Decided I'd buy the lossless digital "Magic Dance" EP from 7digital, which was a mistake, because they don't have an uncorrupted track #2. Offered me a refund once they confirmed a problem with their store copy. So that's a big improvement over the way they were doing business a couple of years ago. So I've decided instead to turn this old chestnut (recorded 1985) into a six-track EP to join my big fake Alien box: The highest-rated comment on YouTube can't make the call on ID'ing artist #2 (Marc Bolan or Bob Dylan?) or artist #6 (Neil Young or Tom Petty?). I call Bolan and Petty. Is there general agreement/disagreement?
I'm trying to play various Dylan eras in my head, and I can't place where he sang like that at all. Well, maybe "Most of the Time", in terms of wavering and being somewhat bird-like, but even that was not as high-pitched as DB's "tribute". Was "MotT" out by '85? (Hmmmm, Internet says 1989....)
Choosing between Young and Petty for the other. I’ve never heard a link between Bowie and Petty. We do know he liked Neil Young and has covered “I’ve been waiting for you”
I know. But this was a month post-Live Aid. I think a Dylan imitation would have been meaner. Also, Petty was having hits in 1985, so DB would be paying attention. (Saucer of milk for the table, please. Thank you.)
I’ll go with Bolan and Young. If it was Dylan I think it would have been a better impersonation as demonstrated in the live 87 and cry from LTA. Not sure Petty would have been in Bowie’s mind in ‘85. Nice that he did Newley among those guys. Video reminds me that Patsy Kensit was damn hot in Absolute Beginners!
Zach Staggers (the So So Glos) Talks This Previously Unheard Clip of David Bowie Imitating Bruce Springsteen, Iggy Pop, Neil Young and More
I bought the Magic Dance EP from Qobuz a couple of years ago and didn't notice any corruption on track #2 but maybe I missed it. Was it pretty obvious? I should probably drag out the US 12" and compare.
It wouldn't download, either as part of a four-file ZIP, or an individual track. So corruption was detected by their own software in the process of attempting to download.
Has anyone seen any substantial price drops on either the cd box or vinyl box yet? Kate's box 1 has dropped a lot (approx £48 now) and some of the KB vinyl boxes are £20 less than when released. Any changes on LTA ?
Interesting interview with Jeff Rougvie from the weeks after LTA and before the Glasto release. The Bowie bits are about 18:00 m into the interview. He talks about the LTA box set, re-recording in general, Ryko pitching for Bowie's back catalogue, bonus tracks, his upcoming book. Plus the first meeting he had with DB who told him how happy he'd been to burn the Glass Spider Tour stage set in New Zealand; plus including the Space Oddity demo in the S&V box set, that was part of a one hour tape.
Fair point, but the main thing to me is that Bowie only heard 5 of the remixed tracks, by Visconti's account, so he only heard half of it, though I'm happy to believe that he approved of the project. It's also clear that it is really Visconti's remix and that Bowie himself had little to do with it. Tim
From what I've read, you're correct. I've never read anything to suggest Bowie was actively involved, or that the remix was done and dusted for him to listen to in its entirety. Is such a claim out there? I've found all of these things rather tenuous, in reality. Gouster, Lodger Remix, re-recording of Never Let Me Down - all strike me as being various levels of opportunistic, to sell boxes. Bowie had plenty of time to put out Gouster if he had wanted, plenty of time to get the mix of Lodger right (although I prefer the original mix anyway), and to "fix" Never Let Me Down. He didn't. Still, I'm glad to have them.
My comment related to the Rougvie interview above where the interviewer makes a big point of the Lodger remix being Bowie-approved in contrast to Never Let Me Down. It's true up to a point but not the whole story. Of the two, I actually value the NLMD remix/remake more. Personal opinion; but the Lodger remix seems to remove some of its quirkiness; some of what I imagine to be Eno's contributions are more recessed. Tim
Oh no!! He had to turn up the "Glass Spider" remix because it was QUIET at the beginning! Dynamic range, shudder. What a remix FAIL :0 Annoying interviewer. Still, nice to hear from Jeff
Probably the same here, too. The NLMD remix/remake helped me appreciate some of it a bit more than I had before, particularly on a songwriting level. I don't dislike the Lodger remix (in fact, it's been my go-to Lodger for the last year), but aside from "Red Money" (a HUGE improvement, and far more Eno-like now, I think), no remix on it is essential listening. Interesting, but not essential.
I'm pretty sure my love of the original mix of Lodger is almost entirely down to listening to it like that since 1979. I hear differences in the new mix, but nothing that makes the album better. I think it's fair to assume I'm just too familiar with the original, and anything done to it merely makes it different.
I realise that some purists don’t like the idea of remixing albums and think that you shouldn’t ‘mess with the gospel’ but i think all of them so far have cast new light on the recordings and encouraged me to go back and spend more time with the originals. I may be going off topic somewhat but if I had my way i’d like to be able to choose what elements of a track I want to listen to e.g. if I want to just listen to bass and drums of say Ashes to Ashes then why shouldn’t I have that option? It’s all about hearing the music in new ways to keep it fresh. It wouldn’t surprise me if people are able to consume music like that in the future. Indeed that may be how artists like Bowie will remain interesting to coming generations:- by letting them reinvent his music as they choose. I wonder what he would think about that.
Yes, that's a real Bowie idea - he did that with Space Oddity and you hear things you didn't know were there of course. If you purchased the download of an anniversary edition of the single.
I think there's a danger in this approach of assuming the mix made the song (or can salvage a rubbish song). While there are times that a remix can be revolutionary to a listener - Steven Wilson's remixes of King Crimson's Lizard and Jethro Tull's A Passion Play took two albums I couldn't stand and actually helped me find something to like in them - weak material will always be weak material. It can be neat to see what the proverbial outfit looks like with the shirt unbuttoned or inside-out, but if it's still the kind of thing that makes you wish you were blind on beholding it (I'm really stretching this metaphor), those minor alterations are just that. The middle ground I find most appealing is probably what we've been treated to in these boxes or something like what the Smashing Pumpkins have done with their archival releases. You get the original album as it was and then you're treated to all manner of remixes, alternate takes, etc. to see what else might be present in the composition that was edited out or de-emphasized in the original release. In that case, the new mixes are more like actually getting to walk around the scene that was captured in a painting. I always DID wonder what the subject of the Mona Lisa looked like from a different angle.. Kind of glad they used the one they did though.
It was on iTunes back in 2009, I don't think it is there now. You could download an app that would let you mix the 8 tracks together although you can also do it in Audacity.
Yes it is here for the sum of £3! Bargain! https://www.amazon.co.uk/Space-Oddi...rds=david+bowie+space+oddity+40th+anniversary
