Re: Five Years, I've known Starman and Ziggy Stardust since I was a kid but I only heard FY about five ten years ago, on one of those Whistle Test repeat shows. It was an instant "holy shit!" moment and it's been my fave off that album ever since.
― ledge, Thursday, 8 March 2012 09:21 (twelve years ago) link
x-post to Mark G: ha, doubtless, yes. Though I did like it when I saw the movie I'd never consider it one of this top 20 songs :)
Sound & Vision tour, sweet memories. I can remember a day long program on public radio during a sunday where people could vote for which songs were to be played. I'm sure Bowie didn't do anything with those polls, anywhere.Ran into my German language teacher in the park where it was held. I had to look this up, but apparently we had Kim Wilde supporting, wtf.
― willem, Thursday, 8 March 2012 09:29 (twelve years ago) link
Oh, and the only version of "Five Years" I know well enough to recall is Frank Sidebottom's...
― Mark G, Thursday, 8 March 2012 09:58 (twelve years ago) link
Bowie has just been awarded a black plaque on the street where the Ziggy Stardust album cover was taken.
― gazelleonstage, Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:15 (twelve years ago) link
Seem to recall the S&V set in Manchester being fairly short - 15-16 songs, maybe? Started with Space Oddity and Adrian Belew's Pretty Pink Rose was in there fairly early on...FFS. Four wasted minutes right there. But, still, I was pretty excited. It was my 22nd birthday.
My brother saw him in Stafford in 1978 - this was the setlist that night:
Warszawa "Heroes" What in the World Be My Wife The Jean Genie Blackout Sense of Doubt Speed of Life Breaking Glass Fame Beauty and the Beast Five Years Soul Love Star Hang On to Yourself Ziggy Stardust Suffragette City Art Decade Alabama Song Station to Station Stay TVC15 Rebel Rebel
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:19 (twelve years ago) link
xp Bowie won't even be there for the unveiling. Gary Kemp will be doing it instead.That's like having a plaque put up for Robbie Williams and having Olly Murs unveil it instead.
― c'est ne pas un car wash (snoball), Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:21 (twelve years ago) link
That's quite the setlist.
― Suede - the fabric, not the band (DL), Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:23 (twelve years ago) link
No Sound & Vision? Wasn't that his biggest hit five years or something at that stage?
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:25 (twelve years ago) link
biggest hit IN five years
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:26 (twelve years ago) link
He did three nights at the Bingley Halls in Stafford in June '78 and didn't do S&V at any of them! My brother raved about this show; he was a member at Eric's in Liverpool and saw any number of post-punk legends over the next year or so (followed Joy Div around on tour for a bit) but I don't think anything eclipsed seeing DB for the first time.
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:42 (twelve years ago) link
Aha, re: Sound & Vision...
The track was initially performed live only once, at Bowie’s concert at Earl’s Court on July 1, 1978. However, in 1990, for Bowie’s Sound + Vision Tour, it was a regular number
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:46 (twelve years ago) link
What did the gigs look like at that time? What size was the venue? What did he wear?
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:46 (twelve years ago) link
When I listened to S&V off the album, comparitively recently, I was surprised at how short it is.
Actually, thinking now, is it not his 'version' of a song like "Gonna write a classic, gonna write it in an attic' Adrian Gurvitz?
I can imagine DBowie thinking it as a 'jingle' more than a song..
― Mark G, Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:48 (twelve years ago) link
no spoilers
― ledge, Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:51 (twelve years ago) link
Photos from Bingley Hall, 1978:http://www.nme.com/nme-video/youtube/id/TfMH8Xrob38
40min of live performance (for German TV? Not sure the 21/5/78 Bremen show was part of the tour):http://youtu.be/_a9bt8XGNz8
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:53 (twelve years ago) link
The Tina Turner-Pepsi commerical is grislier than you guys remember. Note how Cool Bowie is Mullet Bowie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPsOrmAbyTM
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 8 March 2012 10:55 (twelve years ago) link
They always like to think they are on *this* level, when they do these ads:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi5zFQ9plxU
― Mark G, Thursday, 8 March 2012 11:05 (twelve years ago) link
As for Suede...yeah, the blitzkrieg of promo interviews in spring '93 restored Bowie as a cool figurehead even in the States, but remember: the Suede album flopped here and BTWN disappeared too after Savage Records went under.
― Exile in lolville (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 8 March 2012 11:06 (twelve years ago) link
I remember watching Velvet Goldmine at the pictures and [SPOILERS], at the end, when we have the faux-Bowie figure as a near-conservative corporate shill, I thought "Ooh, bitter fanboy. DB never sunk that low." But, actually...
― Michael Jones, Thursday, 8 March 2012 11:08 (twelve years ago) link
Well, for a spoiler, it took me 'the appearance of the character' right at the beginning for me to think "is that not him", so...
― Mark G, Thursday, 8 March 2012 11:10 (twelve years ago) link
Ah, Bowie's route isn't such a bad place to end up. Look at how Iggy's doing it.
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 8 March 2012 11:27 (twelve years ago) link
Alice Cooper too.
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Thursday, 8 March 2012 11:46 (twelve years ago) link
While we're waiting for the rest of the results to come in, and on the subject of Bowie in the 90s, I've just discovered this bizarre and amazing interview he conducted with Tricky for Q in 1995.
http://www.moon-palace.de/tricky/q95.html
― Suede - the fabric, not the band (DL), Thursday, 8 March 2012 13:17 (twelve years ago) link
When I started buying the NME (bang in the middle of the britpop era) I think Bowie was fairly fashionable as an influence (Pulp and Blur as well as Suede - even Oasis ended up covering "Heroes") but I seem to remember his then-current music getting fairly short shrift, especially Earthling. Hours... was sort of like "Well at least he's not jumping on bandwagons anymore". When those 1999 reissues came out, Uncut did a huge feature on him, which is when I started paying attention - I think he was the first pre-punk canon act I properly got into.
― Gavin, Leeds, Thursday, 8 March 2012 13:49 (twelve years ago) link
yeah the UNCUT Berlin feature in 2001 was fantastic; certainly the longest piece ever written on the subject at that point in a music mag (it was like 15 pages) and this was years before the Berlin books that came out too (the 33 and a 3rd Low book, the A New Career In A New Town book etc). the Bowie interview from the piece is here fyi http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/features/dbuncut.htm
― piscesx, Thursday, 8 March 2012 14:01 (twelve years ago) link
Fantastically informative interview, presumably via email. They must have been whooping in the office when his answers arrived.
― Suede - the fabric, not the band (DL), Thursday, 8 March 2012 14:08 (twelve years ago) link
the PaoTD links for yesterday's countdown:
40. It's No Game 39. Fantastic Voyage38. Breaking Glass37. All the Young Dudes36. Boys Keep Swinging35. Aladdin Sane34a. Sweet Thing/Candidate/Sweet Thing (reprise)34b. Candidate 1 (Alternative candidate demo)33. Fame32. Fashion31. Rock 'n' Roll Suicide30. Ziggy Stardust29. Panic in Detroit28. Let's Dance27. Drive-In Saturday26. Quicksand25. Queen Bitch24. Modern Love23. Under Pressure22. Stay21. TVC1520. John, I'm Only Dancing (+ (again))19. Look Back in Anger18. Starman17. Space Oddity16. Five Years
― woof, Thursday, 8 March 2012 14:25 (twelve years ago) link
Hello! Here we go -- big finish.
― Carlos Pollomar (WmC), Thursday, 8 March 2012 14:44 (twelve years ago) link
15. "Changes" (from Hunky Dory) - 597 points/27 votes/0 first-place votes
Album:http://youtu.be/pl3vxEudif8from Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture: http://youtu.be/n8v486aUYu0
I had a manager called D4V3 CH1PCH4S3. Whenever he was out the office we'd sing "Ch-ch-ch-Ch1pchase/Turn and face the strange/Ch1pchase"
― Scary Move 4 (dog latin), Thursday, 8 March 2012 14:48 (twelve years ago) link
Life On Mars is a lock. Any others from Hunky Dory to come? Could Oh You Pretty Things sneak in?
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 8 March 2012 14:48 (twelve years ago) link
I love the song Ziggy so much. I let it go by yesterday when I was distracted by something else.
(I'm struggling to think of locks btw, I can only name eight)
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 8 March 2012 14:53 (twelve years ago) link
(For a mo, I thought you worked with someone with a car numberplate for a name!)
― Mark G, Thursday, 8 March 2012 14:54 (twelve years ago) link
My daughter became obsessed with this (via Shrek) just before her fifth birthday and requested it on a loop during the party games. Kind of a poignant message for a fifth birthday party.
― Suede - the fabric, not the band (DL), Thursday, 8 March 2012 14:59 (twelve years ago) link
I could have a good guess at 12 of the 14. Then… pretty things? velvet goldmine? absolute beginners? Up the hill backwards? dunno.
― woof, Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:01 (twelve years ago) link
I think for the top 10 I'll just keep on posting youtube links instead of embeds.
― Carlos Pollomar (WmC), Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:06 (twelve years ago) link
14. "Be My Wife" (from Low) - 608 points/24 votes/4 first-place votes
Official video: http://youtu.be/kB7skYEv_EMOlympia, 2002: http://youtu.be/L-wp8JcWPqk
Be My Wife is one of my favorite Bowie videos ever. So perfect.
― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:08 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfxIa-643zIvshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3PIIyFxCog
― Scary Move 4 (dog latin), Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:10 (twelve years ago) link
woops , sorry about youtubes
Quick guess at the top ten, no order
Rebel RebelYoung AmericansStation To StationGolden YearsLife On MarsSound and VisionAshes To AshesHeroesSuffragette CityJean Jeanie
― kornrulez6969, Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:10 (twelve years ago) link
^ That's exactly my guess.Top five: 1. Heroes, 2. Station to station, 3. Jean Genie, 4. Suffragette City, 5. Young Americans
― an elk hunt (Ówen P.), Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:12 (twelve years ago) link
Though such a high placing for "Station to station" is wishful thinking on my part
Can we not do guessing right before the top three or five? It's more fun to have them roll out totally fresh...
― Iago Galdston, Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:12 (twelve years ago) link
Jean Genie was way upthread already @ #42!
― Feebs K-Tel (NickB), Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:12 (twelve years ago) link
The Jean Genie has come and gone. Be My Wife was my #1 - glad to see it was so for more people.
― dorsalstop, Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:13 (twelve years ago) link
Didn't we have Jean Genie?
― Ismael Klata, Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:13 (twelve years ago) link
Now I look silly
xps
Jean Genie's placed - switch for Man who Sold the World?
― woof, Thursday, 8 March 2012 15:14 (twelve years ago) link
sorry iago. i'll stop