Video: David Bowie - "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)"

Here we go: things are kicking into overdrive for the release of David Bowie's new record The Next Day, and that includes today's release of the latest single from the record, "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)". The tune, which was released as a video(above) starring Tilda Swinton and directed by Floria Sigismondi, opens with an almost-"Station To Station"-esque instrumental interlude, only to then break down into a rock jam akin to much of Bowie's last big single "New Killer Star".

As with Reality, these rockers tend to kill live, which is what makes it all the more disappointing that Bowie won't be doing more than a show or two in support of his new record. Nonetheless, the track provides a stark contrast to last month's "Where Are We Now", and leaves us with a real question about just how the new record will come together, and whether it will fulfill a hefty spot as the apex of the second half of Bowie's career. A title which currently, in our opinion, continues to be dominated by 2002's Heathen. Either way, we're stoked and ready to digest an album's worth of material.

"The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" is available on iTunes and will see physical release on Record Store Day as a limited edition single.

David Bowie Drops New Single, Album In March

If you're a long-time reader of HAD, you'll no doubt recall that one of our undying obsessions is that of the Thin White Duke, David Bowie himself. Given that he's been a bit of a recluse in recent years, there hasn't been much news to speak of, and we've had to satisfy ourselves with perusing the archives, and enjoying memories of live shows gone by.

Well, starting now, that's all going to change: on this, his 66th birthday, Bowie has released a new track entitled "Where Are We Now?" (video above), and announced a full-length record The Next Day, due to drop March 12th. To state it lightly, for any fans of Bowie this is huge, huge news!

So what does it all mean? Thus far details are sketchy, but the track (which is currently available on iTunes) and record are apparently produced by long-time cohort Tony Visconti, which is a good way to get things started. Bucking the trends of Bowie's last few records, the lead single is decisively a ballad, and it's a good one at that.

With a strikingly simple studio arrangement, "Where Are We Now?" is loaded with nostalgic lyrics about Bowie's time in Berlin, and recalls the instrumentation of his mid-seventies work, notably "Wild Is The Wind", off of Station To Station. The songs conclusion breaks from the ballad structure, with a march-influenced drum beat, and a sense of general rebirth. A good thing, indeed.

Suffice it to say, we are ridiculously excited about this development, and will keep you posted. In the meantime, check the video above and enjoy it!!!

A Little David Bowie To Tide You Over

These days, one doesn't see very much of David Bowie. Aside from a live performance with Arcade Fire, the Thin White Duke hasn't been out and about since the Reality tour got cut short in Germany for emergency heart surgery.

That being said, the Bowie camp is hard at work making sure that fans, if they can't get the real thing, are at least getting fresh new content on a fairly regular basis. Case in point, two new items that emerged this spring.

The first is a pair of Bowie "remix" apps, created by EMI, based around the tracks "Space Oddity" and "Golden Years". Targeted at the iPhone, the two apps allow you to literally remix the multitrack tapes of each song, in real time, using faders for each track. It sounds trite, but it's actually quite fascinating. Getting to make your own mix is satisfying and revealing, and you can save it to boot!

The second is a book published by Genesis, the high end "limited" book dealer. It focuses on the photographs of Bowie by Japanese photographer Sukita, and is currently in the final phases of production. Given that Sukita's photos are some of our favorite Bowie content ('Heroes' cover, anyone?), and that Genesis makes some of the finest books around, our only barrier to entry here is going to be pricetag.

Bowie Exhibit Coming To Museum Of Arts And Design

One of the nice things about being in New York is that you're a short train ride from some of the best muesums in the country, and when they have weirdo rock and roll exhibits, you don't have to contemplate a plane ride to check them out. Case in point: The Museum of Arts And Design will be hosting a show called David Bowie, Artist. In their words:

This summer, the Museum of Arts and Design is proud to present David Bowie, Artist, a multi-platform retrospective re-framing Bowie’s daring, multi-discipline career as that of an artist working primarily in performance. From his roots in such performance-based practices as cabaret, mime, and avant-garde theater, to Ziggy Stardust, his revolutionary tour that synthesized theater, music, and contemporary art into a rock spectacle, as well as his innovative video collaborations, and his work in cinema and theater, David Bowie, Artist presents Bowie as one of the most iconoclastic cultural producers of the 20th century.

Presented as a multiplatform retrospective— including cinema series and interactive kiosks —David Bowie, Artist will presents a layered and shifting body of work that has continually innovated practices throughout a multitude of cultural spheres.

We can't make any guarantees as to how insightful it will be, especially for super fans. That being said, you can be damned sure we're going to check it out.

A Few Thoughts On David Bowie's Toy

A few weeks back, David Bowie's "lost" 2001 album Toy found its way to the internets. After an initial bout of excitement and hype, the critics seemed to fade in their fascination. The record was quickly deemed a throwaway, subpar, or even just mediocre. Maybe some of these things are true, but before one jumps to such conclusions, it's worth investigating where Toy came from, and what its context is in the larger context of Bowie's career. Here are a few of the points that made us here at HAD decide that the record should not be so quickly written off.

It's not a finished record.

This is the first, and perhaps most relevant point. No one knows where this leak of Toy came from, or how "done" it truly was. Sure, Bowie claimed at the time that the record was "done", but there's no telling how far along in the process these tapes are: have they been mixed? mastered? had final overdubs? Granted, they may give some insight as to the state of the final record, but there's no way of knowing just how this record might have sounded should it have seen the light of day.

It's a record by a touring band.

Much like Reality, which was recorded by the Heathen touring band, Toy is the product of living on the road. By all accounts, Toy was recorded by the band that toured with Bowie in 1999/2000 after the release of hours... Unlike many Bowie affairs, these songs were created by a band that was experienced not only in playing with Bowie, but interacting with him on a daily basis. Videos released at the time showed Bowie writing songs ("Afraid", in particular) with bandleader Mark Plati in a way that, while not crazy, certainly seemed to deviate from process Bowie had followed in the studio previously.

Who produced this record?

While we have no idea of the answer to this question, it is a worthy one. Almost all of Bowie's records are heavily influenced by their producers, even when that producer was Bowie himself. Who was leading the creative push here, and what does that mean for the record? It doesn't make up for the record's mainstream sound, but it might help to explain it. Moreover, if you took the important chunks of this record and put them in the hands of an able bodied producer, might you wind up with, oh, say, Heathen?

It marks his departure from Reeves Gabrels.

For the ~10 years prior to this record, Bowie had been heavily collaborating with avant garde guitarist Reeves Gabrels. Gabrels left halfway through recording hours..., but this is the first record where Bowie was truly free of Gabrels' input. It's worth considering that Bowie may have been somewhat adrift with the departure of his longtime collaborator. Moreover, it may explain why the record leans so heavily on Mike Garson and Gail Ann Dorsey, while Bowie contributes textural snippets of stylophone, piano and sax.

It marks Bowie's return to form.

Toy is loaded with Bowie tracks from the 60's. This had begun with his live band's playing of "Can't Help Thinking About Me" on the 1999 tour. While that track (live version below) isn't included on the record - a travesty if you ask us - it was the beginning of the project that would become Toy. By most accounts it was Mark Plati that started encouraging Bowie to embrace his former self. Although Plati would get the axe soon after Toy failed to go to market, the effect of this influence can't be minimized. After dipping his toe in the 60's, Bowie went whole hog and staged a comeback of massive proportions. Kicking off with shows at the Roseland and Glastonbury that were much lauded "greatest hits" sets, the change of direction then sent Bowie back into the studio and subsequently on two world tours that were his most solid in years.

It is the foundation for Heathen.

What emerged from the wreckage of Toy was arguably the best record of the second half of Bowie's career. Produced by Tony Visconti and with Bowie in top form, Heathen brought Bowie back to the world as an artist of note, and truly comfortable in his own skin. Not only does Toy feature a host of b-sides from Heathen, but it also features two tracks that would wind up on the record. However, the connection runs even deeper than that. Listening to Toy, the sonic palette for Heathen is already falling into place, with the return of true orchestration, Bowie testing his vocal bounds, and atmospheric textures being used sparingly, rather than as a focal point. The fact that Bowie felt comfortable embracing his roots on Heathen was undoubtedly related to the fact that he had tested them on Toy, and things had turned out just fine indeed.

And so.

Just to be clear: we're not saying that Toy is the best record Bowie ever recorded. However, to miss its context is to miss much of what the record has to offer. Getting to hear Toy is like getting a private view into Bowie's process, and seeing what carried him from the blandness of hours... into the amazingness of Heathen. You can dismiss it if you like, but for us Toy seeing the light of day has been very enlightening indeed.

mp3: David Bowie - Can't Help Thinking About Me (Live In 1999)

David Bowie, "Telling Lies", And The First Digital Single

If you're anything like us, you have a hard drive loaded with thousands upon thousands of mp3s, and the idea of a "digital" single is something you take largely for granted. Well, we here at HAD are hear to tell you that wasn't always the case (okay, you know already, we get it) and a little story about the man who (as always) was the one to break the ice.

In the fall of 1996, the internet was just getting its teeth, most home users were logging in by 28.8 modem, and branded ISPs (AOL, Compuserve, etc.) were the norm. What's more, the mp3 barely existed, and the concept of a digital music player was nil. People were still making mix tapes - real ones.

It was in this environment that David Bowie decided to be the first "major artist" to release a digital single, and it was unquestionably an uphill battle. To start with, no one had decoders for the digital files, so they had to be educated on how to get their hands on one. On top of that, the mp3 had yet to become standard, so formats were a complete tossup. Finally, very few users even truly "got" the internet yet, so education was needed just to explain the concept.

Never one to turn down a challenge, Bowie took things head on. He encoded 3 remixes of the brand new track "Telling Lies" over three weeks, and distributed them on the web site. They were encoded as "mp2" files (mp3's redheaded older sibling), and available (along with a decoder) for free download. Needless to say, as insatiable Bowie fans, we were "surfing the net" the second we got wind of the whole orderal.

Needless to say, issuing 3 obscure drum n' bass remixes of your new single isn't the best strategy. On top of that, the mp2 encoding was mediocre at best, and offered compression artifacts that made you question what was accidental and what was an intended studio effect. In short, the concept was there, but the technology still had a little more distance to cover.

Nonetheless, the track was later released as a physical single (cover above), and then reissued on the two disc version of Bowie's Earthling (mp3 below). None of that, however, changes how we will remember the excruciatingly slow download on the night we got our hands on the first digital single.

mp3: David Bowie - Telling Lies (Paradox Mix)

David Bowie - "Thru' These Architects Eyes"

Philip Johnson's Glass House

"Thru' These Architects Eyes" is hidden away on the second half of David Bowie's "return to form" record 1.Outside, and it's too bad, because it means that it's likely escaped many people's notice. A riffy, bass driven pop song, it almost seems like it would have been more at home on Black Tie White Noise than on this record.

Not that that causes us to love the tune any less. It's got an awesome groove, killer piano from longtime Bowie collaborator Mike Garson, and is a classic example of Bowie's Burroughs-inspired mashup lyrics. In all truth, we seldom stumble across Bowie we dislike, but this one has a special place in our hearts.

We're not sure why exactly, maybe it's just the killer Philip Johnson name drop. Either way, we think you'll dig.

mp3: David Bowie - "Thru' These Architects Eyes"

Bowie Drops Station To Station Reissue

Sure, Reissues are usually the not-so-delicate ploy of a record company to get money out of an already overextended fanbase. To be sure, David Bowie's no stranger to such ploys; his full catalog's been reissued twice in the past 20 or so years, and the last few have seen a wave of double-disc reissues that are yet another stab at the gamut of his work.

As you may have guessed from the above description, the Bowie reissues haven't really served to impress us, and we've been pretty damn content basking in the goodness of the original Ryko Sound + Vision reissue project. Content, that is, until we heard the Young Americans surround mix that came packaged with that reissue. We here at HAD are huge surround fans, and once we got wind of that, we had to have it. And boy did we enjoy it.

Fast forward a couple of years, and Bowie's Station To Station is seeing a truly major overhaul. First off, it's got a surround remix, which would be enough to rope us in right there. But there's more: They managed to unearth the original RCA mix of the record, an 80's CD mix, and a bootleg concert from the era. Moreover, they made a huge reissue package perfect for neurotic collectors (present company included). Top it all off with some primo heavyweight vinyl, and well, you've got a serious reissue package.

Yes, it's abhorrently priced, and yes it's a lot of rehash of material that most obsessives probably already have, but still: we kinda sort of have to have it. That's not saying we'll actually buy it, but if you were thinking of sending a gift anyway, this might not be a bad idea. The ridiculousness is pictured above.

David Bowie - "Sense Of Doubt": A Story In Five Videos

David Bowie's "Sense Of Doubt", sourced from the 1977 record "Heroes", is one of the most demanding piece's from his catalog. Depending on your perspective, it can be meditative, morose, foreboding, or downright depressing. Regardless, the tune clearly resonated with Bowie, as it was a dominant part of his live show throughout the late 70's. The following videos give a number of perspectives on the tune in video form, and perhaps shed a little more light on an overlooked facet of the Bowie canon.


This first video is a promo that uses the original studio track, and was shot during (or close to) the "Heroes" album cover shoot. Bowie, in the same leather jacket as on the cover, makes his way through a number of poses that harken back to his mime days in the late sixties. This eerie, waxy, inhuman Bowie suits the song perfectly.

The second video was shot live on German television around the same time, and shows how painstakingly Bowie's band attempted to recreate the record's sound in a live environment. The performances live keyboards are slightly thinner than their recorded counterparts, but also seem to have an added soul and reality as they interact.

The third video was filmed at Hansa Studios, where the record was recorded, and features Bowie at "work" on the track. More promo video than actual live studio footage, it's painfully clear that Bowie is posing for the camera as the studio version of the track plays in the background. Not exactly authentic, but worthwhile for Bowie's undying sense of cool.

Bowie was determined to bring the most challenging bits of Low and "Heroes" to his fans, and the fourth video shows him doing exactly that. Filmed in a Dallas arena in 1978, the video shos Bowie managing to rope in a huge crowd to one of his most difficult and obscure pieces of writing.

The fifth and final video is actually just audio: Philip Glass' reinterpretation of "Sense Of Doubt" from his Heroes Symphony. The arrangement brings to light some of the more subtle moments of the piece, and allows it to escape from the confines of synthesizers and studio clarity.

While "Sense Of Doubt" (along with its companion on record, "Moss Garden") may appear to be some of Bowie's most difficult work, it is also some of his most rewarding. The fact that Bowie persevered in bringing it to his fans is not only a feat unto itself, but a testament to the integrity and seriousness with which he treated his own musical revelations.

David Bowie (and Tin Machine) - "Debaser"

It's no secret that that Doolittle is considered by many to be The Pixies masterpiece, and with good reason: the record is a killer front-to-back listen. However, perhaps less well known is that in the early 90's (with his band Tin Machine, pictured above) David Bowie covered Doolittle's opening track "Debaser" with some regularity.

While it doesn't quite have the perfection of The Pixies version, we have to admit we dig Bowie's take quite a bit. The band (who already had a pretty solid bluesy vibe going) take on the song as a sped up heavy rock version of its former self. It's not the original, but if you're a bit of a Bowie fetishist (as we most certainly are), then it's worth your time.

The version here is a fantastic sounding board feed from the band's 12-17-1991 show at San Francisco's own Warfield. Enjoy!

mp3: David Bowie (And Tin Machine) - Debaser (Pixies cover, live @ The Warfield San Francisco)

David Bowie - "I Would Be Your Slave"

While David Bowie's 2002 release Heathen was largely hailed as a critical and commercial comeback for the man who fell to earth, its single releases were dominated largely by the album's more upbeat tracks. The shame in this is that it overlooks one of the album's most beautifully simple moments: the sycophantic love song "I Would Be Your Slave".

"I Would Be Your Slave" was actually one of the first tracks to be heard from Heathen, as Bowie debuted it at a Tibet House benefit the year prior. The Tibet House show gave a preview of an arrangement that would ultimately make it to the record: a simple arrangement driven primarily by bass and drums backed by a string quartet. The song itself takes on an almost droney quality, consisting of relatively few chords, with Bowie's voice driving the melody and direction of the song throughout.

All things being equal, however, the song's lyrics are it's true high point. Bowie is not one who's known for his vulnerability in lyric, or even for love songs in particular. That's what makes the tune just so fascinating: the lyrics are the simple plea of one who would do any and everything to win back the affections of another. In the end, it's the song's emotional honesty and vulnerability that wins us over every time; it's so simultaneously tragic, yet beautiful, that it really leaves the listener with a disquieting sense of pity.

Any Bowie moment is a good one, but this one's great. Give it a listen.

mp3: David Bowie - I Would Be Your Slave

David Bowie: "Shake It"

Okay kids, the weekend's here, which means we're about to get our awesome on. That being said, we wanted to leave you with a tidbit to fuel your party vibe, and this here's it. Enjoy.

Let's Dance is probably the most lamented David Bowie album that's actually fucking good. Largely the product of the fact that it spawned three massive radio hits, the Serious Moonlight tour, and Bowie's subsequent one-two punch of mediocrity with Tonight and Never Let Me Down.

But the reality is that Let's Dance is a magnificent album. Produced by Nile Rodgers it is, yes, undeniably poppy. But the underlying songwriting is amazing, the arrangements are bulletproof, and listening to the eight tracks straight through will put a smile on your face almost immediately. Never mind the fact that it's the record that took Bowie, essentially an art/cult rock figure (albeit a massive one) up until this point, and truly placed him squarely in the mainstream.

The most interesting part is that in the shadow of the record's three radio hits, the other five tracks barely get a head knod in current day assessment of the record. Between the expert production, Stevie Ray Vaughn's lead guitar work, and some frankly solid songwriting, that's a travesty. Case in point: "Shake It".

The last track on the record, "Shake It" was also the B-Side to China Girl, and it's probably the funkiest track on the record. Maybe a tad lightweight for devout Bowie fans, it is nonetheless one of our overlooked faves in the Bowie catalog. Bowie manages to take a relatively insipid lyric about hitting the town, and infuse it with enough joy and charisma to win over even the most pessimistic of listeners. Combine that with a positively solid performance from the band, and, well, give it a spin this weekend. You won't be sorry.

mp3: David Bowie - Shake It

David Bowie - The Buddha Of Suburbia (1993)

Common journalistic perception implies that David Bowie returned to form for a career renaissance with 1993's Black Tie White Noise. The record has much to speak in it's favor: Bowie had turned over a new leaf, marrying Iman, and ditching his late-80's image for a more refined Sinatra-esque suit and hat. What's more, the record featured a Scott Walker cover, a scorching single in "Jump They Say", and more solid original material than you could shake a stick at. After the 1-2 disappointment punch of Tonight and Never Let Me Down, it was as though the real Bowie had returned from hiatus, and critics breathed a collective sigh of relief.

There's no doubt that following the record, the "real" Bowie would in fact have returned, and headed down a path through the 90's and 2000's that largely restored his artistic integrity. The real question is, how much of that return was truly embodied in Black Tie, White Noise? While the record is certainly a step up from its predecessors, it's not exactly an experimental masterpiece either. The record was produced by Nile Rodgers (who also helmed Let's Dance), and despite it's higher quality, is still an unquestionable stab at mainstream popularity. From the awkward rapping on the title track, to the overly poppy production that pervades the album, drawing a clear line from that record to Bowie's late 90's output is difficult, to say the least. In fact, Bowie's true return lies in a record released the same year to little fanfare: The Buddha Of Surburbia.

Marketed as the "soundtrack" to a BBC teledrama, The Buddha Of Suburbia is anything but. In fact, it's a full fledged Bowie record, with only one song actually appearing on television. The rest of the record is an abstract, experimental, but also highly accessible masterpiece. Recorded in only six days in Montreaux, Switzerland, the record features only two primary musicians: Bowie and multi-instrumentalist Erdal Kizilcay. They're joined briefly by Bowie alumnus Mike Garson, along with an artist named 3D Echo and a barely-discernable guitar performance by Lenny Kravitz for an alternate take of the title track. The bottom line is that it was the first time in a long time that Bowie seemed comfortable being Bowie.

The record was a throwback to Bowie's 70's output in so many ways, that it almost seems as though it could be a close cousin to the oft-worshipped Berlin trilogy. Much like Low and "Heroes", the album features a compelling blend of accessible rock music and ambient soundscapes. Unlike those records, the songs are interspersed through the album, which in many ways makes for a more steady and logical flow to the album's progression. The ambient tracks ("The Mysteries", "Ian Fish UK Heir") are pure Eno-era Bowie, while the more straight ahead rock songs are a true return to form. Appearing to incorporate Bowie's use of the "cut up" technique, they feature wonderfully abstract and emotive lyrics. What's more, many of them (Specifically "Buddha Of Suburbia", "Bleed Like A Craze, Dad", "Dead Against It", and "Strangers When We Meet") are so damn accessible that it's mind boggling a record company wasn't scrambling to release them as singles.

In short, the record is fantastic. It's classic Bowie, and the fact that it was never recognized as such is a travesty. It was so neglected that it went out of print for a number of years, a fact that was thankfully remedied with a reissue in 2007. It's difficult to say why, exactly, the record is so overlooked. It has all the hallmarks of a great Bowie record, and was without a doubt what inspired him to return to his roots later in the decade. Perhaps it's that the pop-saturated market of 1993 wasn't ready for such a recording, or perhaps it's that many had lost faith in Bowie's ability to release a fantastic record. Whatever the case, its disappearance into the ether borders on criminal. If you're even a sometimes-fan of Bowie's late 70's material, this record deserves a place in your collection - you won't regret it.

mp3: David Bowie - Dead Against It

Enjoy Some Bowie Mashups, Courtesy Of Bootie

We're sure that many of our readers are familiar with the San Francisco mash-up party Bootie - the party takes the (still?) popular practice of mashups, and throws them into a live environ with DJ's up to the task. For what its worth, despite mashups' reduction in relevance, Bootie still seems to be going strong.

That being what it is, we were interested to discover that Bootie has sponsored a mashup project surrounding the David Bowie album Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. The project, entitled Ziggy Remixed is a full-on CD comp, including cover art and the like. It features eleven tracks, some that are simply remixes, and others that are mashups. Most notably, it features mashups with MGMT, Bob Marley, The Supremes, The Beatles, and Deep Purple.

While not every track is to our fancy (remixes are a difficult balance), we have to say that the disc is entirely a worth listen. The DJ's manage to do a fantastic number with the remixes, giving new character to Bowie's material, and generally making the whole deal feel natural, which is really the idea, no?

While we did find out about all this through Bowie's official website, that still doesn't guarantee how long the disc will be up, and for free. We recommend you head over and snag the tracks ASAP - it'll make your Friday just that much more awesome!

mp3: Stardust Kids - A Plus D (Bowie vs. MGMT)
mp3: Ziggy Remixed - Full album download site

David Bowie Labyrinth Sing Along In NYC This Weekend

The relevance of this post probably depends on just how much you love David Bowie, and just how much you're willing to forgive him (and even embrace) his 80's sins. In our case that translates to high relevance, as we're willing to forgive the man just about anything, and when you combine it with Muppets there's just no telling what's permissible.

Allow us to explain: This Friday, the 92Y|Tribeca in New York will be hosting a singalong showing of the classic Bowie/Muppet mashup Labyrinth. For those not in the know (and are there any of you, really?), the film features Jennifer Connelly and a bewigged David Bowie (in very tight pants) in an otherwordly muppet-driven adventure. What's more, it features some of Bowie's most bizarre and humorous moments as he duets with the Muppets on a number of original tunes (see above). Yes, it's as odd as it sounds.

So, what could make such an amazing film better? That's right: beer! Admission includes one free beer, and we're guessing there's more to be had from there. So if your ideal Friday night includes getting blottoed and then singing along with likeminded fools, well, we can hardly recommend a better activity! We only wish that we could join you...

Greetings From Japan

Hello, dear readers. We here at H.A.D. have been sorely remiss in our correspondence over the past week, and we figured it's time to let you know why: We're in Japan! The H.A.D. train headed over to Tokyo for a few weeks, and as such we've been slacking on the daily updates. Over the next hour or so, we're going to get some of the latest and greatest SF music news up for your consumption, but in the meantime, here are some rock n' roll tidbits from Japan...

Port O'Brien's latest on display in Tower Records (yes, somehow they still exist here) Tokyo. Not sure what it says, but it's nice to see a local band getting some international love.

A display of Kansai's Bowie suits from the Ziggy era. The display was no-photos, so we had to back up a bit and be covert.

That's all for now....SF updates forthcoming! Kisses. H.A.D.