Kenneth Cooper Pitt: 10 November 1922 – 25 February 2019
Kevin Cann has been in touch with the sad news that David Bowie’s former manager, Kenneth Pitt, has died at his home in Hertfordshire.
Ken passed on Monday, 25th February, following a short illness. He was 96.
“Hot tramp, I love you so”
Though the press adverts proclaimed that it was a Valentine's Day release, Rebel Rebel was actually issued forty five years ago today on the 15th of February, 1974. The release, which had already been put back two weeks (original printed release date on demo label is Feb 1st), was an edited version of the song and a first taste from the upcoming Diamond Dogs LP, though it was considered a bit of a curveball compared to much of the music on that album. The single was backed with Queen Bitch.
It was the first release since the dissolution of The Spiders From Mars, though stylistically it may have been more at home on Aladdin Sane, with its up-tempo, Stonesy feel and with an unmistakable and instantly recognisable riff played by Bowie. A riff that he was more than grateful to have conjured up, later saying of it: “It's a fabulous riff! Just fabulous! When I stumbled onto it, it was 'Oh, thank you!'”.
The track reached #5 on the UK singles chart (Bowie's sixth Top Five single in the UK), and even managed a placing in the US Billboard Hot 100, no doubt helped by the exclusive New York Mix, which was almost a minute and a half shorter than the regular single mix. The New York Mix was released in North America and Mexico in May 1974 backed with Lady Grinning Soul.
This second version was more urgent than the original, with a backward echo effect on the new la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la backing vocals, castanets and more general excitement all round...more akin to the live version that would be performed shortly on the US Diamond Dogs tour.
The main images in our montage show the music press adverts from the UK (left) and the Netherlands (on the right), where David’s performance of the song on the Dutch TV show, Top Pop, was broadcast on the 18th. Watch it here.
#BowieRebelRebel
“Under the moonlight, this serious moonlight”
The five selected stand-alone albums from last year’s David Bowie: Loving the Alien (1983-1988) box set are released today (15th February) by Parlophone.
The break-outs include the three studio albums, Let’s Dance, Tonight and Never Let Me Down on vinyl LP, CD and various digital formats, plus the two live albums: Serious Moonlight (Live ’83) and Glass Spider (Live Montreal ’87) on CD and digital formats. In addition, the compilation album, Dance (which features twelve remixes), will be available on standard digital.
If you haven’t already, you can order here and go here for the full breakdown.
#LTABox
“Boys always work it out”
2019 is the 40th anniversary of Lodger and 17th May sees the release of the latest limited 7" picture disc from Parlophone, Boys Keep Swinging.
While originally recording the song, Bowie had hoped to capture a garage band feel with the musicians swapping instruments after a deck of Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies cards had suggested ‘reverse roles’. So guitarist Carlos Alomar played drums and drummer Dennis Davis played bass.
The version featured on the A side is the 2017 mix by Tony Visconti from Lodger, undertaken for the A New Career In A New Town box set, as both Tony and Bowie felt they never had the opportunity to give Lodger the mix it deserved in 1979, due to time and studio constraints.
The AA side features I Pray, Ole which was apparently recorded during the Lodger sessions, but remained unreleased until mixed by David and David Richards for inclusion as an extra track on the 1991 reissue of the Lodger album. The track has been commercially unavailable since then.
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DAVID BOWIE - BOYS KEEP SWINGING LIMITED EDITION 40th ANNIVERSARY 7" PICTURE DISC
Side A
Boys Keep Swinging (2017 Tony Visconti mix)
(David Bowie, Brian Eno)
Produced by David Bowie & Tony Visconti
Mixed by Tony Visconti at Human Studios, NYC, 2017
Side AA
I Pray, Ole
(David Bowie)
Produced by David Bowie & Tony Visconti
Mixed by David Bowie & David Richards, 1991
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Boys Keep Swinging limited 40th anniversary 7" picture disc is released by Parlophone on 17th May.
#DBBKS40 #BowieVinyl
“It’s made out of old fisherman”
On this day in 1974 (13th February), David Bowie attended a press reception at the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam, where Ad Visser (host of Dutch music show Top Pop), presented him with the Edison Award and a certificate for the Most Popular Male Vocalist, with particular recognition given to Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars.
Recalling an earlier trip to London to visit David, Visser poured two glasses of an “old fisherman drink”, Schelvispekel*, to toast David’s win.
Check out a brief excerpt from the conference on YouTube to make sense of today’s ‘lyric quotation’:
* Schelvispekel is a spicy Dutch liqueur produced using brandy and a secret blend of spices. The name translates as 'haddock brine', not a nod to the ingredients, rather that the drink is reminiscent of one early-20th century haddock fishermen would drink to keep them warm on their days at sea.
FOOTNOTE: The Edison Award is an annual Dutch music prize awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is one of the oldest music awards in the world, having been presented since 1960.
#DavidBowieNL
“I recall how we lived, On the corner of a bed”
DAVID BOWIE - CLAREVILLE GROVE DEMOS
3 x 7" VINYL SINGLES BOX SET FEATURING PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED DAVID BOWIE RECORDINGS
Following the recent Spying Through A Keyhole announcement, Parlophone is set to further commemorate the 50th anniversary of David Bowie’s first hit, Space Oddity, with a 7" vinyl singles box set of six home demos, four of which are previously unreleased recordings. This set further documents the earliest stages of David’s journey and development as an artist and songwriter.
Recorded early in 1969 in David’s flat in Clareville Grove, London, this live to tape demo session features David performing as a duo with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson following the end of the Feathers trio, which featured David’s then girlfriend Hermione Farthingale.
The photography featured on the box front and the print inside, is by Bowie’s then manager, Ken Pitt, and was taken in the Clareville Grove flat that David shared with Hermione. His military haircut was due to the very brief appearance he had in the movie The Virgin Soldiers.
As with the Spying Through A Keyhole vinyl singles box set, the design of each single label is presented to reflect the way David sent many of his demos to publishers and record companies, featuring his own handwritten song titles on EMIDISC acetate labels. The singles themselves are all mono and play at 45 rpm.
CLAREVILLE GROVE DEMOS (3 X 7” SINGLE BOX SET)
DAVID BOWIE (WITH JOHN ‘HUTCH’ HUTCHINSON)
3 x 7" SET TRACKLISTING
Single 1
Side A
Space Oddity
Now featuring the final lyrics, this version of the demo first appeared on the long deleted Space Oddity 40th Anniversary 2 CD release, and is now making its debut on vinyl. It predates the 2nd February Morgan Studios recording that featured in the Love You Till Tuesday television film.
Side B
Lover To The Dawn
This song aimed at a former lover would eventually morph into Cygnet Committee recorded for the David Bowie (aka Space Oddity) album later in the year.
Single 2
Side A
Ching-a-Ling
Previously recorded in October 1968 by the trio Turquoise featuring David, Hermione and Tony Hill (who became Feathers when Hutch replaced Hill). David and Hutch continued to perform the song as a duo following Hermione’s departure.
Side B
An Occasional Dream
Slightly different lyrically to the later album version, this version of the demo also first appeared on the deleted Space Oddity 40th Anniversary release.
Single 3
Side A
Let Me Sleep Beside You
A studio version was first recorded in September 1967 but remained unreleased until The World Of David Bowie album in 1970. The song was later recorded in session for the BBC in October 1969 and was a song David clearly believed in, recording it once more for the unreleased Toy album 30 years later. That version finally saw the light of day on the Nothing Has Changed 3 CD set in 2014.
Side B
Life Is A Circus
A cover of an obscure song written by Roger Bunn recorded by vocal/instrumental quartet Djinn. Vocals are shared Simon and Garfunkel style by David and Hutch.
Musicians
David Bowie – vocals, guitar and Stylophone
John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson – vocals and guitar
Photography by Ken Pitt © Ken Pitt
Further details and release date to follow.
#BowieCGD
“Singing old songs he loved”
Parlophone will be issuing David Bowie’s 1973 album of cover versions as a picture disc for Record Store Day 2019 on Saturday, 13th April.
When originally released, the David Bowie/Ken Scott produced album was preceded by the only single from Pin Ups, Sorrow, which reached #3 on the UK chart. Pin Ups itself entered the UK album chart at #1 on the strength of pre-orders alone.
Joining Bowie on the sleeve for Justin de Villeneuve’s extraordinary photograph with Bowie is Twiggy, name-checked earlier the same year on Aladdin Sane for Drive-In Saturday: “She’d sigh like Twig the Wonder Kid”.
The photo session was shot in Paris for Vogue magazine, but at Bowie's request was used for the album instead. This same image is used for Side 1 of the picture disc.
Originally, the back cover and insert featured Mick Rock photographs and Side 2 of the picture disc uses one of his artworks which utilised images from that session.
The picture disc includes a reproduction of the insert, and the back cover is as the original with the following note from Bowie:
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These songs are among my favourites from the '64–67' period of London.
Most of the groups were playing the Ricky-Tick (was it a 'y' or an 'i'?) - Scene club circuit (Marquee, eel pie island la-la)
Some are still with us. Pretty Things, Them, Yardbirds, Syd's Pink Floyd, Mojos, Who, Easybeats, Merseys, Kinks.
Love-on ya!
Bowie x
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David Bowie Pin Ups RSD 2019 picture disc
Released via Parlophone on 13th April.
Cat #: DB69736P
UPC: 0190295511289
Side 1
01 - Rosalyn (Duncan/Farley)
02 - Here Comes the Night (Berns)
03 - I Wish You Would (Arnold)
04 - See Emily Play (Barrett)
05 - Everything's Alright (Crouch/Konrad/Stavely/Stuart)
06 - I Can't Explain (Townshend)
Side 2
01 - Friday On My Mind (Young/Vanda)
02 - Sorrow (Feldman/Goldstein/Gottehrer)
03 - Don't Bring Me Down (Dee)
04 - Shapes of Things (Samwell-Smith/McCarty/Relf)
05 - Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (Daltrey/Townshend)
06 - Where Have All the Good Times Gone? (Davies)
Originally released on RCA on 19th October 1973
Produced by David Bowie and Ken Scott
Musicians:
David Bowie – vocals, guitar, tenor and alto saxophone, harmonica, arrangements, backing vocals, Moog synthesiser
Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals, arrangements
Trevor Bolder – bass guitar
Aynsley Dunbar – drums
Mike Garson – piano, organ, harpsichord, electric piano
Ken Fordham – baritone saxophone
G.A. MacCormack – backing vocals
Original Pin Ups Design:
Justin de Villeneuve - front cover photograph
Twiggy - Twig the Wonderkid on front cover
Pierre Laroche - front cover makeup masks for Twig and Bowie
Mick Rock - back cover photography/design
Ray Campbell - front cover lettering
#BowieRSD #RSD2019 #BowieVinyl #BowiePinUps
“You’ve really made the grade”
On Sunday, 2nd February 1969, David Bowie entered Morgan Studios in London’s Willesden to record the soundtrack version of Space Oddity for the proposed television special and promotional vehicle, Love You Till Tuesday.
Four days later and fifty years ago today, the Space Oddity segment was filmed for the special and it was clear from this first ‘public’ outing of the song that David Bowie had composed something extraordinary.
Here’s Ken Pitt (David’s manager at the time), from his book Bowie The Pitt Report:
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The next day, February 6, proved to be an important landmark in David’s career for it was then that he was filmed performing the new song Space Oddity.
That this was an unusually clever song was apparent from the first hearing, but it was only during the course of the day’s shooting that its wide appeal became evident. During the break for lunch, freed from the silence imposed on them on the set, people were laughing, chattering and singing about the unconventional hero Major Tom. When David came through a doorway someone said “Well, if it isn’t Major Tom.“
After lunch he walked onto the set and rehearsed the final scene where the astronaut, resigned to his chosen fate, is caressed by two seductive sirens, played by Samantha Bond and the production assistant Suzanne Mercer. Admiration was now coupled with envy, perhaps two important ingredients for the hit that had so long eluded us.
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The Love You Till Tuesday film was not broadcast at the time and the Space Oddity segment didn’t surface for another six years, when the BBC showed it on TOTPs to accompany the reissue of the song that topped the charts in 1975. But that’s a whole other story.
The original Love You Till Tuesday film was finally released on video in 1984 and on DVD in 2005.
Watch the original Space Oddity segment here.
#SpaceOddity50