''Images 1966–1967'' is a 1973 compilation album by English singer-songwriter

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 comprises his 1967 self-titled debut album for

Deram Records Deram Records was a subsidiary record label of Decca Records established in the United Kingdom in 1966. At the time, U.K. Decca was a different company from the Decca label in the United States, which was owned by MCA Inc. Deram recordings w ...

and various singles and B-sides recorded for Deram between 1966 and 1967. The arrangements on this compilation are not reminiscent of the glam rock that broke Bowie through to success. They are mostly

orchestral An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...

with sound effects created in the recording studio. The music was recorded early in Bowie's career when he was still in obscurity, from 1966 to 1967. At the time he was signed to Deram Records, who dropped him in 1968 due to poor sales, before his first hit, "

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 ...

", in 1969. At the time of the music's recording, Bowie was influenced by the London cabaret scene and the song styles created therein, particularly the work of singers such as Anthony Newley. In the UK, ''

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 ...

'' had never gone out of print, when Bowie finally had his breakthrough in 1972 with the album ''

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (often shortened to ''Ziggy Stardust'') is the fifth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 16June 1972 in the United Kingdom through RCA Records. It was co-pr ...

'', and could still be obtained in British record shops at that time. In the US, where none of the Deram material was released since 1967, the original LP and singles were packaged into this double-album set and released in the US on Decca's American branded label, London Records. The release came at about the same time as Bowie's sixth studio album, ''

Aladdin Sane ''Aladdin Sane'' is the sixth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 20April 1973 through RCA Records. The follow-up to his breakthrough ''The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'' (1972), it was the fi ...

'', as Bowie was gaining popularity in the US. American copies of the compilation featured a cartoon cover, depicting characters or situations from each song. The compilation gained Bowie a significant 1973 hit, "The Laughing Gnome". The album cover was designed by

Neon Park Neon Park (born Martin Muller, December 28, 1940 – September 1, 1993) was an American artist, comics artist and illustrator, best known for the images that have strongly defined covers for nearly every Little Feat album except for the band's ...

, known for his similar artwork for

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

's ''

Weasels Ripped My Flesh ''Weasels Ripped My Flesh'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock group the Mothers of Invention, and the tenth overall by Frank Zappa, released in 1970. It is the second album released after the Mothers disbanded in 1969, preceded by ...

''. In 1975 the album was issued in the U.K. with a new front cover featuring a ''Young Americans'' promotional photo and the U.S. cartoon design relegated to the inner gatefold.

Track listing

All tracks are written by

. Side one #"Rubber Band" – 2:17 #"Maid of Bond Street" – 1:43 #"Sell Me a Coat" – 2:58 #" Love You till Tuesday" – 3:09 #"There Is a Happy Land" – 3:11 Side two #"

The Laughing Gnome "The Laughing Gnome" is a song by English singer David Bowie, released as a single on 14 April 1967. A pastiche of songs by one of Bowie's early influences, Anthony Newley, it was originally released as a Novelty song, novelty single on Deram R ...

" – 3:01 #"The Gospel According to Tony Day" – 2:48 #"Did You Ever Have a Dream" – 2:06 #"Uncle Arthur" – 2:07 #"We Are Hungry Men" – 2:58 #"When I Live My Dream" – 3:22 Side three #"Join the Gang" – 2:17 #"Little Bombardier" – 3:24 #"Come and Buy My Toys" – 2:07 #"Silly Boy Blue" – 3:48 #"She's Got Medals" – 2:23 Side four #"Please Mr. Gravedigger" – 2:35 #" The London Boys" – 3:20 #"Karma Man" – 2:58 #"Let Me Sleep Beside You" – 3:24 #"In the Heat of the Morning" – 2:59 (produced by

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 ...

)

Chart performance

In the United States, ''Images 1966–1967'' peaked at number 144 on the ''Billboard'' 200 during 1973.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Images 1966-1967 David Bowie compilation albums 1973 compilation albums Albums produced by Mike Vernon (record producer) Albums produced by Tony Visconti Deram Records compilation albums London Records compilation albums Albums with cover art by Neon Park