David Bowie - Comeback?

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faithfull
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David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by faithfull »

What happened to David Bowie?

Since 5 years no new song, no new record, no tour...what happened?

D'y a think there will be a comeback one day...?
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sheeptotheslaughter
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by sheeptotheslaughter »

I thought I read somewhere he is currently recording in Berlin.
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wardo68
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by wardo68 »

I heard a rumour he was recording with Marianne Faithfull.
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Who Shot Sam?
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Who Shot Sam? »

wardo68 wrote:I heard a rumour he was recording with Marianne Faithfull.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

No comeback, but some juicy reissues. Out now is Space Oddity 40th anniversary edition. Now that my turntable is back in action and my old vinyl sounding gorgeous on it, I'm less anxious about getting CDs of my old friends, but my policy with Bowie was to only get special 2CD reissues. So I'll get this one. It gets a bit overlooked in the canon, but actually it's got some great stuff on it, apart from the justly legendary title track. My fave was always 'Letter to Hermione', but there are several others too. The bonus CD has the original 'Conversation Piece' on it, a real gem, and much better than the deep-voiced version on the Heathen bonus, among other goodies.

More exciting still is this:

http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Interact ... ber=542745

God knows why the 30th anniversary programme went out the window, but my hopes are that if 1976 can come out in 2010, ten 1977 and also 179 and 1980 might not be too far behind.

I played side 1 of STS yesterday, at wonderfully high volume. God is it good. The title track is one of his best recordings. Amidst the cocaine madness and the occult stuff, the plea for connection stands out at the heart of the song. The band are cracking. One of my favourite sides of my vinyl collection. Six songs in total on the album, each one superb. Can't wait for the Nassau live recording. I have a bootleg, but this will sound way better, and nice that original co-producer Harry Maslin is involved again.

Here's a clip from the weird house on Doheny Drive in West Hollywood where he lived at the time:
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lostdog
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by lostdog »

Nice piece here by Costello biographer Graham Thomson:

http://www.newstatesman.com/rock-and-po ... er-thomson
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Yeah, nicely put, as ever. Still haven't got the Space Oddity reissue.

Interesting and obscure Bowie selection on today's Desert Island Discs featuring Julia Donaldson, of kid's book The Gruffalo fame. She chose 'Remembering Maria A' from Brecht's Baal. This 5 song EP is one of the few Bowie items I don't own, I only have one of the songs and not this one, though it is available in its entirety on iTunes, so will download soon. I remember the BBC production being screened in Feb '82. Great fun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal_(EP)
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Jeremy Dylan »

The most recent public outing I can recall from the Thin White Duke is singing lead on Arnold Layne and Comfortably Numb with David Gilmour for his On An Island tour - and a bloody marvellous job he did of it too. His hibernation doesn't seem to owe anything to the fading voice of some aging popsters.
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by sheeptotheslaughter »

http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Interact ... ber=542745

God knows why the 30th anniversary programme went out the window, but my hopes are that if 1976 can come out in 2010, ten 1977 and also 179 and 1980 might not be too far behind.

I played side 1 of STS yesterday, at wonderfully high volume. God is it good. The title track is one of his best recordings. Amidst the cocaine madness and the occult stuff, the plea for connection stands out at the heart of the song. The band are cracking. One of my favourite sides of my vinyl collection. Six songs in total on the album, each one superb. Can't wait for the Nassau live recording. I have a bootleg, but this will sound way better, and nice that original co-producer Harry Maslin is involved again.

This re-issue is scheduled for release on the 20th September 2010 according to Amazon uk. Not only my favourite Bowie album but in top 10 albums of all time. I will certainly buy the 3 cd set not sure the finances can afford the 5 cd etc set
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

I've been checking every month or so and sighing (sighing), so it's a relief to know it's finally happening. But it's also a bit insane to see the extent of the overkill - just how many versions of the songs do you get for your £85? And yet if you love STS in the way all Bowie die-hards do, this is a droolsome offering. Heavyweight vinyl, surround sound everything (not that I have a system for it, but I do plan to get a 5.1 system for the computer), replica paraphernalia. Damn, why is it so expensive?

Agree with the three stars for the sense of being ripped off to bits, though of course it should really be 10 stars for excitement value:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Station-5CD-1DV ... 829&sr=1-1

Your post made me laugh, STTS: I was reading it thinking how much I agreed with you (as well thinking 'a little editing wouldn't have been amiss'), then I realised it was mostly a quote of me that didn't look like one! Thanks for the alert
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by nord »

Image
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

You beat me to it! So did you go for the 'modest' 3CD offering, or all out for the box with vinyl? I'm hoping the latter, but then you would probably have photographed. Mine's en route at present from Amazon. Gimme! Do you agree with the person I cited in the new CDs thread that the sound balance is very bad on the live stuff?
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nord
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by nord »

It's only the 3xcd box. I preordered it from Amazon and I got it on monday.

I have not listened to it that much. Scaned the cover and transfered both it and the music to my new iPad and took the picture.
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Love that picture. The booklet's good, lots of good details, timeline, etc. Pretty good package for the price. I thought I had the Nassau bootleg somewhere, but looked and couldn't locate, so maybe I don't know it after all. It's definitely one of the most widely-known bootlegs. Shame the Panic In Detroit drum solo has been cut - Dennis Davis is such a good drummer, I'd have loved that, but apart from that, it all looks good.
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sheeptotheslaughter
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by sheeptotheslaughter »

I went for the 3 cd package wished I could have afforded the 'all signing all dancing' full set. Tonight will be set a side to listen to the live cd not heard it before. On bootleg or other.
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by adge »

Have to say, i think Bowie's latter day output was pretty dreary, apart from the excellent drum and bass based 'Earthling' and the cultural sampling par excellence of 'Outside'. ~Though i think these owe a great deal to musicians he was working with, Reeves Gabriel, and Mike Garson (i think) etc, strikes me that he'd past his creative sell by date- still would have been interesting to hear some new stuff.
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Yes, Mike Garson, his unmistakeable deranged cocktail bar runs all over it. For my money Heathen is better than either, though Outside has its moments. reality was decent too, but not as good. He was very good on the Reality tour, hadn't lost his ability to put on a great show and sing his socks off. Hard to know if the ensuing silence would have ensued without the lollipop in eyeball / minor heart thing incidents, but it does seem to have put an an end to proceedings.
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by ice nine »

Speaking of Bowie, I was going to post this on the Youtube thread, but here is a rare one I just heard on NPR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBsUjGGk ... re=related
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by invisible Pole »

He's baaaack!! :-)

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/0 ... re-we-now/

David Bowie announces new album ‘The Next Day,’ releases single ‘Where Are We Now?’

Talk about a shocker: Thought to be retired from music and the public eye, David Bowie tonight announced he will release The Next Day — his first new album in a decade — this March, a collection preceded by the single “Where Are We Now?” that’s available immediately via iTunes and can be heard via its accompanying video.

The 14-track album, as well as a 17-track deluxe edition, will be released March 8 in Australia, March 11 in the “rest of the world excluding USA” and March 12 in the U.S., according to Bowie’s website. The album is available for pre-order now via iTunes, which also is selling the first single.

Little else is known about the record, which was announced out of the blue tonight on the eve of Bowie’s 66th birthday on Tuesday. The album art, as shown on iTunes (and which can be seen below), appears to be a play on the iconic cover of Bowie’s Heroes album.

The new album is Bowie’s first since 2003′s Reality.

Tracklist: David Bowie, The Next Day

1. “The Next Day”
2. “Dirty Boys”
3. “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”
4. “Love Is Lost”
5. “Where Are We Now?”
6. “Valentine’s Day”
7. “If You Can See Me”
8. “I’d Rather Be High”
9. “Boss of Me”
10. “Dancing Out In Space”
11. “How Does the Grass Grow?”
12. “(You Will) Set the World On Fire”
13. “You Feel So Lonely You Could Die”
14. “Heat”
15. “So She” (Bonus Track)
16. “I’ll Take You There” (Bonus Track)
17. “Plan” (Bonus Track)
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sheeptotheslaughter
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by sheeptotheslaughter »

Like most people never saw this coming. Really like the single.

Happy Birthday David and welcome back
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by invisible Pole »

sheeptotheslaughter wrote:Really like the single.
Me too. Can't wait to hear the whole album.

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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by invisible Pole »

Makes me also wonder how in the world of seemingly constant surveillance and loss of privacy, a musician of David Bowie status can go into a studio and record an album without a single piece of information getting leaked on the internet.

I truly hope we will soon be similarly surprised by Elvis. :D
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Couldn't believe my ears when I set off to Athens on Tuesday and heard this news as I got ready. Driving me mad that I couldn't sit down and watch it in full till now, just saw clips on news channels. Great song, great video, great voice. As so often, harking back to his past. Love all the Berlin references, KaDeWe, etc. 10 years since Reality and it genuinely seemed he was going to leave it there. I wonder if it will surpass the good but not outstanding Reality and match the genuine peak that was Heathen. And of course, will he tour again?
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

Some interesting comments by Visconti here. So glad to see he's producer again. Such a great team.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... s-20130109

Above youtube clip doesn't work here. Vevo one does:


The slow, dreamy quality of the song and its harking back to Berlin reminds me very much of The Buddha of Suburbia in relation to Bromley.

Found out this week that my team boss at work saw Bowie at Kingston Poly May 1972 as a teenager, her first gig. What an incredible revelation! never heard of the song Gotta Get a Job. The whole show was bootlegged and that song is on youtube. Early funk vibe:
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Otis Westinghouse
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Re: David Bowie - Comeback?

Post by Otis Westinghouse »

invisible Pole wrote:Makes me also wonder how in the world of seemingly constant surveillance and loss of privacy, a musician of David Bowie status can go into a studio and record an album without a single piece of information getting leaked on the internet.
With a fair amount of NDAs, lying and manouevring going on:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/ja ... MUSTXT9383

It's an interesting story. I like the Tim Ingham bit about how in the age of 'bombarding for mind-space', someone could create massive impact through silence, exile and cunning. The whole element of the low-keyness of Bowie's affairs is a pleasant surprise. he has kept an incredibly low profile these last 9 years. I had a ticket to see him at Dublin's Oxygen festival for my 40th in July 2004, then the lollipop/heart thing happened and it seemed that was the end of it.

The cover is a curious mixture of bravery, conceptualism and being utterly bonkers:

http://virusfonts.com/news/2013/01/davi ... er-design/

The original "Heroes" cover was an odd mixture in itself - the sombre grey, the hand on heart, and the raised hand introducing a comic (and slightly bonkers) element. Overall I think I love this new cover, but it's so far beyond anything you'd ever expect anyone to put on their new album after a 10 year absence that it's hard to respond in a familiar way of any sort. Visconti comments on Where Are We Now? being an atypical and surprising song to choose as lead-off single, but combined with this cover it leads to a very specific frame of reference. It gives me a sense that he's not just rehashing/trading off his past but is playing with and adding to it. I hope the sense of continuity of what made him the musical genius of the 70s bar none is threaded through the whole album as the cover and song indicate it might be.
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