybe not my favourite Ziggy song either..
but it's often the one I first think of when it's time to put Ziggy in the CD player again...

As for "To be played at maximum volume"... I was so lucky..

My Dad had saved up his factory wage slave paypackets to buy a hazardously loud Hi Fi stereo
which he used to compete with his workmates next door and up & down the road.

My first experience of Ziggy was with those huge Goodmans speaker cabs
that pushed air across the room so hard you could feel the bass impact your chest...!!!!! 😎

Terrific saturday afternoons with that stereo when I was only 14...