Bowie hits UK Top 30 fifty years ago today

“I'm stepping through the door”

David Bowie entered the Official UK Singles Chart Top 30 for the very first time fifty years ago today.

Space Oddity blasted off on Friday 11 July 1969. Eight weeks later on Saturday 06 September it reached #48 and that seemed to be that.

However, another two weeks later on Saturday 20 September it re-entered at #39 and the following week it entered the Top 30 at #25 and continued its slow climb to #5, where it peaked on Saturday 01 November, 1969...sixteen weeks after it was released.

Here’s an excerpt from an NME article from 04 October 1969, headlined: DAVID WAITED FIVE YEARS

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"SPACE Oddity," the strangely appealing, highly contemporary disc, inspired by Kubrick's "2001 A Space Oddysey," has given David Bowie the chart break he has waited five years for. Major Tom, the astronaut, who simply chooses to remain in deep-space rather than return home, is a space-age drop out. "Home for Bowie and Major Tom," says David, "is the world we inhabit, where we eagerly sub-scribe our taxes to finance the space programme and where all we want in return is to know what our helmeted heroes eat for breakfast."

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As you know, the song did eventually hit the top spot when it was re-issued by RCA. It gave Bowie his first UK #1 on 08 November 1975, six years and one week after it peaked the first time around.

#SpaceOddity50  #BowieOCC 

Thursday's Child Is all grown up at twenty

“Maybe I’m born right out of my time”

On September 20th 1999 David Bowie released a single, the Bowie/Gabrels composition Thursday's Child, a couple of weeks ahead of the 'hours...' album, from whence it came.

In a performance for VH1 Storytellers, Bowie revealed that the title of the song was prompted by the memory of the autobiography of actress Eartha Kitt, also called Thursday's Child.

The accompanying music video was directed by Walter Stern in August 1999 in New York. Bowie said of it: “The video is a strange and slow moving piece that wanders between a present and a past in a bewildering fashion”.

It shows Bowie in a motel room with his partner, looking in a mirror at his younger self (played by Owen Beasley) reflecting upon the passing of time and his life journey, with themes of loss and regret.

The single was a top 20 hit in the UK, no doubt helped by various formats including a cassette version and two CDs with several exclusive bonus tracks and the video.

Watch the full length version on the official David Bowie Facebook page.

#BowieHours

Jones to become extremely well-known...possibly

“I got a girl who loves me true”

Back in June we celebrated the 55th anniversary of Bowie’s first ever release: Liza Jane/Louie, Louie Go Home, issued as Davie Jones with The King-Bees.

Despite a handful of positive reviews, the world was not yet ready to embrace the charms of either Davie Jones or Liza Jane. Success on The Hit Parade would take another five years and a name change from Jones to Bowie to secure David his first hit.

One of the reviews which had eluded us for our round-up when we celebrated the record’s fiftieth in 2014, surfaced recently in the June 13th, 1964, edition of DISC in the UK. Here’s an excerpt:

“Davie Jones may be new to you but I’ve a hunch he’s going to become extremely well-known or fade from the scene completely.”

Well, that particular reviewer must have thought the second possibility was the future that destiny had mapped out for young Jones. Let’s hope they followed his career and realised that the “extremely well-known” David Bowie was the same singer.

Photo of King Bee Jones by DEZO HOFFMANN

#BowieLizaJane

Ziggy in Brighton ‘bottom wiggle’ shock

“...the strange ones in The Dome...”

If you were enjoying the delights of sunny seaside town Brighton in the UK today, you may have popped along for Heritage Open Day at The Dome and stumbled upon a photo display of Ziggy Stardust in full flight during his 23 May gig on the 1973 David Bowie Tour.

Here’s an edited excerpt from the Brighton and Hove Independent regarding the event…

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Newly acquired photographs of David Bowie performing at Brighton Dome will go on display at the venue for the first time, as part of Heritage Open Day on Saturday, September 14. The images were originally taken at Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust concert on 23 May 1973 by Saler Photographic, a local picture agency which was based at 40 Preston Road.

Alex Epps, senior programming co-ordinator at Brighton Dome, said: “We are really excited to include these new additions to the archive as they really bring Brighton Dome’s history to life. We’d love to know who the photographers were who took the shots but we’ve not been able to find out any more information. With our backstage tours and open days we hope visitors will enjoy learning about the past and sharing their own personal memories of the venue.”

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However, what the pictures couldn’t possibly convey was a move by Bowie considered so risqué that local paper, The Argus, had as a subheading: “WIGGLED HIS BOTTOM” in their review of the show.

Though this flaunting of the derrière is considered de rigueur nowadays, back in 1973 it was clearly considered a bit saucy.

Hopefully this type of decadent behaviour was reserved for the evening show, not the matinee played earlier in the afternoon.

Either way, the effect of Ziggy and The Spiders on the assembled throng was more than apparent. The Argus's review of the gig reported that 18 seats were ripped from the auditorium and four fans fainted!

Even though some of these images might be familiar to fans of a certain age (as they could be ordered directly from Saler Photographic), the search is on for the photographer.

We're pretty sure some of these shots were published in the music weeklies back in the day and possibly elsewhere in colour. Perhaps that original snapper remembers?

Read Emily Walker’s full Argus piece regarding what was understandably, a life-changing event for some, here.

#BowieBrightonDome  #BowieBottomWiggle

Goodbye Daniel Johnston

“True Love Will Find You In The End”

You’ve no doubt already heard about the passing of Daniel Johnston on Wednesday. Many Bowie fans will already be aware of the man’s music and art as Bowie was a champion of both.

Daniel was an American singer-songwriter and visual artist regarded as a significant and influential figure in the outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded alone in his home, artefacts that were much sought after long before his death from a heart attack on Wednesday.

Johnston spent extended periods in psychiatric institutions and was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He gathered a local following in the 1980s by passing out tapes of his music while working at a McDonald's in Austin, Texas. In 2005, Johnston was the subject of the documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston for which Bowie supplied this line:

“Daniel Johnston reminds me of aspects that made me love art in the first place.”

Bowie also provided Johnston with some wider exposure when he had him perform at London’s South Bank on 17 June, 2002, as part of David Bowie's Meltdown 2002 and then again on 16 May, 2007, to the Highline Ballroom for Bowie’s High Line Festival. Bowie also invited that other ‘outsider’, The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, to both events.

Here he is talking about both artists to Paul Du Noyer for Mojo in 2002...

“The Legendary Stardust Cowboy is an outsider artist, he’s playing with a different deck of cards…and Daniel Johnston is like a one-man Brian Wilson/Beach Boys. He comes out of Austin, Texas, also another lad who had a lot of problems with thinking. He was in different institutions and hospitals all his life and would make funny little cassettes of all his songs, on an out-of-tune piano or guitar: beautiful, poignant, sad little pieces. And he’d take them into the local comic shop and swap the cassettes for comics.”

David’s son, Duncan Jones, had this to say on Twitter yesterday:

“My dad introduced me to Daniel Johnston’s music & at first I didn’t know if it was meant as a joke or something else. But…”

Duncan then posted this link to Hi, How Are You Daniel Johnston? (Short Film- 2015)

#DanielJohnston

Conversation Piece book exclusive

“I keep a photograph, it burns my wall with time”

You may have noticed we announced the Conversation Piece 5CD box set yesterday and as promised, we will be sharing some of the images from the 120-page hardback book accompanying the set.

On the run up to its release on 15th November, we’ll be revealing some exclusive content that didn't make it into the book, such as the previously unpublished shot here taken by BBC photographer Harry Goodwin.

Harry was the Top Of The Pops in-house photographer from its inception in 1964 until 1973. He also took pictures of David during performances of Starman and The Jean Genie on the show. It's likely that this session took place while David was at the BBC’s Lime Grove studios filming his appearance for Top Of The Pops in early October, 1969.

You’ll find several more images from this session in the Conversation Piece book.

#DBCP2019

David Bowie Conversation Piece 5CD box due November

“All seems so long ago...”

Parlophone Records is proud to announce DAVID BOWIE CONVERSATION PIECE, a five CD box set and digital equivalent tracking David’s early development throughout 1968 and 1969, via his home demos, BBC radio sessions, studio recordings with guitarist John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson and the experimental music and mime group, Feathers. The collection also celebrates the 50th anniversaries of the release of the ‘Space Oddity’ single and David’s second album, David Bowie (aka Space Oddity).

Pre-order links and more images to follow.

Keep reading for the press release.

#DBCP2019

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DAVID BOWIE CONVERSATION PIECE - 5 CD AND DIGITAL BOX SET RELEASED ON 15TH NOVEMBER, 2019

INCLUDES 12 EXCLUSIVE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS AND BRAND NEW MIX OF SPACE ODDITY ALBUM BY TONY VISCONTI

SPACE ODDITY (2019 MIX) ALBUM ALSO AVAILABLE SEPARATELY ON CD, STANDARD DIGITAL, 96/24 DIGITAL AND RANDOMISED BLACK, EXTREMELY LIMITED NUMBERED SILVER AND GOLD VINYL SINGLE RUN PRESSINGS.

'CONVERSATION PIECE' (2019 MIX) AVAILABLE NOW AS A STREAMING ONLY SINGLE.

4th September 2019 London

Parlophone Records is proud to announce DAVID BOWIE CONVERSATION PIECE, a five CD box set and digital equivalent tracking David’s early development throughout 1968 and 1969, via his home demos, BBC radio sessions, studio recordings with guitarist John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson and the experimental music and mime group, Feathers. The collection also celebrates the 50th anniversaries of the release of the ‘Space Oddity’ single and David’s second album, David Bowie (aka Space Oddity).

DAVID BOWIE CONVERSATION PIECE contains twelve previously unreleased tracks/demos from the period as well as a brand new mix of the Space Oddity (aka David Bowie) album by long-time Bowie producer/collaborator Tony Visconti.

The new mix of the album now features the title track of the boxset ‘Conversation Piece’ restored to the tracklisting in its initially intended position, before it was originally dropped due to time constraints of vinyl.

Of the 2019 Space Oddity album mix Visconti says “It was so much fun to find hidden gems of musicianship with more time to mix the second time around, a guitar twiddle here, a trombone blast there, Marc Bolan’s voice in a group choir and more detail in general that we overlooked all those years ago when the label gave us a week at the most to mix this album. And in the details you will find 22 year old David Bowie, who would soon take the world by storm."

The 120 page hardback book accompanying the box features exclusive memorabilia from the personal collection of David’s former manager, the late Ken Pitt, as well as from the David Bowie Archive®, and includes photos by Ray Stevenson, Vernon Dewhurst, David Bebbington, Ken Pitt, Alec Byrne, Tony Visconti and Jojanneke Claasen.

The sleeve notes have been written for the release by Bowie experts Mark Adams, Tris Penna and Kevin Cann along with contributions from David’s lifelong friend George Underwood, Tony Visconti, Vernon Dewhurst, Dana Gillespie and John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson.

The 2019 mix of the Space Oddity album will also be released separately and individually on CD, standard digital, 96/24 digital and vinyl. The various vinyl configurations will be randomly distributed worldwide with a mixture of hand-numbered labels; numbers 1 to 1969 on silver vinyl numbers and 1970 to 2019 on gold vinyl, with the remainder being black vinyl.

DAVID BOWIE CONVERSATION PIECE

Titles marked * are unreleased and the two Decca tracks presented here are released in superior quality to that released on the Deluxe Edition of David’s self-titled debut album on Deram. There is also a rare appearance for the full length mono version of Feathers’ ‘Ching-a-Ling’.

CD 1 - Home Demos

April’s Tooth Of Gold (2.29) *

The Reverend Raymond Brown (Attends the Garden Fête on Thatchwick Green) (2.15) *

When I’m Five (3.18) *

Mother Grey (3.00)

In The Heat Of The Morning (2.59)

Goodbye 3d (Threepenny) Joe (3.19)

Love All Around (2.49)

London Bye, Ta-Ta (3.31)

Angel Angel Grubby Face (version 1) (2.31)

Angel Angel Grubby Face (version 2) (2.37)

Animal Farm (2.21) *

Space Oddity (solo demo fragment) (2.39)

Space Oddity (version 1) with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (4.02)

Space Oddity (version 2) with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (5.00) *

Space Oddity (version 3) with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (5.10)

Lover To The Dawn with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (3.50)

Ching-a-Ling with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (2.58)

An Occasional Dream with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (2.49)

Let Me Sleep Beside You with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (2.54)

Life Is A Circus with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson (4.50)

Conversation Piece (3.47) *

Jerusalem (4.19) *

Hole In The Ground with George Underwood (3.29) *

CD2 - The ‘Mercury’ Demos with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson

Space Oddity (5.28)

Janine (3.53)

An Occasional Dream (3.18)

Conversation Piece (3.31)

Ching-a-Ling (3.35)

I’m Not Quite (aka Letter To Hermione) (4.00)

Lover To The Dawn (5.01)

Love Song (4.08)

When I’m Five (3.13)

Life Is A Circus (5.33)

CD3 - Conversation Pieces (Mono)

In The Heat Of The Morning (Decca mono version) (2.51)

London Bye, Ta-Ta (Decca alternative version) (2.36)

BBC Top Gear radio session with the Tony Visconti Orchestra, recorded 13th May, 1968

In The Heat Of The Morning (3.01)

London Bye, Ta-Ta (2.39)

Karma Man (3.07)

When I’m Five (3.14)

Silly Boy Blue (4.32)

Ching-a-Ling (2.51)

Space Oddity (Morgan Studios version – alternative take) (4.22)* with John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson

Space Oddity (U.K. single edit) (4.42)

Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single B-side – mono mix) (4.54)

Janine (mono mix) (3.23)

Conversation Piece (3.06)

BBC Dave Lee Travis Show radio session, recorded 20th October, 1969

Let Me Sleep Beside You (3.20)

Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed (4.03)

Janine (3.03)

CD 4 - 1969 stereo mixes

The original David Bowie (aka Space Oddity) album

Space Oddity (5.14)

Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed (inc. Don’t Sit Down) (6.51)

Letter To Hermione (2.32)

Cygnet Committee (9.31)

Janine (3.21)

An Occasional Dream (2.54)

Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (4.46)

God Knows I'm Good (3.17)

Memory Of A Free Festival (7.09)

The Extras

Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single B-side stereo mix) (4.56)

Letter To Hermione (early mix) (2.32) *

Janine (early mix) (3.23) *

An Occasional Dream (early mix) (2.54) *

Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola (full length version) (5.14)

CD 5 - 2019 mixes (all previously unreleased)

The Space Oddity album

Space Oddity (5.20)

Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed (6.18)

Letter To Hermione (2.32)

Cygnet Committee (9.28)

Janine (3.21)

An Occasional Dream (2.57)

Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (4.50)

Conversation Piece (3.11)

God Knows I'm Good (3.16)

Memory Of A Free Festival (7.14)

The Extras

Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (single version) (4.59)

Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola (5.20)

DAVID BOWIE CONVERSATION PIECE RELEASED ON PARLOPHONE ON 15TH NOVEMBER, 2019.

Baby Bowie book out now

“Let the children use it”

A book about adjectives illustrated by Pintachan.

Shiny lightning bolt. High boots. Spikey hair. Glittery stars. Celebrate iconic musician David Bowie with little ones in this colorful, playful, and inspiring board book.

Keep reading for the press release.

#BabyBowie

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Running Press Kids announced today the upcoming publication of a new board book series: BABY ROCKER™. Reflecting the playful nature of the Running Press Kids imprint, the Baby Rocker™ series introduces the littlest book lovers to early concepts, like colors and shapes, through major icons in music.

The series will launch in fall 2019 with the publication of BABY BOWIE and BABY KISS, both on sale September 3rd.  Baby Bowie and Baby KISS came to life with the support of Epic Rights/Perryscope Productions for Baby Bowie and Epic Rights for Baby KISS, plus adorable illustrations by Pintachan. Baby Bowie introduces adjectives (shiny lightning bolt, high boots, spiky hair), while Baby KISS introduces colors (black-and-white face paint, pink tongue, orange fireworks). Each book wraps up with a lyric (“Let’s Dance!” and “I wanna rock n’ roll all nite!”). These series launchers will be followed in spring 2020 by additional titles featuring other celebrated music artists.

“Baby Rocker™ is a fresh and exciting way for parents and grandparents to share their love of music with their little ones. We are thrilled to partner with Epic Rights and Perryscope Productions on these first two titles, and can’t wait to add more extraordinary rockers to the series,” says Kristin Kiser, VP/Publisher of Running Press.

While there are several board book series introducing children to literature and science (such as BabyLit and Baby University), no such series exists in the board book space celebrating contemporary musicians. This series aims to fill that space, appealing to the audience of the other series, while carving out an additional niche of its own: parents and grandparents hoping to share their musical passions with a new generation. BABY ROCKER™ will make the perfect gift for baby showers or for any new parent who is a superfan.

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About Running Press Kids:

Running Press Kids is a place where books come to play. Our close-knit, collaborative team aims to spark curiosity and creativity and to meet readers where they are with each book we create. We focus on design-driven, high-quality, fresh books for children and young adults that encourage engaged reading and exploration. We publish fun, playful, and inspirational board books; heartfelt, humorous, and diverse picture books; nonfiction that drives inquiry and wonder, along with a healthy dose of fun; and middle grade and young adult fiction that focuses on character-driven, relatable stories with real growth and self-discovery. Additionally, we are adept at working with licensors to create imaginative, fresh, and enduring books in novelty, activity, storybook, and other formats.

About Running Press:

Founded in 1972, Running Press has a history of publishing products that entertain, inspire, and delight. Running Press publishes close to 200 new titles a year under five imprints: Running Press Adult, Running Press Miniature Editions™, Running Press Kids, RP Studio, and Black Dog & Leventhal. Beautifully designed and creatively packaged, Running Press books, miniature editions, and stationery product cover a broad range of lifestyle and pop-culture categories that include licensed programs, humor, food and wine, craft, performing arts, children’s nonfiction, YA and middle grade fiction, picture books, and board books. 

About Epic Rights

Epic Rights is a leading music industry retail branding, merchandising and concert artist services company representing many top artists. Epic Rights provides a broad scope of services, including retail branding and licensing, official artist’s website and social media management, official concert artists online shops, VIP ticketing, and official fan communities. Epic Rights is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. For more information, visit:www.epicrights.com.

About Perryscope Productions:

Perryscope Productions, LLC is a New York-based global licensing and merchandise company proudly representing iconic and eclectic clients such as Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, Muddy Waters, Miles Davis, Creedence Clearwater Revival/John Fogerty (in association with Double Header Licensing, LLC), Genesis, The Police (in association with Easy Partners, LLC), The Band, Syd Barrett, David Gilmour, Isaac Hayes. In addition, Perryscope co-manages AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and the Woodstock Festival in partnership with Epic Rights. For more information visit http://www.perryscope.us