De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) Professor of Modern Holography MARTIN RICHARDSON tells us about befriending and working with legendary artist DAVID BOWIE.

Exclusively announced on davidbowie.com is the release of previously unissued live 1974 recordings of DAVID BOWIE entitled: I'M ONLY DANCING (THE SOUL TOUR 74) on 2 LP Vinyl and 2 CD formats released for RECORD STORE DAY 2020 on 18th April.

In addition to the previously announced Record Store Day 2020 release of CHANGESNOWBOWIE, Parlophone Records are proud to also announce the unearthing of never before heard recordings of David Bowie in concert in 1974 in the form of I'M ONLY DANCING (THE SOUL TOUR 74) on 2 LP and 2 CD.

Taken from recently discovered sources in The David Bowie Archive®, I'M ONLY DANCING (THE SOUL TOUR 74) was recorded mostly during David's performance at the Michigan Palace, Detroit on 20th October 1974, with the encores taken from the Municipal Auditorium, Nashville on 30th November 1974. The only song missing from the full set on the 20th October performance is 'Diamond Dogs' which was unfortunately only recorded in part. To make up for that it was decided to include the encores from the 30th November performance which featured 'Diamond Dogs' but also enables a fuller representation of the set from The Soul Tour including such numbers as 'Knock On Wood' and the 'Foot Stomping' / 'I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate' medley.

The Soul Tour was a radical departure from the first part of the 1974 Diamond Dogs theatrical extravaganza. During a three week break in late 1974, the Diamond Dogs Tour's elaborate six-ton Hunger City stage set was drastically stripped back, and the tour's set list overhauled to include as-yet-unreleased tracks from the Young Americans sessions at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia. The Soul Tour also featured a revamped band, augmented to include musicians and vocalists from those sessions, and rechristened The Mike Garson Band.

I'M ONLY DANCING (THE SOUL TOUR 74) follows on from the previous Record Store Day 2 LP release Cracked Actor (Live Los Angeles '74) and is an incredible historical document of a performer and band at the height of their live powers. The artwork for both the 2 LP and 2 CD releases is based on the original design for the programmes available at venues for dates on The Soul Tour. The Soul Tour has taken on a mythical status among Bowie fans, as the tour visited fewer than twenty cities in the East and South of US. This is the first time that audio from this incarnation of the tour has ever been officially released.

DAVID BOWIE - I'M ONLY DANCING (THE SOUL TOUR 74) (2 LP / 2 CD) tracklisting

CD 1
LP Side 1
1. Introduction - Memory Of A Free Festival
2. Rebel Rebel
3. John, I'm Only Dancing (Again)
4. Sorrow
5. Changes
6. 1984

LP Side 2
1. Moonage Daydream
2. Rock 'N Roll With Me
3. Love Me Do / The Jean Genie
4. Young Americans

CD 2
LP Side 3
1. Can You Hear Me?
2. It's Gonna Be Me
3. Somebody Up There Likes Me
4. Suffragette City

LP Side 4
1. Rock 'N' Roll Suicide
2. Panic In Detroit
3. Knock On Wood *
4. Foot Stomping / I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate / Foot Stomping *
5. Diamond Dogs / It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I like It) / Diamond Dogs *

Recorded at the Michigan Palace, Detroit on 20th October 1974 and * at the Municipal Auditorium, Nashville on 30th November 1974.

Musicians:

David Bowie - Vocals, 12-string acoustic guitar, harmonica.

The Mike Garson Band:

Earl Slick - Guitar
Carlos Alomar - Guitar
Mike Garson - Piano, Mellotron
David Sanborn - Alto sax, flute
Pablo Rosario - Percussion
Emir Ksasan - Bass
Dennis Davis - Drums

Backing vocals - Warren Peace, Anthony Hinton, Luther Vandross, Ava Cherry, Robin Clark and Diane Sumler.

These recordings have been mastered from the only available sources to provide the best sound quality possible. Any flaws and distortion are inherent in the original sources and we hope the historical importance of the recordings outweighs any such imperfections and does not detract from the enjoyment of the performances.

For more details visit davidbowie.com website.

• On this day, 47 years ago, DAVID BOWIE performed two gigs at the Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, USA in 1973...

• On this day, 48 years ago, DAVID BOWIE performed at Sheffield University in 1972...

Recollections of the 1972 Sheffield University gig...

DR. JURIJ PARASZCZAK (BSc Chemistry 1973, PhD Chemistry 1977).

"One [performer I remember] was the as yet relatively unknown David Bowie. He came into the Lower Refectory, long before the concert, to test out the sound system. As the evening folded over the refectory and darkness came through from the tall glass wall, someone from our lights' team targeted a spotlight on him and from the moment that he sat down on one of those laminated chairs in the middle of the stage all the hubbub of people going to take showers, passing through the refectory to the Union building, ceased. David Bowie commanded attention and it was obvious that he was unique and important to listen to. He came to the University on 18 February 1972."

BARRY EVERARD (owner of Record Collector in Broomhill).

"I was on the entertainment committee and very excited that he'd been booked. He was not scheduled to go on until about 1.30am. I was quite shocked to get into the room to find a guy manning the bar, and standing next to it four rather drunken lecturers chatting up four slightly inebriated girl students. I found myself the only member of the audience paying him any attention. It was amazing that somebody who would later be so central, and vital, in music, I had a virtual one-to-one with. When every David Bowie album came out, it was an event."

GLENN GREGORY (Heaven 17 and Woody Woodmansey's Holy Holy).

"I was about 12 when I first started listening to Bowie along with Bolan (Tyrannosaurus Rex) as well as bands like The Sweet and even Slade, I was a budding Glam Rocker, but Bowie's music always seemed to me to be something extra terrestrial. Words and meanings and hidden in poetic strangeness allowing personal interpretation and perfect for an impressionable eager music listener like me.

"I met Martin Ware and Ian Craig Marsh when I was about 14 and we had identical musical tastes. Bowie being one of the artists we were all most interested in. We found out that he was playing live at Sheffield University but that we were unable to get to see the gig, as you had to be a member of the Student Union to get in!

"However this did not deter us. With the aid of, can you believe it, a John Bull children's printing set and a trip to Boots in town to use the photo booth we set about making fake Student Union ID's. Actually, they were quite good and not only did they get us into the Bowie gig, we carried on using them for quite some time and saw some other amazing bands there. But I can honestly say none touched me as much as seeing David Bowie on stage that first time. It was a life changing experience. It made me want to part of the music industry, buy a pair of sky blue dungarees and dye my hair blue, it made me want to be David Bowie. Now all this time later I have the chance to live a boyhood dream."

On this day, 46 years ago, DAVID BOWIE released his anthemic 'Rebel Rebel' single in 1974.

Originally scheduled for release on 1st February, it was delayed by two weeks. The RCA music press advertisement stated: 'A Valentine Day Release', but in reality it was out the following day.

Despite no official promotional video or live appearance on Top Of The Pops, the song entered UK charts at #6 on 17th February, (one place behind Lulu's cover of 'The Man Who Sold The World'), and the following week (24th) it climbed one place to peak at #5, where it remained for another week.

The single was "played" twice on Top Of The Pops 28th February and 7th March. In case you were wondering, no we didn't get the now famous AVRO Toppop Dutch TV show performance.

David was scheduled to perform live on Top Of The Pops on 21st February, but was unable to appear. Earlier on 18th February, Robin Nash (TOTP producer) contacted Ronnie Fowler (head of EMI promotion) stating that he urgently needed a live replacement. So we got an unknown band named Queen performing 'Seven Seas Of Rhye' instead.

The single spent a total of 7 weeks on the Top 50 UK Singles Chart.

#6 - 17th Feb / #5 - 24th Feb / #5 - 3rd March / #13 - 10th March / #16 - 17th March / #36 - 24th March / #47 - 31st March.

Parlophone Records is proud to announce 'THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD' (LIVE ENO MIX), the final instalment of DAVID BOWIE's IS IT ANY WONDER? streaming EP of six unreleased and rare tracks released over six weeks.

With this rare version of one of the most iconic Bowie songs of the last 50 years, the IS IT ANY WONDER? EP is now available to stream in its entirety. The six-track EP will also be made available on 12" vinyl and CD with an alternative tracklisting including 'FUN' (CLOWNBOY MIX).

Now available for the first time since its 1995 release, 'THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD' (LIVE ENO MIX) was previously issued as a double A-side green vinyl 7" single and CD single in various territories with the Outside version of 'Strangers When We Meet'. The Live Eno Mix version of this classic song is based on the fairly radical trip-hop reworking performed on the Outside World Tour. Longtime Bowie collaborator Brian Eno reshaped, overdubbed and mixed this live recording of the song at Westside Studios in London on 30th October 1995, recalling the session in his diaries: "I added some backing vocals and a sonar blip and sculpted the piece a little so that there was more contour to it.".

The physical formats of IS IT ANY WONDER? on 12" vinyl and CD will feature 'FUN' (CLOWNBOY MIX) replacing 'THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD' (CHANGESNOWBOWIE version), leaving the CHANGESNOWBOWIE version exclusive to the CHANGESNOWBOWIE LP and CD to be released on Record Store Day, 18th April.

'FUN' (CLOWNBOY MIX) originated as a modern revamp of the Bowie classic 'Fame', performed under the name 'Is It Any Wonder?' during David's 'club set' on the Earthling tour.

The basic backing and sequencer tracks were worked at the Factory in Dublin docklands during pre-tour rehearsals in early 1997. A live version of 'Fame', recorded at the Amsterdam Paradiso on 10th June 1997, was further worked on by Mark Plati and Reeves Gabrels at Looking Glass Studios in New York and mixed at Sony Music Studios in New York in February 1998. At one point the live version of 'FUN', as it was now being called, was considered for inclusion on the BowieNet exclusive Liveandwell.com album and appeared on early reference masters. Referenced in interviews by Reeves as 'Funhouse', the song further developed lyrically and musically and, by the time Danny Saber created the Clownboy mix in May 1998, it was a completely new piece of work written by David and Reeves and featuring no elements of 'Fame'. The Clownboy mix has previously only appeared on a BowieNet subscriber exclusive CD-ROM in 1998 and on Virgin Records in-house CDRs along with four other Clownboy mix variants.

'THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD' (LIVE ENO MIX) is produced by David Bowie, and mixed by Brian Eno. The track features backing vocals by Eno, Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and vocals, Peter Schwartz on synths, Zachary Alford on drums, Carlos Alomar on guitar and Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals.

'FUN' (CLOWNBOY MIX) is produced by David Bowie, Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati. It was recorded by Steve Guest and Mark Plati and was mixed by Danny Saber at Ocean Way Recording in May 1998, the mix was engineered by John X. The track features David Bowie on vocals, Zachary Alford on drums, Gail Ann Dorsey on bass/vocals, Mike Garson on piano, Reeves Gabrels on guitars/vocals and Mark Plati on keyboards/programming.

The physical formats of the limited edition DAVID BOWIE IS IT ANY WONDER? are 12" vinyl and CD.

Both are released on Friday 20th March exclusively via the davidbowiestore, pre-ordering is available from TOMORROW 14th February.

The tracklisting for DAVID BOWIE's IS IT ANY WONDER? 12" vinyl runs as follows:

SIDE 1
     Baby Universal '97
     Fun (Clownboy Mix)
     Stay '97

SIDE 2
     I Can't Read '97
     Nuts
     The Man Who Sold The World (Live Eno Mix)

From davidbowie.com

Released tomorrow is the next 40th anniversary 7" picture disc single in the ongoing series ALABAMA SONG / JOE THE LION / ALABAMA SONG (LIVE).

Featured on the AA-side are TWO previously unreleased tracks: JOE THE LION recorded at the soundcheck of the 1978 tour final performance at Earls Court on 1st July 1978 and a live version of ALABAMA SONG also recorded the same date.

DAVID BOWIE - 'ALABAMA SONG' LIMITED EDITION 40th ANNIVERSARY 7" PICTURE DISC

A-side (45 rpm)
ALABAMA SONG
(Kurt Weill / Bertolt Brecht)
Produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti
Recorded at Good Earth Studios, London on 2nd July 1978.

AA-side (33 1/3 rpm)
1. JOE THE LION
(Live Earls Court '78 Soundcheck) (previously unreleased)
(David Bowie)
Recorded live by Tony Visconti with the Manor Mobile at Earls Court, London on 1st July 1978. Recording engineered by Jeremy Allom and Ken Capper.
Mixed by John Prestage at AIR Studios, London, July 2019.

2. ALABAMA SONG
(Live Earls Court '78) (previously unreleased)
(Kurt Weill / Bertolt Brecht)
Produced by David Bowie
Recorded live by Tony Visconti with the Manor Mobile at Earls Court, London on 1st July 1978. Recording engineered by Jeremy Allom and Ken Capper.
Mixed by David Bowie and David Richards at Mountain Studios, Montreux on 17th-22nd January 1979.

The images featured on the disc were shot by photographers Dean Chamberlain (A-side) and Chris Walter (B-side).

You can pre-order NOW!

The debut issue of DEK MAGAZINE is about to be launched.

Featured in issue #1, they revisit DAVID BOWIE and the residents of Oxford Town for a never-before-seen project. The Corsham Street Sessions are coming...

#BowieForever #outside #unseen #CorshamStreetSessions

What's the story behind the story? The art behind the artist? The creativity behind the creation? That's what DEK sets out to uncover, scratching the surface of music, film and every other medium you can imagine. Their mission? To discover something new and authentic about the people and the process behind the things you love - taking you down new alleyways you didn't even know were there.

For more details about this brand new exciting magazine visit the dekmag.com website.

Published this month (24th) - two plays in one volume, written in the wake of DAVID BOWIE passing as a tribute to him and his (Spider From Mars) guitarist, MICK RONSON.

CAN YOU HEAR ME MAJOR TOM? by Mark Wheeller.

This play, using words from fan interviews, tells the story of David Bowie's career and how six fans were inspired to do something special in the wake of his passing. These accounts are contrasted by the exclusive words of guitarist Keith Christmas, who knew and worked with David Bowie.

THIS IS FOR YOU by Matt Beames and Mark Wheeller.

An immersive play using Mick Ronson's musical career as a background to an emotive fictional story of gifts, love, secrets and truths. Teenage pregnancy in the 70's, and later, a search for a birth mother... but it is so much more than this!

Check out the promo below....

For more details and pre-ordering, please visit the wheellerplaysstore.co.uk website.

'NUTS' (previously unreleased) is to be made available by Parlophone Records for streaming today as the penultimate release of DAVID BOWIE's IS IT ANY WONDER? EP of six unreleased and rare tracks being released once a week.

The unreleased semi instrumental 'NUTS' was jointly written by David, Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati. It was recorded during the final Earthling sessions in November 1996, the same session during which 'The Last Thing You Should Do' was written and recorded.

Both songs were being recorded as bonus tracks but then, at the last minute David swapped out 'I Can't Read' (released as track two from this streaming E.P. on 17th January) with 'The Last Thing You Should Do'. However, 'NUTS' has remained unreleased until today.

'NUTS' features Bowie on vocals, Reeves Gabrels on guitars and Mark Plati playing keyboards and programming. It was produced by David Bowie, co-produced by Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati and was recorded and mixed by Mark Plati at Looking Glass Studios, NYC.

The last track from the EP will be announced next week with a final extra surprise.

From davidbowie.com

Note: This is #5 of six tracks to be released each Friday. See HERE to read the official press release from 8th January.

I'm more than a little late with this as it was released on 10th January, but as they say, better late than never. I finally managed to get around to listening to it on Thursday and it's totally blown me away.

The BOWIE CELLO SYMPHONIC: BLACKSTAR is a soaring new version of DAVID BOWIE's entire last studio album Blackstar reimagined by cellist MAYA BEISER and arranged by EVAN ZIPORYN.

For both musicians, the ambitious project is a personal one. "To me and my generation, Bowie was a model for what it meant to be an artist or creative person," Ziporyn explains. Beiser says, "He was so versatile, and he was always exploring and evolving as an artist. He never settled for the easy path. And he himself, as a person, was the totality of his art."

As for the challenge of providing Bowie's "voice" with her cello, Beiser explained that, "He has this incredible range that matches the cello in a great way. It sort of validates the way that I approach playing the cello. For me a lot of those things are very intuitive; I didn't know if it was going to work but it felt like it would, and it turned out it did in a really special way."

The tracklisting runs as follows:

     1. Blackstar
     2. 'Tis A Pity She Was A Whore
     3. Lazarus
     4. Prelude To Sue
     5. Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)
     6. Girl Loves Me
     7. Dollar Days
     8. I Can't Give Everything Away

Check out all the pieces via Maya Beiser's Official YouTube channel, where you will also find the two bonus Bowie tracks.

Besides the Bowie Cello Symphonic: Blackstar Digital releases there are also TWO physical format releases: the CD is available via Islandia Music Records at a mere $10, and the Vinyl LP (plus digital download and 2 exclusive bonus tracks) for only $30.

Bowie Cello Symphonic: Blackstar has been performed to great acclaim in Boston, Barcelona, New York City's Central Park SummerStage, Austin TX, Palo Alto California, Burlington Vermont and Adelaide, Australia.

In 2017, visionary cellist Maya Beiser and innovative composer/conductor Evan Ziporyn, debuted a blockbuster tribute to the late David Bowie, transforming his final album, Blackstar, into a cello concerto for Maya, backed by the The Ambient Orchestra. Following the acclaim of that performance at MIT Kresge Auditorium, they set up to tour the work and have performed Bowie Cello Symphonic: Blackstar around the world. The following year, Alex Rigopulos, co-founder of Harmonix Music, the makers of the hit videogames Rock Band and Guitar Hero, commissioned the art collective Secret Portal, a Boston-based group exploring the use of immersive technologies in public spaces, to create a special visual presentation of the show known as Aura Blackstar: Bowie Cello Symphonic Visualized. The show debuted at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in February 2019.

Please take a moment to check out the items in this year's annual DAVID BOWIE charity auction.

Bringing together rare art, collectors items and more for the 5th year.

On 26th February CABARET vs CANCER will stage the fifth annual cabaret tribute to David Bowie, alongside this event they present their fifth charity auction.

AUCTION ENDS Sunday 1st March 2020 at 6.00pm GMT

100% of net proceeds will be donated to Cabaret vs Cancer, helping families affected by cancer, with a particular focus on the work of child bereavement teams.

This auction features official David Bowie merchandise, collectibles and original artwork.

All details and further information can be found over at the jumblebee.co.uk/davidbowie2020 website.

Next week is the re-arranged date for AN EVENING WITH WOODY WOODMANSEY talk on the Isle of Wight on Friday 7th February.

As the powerhouse drummer behind the Spiders From Mars, Woody Woodmansey helped propel DAVID BOWIE to superstardom. From 1970 to 1973, from Changes and Life On Mars? to Starman, The Jean Genie and Drive-In Saturday, Woody pounded out a glam beat for Bowie.

Hear Woody recall those heady Ziggy Stardust days at what promises to be a very special 'Evening With...' event!

Venue: Quay Arts, Anthony Minghella Theatre, Newport, Isle of Wight.
Date: Friday 7th February at 8:00pm
Tickets: £12 in advance, £13 on the door

For more details and ticket booking, please visit the quayarts.org website.

The next 40th anniversary 7" picture disc single in the ongoing series released this month (14th February) is ALABAMA SONG / JOE THE LION / ALABAMA SONG (LIVE).

Featured on the AA-side are TWO previously unreleased tracks: JOE THE LION recorded at the soundcheck of the 1978 tour final performance at Earls Court on 1st July 1978 and a live version of ALABAMA SONG also recorded the same date.

DAVID BOWIE - 'ALABAMA SONG' LIMITED EDITION 40th ANNIVERSARY 7" PICTURE DISC

A-side (45 rpm)
ALABAMA SONG
(Kurt Weill / Bertolt Brecht)
Produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti
Recorded at Good Earth Studios, London on 2nd July 1978.

AA-side (33 1/3 rpm)
1. JOE THE LION
(Live Earls Court '78 Soundcheck) (previously unreleased)
(David Bowie)
Recorded live by Tony Visconti with the Manor Mobile at Earls Court, London on 1st July 1978. Recording engineered by Jeremy Allom and Ken Capper.
Mixed by John Prestage at AIR Studios, London, July 2019.

2. ALABAMA SONG
(Live Earls Court '78) (previously unreleased)
(Kurt Weill / Bertolt Brecht)
Produced by David Bowie
Recorded live by Tony Visconti with the Manor Mobile at Earls Court, London on 1st July 1978. Recording engineered by Jeremy Allom and Ken Capper.
Mixed by David Bowie and David Richards at Mountain Studios, Montreux on 17th-22nd January 1979.

The images featured on the disc were shot by photographers Dean Chamberlain (A-side) and Chris Walter (B-side).

You can pre-order NOW!

'BABY UNIVERSAL '97' is now available for streaming as the fourth of six tracks making up DAVID BOWIE's IS IT ANY WONDER? EP (Parlophone) of unreleased and rare tracks being released once a week.

With lyrics by David and music co-written by David and Reeves Gabrels, 'Baby Universal' was initially recorded by Tin Machine for Tin Machine II. Released as the band's penultimate single in October 1991, it was performed during the final Tin Machine US television appearance on Saturday Night Live.

'Baby Universal' was regularly performed on Bowie's 'Outside Summer Festivals Tour' in 1996. The version now being released as 'BABY UNIVERSAL '97' was re-recorded for the Earthling album, originally intended to be sequenced between 'I'm Afraid Of Americans' and 'Law (Earthlings On Fire)'. The song was ultimately removed from the final album master, but David was very fond of this version and before the track was dropped was quoted as saying: "I thought 'Baby Universal' was a really good song and I don't think it got heard. I didn't really want that to happen to it, so I put it on this album... I think this version is very good.".

'BABY UNIVERSAL '97' is produced by David Bowie, co-produced by Reeves Gabrels and Mark Plati. It was recorded at Looking Glass Studios and mixed by Mark Plati at Right Track Recording, both in New York. The track features Gail Ann Dorsey on bass and vocals, Mike Garson on piano/keyboards, Mark Plati on programming/keyboards, Zachary Alford on drums and Reeves Gabrels on guitar, synths and vocals.

DAVID BOWIE 'BABY UNIVERSAL '97' IS AVAILABLE TO STREAM NOW ON PARLOPHONE.

From davidbowie.com

Note: This is #4 of six tracks to be released each Friday. See HERE to read the official press release from 8th January.

• DAVID BOWIE'S DIAMOND DOGS (33 1/3) by Glenn Hendler, paperback, 152 pages, to be published on 5th March - PRE-ORDER

• DAVID BOWIE FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Rock's Finest Actor by Ian Chapman, paperback, 344 pages, to be published on 10th April - PRE-ORDER

DAVID BOWIE 40th Anniversary 7" Limited Edition Picture Disc Single ALABAMA SONG / JOE THE LION / ALABAMA SONG (LIVE) is released on 14th February - purchase now.

BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns and Moonage Daydreams by Michael Allred, hardcover, 160 pages, published on 7th January - purchase now.

Official Collectors Limited Edition 2020 DAVID BOWIE WALL CALENDAR square format calendar 12 month, featuring different stunning images each month, size 31.2cm x 31.2cm - you can purchase now.

Official 2020 DAVID BOWIE WALL CALENDAR A3 format, 12 month, featuring different stunning images each month, size 42cm x 29.7cm - you can purchase now.

2018 softback edition of DAVID BOWIE WORLD 7" RECORDS DISCOGRAPHY 1964 - 1981 book by MARSHALL JARMAN and RETO STÖCKLIN you can purchase now via marmot-publishing.com

Exclusive DAVID BOWIE lino-cut print available to PURCHASE - don't hang around, these are ALL the remaining original left-over stock from 36 years ago, once they've gone, they've gone!