First Bowie Mirabelle cover is fifty today

“Eight new pence to have a go”

Fifty years ago today, David Bowie was featured on the cover of the UK’s Mirabelle magazine.

He appeared as an uncredited model with a caption inside which read: “OUR COVER – Super Red Riding Outfit from Kensington Market”, and that wasn’t even a description of his outfit.

Of course, Mirabelle had kicked of the new decade with a full-page colour back cover of our man at the start of January. They also thought enough of him to go with a double-page spread at the start of March.

This began a relationship that culminated in a few more front covers for the magazine and a two-year weekly column called: Bowie – My World…but that’s a whole other story.

This fifty year old mag still turns up occasionally, but you’re unlikely to pick it up for the original cover price of eight pence.

FOOTNOTE: The Twiggy and Justin mentioned on the cover nearly helped Bowie onto the cover of Vogue almost four years later. But instead the image was used for the cover of the Bowie Pin Ups LP sleeve instead…But that’s another whole other story.

#BowieMirabelle #BowieMagazineCover

Marc Riley Baby Universal ’97 exclusive

“Now he's running for the love of speed”

For those of you who can access BBC Radio 6 Music this evening, you can hear an exclusive first play of Baby Universal ’97 on Marc Riley’s show.

He’ll be playing the track in the first hour of his show which kicks off at 19:00 UK time.

Mr Riley is pictured backstage with David Bowie at the Manchester Academy on 23rd, July, 1997.

See previous post for more information regarding Baby Universal ’97.

#BowieIIAW

Baby Universal ’97 available for streaming now*

“Hallo humans nothing starts tomorrow”

While it’s the 30th of January for most as we post this, some parts of the planet are dipping a toe into the 31st already. The latter can now listen to Baby Universal ’97, the fourth instalment of the IS IT ANY WONDER? EP of six unreleased and rare tracks.

The photograph in today's graphic was taken in NY in 1996 by ALBERT WATSON.

Keep reading for the full press release.

*Available now if it’s the 31st where you are.

#BowieIIAW

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DAVID BOWIE IS IT ANY WONDER? STREAMING EP OF UNRELEASED & RARE MATERIAL

’BABY UNIVERSAL ‘97’ (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED) AVAILABLE NOW

FOURTH OF SIX TRACKS TO BE RELEASED OVER SIX WEEKS

’BABY UNIVERSAL ’97’ is now available for streaming as the fourth of six tracks making up DAVID BOWIE’s IS IT ANY WONDER? EP (Parlophone) of unreleased and rare tracks being released once a week.

With lyrics by David and music co-written by David and Reeves Gabrels, ‘Baby Universal’ was initially recorded by Tin Machine for Tin Machine II. Released as the band’s penultimate single in October 1991, it was performed during the final Tin Machine US television appearance on Saturday Night Live.

‘Baby Universal’ was regularly performed on Bowie’s ‘Outside Summer Festivals Tour’ in 1996. The version now being released as ’BABY UNIVERSAL ’97’ was re-recorded for the Earthling album, originally intended to be sequenced between ‘I’m Afraid Of Americans’ and ‘Law (Earthlings On Fire)’. The song was ultimately removed from the final album master, but David was very fond of this version and before the track was dropped was quoted as saying: “I thought ‘Baby Universal’ was a really good song and I don’t think it got heard. I didn’t really want that to happen to it, so I put it on this album… I think this version is very good.”.

’BABY UNIVERSAL ’97’ is produced by David Bowie, co-produced by Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati. It was recorded at Looking Glass Studios and mixed by Mark Plati at Right Track Recording, both in New York. The track features Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and vocals, Mike Garson on piano/keyboards, Mark Plati on programming/keyboards, Zachary Alford on drums and Reeves Gabrels on guitar, synths and vocals.

DAVID BOWIE ’BABY UNIVERSAL ‘97’ IS AVAILABLE TO STREAM NOW ON PARLOPHONE

Alan Yentob’s Cracked Actor film is 45 today

“I'm just the space cadet...he's the commander”

And another five years passes. Were you watching on that night 45 years ago? More here.

#CrackedActor

Stay ’97 available for streaming now*

“This time tomorrow I’ll know what to do”

As most of the world still has to endure 23rd of January, some lucky people from the future are already enjoying the 24th. They can now listen to Stay ’97, the third instalment of the IS IT ANY WONDER? EP of six unreleased and rare tracks.

MICHAEL BENABIB took the photograph of David in NY in 1997 used for today's graphic.

Keep reading for the full press release.

*Available now if it’s the 24th where you are.

#BowieIIAW

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DAVID BOWIE IS IT ANY WONDER? STREAMING EP OF UNRELEASED & RARE MATERIAL

’STAY ‘97’ (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED) AVAILABLE FRIDAY 24TH JANUARY THE THIRD OF SIX TRACKS TO BE RELEASED OVER SIX WEEKS

Parlophone Records is proud to announce ’STAY ’97' the third instalment of DAVID BOWIE’s IS IT ANY WONDER? EP of six unreleased and rare tracks being released once a week.

’STAY’ originally appeared on the ’Station To Station’ album in 1976 and was released as a single in North America and Japan in August of that year.

The previously unreleased 1997 re-recording of ‘STAY' began at The Factory in the Dublin Docklands during the pre-Earthling tour rehearsals while David, Mark Plati and Reeves Gabrels were preparing the backing/sequencer tracks before the rest of the band arrived, and the rehearsals started in earnest.

David wanted to ‘update' some of his live show staples so they would sit well sonically with the Outside/Earthling material. The recording was completed later, potentially for use as a ‘B-side’, and mixed at Right Track Recording studios, New York in May/June 1997.

’STAY ‘97’ is produced by David Bowie, co-produced by Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati, and mixed by Mark Plati. The track features Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and vocals, Mike Garson on piano/keyboards, Mark Plati on programming/keyboards, Zachary Alford on drums and Reeves Gabrels on guitar/synths

DAVID BOWIE ’STAY ’97’ IS AVAILABLE TO STREAM FRIDAY 24TH JANUARY ON PARLOPHONE

Lazarus NL wins in Annual Musical Awards Gala

“It’s Valentine’s Day”

Dutch fan, Jacqueline Pruijsen, has kindly been in touch with the wonderful news that @lazarusnl has won Best Big Musical at the prestigious Annual Musical Awards Gala in the Netherlands.

Three other awards were also collected:

Best Male Leading Role: Pieter Embrechts (Valentine)

Best Director: Ivo van Hove

Best Design: Jan Versweyveld

Congratulations to all involved for making Lazarus a continued success.

#LazarusNL #LazarusMusical

Are you on the map - got your tote?

“Hey man, well she's a tote bag blam blam”

The exclusive Space Oddity tote bags are starting to ship to everyone who was lucky enough to share a picture of their silver or gold vinyl copy of the new 2019 Tony Visconti mix.

Keep an eye out for it if you’ve plotted your spot and don't forget you can still add yourself to the map if you have a silver or gold vinyl copy and want a bag too.

📍 spaceoddity.davidbowie.com/

#SpaceOddity50 #DBCP2019 #SpaceOddity2019TVmix

I Can’t Read ’97 available for streaming now*

“Can I reach tomorrow?”

As the 16th turns to the 17th around the globe, the second instalment of the IS IT ANY WONDER? EP of six unreleased and rare tracks is available now.

Keep reading for the full press release.

*Available now if it’s the 17th where you are.

#BowieIIAW

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DAVID BOWIE IS IT ANY WONDER? STREAMING EP OF UNRELEASED & RARE MATERIAL

’I CAN’T READ ’97'’ (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED) AVAILABLE NOW

THE SECOND OF SIX TRACKS TO BE RELEASED OVER SIX WEEKS

Parlophone Records is proud to unveil ‘I CAN’T READ ‘97’, the second instalment of DAVID BOWIE’s IS IT ANY WONDER? EP of six unreleased and rare tracks being released once a week.

‘I CAN’T READ’ originally appeared on Tin Machine’s eponymous debut album in 1989, and was a staple in the band’s live set. In the autumn of 1996, during the mixing stages for Earthling, David re-recorded the track – which, at one stage, appeared on a mastered version of the album.

While the song’s second incarnation, ‘I CAN’T READ ‘97’, was David’s preferred solo version (the version available today), it was ultimately cut from Earthling and replaced at the last minute with ‘The Last Thing You Should Do’.

An alternative version, featuring minor chords and a darker sound for the chorus, was recorded for Ang Lee’s film The Ice Storm. The full length version appeared on a single in 1998, while an edit featured on the film’s soundtrack album in 1997, both released by VelVel Records.

‘I CAN’T READ ‘97’ written by David Bowie & Reeves Gabrels is produced by David Bowie, co-produced by Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati, and mixed by Mark Plati. The track was recorded and mixed at Right Track Recording in New York and features Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and vocals, Mike Garson on piano, and Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals.

DAVID BOWIE ‘I CAN’T READ’97’ IS AVAILABLE TO STREAM NOW ON PARLOPHONE

R.I.P Bob Solly

Kevin Cann has been in touch with the sad news that Manish Boy, Bob Solly (bottom right in montage, next to Davie Jones), has passed away at the age of 75. Over to Kevin.

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I’m very sad to have to tell you that following a short illness Robert Solly, better known as ex-Manish Boy founder member Bob Solly, passed away in London in the early hours of Tuesday morning, January 7th. He was 75.

Following his years with Maidstone based band The Manish Boys (which famously included around a year with David Bowie fronting the band), Bob continued working as a songwriter with writing partner Paul Rodriguez, mainly working for producer Shel Talmy. After moving away from the music business he became a very successful designer and architect and spent many years criss-crossing the world while overseeing numerous prestigious commercial property developments.

After settling back in the UK he focussed firmly on his real passion in life, collecting; mainly many thousands of records, though his spare rooms quickly filled with, among other things, a huge first-editions library, items on crime and other rare British social memorabilia and collections of photographs. After many years of serious International record collecting and record dealing it was thought that Bob’s vinyl collection alone was second only in size to that of the BBC’s.

His knowledge of post war British and American popular music was renown and in the late 90’s he became a regular, highly regarded contributor to Record Collector magazine, also writing Record Collector’s incisive 2005 book, ‘100 Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Records’. In 2009 he began regular radio broadcasts with Channel Radio in Kent, his eclectic weekly show relying solely on vinyl singles chosen from his vast collection. Over the many hundreds of hours broadcasting he never played any single track more than once.

Bob is survived by his second wife, Susan.

Bob Solly (Robert Leslie Solly), musician, designer and writer, born 4 August 1944; died 7 January 2020

David Bowie: January 8th 1947 - January 10th 2016

#BowieForever

Parlophone to issue unreleased Bowie tracks

“We spoke of was and when”

It’s likely that some of you have been expecting something on what would have been David Bowie’s 73rd birthday, after announcements on 8th January for the past couple of years. Indeed, if the calendar has clicked over to that date where you are, then you have possibly already found something.

Now it’s 8th January in the country of his birth, here’s that announcement…

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DAVID BOWIE IS IT ANY WONDER? – STREAMING EP OF UNRELEASED & RARE MATERIAL

‘THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD’ (CHANGESNOWBOWIE VERSION) FIRST OF SIX TRACKS TO BE RELEASED OVER SIX WEEKS

CHANGESNOWBOWIE LIMITED EDITION NINE TRACK LP/CD OF PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MATERIAL TO BE ISSUED FOR RECORD STORE DAY 18th APRIL, 2020

8th January 2020 London

Parlophone Records is proud to announce DAVID BOWIE IS IT ANY WONDER? a six track EP of unreleased and rare tracks to be released over six weeks.

The first of these is a previously unreleased version of ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, released today as a streaming-only 1 track digital single in celebration of both David’s birthday and the 50th anniversary of the writing and recording of this classic. Five more songs will be released on a weekly basis from 17th January.

’THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD’ (CHANGESNOWBOWIE VERSION) is taken from the 9-track session ChangesNowBowie, recorded for radio and broadcast by the BBC on David’s 50th birthday on 8th January, 1997.

The broadcast featured an interview with David by Mary Anne Hobbs interspersed with specially recorded birthday messages and questions from the likes of Scott Walker, Damon Albarn, Bono, Robert Smith and many more.

This mostly acoustic session was a stripped back affair featuring some of David’s favourites of his own compositions and was produced by Bowie himself, Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati.

CHANGESNOWBOWIE was recorded and mixed at Looking Glass Studios in New York in November 1996 during rehearsals for David’s 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden. Gail Ann Dorsey (bass, vocals), Reeves Gabrels (guitars) and Mark Plati (keyboards and programming) accompanied David on the recording.

CHANGESNOWBOWIE will be released in limited quantities on LP and CD for Record Store Day on 18th April, 2020. The cover art for the album will features a portrait of David by renowned photographer Albert Watson, taken in New York in 1996. (See montage for cover)

More details about the album will be announced shortly.

DAVID BOWIE 'THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD' (CHANGESNOWBOWIE) IS AVAILABLE NOW ON PARLOPHONE

DAVID BOWIE CHANGESNOWBOWIE RELEASED ON PARLOPHONE ON 18TH APRIL, 2020 FOR RECORD STORE DAY

#BowieIIAW #CHANGESNOWBOWIE