"Memory of a Free Festival" is a 1970 single 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 ...

. The song had originally been recorded in September 1969 as a seven-minute opus for Bowie's second self-titled album. It was reworked in March–April 1970 at the behest of

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

, the label believing that the track had a better chance of success as a single than " The Prettiest Star", released earlier in the year. Bowie and

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 ...

roughly split the track in half, re-recording it so both halves could function as individual songs. A more rock-oriented version than the earlier album cut, this rendition featured guitarist

Mick Ronson Michael Ronson (26 May 1946 – 29 April 1993) was an English musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer. He achieved critical and commercial success working with David Bowie as the guitarist of the Spiders from Mars. He was a session musici ...

. Biographer David Buckley described "Memory of a Free Festival" as "a sort of trippy retake of the Stones' '

Sympathy for the Devil "Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones and the opening track from the band's 1968 album ''Beggars Banquet''. The song is a product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership. It is consi ...

' but with a smiley lyric". The track was written as a homage to the Free Festival, organised by the Beckenham Arts Lab, which was held at Croydon Road Recreation Ground in

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and E ...

on 16 August 1969. Released in America in June 1970, the single was commercially unsuccessful; only a few hundred copies sold. It was also issued in the UK, but was similarly unsuccessful there. The two-part single version was subsequently released on CD on the EMI/Rykodisc reissue of Bowie's 1969 self-titled album (in 1990), on a 2-CD special edition of that album (in 2009), and on ''Re:Call 1'', part of the ''

Five Years (1969–1973) ''Five Years (1969–1973)'' is a box set by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, released in September 2015. The period of Bowie's career from 1969 to 1973 is summarised over twelve discs and thirteen LPs. Exclusive to the box sets is ''R ...

'' compilation (in 2015).

Recording

David Bowie used a child's Rosedale Electric Chord Organ, obtained from Woolworths, on both LP and single versions of the song to give a "classic

Ivor Cutler Ivor Cutler (born Isadore Cutler, 15 January 1923 – 3 March 2006) was a Scottish poet, singer, musician, songwriter, artist and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions record ...

/harmonium feel". Producer

recalled Bowie "always had a hard time playing the organ and singing part one of the song".Tony Visconti (2009). ''Tony Visconti: The Autobiography: Bowie, Bolan and the Brooklyn Boy''. HarperCollins UK. The late reworking of the song also featured a Moog synthesizer played by classical music producer Ralph Mace and programmed by Chris Thomas. Mace would play the instrument again on the recording of '' The Man Who Sold the World'' (1970).

Track listing

# "Memory of a Free Festival Part 1" (Bowie) – 3:59 # "Memory of a Free Festival Part 2" (Bowie) – 3:31

Personnel

According to Chris O'Leary: Album version *

– lead vocal, Rosedale electric

chord organ Chord organ is a kind of home organ that has a single short keyboard and a set of chord buttons, enabling the musician to play a melody or lead with one hand and accompanying chords with the other, like the accordion with a set of chord button ...

*Mick Wayne – lead guitar *

Tim Renwick Timothy John Pearson Renwick (born 7 August 1949) is an English guitarist. He is best known for his association with Al Stewart in his early career and for his long-standing role as lead guitarist for the Sutherland Brothers & Quiver. His single ...

– rhythm guitar * John Lodge – bass *John Cambridge – drums *Unknown musicians – baritone saxophones *

– producer, arranger, backing vocals *Bob and Sue Harris – backing vocals *Tony Woollcott – backing vocals *

Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex. Bolan was posthumously inducted in ...

– backing vocals *"Girl" – backing vocals Single version *David Bowie – lead vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar, chord organ *

– guitar, backing vocals *

– bass, backing vocals, string arrangement, producer *Ralph Mace –

Moog synthesiser The Moog synthesizer is a modular synthesizer developed by the American engineer Robert Moog. Moog debuted it in 1964, and Moog's company R. A. Moog Co. (later known as Moog Music) produced numerous models from 1965 to 1981, and again from 2014 ...

*John Cambridge – drums *Unknown musicians – strings

Other versions

*Bowie performed the song during a session for radio's ''The Sunday Show'' on 5 February 1970; it was broadcast on 8 February. An edited take of this performance was included on the 2000 compilation, ''

Bowie at the Beeb ''Bowie at the Beeb'' is a compilation album by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, first released in 2000. Originally, it came in a three-CD set, the third, bonus CD being a live recording made on at the Portland BBC Radio Theatre. Later ...

.'' *Bowie also performed the song during the 1973 Ziggy Stardust tour, as the third part of a medley which began with " Quicksand" and " Life on Mars?" (one such performance, from the

Glasgow Apollo The Apollo was a music venue at 126 Renfield Street in Glasgow city centre, Scotland. The Apollo operated from 5 September 1973 until closure on 16 June 1985 and was Glasgow's leading music venue during this period. The Apollo was a re-brand of ...

on 15 May 1973, has appeared on several bootleg albums). *The

Mike Garson Michael David Garson (born July 29, 1945) is an American pianist, who has worked with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, St. Vincent, Duran Duran, Free Flight and The Smashing Pumpkins. Early career Garson went to Lafayette High School in Brookly ...

Band, the name given to Bowie's backing group on his Philly Dogs tour, closed their supporting set with a

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

-influenced version of the song on Bowie's 1974 US tour. The performance from the Radio City Music Hall, New York City on 28 October 1974 was included on the bootleg album ''Infected with Soul Love.''

Cover versions

* E-Zee Possee released a dance song in 1990, called "The Sun Machine" which mentions Bowie in their credits. It was a minor house-rave success, released in many formats on

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singer ...

's dance label, More Protein. *

Dario G Dario G is the stage name of English musician Paul Spencer. Dario G was originally a trio, who are best known for their 1997 hit " Sunchyme", which reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The group formed in Cheshire, England and consisted of ...

sampled Bowie in 1998 for their UK No. 17 hit single " Sunmachine". *Belgian duo Tom Barman and Guy Van Nueten had an acoustic version in their 2002 theatre tour, released in 2003 on their album ''Live''. *

Mercury Rev Mercury Rev is an American indie rock band formed in 1989 in Buffalo, New York.
Original personnel were Stillness Breathes''. * The Gene Ween Band has been known to include "Memory of a Free Festival" as part of their live performances. *

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is an American folk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2005. The group is led by singer Alex Ebert. The band's name is based on a story Ebert wrote in his youth, about a messianic figure named E ...

covered it as part of

Manimal Vinyl Manimal Vinyl is a Los Angeles-based record label founded in 2006 by film/TV producer, composer and former fashion editor Paul Gebser-Beahan. History The label was started out of Beahan's living room in late 2006 in the historical Hancock Park ...

's 2 CD

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...

to Bowie in September 2010 titled ''We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie''. *Danish band Kashmir covered it live during their 2006 tour, including concerts in the Netherlands. * The Polyphonic Spree covered the "Sun Machine" section throughout their career in various live performances. *Polish band

Myslovitz Myslovitz is a Polish rock band. The band take their name from their industrial hometown of Mysłowice in the Upper Silesia region of southern Poland. Band history Guitarist and vocalist Artur Rojek started the band in 1992 as "The Freshmen", ...

covered the song on their second album '' Sun Machine''.

References

Sources

* * * * {{Authority control 1969 songs 1970 singles David Bowie songs Songs written by David Bowie Song recordings produced by Tony Visconti Mercury Records singles