“They fall on today, They beat on the outside.”
Fifty years ago this week the issue of Melody Maker dated 28th March, 1970, featured a David Bowie interview by Raymond Telford.
Titled: “HYPE AND DAVID BOWIE'S FUTURE”, here’s an edited excerpt from it:
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What then does the future hold for his new release with Hype’s Prettiest Star?
“I think a lot of people are expecting another Space Oddity,” said David, “and Prettiest Star is nothing like it. I'm sure this is why the BBC aren't plugging it. Everyone wanted another song with the same feel as Space Oddity but as I'd done it, I didn't see the point of doing it again. The song served its purpose but I hope I'm not going to be expected to write and record a whole lot of stuff that is so obvious as Space Oddity.”
The conversation then swung once more to the intriguing Hype.
“I'm very happy with the band,” says David. “I have Tony Visconti who has played bass on nearly all my records, John Cambridge, who used to be with Juniors Eyes and Mick Ronson on guitar and I play 12-string guitar. Although we're all happy with the set up, I can't see it becoming a really permanent thing. I want to retain Hype and myself as two separate working units whereby we can retain our own identities.”
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In the event, that particular line-up of Hype certainly didn’t become a permanent thing. A 30th March gig at the Star Hotel in West Croydon (fifty years ago tonight and a mere two days after the Melody Maker publish date), would be drummer John Cambridge’s last gig with the band.
Another Hull musician, Mick 'Woody' Woodmansey, would fill the vacant spot immediately and though he even signed a contract with Philips on 3rd April as a member of Hype, it’s hard to find evidence that the name Hype was used for any more gigs after 30th of March. We’d love to be proved wrong on that if you have printed evidence to the contrary.
So, if our theory is correct, as a gigging entity with its name appearing in listings, it seems Hype lasted a little over a month, from 28th February to 30th March.
Either way, John Cambridge himself remained friends with David over the years and they met several more times. Our picture shows them backstage at Hammersmith Apollo on 2nd October, 2002.
#Bowie1970 #BowieHype