Tag: Bowie

  • David Bowie Photography Exhibition Hits Essex

    David Bowie Photography Exhibition Hits Essex

    Geoff MacCormack was just seven years old and was wearing the brown uniform of Burnt Ash Primary school when he first met David Jones. They went to cub scouts together and were in the choir together. It transpired neither the cubs, choir nor school would end up providing the boys with the strangest outfits they…

  • The Grammys 2017: Adele Apologises and CeeLo does Doctor Who

    The Grammys 2017: Adele Apologises and CeeLo does Doctor Who

    The 59th Grammy Awards lit up our world once again on Sunday.  Didn’t it? Known in recent years as a breeding ground for a myriad of controversies, including celebrity disses (e.g. Taylor Swift v Kanye), stage-storming (Kanye, 50 Cent) boycotts (Kanye again, Will Smith, Public Enemy), domestic violence (Rihanna / Chris Brown), forgiveness of homophobia…

  • Bowie, Bublé and Bieber: The Legends of Music in 2016 – A Review of the Year

    Bowie, Bublé and Bieber: The Legends of Music in 2016 – A Review of the Year

    In any review of 2016 it is going to be a challenge to avoid mention of the mounting number of musicians who decided to shuffle off this mortal coil and, as Shakespeare or someone of that ilk put it, took a Stairway to Heaven, or indeed a Highway to Hell. At times the year rather…

  • A Visit To Hansa Recording Studios, Berlin

    A Visit To Hansa Recording Studios, Berlin

    Home to the recordings of such seminal albums as David Bowie’s “Heroes”, U2’s “Achtung Baby”, and Depeche Mode’s “Black Celebration”, Hansa Studios in Berlin is one of the most famous and iconic recording studios in the world. During a recent trip to Berlin, I visited the studios, guided around by Berlin Music Tours, who have…

  • GlastonBowie – Glastonbury honours David Bowie with mass singalong

    GlastonBowie – Glastonbury honours David Bowie with mass singalong

    It’s the festival of festivals. Nauseatingly omnipresent for some, frustratingly always out of reach for others (usually those with slow broadband speeds trying to get tickets). A couple of years ago, I went along and reported on a plethora of great bands and acts including early looks at the likes of Courtney Barnett, Parquet Courts…

  • David Bowie: His Music and his Legacy

    David Bowie: His Music and his Legacy

    What will David Bowie’s legacy be? There is (rightly) much talk about Bowie’s impact on popular culture. His greatest achievement might be that he made it okay to be one of the tall-short people, or one of the the fat-skinny people. A Mistake, Mis-shape or Misfit. An outsider. “You are not alone! Give me your…

  • Incredible Archive of Lost Photos Unearthed of Led Zep, Bowie, Rolling Stones…

    Incredible Archive of Lost Photos Unearthed of Led Zep, Bowie, Rolling Stones…

    In 2015 it’s only ironic hipsters who don’t have a camera on their phone, and every concert audience you attend is littered with people taking low quality photos, selfies and video footage on their smartphones. This has become an issue for the likes of Jack White who went to the extraordinary length on his last…

  • What If Bowie Had Written Novels Instead of Songs?

    What If Bowie Had Written Novels Instead of Songs?

    Have you ever wondered what would have happened if your favourite singers and bands had become writers rather than musicians? At first glance, the idea of a Harley-in-a-hotel-riding-hell-raising rock star even reading a good book, never mind writing one, is a bit like expecting Joey Essex to know what would happen if he put his…

  • The Recording of David Bowie’s “Heroes”

    The Recording of David Bowie’s “Heroes”

    On the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, David Bowie’s “Heroes”, written and recorded at Hansa Studios just a few hundred yards from the Wall, remains a landmark recording and perhaps Bowie’s best-loved song. It is also perhaps the best example of how music can be affected by the location it is…

  • How To Buy A Set of David Bowie’s Classic Albums on Vinyl For Less Than £100

    How To Buy A Set of David Bowie’s Classic Albums on Vinyl For Less Than £100

    The story so far: I have made a bet that I can buy a full set of Bowie‘s albums (in their original vinyl versions – and in excellent condition with all the inserts) from The Man Who Sold The World to Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). That’s fourteen albums in fourteen days. Total budget: £100.…

  • The David Bowie Bet: Pin Ups, Low and…The Fonz?

    The David Bowie Bet: Pin Ups, Low and…The Fonz?

    The story so far: I have made a bet that I can buy a full set of Bowie‘s albums (in their original vinyl versions – and in excellent condition with all the inserts) from The Man Who Sold The World to Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). That’s fourteen albums in fourteen days. Total budget £100.…

  • David Bowie’s Live Albums – on Vinyl

    David Bowie’s Live Albums – on Vinyl

    The story so far: I have made a bet that I can buy a full set of Bowie‘s albums (in their original vinyl versions – and in excellent condition with all the inserts) from The Man Who Sold The World to Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). That’s fourteen albums in fourteen days. Total budget: £100.…

  • How To Buy David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane on Vinyl

    How To Buy David Bowie’s Aladdin Sane on Vinyl

    The Challenge: Buy a full set of Bowie‘s vinyl albums (in excellent condition with all the inserts) from “The Man Who Sold The World“ to “Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)“. That’s fourteen albums in fourteen days. Total budget: £100. The loser has a heavy penalty: to buy drinks – and wear a Westlife T-shirt. I…

  • David Bowie’s Vinyl Albums: The Man Who Sold The World, Scary Monsters and Lodger

    David Bowie’s Vinyl Albums: The Man Who Sold The World, Scary Monsters and Lodger

    part 4… The Challenge: I have bet that I can buy a full set of David Bowie‘s albums (in their original vinyl and in excellent condition with all the inserts) from The Man Who Sold The World to Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). That’s fourteen albums in fourteen days. Total budget: £100. The loser has a…

  • David Bowie and The Man Who Sold The World

    David Bowie and The Man Who Sold The World

    The story so far: I have bet my friend Chris that I can buy a full set of Bowie‘s albums (in their original vinyl and in excellent condition with all the inserts) from The Man Who Sold The World to Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). That’s fourteen albums in fourteen days. Total budget: £100. The…