The Ziggy/Sane tour ended in July, 1973. July and August was spent recording Pinups and teaching Lulu to smoke and record "The Man Who Sold the World." He started recording Diamond Dogs in January, 1974. Perhaps in the interval he worked on his 1984 musical and cocaine habit.
He married Miss Barnett on March 20, 1970. I'd think they devoted some time afterwards on their joint composition, "Duncan Zowie Jones," released at the end of May, 1971. Right after that, he and the Spiders started recording Hunky Dory.
Thanks. I do like the big Station to Station box but I guess boxes that size for a dozen or so albums would take up some room. I really like my Led Zeppelin super deluxe boxes (which came with high resolution downloads). They look great all lined up together. I think it is a shame they did not include the 2010 STS as well. I guess it is on its way to sought after status.
Happens to the nest of them. Look at some of the ones DB looked up to, like Bryan Ferry. Melody was jettisoned in the early 8s for sounds, and grooves, and atmospheres and vibes. Do they do that knowing their songwriting abilities are on the wane or just get bored of writing conventional song structures?
Classic Rock Albums: Ziggy Stardust/David Bowie: Amazon.co.uk: Mark Paytress: 9780825672163: Books The book from Mark Paytress is quite an interesting read. He writes of Bowie not really being that involved in the MWSTW sessions.
Great review of the album, worthy of NME in its heyday! However I like music/rock/pop like this and Bowie does it pretty well. I love Alladin Sane (my favourite Bowie by several country miles) but you can't keep making the same record
TonyCzar, I have high resolution downloads from HD Tracks UK of the 2 box sets released so far but the Re Call material is not included. From your post and others it seems the Re Call material is available via i tunes but presumably as mp3. I thought if they had included them in the high resolution downloads they would have sold more. Ah well maybe they will do them as stand alone high res one day. Nearly read all this thread now. It has been great fun and interesting. Thanks to all who have posted. Just a thought I believe high resolution downloads are actually the way to go. Then if something is missed or an improved source is found it is uploaded and folk pay some money and slot it into their files where they think it fits best. I did that for my Decca era Rolling Stones singles using the high res download of the mono box.
Visconti has covered this part of the story very well, too I also went to the Visconti MWSTW talk/promotion at the ICA London. I didn't mean chronologically – 'what happened?' - but rather why did his song-writing technique change? You seem to be saying it's all down to the drugs. The 1980 Floor Show/Diamond Dogs does seem to be that start of the long free-form song technique. Was it down to Annette Peacock's influence? It's interesting you say that it could part of the larger musical context and that it happened to others, not just Bowie. It's a good point. Do people somehow lose the ability to write songs? Boredom or loss of inspiration sound likely. I realised recently that Bowie had to an extent been there before - if you listen to the narrative sci-fi track We Are Hungry Men on his debut. Feels like a rehearsal for Diamond Dogs.
If you check this 1995 video at 27.15, he talks about how easy he finds it to compose melody. Too easy!
Very interesting listening to his analysis of his own talent. I like that he understood that he was able to produce hits... and didn't.
So, I have pre-ordered the vinyl set. First box in this series for me. Will be awaiting Tin Machine and the 90s box, skipping 83-87. If they come at all, that is.
When I think that his last hit record with a strong melodic hook was around 10 years before that interview, I wonder about the truth of that statement. And those mid-eighties hits I refer to were quite manufactured 'hit' songs, compared to his earlier work. Maybe he got tired of doing top-ten hits. But I'm also not sure he could write those kind of tunes any more. Bowie is quite clever in interview.
One could argue he had been demonstrating an ability to write melody for the 15 years prior to when you say he stopped, and he certainly did so again after 1995. Where Are We Now? in particular was a corker and matches anything he did previously I would say.
Do you mean Absolute Beginners? For me that song has all the elements of the pre-diamond Dogs Dame - strong hooks, top drawer melody, harmonies etc - that he shied away from after 73. I'm sure if he was able to write another Absolute Beginners after 86 he would have done. He said at the time it was one of the best things he'd ever written. TBH I don't think the likes of Where Are We Now really compete in melody terms at all.
2 Stage albums releases, no rare material, no rykodisc bonus tracks, the old recycled material inside a beautiful pack
I agree on all counts, begs the question why we have it on order, even at €175 all in, but I want the book as much if not more than the music.
Sorry, I just don't hear it at all. A half-spoken song. I know people consider this is a return to form and I would not argue with their perceptions. But as a strong melody?
Agree... shame the rest of the album didn't have that finesse. When I first saw/ heard it, I thought "Great. He's back to Hunky Dory greatness". Unfortunately when I sampled any of the rest of The Next Day, all there was was a compressed load of loud noise.
