David Bowie (1967 album)
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''David Bowie'' is the debut studio album by English musician
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
. It was released in the United Kingdom on 1June 1967 through
Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
-subsidiary Deram Records. Following a string of singles that failed to chart and being dismissed from
Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherho ...
in late 1966, Bowie was signed to Deram on the strength of "
Rubber Band A rubber band (also known as an elastic band, gum band or lacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring or oval shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845 by Stephen P ...
". After spending autumn of that year writing songs, ''David Bowie'' was recorded from November 1966 to March 1967 at Decca Studios in London with production by Mike Vernon, who hired numerous studio musicians. Bowie and his former Buzz bandmate Derek "Dek" Fearnley composed music charts for the orchestra using Freda Dinn's ''Observer's Guide to Music''. Musically, the album displays a baroque pop and music hall sound influenced by
Anthony Newley Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leadin ...
and the
Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
styles of contemporary British rock bands. The songs are primarily led by orchestral brass and woodwind instruments rather than traditional instruments in pop music at the time, although some tracks feature guitar. The lyrics are short-story narratives that range from lighthearted to dark, discussing themes from childhood innocence, to drug use and
totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regu ...
. Bowie utilised various ideologies on the record for his later works. The cover artwork is a headshot of Bowie in a mod haircut wearing a high-collared jacket. Released in both mono and stereo, ''David Bowie'' received positive reviews from music journalists but was a commercial failure due to a lack of promotion from Deram. Two tracks were omitted for its release in the United States in August 1967. Bowie provided more tracks for Deram, all of which were rejected and led to his departure from the label. Retrospective reviews unfavourably compare ''David Bowie'' to the artist's later works, but some recognise it positively on its own terms. The album was reissued in a two-disc deluxe edition in 2010, which featured both mixes and other tracks from the period.


Background

Following a string of singles that failed to chart,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
was let go from
Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherho ...
in September 1966. The lack of promotion from Pye also contributed to Bowie's disenchantment with the label. In order to secure him a new record contract, his soon-to-be manager
Kenneth Pitt Kenneth Cooper Pitt (10 November 1922 – 25 February 2019) was a British publicist and talent manager, who managed the career of musicians including David Bowie in the late 1960s. Biography Pitt was born in Uxbridge, Middlesex. In the 1950 ...
financed a recording session the next month at London's R G Jones Studio. On 18October, Bowie and his backing band the Buzz conducted a four-hour session with a group of local studio musicians, producing a new version of the rejected Pye track "
The London Boys "The London Boys" is a song by English musician David Bowie. It was first released as the B-side of the single " Rubber Band" in the United Kingdom on 2 December 1966. It was originally written and demoed in 1965 with the Lower Third for potenti ...
" and two new songs, "
Rubber Band A rubber band (also known as an elastic band, gum band or lacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring or oval shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845 by Stephen P ...
" and "The Gravedigger". Two days after the session, Pitt showed an acetate of "Rubber Band" to the promotional head of Decca Records, Tony Hall, who was impressed and was eager to hear more, later reflecting: "I must say I did flip. This guy had such a different sound, such a different approach." Six days after the session on 24 October, Pitt showed acetates of all three tracks to Decca A&R manager Hugh Mendl and in-house producer Mike Vernon, who were both impressed. Mendl signed Bowie to the label's
progressive pop Progressive pop is pop music that attempts to break with the genre's standard formula, or an offshoot of the progressive rock genre that was commonly heard on AM radio in the 1970s and 1980s. It was originally termed for the early progressive ...
subsidiary label Deram Records and gave him a deal that financed the production of a full-length album and paid £150 for the three tracks and a further advance of £100 for royalties on the album. At the time, being granted an album deal before having a hit single was a rare occurrence. Mendl later stated: "I had a minor obsession about David—I just thought he was the most talented, magical person.... I think I would have signed him even if he didn't have such obvious musical talent. But he did have talent. He was bursting with creativity."


Writing and recording

Bowie spent the autumn of 1966 writing songs; at one point, he and Pitt had counted almost 30 new compositions. According to biographer
Paul Trynka Paul Trynka is a British rock journalist and author. He was the editor of the music magazine ''Mojo'' from 1999 to 2003, and has also worked as editorial director of '' Q'' and editor of ''International Musician''. In 2004, he edited publisher D ...
, his songwriting focused less on traditional instrumentation and more in favour of orchestral arrangements, in the vein of
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...
' recently-released ''
Pet Sounds ''Pet Sounds'' is the 11th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 16, 1966, by Capitol Records. It was initially met with a lukewarm critical and commercial response in the United States, peaking at number 10 on the ...
''. The album sessions officially commenced on 14November at Decca Studio 2 in
West Hampstead West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden in north-west London. Mainly defined by the railway stations of the same name, it is situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage ...
, London with the recording of "Uncle Arthur" and "She's Got Medals". Vernon produced the entirely of the sessions while
Gus Dudgeon Angus Boyd "Gus" Dudgeon (30 September 1942 – 21 July 2002) was an English record producer, who oversaw many of Elton John's most acclaimed recordings, including his commercial breakthrough, " Your Song". Their collaboration led to seven US N ...
engineered. The Buzz contributed with the exception of keyboardist Derek Boyes, who had "suspect
appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ru ...
". Rather than hire an arranger, Bowie and Buzz member Derek "Dek" Fearnley used Freda Dinn's ''Observer's Guide to Music'' to study orchestra arrangements and requested Vernon hire the appropriate musician. Because Fearnley had little experience writing music charts, while Bowie couldn't read music at all, he found it a daunting task, later stating: "It was bloody hard work. I knew how to read the staves and that a bar had four crotches; David had never seen or written a note, so I was the one qualified to write stuff out." He found that when presenting the charts to the musicians, some of whom were members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, they threw them back and requested new scores, which he had to do himself while Bowie monitored from the control room. Recording continued on 24November 1966, when "There Is a Happy Land", "We Are Hungry Men", "Join the Gang" and the B-side "Did You Ever Have a Dream" were completed. Around the same time, Pitt and Bowie's current manager Ralph Horton decided that Bowie would cease live performances so he could focus on recording the album and that he would part ways with the Buzz. Bowie and the Buzz made their final live performance together on 2December, the same day Deram issued the "Rubber Band" single. Recording continued on, with "Sell Me a Coat", "Little Bombardier", "
Silly Boy Blue "Silly Boy Blue" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. Originally demoed in 1965 as a mod-influenced track about a teenage runaway, it was revised in 1966 with new lyrics and released on Bowie's self-titled ...
" and "Maid of Bond Street" tracked from 8 to 9December, with "Come and Buy My Toys" and "The Gravedigger", now titled "Please Mr. Gravedigger", following on 12 and 13December, respectively. Alongside the Orchestra members, Vernon hired numerous uncredited sessions musicians, some of which included guitarist
John Renbourn John Renbourn (8 August 1944 – 26 March 2015) was an English guitarist and songwriter. He was best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo care ...
, whose playing is heard prominently on "Come and Buy My Toys", and multi-instrumentalist
Big Jim Sullivan James George Tomkins (14 February 1941 – 2 October 2012), known professionally as Big Jim Sullivan, was an English musician whose career started in 1958. He was best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was one of t ...
, who contributed banjo on "Did You Ever Have a Dream" and
sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...
on "Join the Gang". In December, Fearnley's friend Marion Constable contributed backing vocals on "Silly Boy Blue". Later on, Vernon recalled having "a lot of fun" during the sessions and described Bowie as "the easiest person to work with", further adding that "some of the melodies were extremely good, and the actual material, the lyrics, had a quality that was quite unique." This sentiment was echoed by Dudgeon, who told biographer David Buckley that "the music was very filmic, all very visual and all quite honest and unaffected and therefore unique." A provisional running order was drawn up at the end of December 1966, which saw the inclusion of tracks that would be removed from the final album, such as "Did You Ever Have a Dream", "Your Funny Smile" and "Bunny Thing". In mid-January 1967, Bowie fired Horton as his manager after months of financial mismanagement and approached Pitt, who took over as his full-time manager in April. On 26January, Bowie and the musicians reconvened at Decca, recording the backing tracks for " The Laughing Gnome" and "The Gospel According to Tony Day", which were chosen as the next single; vocals were added in early February. On 25February, a new version of "Rubber Band" was recorded for inclusion on the album, as well as " Love You till Tuesday" and "When I Live My Dream". These tracks featured uncredited arrangements by Arthur Greenslade. Final touches were added on 1March, completing the sessions. The album was mixed in both mono and stereo, making ''David Bowie'' one of the first albums to be released in both formats. According to biographer Nicholas Pegg, the two variants featured minor differences in instrumentation and mixing: mono editions used slightly different mixes of "Uncle Arthur" and "Please Mr. Gravedigger".


Style and themes

''David Bowie'' consists of 14 tracks, all of which were written entirely by Bowie himself. His influences at this stage of his career included the theatrical tunes of
Anthony Newley Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leadin ...
, music hall numbers by acts like
Tommy Steele Sir Thomas Hicks (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele reco ...
, whimsical British material by
Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voc ...
of
the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...
,
Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...
's psychedelic nursery rhymes for the early
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
, and the
Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
flair shared by the contemporary works of the Kinks and
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
. The desire of Pitt for Bowie to become an "all-around entertainer" rather than a "rock star" also impacted the songwriter's style. As such, the songs range from up-tempo pop,
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
and
waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...
.
BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...
retrospectively categorised it as baroque pop and music hall. Rather than using traditional instruments in pop music at the time, such as guitar, piano, bass and drums, the instruments on ''David Bowie'' likened to those in music hall and
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
, such as brass instruments (
tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...
,
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
and
French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...
) and woodwind instruments ( bassoon,
oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...
, English horn and
piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...
). Biographer David Buckley notes almost an entire absence of lead guitar in the final mix. Tracks such as "Rubber Band", "Little Bombardier" and "Maid of Bond Street" are primarily led by brass instruments, while "Uncle Arthur" and "She's Got Medals" are primarily led by woodwinds. "Little Bombardier" and "Maid of Bond Street" are in waltz time, while "Join the Gang" includes sitar and a musical quotation of
the Spencer Davis Group The Spencer Davis Group were a British band formed in Birmingham in 1963 by Spencer Davis (guitar), brothers Steve Winwood (keyboards, guitar) and Muff Winwood (bass guitar), and Pete York (drums). Their best known songs include the UK numb ...
's recent hit "
Gimme Some Lovin' "Gimme Some Lovin" is a song first recorded by the Spencer Davis Group. Released as a single in 1966, it reached the Top 10 of the record charts in several countries. Later, ''Rolling Stone'' included the song on its list of the 500 Greatest So ...
". The Newley influence is present on "Love You till Tuesday", "Little Bombardier" and "She's Got Medals". Regarding the influence, Newley himself later stated in 1992: "I always made fun of it, in a sense. Most of my records ended in a stupid giggle, trying to tell people that I wasn't being serious. I think Bowie liked that irreverent thing, and his delivery was very similar to mine, that Cockney thing. But then he went on to become madly elegant and very, very original." "Love You till Tuesday" and "Come and Buy My Toys" are among the few songs on the album with an acoustic guitar, the former heavily augmented by strings. The latter, in particular, is noted by O'Leary as more minimalist in nature, and exemplifies folk in a way author
Peter Doggett Peter Doggett (born 30 June 1957) is an English music journalist, author and magazine editor. He began his career in music journalism in 1980, when he joined the London-based magazine ''Record Collector''. He subsequently served as the editor ...
likens to Simon & Garfunkel. Described by Buckley as "one of pop's genuinely crazy moments", "Please Mr. Gravedigger" utilises various studio sound effects and no backing instrumentation. Biographers compare it to a radio play from the 1940s and 1950s and consider it a comedic parody of the old British song " Oh! Mr Porter". Like the music, the lyrical themes are widespread, ranging from lighthearted, to dark, to funny to sarcastic. Additionally, the characters range from societal outcasts, to losers, "near-philosophers" and dictators. According to biographer Chris O'Leary, ''David Bowie'' found Bowie composing third-person narratives compared to the first-person love stories of his previous releases, a statement echoed by Kevin Cann, who likens the song narratives to traditional folk stories. In 1976, Bowie commented that "the idea of writing sort of short stories, I thought was quite novel at the time".
Mark Spitz Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, each in world-record ti ...
writes that it contains several "vaguely dark, arcane English story songs" ("Please Mr. Gravedigger", "Uncle Arthur", "Maid on Bond Street") that Pitt envisioned Bowie performing in lounges. "Rubber Band", "Little Bombardier" and "She's Got Medals" all evoke the Edwardian theme. Lighthearted themes, such as childhood innocence, are celebrated in "Sell Me a Coat", "When I Live My Dream" and "Come and Buy My Toys", as well as the psychedelic-influenced "There Is a Happy Land", which took its title and subject matter from the
Andrew Young Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...
hymn of the same name. "Silly Boy Blue" expresses Bowie's then-recent interest in
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
. On the other hand, "Join the Gang" discusses darker ideals such as
peer pressure Peer pressure is the direct or indirect influence on peers, i.e., members of social groups with similar interests, experiences, or social statuses. Members of a peer group are more likely to influence a person's beliefs, values, and behavior. A g ...
and drug use, while "We Are Hungry Men" depicts a
totalitarian Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and reg ...
world that reflects messianic worship and
cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, b ...
in a comedic way. Meanwhile, "Little Bombardier" concerns a war veteran who is forced to leave town after being suspected for
pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...
, and the
a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
"Please Mr. Gravedigger" details a child-murderer contemplating his next victim while standing in a graveyard.


Release

''David Bowie'' was released in the United Kingdom on 1June 1967, with the catalogue numbers DML 1007 (mono) and SML 1007 (stereo). Its release coincided with
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. The American release, issued in August 1967, omitted "We Are Hungry Men" and "Maid of Bond Street", which Pegg speculates was possibly due to the US practice of trimming track listings in order to "reduce publishing royalties". The sleeve photograph is a full-headshot of Bowie in a mod haircut wearing a high-collared jacket. The sleeve was taken by Fearnley's brother Gerald in his basement studio near
Marble Arch The Marble Arch is a 19th-century white marble-faced triumphal arch in London, England. The structure was designed by John Nash in 1827 to be the state entrance to the cour d'honneur of Buckingham Palace; it stood near the site of what is toda ...
, where Bowie and Dek Fearnley had conducted rehearsals for the sessions. Bowie himself chose the jacket and later recalled that he was "very proud" of it, stating "it was actually tailored". Spitz considers the image "very rooted" in the mid-1960s, and ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' Blake Goble called it "perhaps the most uninteresting and dated album cover of Bowie's career" in 2018. The Pitt-written sleeve notes also described Bowie's vision as "straight and sharp as a laser beam. It cuts through hypocrisy, prejudice and cant. It sees the bitterness of humanity, but rarely bitterly. It sees the humour in our failings, the pathos of our virtues." Despite promotional attempts by other countries outside the UK and US, ''David Bowie'' was a commercial failure, in part due to lack of promotion from Deram. The label were already unimpressed with the "Rubber Band" single and after Tony Hall, who was instrumental in Bowie's signing, departed the company in May 1967, it was apparent they had no interest in promoting. Vernon later stated that Decca "didn't understand what rock music was... at all". Additionally, both "The Laughing Gnome", issued in April, and a new version of "Love You till Tuesday", recorded on 3June and issued on 14July, saw no chart success neither, further signaling Bowie's downturn with the label.


Reception

''David Bowie'' received few reviews from music critics on release, although the ones it did receive were positive. In the ''
New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', Allen Evans praised the record as "all very refreshing" and called the artist "a very promising talent. And there's a fresh sound to the light musical arrangements by David and Dek Fearnley."
Chris Welch Chris Welch (born 12 November 1941) is an English music journalist, critic, and author who is best known for his work from the late 1960s as a reporter for ''Melody Maker'', ''Musicians Only'', and ''Kerrang!''. He is the author of over 40 mu ...
of '' Melody Maker'' enjoyed the album as "a singularly rewarding collection" boasted by "excellent" production. Welch was surprised Bowie had yet to impact the pop scene. A reviewer for ''
Disc & Music Echo ''Disc'' was a weekly British popular music magazine, published between 1958 and 1975, when it was incorporated into ''Record Mirror''. It was also known for periods as ''Disc Weekly '' (1964–1966) and ''Disc and Music Echo '' (1966–1972). ...
'' described the album as "a remarkable, creative debut album by a 19-year-old Londoner," further declaring: "Here is a new talent that deserves attention, for though David Bowie has no great voice, he can project words with a cheeky 'side' that is endearing yet not precious... full of abstract fascination. Try David Bowie. He's something new." The journalist also suggested that Bowie could garner more attention if he "gets the breaker and the right singles". After Pitt sent copies of ''David Bowie'' to several music executives in order to generate publicity, he received letters of admiration from
Lionel Bart Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was a British writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's " Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical ''Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his wor ...
,
Bryan Forbes Bryan Forbes CBE (; born John Theobald Clarke; 22 July 1926 – 8 May 2013) was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man"Falk Q. . BAFTA. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2013 and ...
and
Franco Zeffirelli Gian Franco Corsi Zeffirelli (12 February 1923 – 15 June 2019), was an Italian stage and film director, producer, production designer and politician. He was one of the most significant opera and theatre directors of the post-World War II era, ...
.


Subsequent events

Bowie went on to record several tracks for Deram, all of which were rejected by the label. In September 1967, Bowie recorded "
Let Me Sleep Beside You "Let Me Sleep Beside You" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was recorded on 1 September 1967 at Advision Studios in London and marked the beginning of Bowie's working relationship with producer Tony Visc ...
" and "
Karma Man "Karma Man" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was recorded on 1 September 1967 at Advision Studios in London and marked the beginning of Bowie's working relationship with producer Tony Visconti, which w ...
", which marked the beginning of the artist's association with producer
Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...
. Both tracks had a radically different sound to the material on ''David Bowie'', harking back to his pre-Deram mod period. Despite this, Deram refused to release the single, which Pegg saw as possibly due to the suggestive nature of the A-side's title. Bowie quickly proposed swapping the A-side with a new version of "When I Live My Dream", which had been re-recorded in the same session as his third post-album single. Once again Deram refused to release the track, possibly because they felt the sound of this material had failed so many times before. In early 1968, Bowie recorded another two tracks for release as a single: "In the Heat of the Morning" and "London Bye Ta–Ta". Resembling the pop-mod sound of "Let Me Sleep Beside You", "In the Heat of the Morning" was again rejected by Deram. The failure of ''David Bowie'' and its singles, as well as not being able to produce anything with his subsequent material felt worthy of release, resulted in Bowie's departure from Deram in May 1968. Outside of music, Bowie starred in the Michael Armstrong-directed short film '' The Image'' (1969), which fell into obscurity until 1973. Additionally, Bowie became associated with
mime Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) is an Internet standard that extends the format of email messages to support text in character sets other than ASCII, as well as attachments of audio, video, images, and application programs. Message ...
actor
Lindsay Kemp Lindsay Keith Kemp (3 May 1938British Film Institute entry for Lindsa ...
, who was a fan of ''David Bowie''. He acted in the Kemp's mime play ''Pierrot in Turquoise'' throughout early 1968, where he performed the ''David Bowie'' songs "When I Live My Dream", "Sell Me a Coat" and "Come and Buy My Toys". Bowie returned to music in late 1968 with the
folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...
group Feathers, consisting of himself, dancer Hermione Farthingale and guitarist John Hutchinson. They recorded a single track, "Ching-a-Ling", before splitting in 1969. After the commercial failure of ''David Bowie'', Pitt authorised a promotional film in an attempt to introduce Bowie to a larger audience. The film, '' Love You till Tuesday'', marked the end of Pitt's mentorship of Bowie and went unreleased until 1984. Knowing ''Love You till Tuesday'' wouldn't feature any new material, Pitt asked Bowie to write something new. Encompassing the feeling of alienation, he wrote "
Space Oddity "Space Oddity" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was first released on 11 July 1969 by Philips Records as a 7-inch single, then as the opening track of his second studio album ''David Bowie''. After the commercial f ...
", a tale about a fictional astronaut named
Major Tom Major Tom is a persona of David Bowie's, referenced in songs "Space Oddity", " Ashes to Ashes", " Hallo Spaceboy", "Blackstar" and " Angel With A Shotgun" Bowie's own interpretation of the character evolved throughout his career. "Space Oddit ...
. Eighteen months after ''David Bowie'' release, "Space Oddity" became the artist's first hit.


Legacy

''David Bowie'', and the Deram period in general, were routinely mocked throughout Bowie's career, being dismissed, in Pegg's words, as "music-hall piffle derived from a passing Anthony Newley fad", a characteristic noted by Gus Dudgeon, who later told Buckley, "it bothered Mike Vernon and me because we'd say, 'Bowie's really good and his songs are fucking great, but he sounds like Anthony Newley'." Buckley himself ridiculed ''David Bowie'' as a "cringe-inducing piece of juvenilia" only to be braved by "those with a high enough embarrassment threshold". Bowie himself downplayed or disowned the period entirely, calling it "cringey" in 1990. According to Pegg, Bowie's fans have attempted to place blame on Pitt for the record's sound, a theory the manager dismissed in his memoir, stating that it was Bowie's sole idea to "sound like Newley". Pegg also rejects this claim, as Pitt was absent from Bowie's person during the majority of the writing and recording period. Other claims made about ''David Bowie'' include the idea that it sounded like nothing else at the time, which Pegg attributes to Dudgeon's "oft-quoted" description of the album as "about the weirdest thing any record company have ever put out". Pegg debunks this idea, writing that ''David Bowie'' blend of "folk and short-story narrative" shared similarities with the more commercial releases of the British
psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
movement of 1966–1967 and that numerous motifs throughout the album, such as wartime nostalgia and childhood innocence, reflected the contemporary ideals of
Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...
's
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
, the
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (also known as The Bonzo Dog Band or The Bonzos) was created by a group of British art-school students in the 1960s. Combining elements of music hall, trad jazz and psychedelia with surreal humour and avant-garde a ...
and the Beatles. The Beatles, in particular, embellished similar ideas as ''David Bowie'' into their recent records '' Revolver'' (1966) and ''Sgt. Pepper'': the latter's "
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Beatles for their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written and composed primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. ...
" matched the waltz-style of "Little Bombardier", while Pegg compares the styles of "Uncle Arthur", "She's Got Medals" and "Sell Me a Coat" to "
Eleanor Rigby "Eleanor Rigby" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 album ''Revolver''. It was also issued on a double A-side single, paired with " Yellow Submarine". The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to L ...
", "
Lovely Rita "Lovely Rita" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It is about a meter maid and the narrat ...
" and "
She's Leaving Home "She's Leaving Home" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and released on their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Paul McCartney wrote and sang the verse and John Lennon ...
". Additionally, Buckley writes that Bowie's use of brass and woodwinds on "Rubber Band" predated their use by the Beatles' on ''Sgt. Pepper'', while Doggett further writes that "Rubber Band" and "
With a Little Help from My Friends "With a Little Help from My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and sung by drummer Ringo Starr (as Sgt. Pep ...
" both feature lyrical gags about performing "out of tune". Regarding the blend of folk, pop and classical, Perone argues that
the Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The g ...
' ''
Days of Future Passed A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two sola ...
'', also released by Deram in 1967, was more commercially viable but displayed the combination, sometimes to greater effect, on ''David Bowie'', particularly on "Rubber Band" and "Sell Me a Coat". Comparing Bowie to the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Pegg states that the Bonzos' debut single "My Brother Makes the Noises for the Talkies" contained sound effects that Bowie utilised for "We Are Hungry Men", "Please Mr. Gravedigger" and the outtake "Toy Soldier", and later "Ching-a-Ling". Commentators have noted themes on ''David Bowie'' that would inform the artist's later work. "We Are Hungry Men" is told by a self-styled
messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...
whose persona would reappear in different forms in works throughout his entire career. Perone further argues that the track anticipated the
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
and new wave styles of the late 1970s, naming
Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...
'
first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
albums. Additionally, the folk of "Come and Buy My Toys" anticipated Bowie's exploration of the genre on his second self-titled album in 1969, while Doggett finds the sense of desperation on "Rubber Band" predated the ''
Station to Station ''Station to Station'' is the tenth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 23 January 1976 through RCA Records. Regarded as one of his most significant works, the album was the vehicle for Bowie's performance person ...
'' (1976) and '' "Heroes"'' LPs (1977). Biographers also contend that the gender-bending themes of "She's Got Medals" predated 1971's "
Queen Bitch "Queen Bitch" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally released on his 1971 album ''Hunky Dory'' before appearing as the B-side of the single "Rebel Rebel" in the United Kingdom in early 1974. The song was inspired by ...
" and 1974's "
Rebel Rebel "Rebel Rebel" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released in the UK in February 1974 by RCA Records as the lead single from the album ''Diamond Dogs''. Written and produced by Bowie, the song is based around a distinctiv ...
".


Later reviews

Retrospective reviews of ''David Bowie'' have been mixed, with many comparing it unfavourably to Bowie's later works. Writing for
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, Dave Thompson called it "an intriguing collection, as much in its own right as for the light it sheds on Bowie's future career" and concluded that "though this material has been repackaged with such mind-numbing frequency as to seem all but irrelevant today, ''David Bowie'' still remains a remarkable piece of work. And it sounds less like anything else he's ever done than any subsequent record in his catalog." The same publication's
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
noted that although the record does not provide a good indication of Bowie's future works, on its own it remains "a fascinating, highly enjoyable debut". Reviewing in 2010,
BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...
's Sean Egan found an "unrefined" talent in Bowie, noting "above average" lyrics that are "hardly deep". Nevertheless, he praised Bowie's commitment to the project, concluding that "''David Bowie'' is hardly an essential listen but historically interesting as unmistakably the entrée of someone with a future." In 2017, Dave Swanson of ''
Ultimate Classic Rock Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
'' commented that while the music was joyful, the record was out of place with the music industry at the time, which he argued mostly contributed to its failure. Bowie's biographers have held mixed opinions on ''David Bowie''. ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' critics
Roy Carr Roy Carr (1945 – 1 July 2018) was an English music journalist, covering pop, rock and jazz. He joined the '' New Musical Express (NME)'' in the late 1960s, and edited ''NME'', '' Vox'' and '' Melody Maker'' magazines. Biography Born in Bla ...
and
Charles Shaar Murray Charles Shaar Murray (born Charles Maximillian Murray; 27 June 1951) is an English music journalist and broadcaster. He has worked on the ''New Musical Express'' and many other magazines and newspapers, and has been interviewed for a number of ...
have said, "a listener strictly accustomed to David Bowie in his assorted '70s guises would probably find this debut album either shocking or else simply quaint", while Buckley describes its status in the Bowie discography as "the vinyl equivalent of
the madwoman in the attic ''The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination'' is a 1979 book by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, in which they examine Victorian literature from a feminist perspective. Gilbert and Gubar draw th ...
". Perone finds the debut showcases the artist displaying a wide variety of musical styles "generally to good effect". Trynka praises Bowie's confidence and highlights individual tracks, such as "We Are Hungry Men" and "Uncle Arthur", but notes that he lacked ambition and commerciality at the time. Doggett similarly contends that its "whimsical character studies" stood against the "psychedelic ambiance" of the era. Pegg writes that "it seems a pity that ''David Bowie'' is only ever considered in terms of what we can extrapolate from it... Thankfully, it does seem that pop musicologists are at last beginning to regard ''David Bowie'' not just as a quirky set of embryonic twitterings, but as an album that's actually worth considering in its own right." In a 2016 list ranking Bowie's studio albums from worst to best, Bryan Wawzenek of ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' placed ''David Bowie'' at number 23 (out of 26), criticising Bowie's vocal performances, lyrics and overall sound that lacks "wit and energy". Including Bowie's two albums with
Tin Machine Tin Machine were a British–American rock band formed in 1988, and fronted by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The band consisted of Bowie on lead vocals, saxophone and guitar; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals; Tony Fox Sales on ba ...
, the writers of ''Consequence of Sound'' ranked ''David Bowie'' number 26 (out of 28) in their 2018 list. Goble called it "an awkward artifact", representing signs of what was to come for the artist but as a standalone album, it remains "not essential".


Reissues and compilations

Bowie's Deram recordings have been recycled in a multitude of
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
s, including ''
The World of David Bowie ''The World of David Bowie'' is a compilation album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released on 6March 1970 by Decca Records as part of their ''The World of...'' series following Bowie's success with the "Space Oddity" single. It p ...
'' (1970), '' Images 1966–1967'' (1973), ''Another Face'' (1981), ''Rock Reflections'' (1990), and ''
The Deram Anthology 1966–1968 ''The Deram Anthology 1966–1968'' is a compilation album by David Bowie, released in 1997. It collects together most of the material Bowie recorded for Deram Records that has been previously released in some form, including the 1967 debut alb ...
'' (1997). Deram first reissued ''David Bowie'' on LP in August 1984, followed by a CD release in April 1989. In January 2010, Deram and
Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
reissued the album in a remastered two-disc deluxe edition package. Containing 53 total tracks, the deluxe edition compiles both the original mono and stereo mixes, Bowie's other Deram recordings, such as "The London Boys" and "The Laughing Gnome", single mixes, previously unreleased stereo mixes, alternate takes and for the first time, Bowie's first
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
radio session (''Top Gear'', December 1967). The tracks were remastered by Peter Mew and Tris Penna, who previously undertook
Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
's deluxe reissue of ''Space Oddity''. Penna stated in the deluxe edition liner notes that they wanted "to ensure
he tracks He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
sounded as good, if not better, than when they were first released". Reviewing the deluxe edition for ''The Second Disc'', Joe Marchese considered it a welcome supplement to ''The Deram Anthology 1966–1968'' that showed Bowie had talent but lacked direction. He concluded that the set allows listeners to reexamine ''David Bowie'' and "makes the best possible case for this 'lost era' of Bowie history". Pegg similarly called the set "excellent". Barry Walters of ''Rolling Stone'' described the collection as an "early portrait of pop's ultimate shape-shifter". Erlewine praised the addition of the new tracks, arguing that they enhance the debut rather than diminish it, fully offering more insight into Bowie's talent at this stage of his career. On the other hand, Egan found that while the collection was "comprehensive", it is also "aesthetically too much even if the parent album was the greatest ever made".


Track listing

Two versions were released on LP in the UK: mono and stereo. Mono editions use slightly different mixes of "Uncle Arthur" and "Please Mr. Gravedigger". The American release omits "We Are Hungry Men" and "Maid of Bond Street". All tracks are written by
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
. Side one # "Uncle Arthur" – 2:07 # "Sell Me a Coat" – 2:58 # "
Rubber Band A rubber band (also known as an elastic band, gum band or lacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring or oval shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845 by Stephen P ...
" – 2:17 # " Love You till Tuesday" – 3:09 # "There Is a Happy Land" – 3:11 # "We Are Hungry Men" – 2:59 # "When I Live My Dream" – 3:22 Side two # "Little Bombardier" – 3:23 # "
Silly Boy Blue "Silly Boy Blue" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. Originally demoed in 1965 as a mod-influenced track about a teenage runaway, it was revised in 1966 with new lyrics and released on Bowie's self-titled ...
" – 4:36 # "Come and Buy My Toys" – 2:07 # "Join the Gang" – 2:17 # "She's Got Medals" – 2:23 # "Maid of Bond Street" – 1:43 # "Please Mr. Gravedigger" – 2:35


Personnel

According to biographers Kevin Cann and Nicholas Pegg: * David Bowie – vocals, guitar, arrangements *
Big Jim Sullivan James George Tomkins (14 February 1941 – 2 October 2012), known professionally as Big Jim Sullivan, was an English musician whose career started in 1958. He was best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was one of t ...
 – guitar, banjo,
sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...
(11) * Derek Boyes – organ * Derek "Dek" Fearnley – bass, arrangements * John Eager – drums * Marion Constable – backing vocals (9) * Arthur Greenslade – arrangements (3, 4, 7) Technical * Mike Vernon – producer *
Gus Dudgeon Angus Boyd "Gus" Dudgeon (30 September 1942 – 21 July 2002) was an English record producer, who oversaw many of Elton John's most acclaimed recordings, including his commercial breakthrough, " Your Song". Their collaboration led to seven US N ...
 –
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
* Gerald Fearnley – cover photography


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * *


External links

* {{Authority control 1967 debut albums Albums produced by Mike Vernon (record producer) Baroque pop albums David Bowie albums Deram Records albums Psychedelic pop albums