David Bowie single by single thread

Space Oddity is the first David Bowie single I really liked. I never liked the rhythm and blues singles, and the Deram period left me cold. Space Oddity is a classic, and I also like Wild Eyed Boy, but prefer the album version to the single.

 

Space Oddity is a great song. I especially love the use of mellotron throughout. It perfectly captures the outer-worldly quality. Killer arrangement & dynamics in the song.

 

I agree that those three tracks are excellent although I like a few older recordings too. Silly Boy Blue from the first album is stella.

 

Well yes, I like nearly all the first album except Love You Till Tuesday and Rubber Band.

 

I don't think I've ever met anyone that doesn't like Space Oddity. It has everything going for it - a perfect structure, insightful lyrics, a lush arrangement, great vocals, and a stylophone! I mean, how could you dislike it? One of his best songs from this period (and possibly his career).

 

You've obviously never met Tony Visconti then.

 

"Space Oddity" was Bowie's first single under a new deal with Philips (U.K.)/Mercury (U.S.). These two labels were related, both being affiliated with Phonogram. Given that each label had an operation in both countries, I'm not sure why Bowie was split between the two, and wasn't just put on the same label in both countries. The explanation may simply be that Philips was seen as a domestic label in the U.K., while Mercury was seen as a domestic label in the U.S. Whatever the original reasoning, Bowie's records would be coming out on Mercury in both countries by the following year.

In the U.K., this single seemed to be Bowie's big breakthrough, rising to #5 on the charts. Public attention on the moon landing in the summer of 1969 undoubtedly worked in the song's favor. It would turn out to be an isolated hit, though, as Bowie wouldn't make another U.K. chart appearance until 1972.

In the U.S., the single only managed to make Billboard's "Bubbling Under" chart, a chart which acted as an extension of the Hot 100, peaking at #124. The catalog number of the original single was Mercury 72949. The time of the A-side is shown as 3:26. From what I understand, this is an edit of the album version, different from the edit used on the U.K. single.

After Ziggy Stardust, RCA began pulling out old Bowie cuts on both sides of the Atlantic to release as singles. "Space Oddity" was re-released as a single in the U.S. in early 1973, and hit #15. It was Bowie's first Top 40 single in America, as most of the attention he had received in the U.S. up to that point was from album-oriented rock radio formats. He had hit the Hot 100 three times, but none of those singles had peaked any higher than the 60s. The catalog number of the 1973 re-release of "Space Oddity" was RCA 74-0876, and it had "The Man Who Sold The World" on the B-side. The time of the A-side is shown as 5:05; double A-side promo copies show 5:05 on one side and 3:49 on the other.

"Space Oddity" would also get a reissue in the U.K. in 1975, when it went all the way to #1.

I would say that "Space Oddity" ranks among the handful of Bowie's best-known songs in the U.S. today, much more so than its original (1973) chart peak would suggest. (I think there's a reasonable argument that it is actually his single best-known song.) I'm guessing that it was probably an even bigger hit on album-oriented rock radio back in 1973 than it was on Top 40 radio. It has never really gone away as an airplay cut on AOR/classic rock radio. I suspect that it also became a better-known song over time, even with Top 40 audiences, as Bowie went on to become a bigger mainstream star.

 

For many, this is where the story starts. There are so many different edits of the A side, from different countries.

• Space Oddity version - 5'14" album version (Space Oddity)
• Space Oddity version - 3'23" edit (mono version: 1969 US Mercury DJ-133 promo 7", 1969 US Mercury 72949 7", 1972 US RCA EP-45-103 promo 7", Space Oddity EP)
• Space Oddity version - 3'23" edit (different stereo version: 1969 US Mercury DJ-156 promo 7")
• Space Oddity version - 3'31" edit (The Singles 1969 To 1993)
• Space Oddity version - 3'53" edit (1973 US RCA 74-0876 promo 7", Space Oddity EP)
• Space Oddity version - 4'33" edit (1969 Philips BF 1801 7", Space Oddity EP, Re:Call 1)
• Italian version - 'Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola' (1969 Italian Philips 704208 BW 7", Space Oddity 40th Anniversary Edition)
  

When it was a hit again on RCA in the UK, the full album version was used.
In addition to the different edits, there are also the original version from the Love You Til Tuesday move (long and short versions), a couple of different demo versions, plus the remake from 1979.
Bowie played the song live in 72,73, 74, 83, 90, and apart from a couple of brief run throughs that was it from thereon.
In addition to the Italian version (which was a complete rerecord, not just a new vocal on top), there is also supposed to be a French version, but that has never been released. The Italian lyric is a totally different lyric (Lonely boy, lonely girl).

The B side was also released in a few different ways.
Some countries had a spoken word intro to the guitar/cello version and some just went straight into the song, the album version had a full orchestra and in a BBC session, they did a rock version. It was also in the OH You Pretty Things, All The Young Dudes medley in 73. It was never sung live after 1973.

It is amazing that after such a big hit, Phillips and Bowie were not able to capitalise on it. Mainly because it was such a unique song I suppose, whatever was released after was going to be a bit "ordinary".

In 2009 EMI released the "stems' of the song, which could be used in music editing/mixing programs to make your own version which was fun.

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For those that like to keep abreast of prices, a copy of The Manish Boys’ single just sold on eBay for £2,500.00:

David Bowie. The Manish Boys. I Pity The Fool. Parlophone R5250. 1965 Original | eBay

 

'An isolated hit,' in more ways than one since it established the themes of isolation and alienation that he would return to time and again.

I didn't realise that Space Oddity was his first single in 2 years. Kind of explains how much of a leap forward it was from what he'd done before.

 

Space Oddity - His first masterpiece. An amazing song.
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud - Epic stuff. This guy means business.



Not forgetting this weird earlier version from the Deram era Bowie.

 

Sad that after 1990 this was one of the songs that barely was ever taken out of retirement. He did do it once in 1997 for his 50th. He did a snippet of it once more and that was it.

 

Coming of age

 

Wow! Never seen that before. Thanks.

 

It was released on a compilation dvd about 12 years ago. I think it’s from the Netherlands.

 

Is this thread dead?

 

Space oddity is the first shot fired in Bowie's career, for me, and it was aimed high and hit the target.
This piece of brilliance raised the bar and Bowie became a great high jumper, rarely even touching the bar.

 

Since August 1st our thread leader has been floating in a most peculiar way towards music his grandparents might have enjoyed

 

Yes, what's interesting here to note is the two years gap before Space Oddity. Bowie had even considered quitting music, during the interval.

 

Great song, you still around

 

I think the OP has lost heart with this thread.

I can’t blame him. I’ve done the same thing with some of mine.

 

Prettiest Star
Released 6 March 1970
Recorded 8, 13, 15 January 1970 in Trident Studios, London.


Time to move on then. Here's the follwing single with David's mate Marc Bolan on cranky guitar.

 

The B-side:
Conversation Piece

I love this song. One of my favourites from the early years.