David Bowie

[Zenith]

Thanks zenith
Can we have do they know it's Christmas as today's track please
From the finale to the live aid concert 13th July 1985
The opening line was written for Bowie to sing but he couldn't do it so paul young ended up singing it on the band aid single.
This was put right at the gig.
But only to a fashion
I was there
At the time it was fantastic
It sounds pretty ropey now
Tickets were 25 pound
I went because of Bowie but the whole day was fantastic
It may not really stand up to inspection all these years down the line but at the time it was really good
You tube seems to be blocked mate but daily motion has it

Uploaded it on vimeo instead which allows embedding;


Whilst not flawlessly excecuted, with occasions like these it's all about the experience and living the moment in harmony with big fish like DB, Paul Young, Freddie Mercury, Paul McCartney, Bob Geldof,... a wonderful gesture for the less fortunate.

Bob Geldof... When my aunt's partner's brother passed away a couple of months ago, I learnt he [and my aunt's parnter] are far cousins of Bob's. If I understood correctly; their paternal grandfather [whose name has eluded me] was the brother of Sir Bob's paternal grandfather (Zenon Geldof) who worked in several five-star hotel as chef and later emigrated from his country of birth (Belgium) to Dublin, Ireland where he started several thriving patisieries and restaurants during the 1920's. Sadly his life came to an end following a car accident in 1939. He left behind his spouse Amelia and four children, two daughters and two sons, one being Robert (Bob Geldof Snr), father of "Sir Bob" whom we all know.

[starmandb]

Thanks zenith
Wow
You are connected to someone who became rock royalty
Take a bow sir
I have never seen or had Bob geldof in my taxi but I did used to see Paula Yates often around Chelsea when their kids were little.
She used to cut quite a forlorn figure even then

[starmandb]

Can we have tis a pity she was a whore from the album blackstar as today's track please
We had the single version a few months ago but I believe the version on the album is better
His vocal is higher up in the mix where it sounded muffled on the single
Also this version while keeping a degree of discordant rhyme is much more melodic than the single
I like the breathing at the beginning as well
A year on and I don't believe blackstar is heaped with praise because of his death
I really wasn't sure weather that the case for me but now I am absolutely certain that it stands up as one of the best albums he ever made. What do you reckon?
Death has not given the tonight album a glow
It's still shit!!!

[Zenith]

His vocal is higher up in the mix where it sounded muffled on the single
Also this version while keeping a degree of discordant rhyme is much more melodic than the single
I like the breathing at the beginning as well
A year on and I don't believe blackstar is heaped with praise because of his death
I really wasn't sure weather that the case for me but now I am absolutely certain that it stands up as one of the best albums he ever made. What do you reckon?!

The album seems to grow on me the more I listen to it; it's almost like a disappearing act, a dissolution and yet—in between the lines—I don't think DB has ever been more visible. Also musically it's unlike anything I've heard before.

Death has not given the tonight album a glow
It's still shit!!!

[starmandb]

Thanks zenith
Can we have dead man walking from his 1997 appearance on the Rosie o'donnell show as today's track please
This was posted on you tube by a poster called my talk show heroes on Tuesday
I had never seen this before
The original broadcast was on the 3 rd March but he taped this extra song which was shown on a best of her series in June.
He was good mates with Rosie and it really shows in this performance
I think he was really impressed with his band who were on the top of their game this day as well
Tight as a drum but with some fantastic loose avant garde piano from Mike Garson

[Zenith]

Yes you can tell by his body language, particularly in the last 15 seconds that he was chuffed with the overall performance from the band including himself - and rightly so, all were spot on.

[starmandb]

Thanks zenith
Can we have the wedding song from the album black tie white noise as today's track please
An ode to iman
Sentimental. Charming . What's not to like?
Ps
Be careful when you put it on mate
As there is one on you tube that cuts out before the end and misses the peel of the bell at the end
Hence misses the point of the song
Pps
Just seen that you have put up a perfect version
Thanks mate
Lovely ain't it?

[Zenith]

[starmandb]

Can we have walking on moonlight as today's tracks please
I say tracks because it contains a few
Look back in anger/ I can't explain/ red sails and a truncated white light white heat
It was posted by someone called primrose popinjay a couple of weeks back and bless him. He ain't no nacho
Mind you he was working with some poor material
The audio is fine, that's from Montreal. I believe the poor footage was from a benefit concert he did for Brixton at the Hammersmith odeon during the 1983 serious moonlight tour.
I couldn't get tickets for this
It was the1st tour I saw him on and we have not represented it yet
There is a proper official serious moonlight dvd
But I thought this footage in its raw form would be a bit more interesting
The audio was actually taken from an fm radio broadcast

[Zenith]

[starmandb]

Thank zenith
Can we have you feel so lonely you could die from the album the next day as today's track please
He has been a great recycler of his work in the past
This may well be his most self referencing song?
From a guitar that traces rocknroll suicide, a backing vocal reminiscent of the supermen( a song that has been referenced in a few of his songs) an overal feel of I know it's gonna happen someday
And that drum outro
Five years?
His vocal is pretty exquisite though
I love where are we now with its elegiac fragile vocal but I maybe felt when it came out that this was where Bowie was at now
But of coarse it was more acting and the great thing about this song is he leaves no turn unstoned
A great addition to his cannon is this

[Zenith]

I think it might well be starman. Bowie the recycler at his best; an epic balad about espionage during the cold war.

[starmandb]

Thanks zenith
Can we have madman as today's track please
Bowie was staying at bolan's Barnes home while he wa playing keyboards on the london dates of iggy pops idiot tour at the rainbow.( 5th and 7 th March)
He offered to co write a song with bolan
And this half song demo is it( I find the version on tumblr to be of the best quality mate)
It sounds promising but a bit of a throwback for Bowie
He had low in the can from about 6 months before
Bolan was playing the tape to people and declaring it was going to be the centrepiece of his next album( sadly he never got to make one, the car crash was 6 months later).
Bolan had his last album dandy in the underworld about to be released and if you take what he had on his programme as a marker( the jam and boomtown rats were among the guests) it would suggest he was moving in the direction of new wave.
However the only successful song on the album was I love to boogie from the previous summer which was standard honky tonk Blues that Marc had worked for most of his career
Bolan may have reached the summit before Bowie but he was sliding down it rapidly while Bowie climbing beyond.
I think this may have come out on a bolan fan club release
There was also talk at the time that bolan and Bowie were going to make a movie together but I think it was old mates reconnecting and reminiscing rather than any real project.
The song was eventually recorded by a london punk/ glam band called the cuddly toys in 1980
It's ok but Bowie would have gained little from this release
He had moved on
Something bolan couldn't seem to do

[Zenith]

I downloaded an audio-only file of Madman off Tumblr and made a little video to go with it. Hope it's the right version mate.

[starmandb]

Thanks zenith
Yes it worked perfectly thanks
Can we have space oddity from the will kenny Everett make it to 1980 show please
It was recorded on 18 th sept 1979 shown at 11 pm on New Year's Eve
How sad was I as a 16 year old?
I was on my own in my aunts flat in bow babysitting my little cousin who was 6 months old( I've never really liked going out New Year's Eve) I think it's a mugs night.
But on my own with a baby?
What were they thinking?
I could barely look after myself
I remember watching carry on dick before the show
We knew how to live in them days tee hee
Mind you my uncle ( who is a Leyton orient supporter) took me to Southampton the next day for an 11- 30 kick off
We beat em 1-0 willie young scored
Anyway
The song
It was a different version recorded for the show and I really like it
The programme was directed by David mallett who went on to direct a few Bowie video including ashes to ashes