O.T. David Bowie
Hotwax!
Pomero...purtroppo è in inglese...ma vale certamente la pena (meglio un
Bowie in cinese che un Ingrao in Italiano...).
Tutto è tratto dal sito www.davidbowie.com
Evolution
The hallmark of rock and roll's greats often lies in their ability to hone
to perfection a strong and easily assimilated iconic, but singular, image.
It may evolve slowly and surely over the years, but will always be presumed
to be a 'natural' maturing. David Bowie, as a musician, performer and
songwriter, defied this convention completely. He continually reinvented
himself and his art at a seemingly breakneck speed and illogical
disjointedness. It seemed as though time was always at a premium. With
complete disregard for music style loyalty or so-called 'integrity', he
often combined the most unlikely forms of music with angst ridden
end-of-millenium subject matter, presenting the rock world with it's first
truly post- modernist star. After living each legendary character to the
utmost, he deconstructed that which made him singular, then a new element
would arise to confound and entice the masses who thought they had just
figured out his latest incarnation. Bowie exemplifies the new
aesthetic....from his humble folkie beginnings to the glitter and glam of
Ziggy Stardust, to the elegance of the Thin White Duke, at each twist and
turn of his career, creating more than one myth to harken back to his
creative visions.
In the Beginning...
David Robert Jones was born in Brixton on January 8, 1947. At age thirteen,
inspired by the jazz of the West End, he picked up the saxophone and called
up Ronnie Ross for lessons. Early bands that he played with, the Kon-Rads,
the King Bees, the Manish Boys, and the Lower Third provided him with an
introduction into the showy world of pop and mod, and by 1966 he was David
Bowie, with long hair and aspirations of stardom rustling about his head.
Kenneth Pitt signed on as his manager, and his career began with a handful
of mostly forgotten singles but a head full of ideas. . It wasn't until 1969
that the splashdown into the charts would begin, with the legendary "Space
Oddity" (which peaked at number 5 in the U.K.). Amidst his musical
wanderings in the late 60's, he experimented with mixed media, cinema, mime,
Tibetan Buddhism, acting, and love. The album, originally titled 'David
Bowie' then subsequently 'Man of Words, Man of Music', pays homage to all
the influences of the London artistic scene, and shows the early songwriting
talent that was to yield some of rock and roll's finest works, even if it
would take the rest of the world a few years to catch up with him.
Early 70's
The Man Who Sold The World Bowie's first album recorded as an entity in
itself, and marks the first definite creative stretch for the listener. Mick
Ronson's guitars are often referred to as the birthpoint of heavy metal, and
certainly the auspicious beginnings of glam rock can be traced back here.
Released by Mercury in April, 1971 to minimal fanfare, Bowie took his first
trip to the United States to promote it that spring. In May of the same
year, Duncan Zowie Haywood Bowie was born to David and his wife Angela.
RCA was the next label to sign Bowie, and after a trip to America to
complete the legalities, he returned to London to record two albums nearly
back to back. Hunky Dory was built from a 6-song demo that had enticed the
label to sign him, and featured "Changes" and "Life On Mars". Almost
immediately, it was followed up by the instant classic, The Rise & Fall of
Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars.
1972 was certainly the year that Bowie began to get a glimpse of the power
of the press. A Melody Maker interview in which he "admitted" that he was
gay (though, in reality, he was bi-sexual) propelled him to
talk-of-the-town/outrage status. Previewed in London that Spring, his rock &
roll creation, Ziggy Stardust, put on one of the most spectacular and
innovative live shows to date, and the craze that followed was the
beginnings of his superstar myth. The summer of 1972 was also a busy one for
him in the [Photo] studio, as he produced albums for Lou Reed (Transformer)
and Mott the Hoople (All The Young Dudes, for which he wrote the hit title
track). The U.S. Ziggy tour began in September, playing sold-out shows full
of theatrically inspired Japanese costumes, snarling guitars courtesy of
Mick Ronson, and a bold, daring approach to performance that propelled the
audience into a rock and roll fervor. He abruptly put his own creation to
rest on July 3, 1973 with the pronouncement, "of all the shows on the tour
this one will stay with us for the longest because not only is it the last
show of the tour but it is the last show we'll ever do." This surprised
everyone in the house -- not least of all the members of his band.
Amidst the Ziggy fever, Aladdin Sane was released in April 1973, inspired by
his experiences in America while touring. After putting the Stardust Show to
bed, he travelled to France to begin work on his next albums. Pin-Ups was
the last time that Bowie would record an album with Mick Ronson on guitar
and Ken Scott at the production helm. His tribute to the artists that he
admired in the London years of 64-67 was released in October 1973. In April
of 1973, his proto-Bladerunner project, Diamond Dogs debuted, full of
tension and angst standing in stark contrast to the disco music that was
beginning to crowd the airwaves. In the summer of 1974 he undertook his
greatest U.S.tour yet, with an enormous set and choreographed tableaus. The
double album David Live was recorded in Philadelphia's Tower theatre, and
serves as a souvenir of this tour.
Mid 70's
The two previous albums showed hints of Bowie's interest in the music he
heard in America. But the most direct result of this fascination is the
rhythmic, soul-laden Young Americans, released in 1975. A collaboration with
John Lennon on "Fame" came out of an impromptu session at Electric Ladyland
in New York, and was a last minute addition to the LP. It resulted in his
first ever number one single in the U.S. Not long after the album came out,
he moved to Los Angeles, and starred in the science fiction film "The Man
Who Fell To Earth." After completion of filming, he almost immediately
returned to the studio for the recording of Station To Station, a travelogue
of sorts. The "White Light" tour followed, this time an electronica driven
line-up, played out with stark Brecht-inspired theatricality. A compilation
of hits, Changesonebowie, was released by RCA in May 1976. Never one to stay
in one place too long, shortly after this tour ended, he relocated to the
Neukoln section of Berlin.
Late 70's
Low and Heroes were recorded during Bowie's sojourn in East Germany, where
collaborators Brian Eno, Tony Visconti, and he adopted new approaches to the
songwriting process. In an interview for French radio, he said, "Berlin has
the strange ability to make you write only the important things. Anything
else you don't mention....and in the end you produce Low." Surrealism and
experimentation were the themes of the day, and the incorporation of
cut-and-paste techniques into unique instrumentation birthed what are now
heralded as luminary ambient soundscapes. Released in 1977, Low confused
RCA, and though the masses weren't quite sure what to make of the effort,
the single "Sound and Vision" eventually hit #2 on the British charts.
Friend Iggy Pop was in Berlin at the time as well, and Bowie took time out
of recording to produce and collaborate with him on The Idiot and, later,
Lust For Life. He also overcame his long- publicized fear of flying to
accompany Pop on tour as pianist that summer.
The second in his three album triptych, Heroes, prominently featured Robert
Fripp on guitar, and a more optimistic outlook. One of his greatest singles,
the title track from this album recounts a romantic liaison between lovers
near the Berlin Wall. His next foray into film occurred in "Just A Gigolo",
which he described as "...all my thirty-two Elvis Presley movies rolled into
one." March of 1978 found him on tour again, and during a May break he
narrated "Peter and the Wolf" with the Philadelphia Orchestra the first of
many children's projects he was to consistently support over the years (now
out of print, the result was a collectible green-vinyl album). Stage was
released in September of 1978, culled from his recent tour of the States,
and featured live material from his "Berlin" period. A relocation to
Switzerland was to follow, abandoned frequently due to his ever developing
love affair with the exotic Indonesia, Africa and the Far East. Recorded in
France, Lodger was released in May 1979, and by the end of the year he was
again in the studio. Rehearsals also began for his Broadway debut, in the
part of the Elephant Man, which opened in September 1980 to rave reviews.
The 80's
In the same month, the Scary Monsters album was released. After this period,
he distinctly dropped out of the public eye for a while, while remaining
involved with various film and movie projects. 1982 saw him playing the male
lead in "The Hunger," the role of Celliers in "Merry Christmas, Mr.
Lawrence," and writing the theme song for the movie "The Cat People."
Another greatest hits compilation, Changestwobowie, came out in 1982.
Officially signed to EMI in 1983, the album Let's Dance followed, along with
the world-encompassing "Serious Moonlight" tour. In October, RCA released
the Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture album, capturing the energy of Ziggy
and the Spiders during their last show. Shortly thereafter, the movie,
originally filmed in 1973, was finally released as well.
During this period Bowie reinvented himself once again. The album Let's
Dance, produced by Chic mastermind Nile Rodgers, was perhaps the most
straightforward album of his career: A collection of elegantly produced,
impeccably sung dancefloor numbers including the Motown-styled "Modern
Love," the darkly romantic "China Girl" (first cut with Iggy Pop back in
Berlin) and a remake of the movie theme "Cat People." All of the above would
be substantial radio hits, as was the glossy and romantic title track. The
upbeat romantic theme extended to his next album Tonight (1984), though the
single "Loving the Alien" drew a prophetic scenario on the Islam/Christian
tensions. "
A moving appearance at Live Aid (where he dedicated "Heroes" to his young
son), a duet single with Mick Jagger, and the heavily theatrical "Glass
Spider" tour (with lead guitar by Peter Frampton!) all kept Bowie's
popularity and mass acceptance going into the '80's, however, his creative
drive had slowed to lethargic. Then 1988 brought the biggest surprise of
all: He'd formed a new band, Tin Machine, with the Sales brothers (Hunt and
Tony, sons of Soupy) and the hot guitar find from Boston, Reeves Gabrels.
And he was adamant that this would be a full-time band, not a superstar solo
project. On their two million selling albums (plus a limited-edition live
disc), Tin Machine proved their mettle as a modern alternative act, with a
stripped-down guitar sound, all-new material and a few real surprises (a
Pixies cover!). Some fans loved it, others were confused, and Tin Machine
was on hiatus by 1992. Meanwhile Bowie supported the 1989 release of
Rykodisc's boxed set Sound + Vision with his first full-fledged
greatest-hits tour, recruiting longtime collaborator Adrian Belew to play
lead guitar. At many of the gigs, fans were allowed to pick the songs via a
phone-in poll.
90's and Today
1993 brought the long-awaited return to solo projects, Black Tie White
Noise, and one of rocks first CD-ROM's entitled Jump. With Nile Rodgers
again producing, the album came close to summing up every period of Bowie,
with the opening instrumental "The Wedding" (likely inspired by Bowie's own
marriage) offering a dance and house inspired brighter-toned return to the
sound of LOW, the single "Jump They Say" harking back to funkier times, and
the old Cream tune "I Feel Free" marking a long-awaited reunion with
Ziggy-era partner Mick Ronson (sadly, Ronson passed away soon after).
Commercially the album was something of a disappointment, though it
reassured fans that Bowie's creative curiosity was by no means exhausted.
By 1994, Bowie and Eno were again collaborating in the studio. The result
was the concept album Outside. This complex project touches on the
increasing obsession with the human body as art and the paganization of
western society. With its package- arts' broken down style, its haunted
sound of ruin and its' non-linear story line of art, murder and technology,
it predates evocatively the new sensibility of movies such as 'Seven',
'Copycat' and the TV shows, 'The X-Files' and 'Millennium'. As befits the
multiphrenic nature of outsider art and emotions, Bowie sings in any number
of voices: one minute the melodramatic crooner, another the stylized
Londoner, another the quiet, intimate recluse of the Berlin years. Or he is
varispeeded between the album's seven characters: on one song a 14-year-old
girl, on another a sleazy 78-year-old, on another a 46-year-old Tyrannical
Futurist. It is only now, when he has reached his own mid-life, that Bowie
can make music that can encompass the point of young, middle-aged, and old.
He continued to break new ground with the Internet-only release of drum n'
bass single "Telling Lies." In January of 1997, he celebrated his fiftieth
birthday with an alt.star filled performance at New York's Madison Square
Garden joined onstage by new and old friends, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth and
Robert Smith, Billy Corgan, Foo Fighters and Frank Black all played and sang
with David to make this one of the most memorable shows of the nineties.
Then he was off once again on a world tour which encompassed over 15
headlining festivals, umpteen theatres and clubs and finishing with a
stadium tour of South America. More than 30 years after his debut, the
question of what David Bowie will do next remains one of the most compelling
in rock.
Biography courtesy of Rykodisc and Virgin Records