From Prog-Rock and Symphonic Pop through Punk, New Wave and Heavy Metal to Electronica and Hip-Hop, Grime and Dubstep, Nightingale embraced them all. I'm quoting this from the Times obituary to Annie Nightingale, the first female disc jockey to break into the 'boys club' of BBC Radio 1, who recently died. She went on to outlast them all and remain on air for more than four decades. 

It occurred to me that this was a musical itinerary experienced by many of us of a similar age. Personally I'd have to insert Folk in there and the Blues, but the rest all fits. 

Elsewhere in the obituary it mentions her listening to 'up' music. She says: 

"I'm not a great fan of very down, depressing music. So I love uplifting music, music that makes me feel happier. And 'Three Little Birds'… I can't think of another song ever by anybody that makes you feel so happy. If ever I put together a mixtape – say someone is ill, or down, or depressed, or something, needs a lift – then that is the tune I play them."

Bob Marley & The Wailers – 'Three Little Birds' is today's Star Track 

   

We're in mellow mode today. 

Last year began with the deaths of prominent musicians - Jeff Beck and then Dave Crosby. Along with other sad news I found myself not always recording when this happened. Tina was remembered but many weren't, as the list grew through the year, becoming too many to mention them all. 

- Gordon Lightfoot, Randy Meisner (of the Eagles), John Gosling (Kinks keyboard player in the 70s), David Lindley (multi-instrumentalist in Jackson Browne band - wonderful lap steel guitar), two members of Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Robbie and Tim Bachman, Sinéad O'Connor, Tony McPhee (of the Groundhogs) and many many more... 

So today is for all the people who left us in 2023. 

A version of 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' played by King Curtis & the Kingpins >

 

From the 'King Size Soul' LP (1967)  

Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery in 1934). A master of the soprano, alto and tenor saxophone played rhythm and blues, jazz and rock and roll. 

  

He was Davy Jones and Dave Bowie and then David Bowie but in 1972 he became Ziggy Stardust ! 

In 1969 his character Major Tom had a hit single with 'Space Oddity'. On the 'B' side of the original Philips release was a song called 'Wide Eyed Boy from Freecloud' - this version has sparse instrumentation: guitar (played by Bowie) and arco bass (by Paul Buckmaster). The album version, recorded in July/August 1969, features a full orchestral arrangement by Tony Visconti. Have a listen to the single 'B' side here > 

 

Last summer I saw the re-release (after restoration) of D. A. Pennebaker's documentary film of the final Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars performance on 3rd July 1973 at the Hammersmith Odeon, London. RCA records had recorded it with the intention of releasing a live album. However, the project was shelved for several reasons, rumoured to include Bowie's desire to leave Ziggy behind, and the poor quality of the recordings. Bowie and producer Tony Visconti mixed the recordings in 1981, a mix heavily criticised, although Visconti describes it as "more of a salvage job than an artistic endeavor" considering the state of the source material. 

That said, this sounds pretty good to me. 'Wide Eyed Boy from Freecloud' was played as part of a medley with "All the Young Dudes" and "Oh! You Pretty Things". 

> Finally, did any one of you ever see "Ziggy play guitar" live in concert ? 

  

An alternative (and occasional) music posting highlighting something out of the ordinary. Perhaps of limited appeal, unconventional, experimental or just far-out ! Call it what you like (or switch it off, if you don't like). 

This track finds David Bowie at the other end of his catalogue, in the late 1990s.

I'd never heard this until last year and knowing he went through many musical changes during his life, some more popular than others, see what you make of this. It's different yet infectious !

Written by Bowie and Brian Eno it went through various revisions before emerging in 1997 on the 'Earthling' album and as a maxi-single release. A techno (or industrial) track, it presents a critique of America through the eyes of a stereotypical "Johnny" and is a mix of drum patterns, synthesizers, various loops and vocal distortions.

See what you make of "I'm Afraid of Americans" > 

   C e l e b r a t i n g  

-   D A V I D   B O W I E  -

A week devoted to David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016) - aka David Bowie (or maybe Davy Jones or then again Dave Bowie !

This is mostly material I've only discovered recently:

Back in the mid sixties via ads for the Witch Doctor* Club near Hastings I have found that he played with a backing band called The Lower Third and soon after the Buzz. All around the time of 1965/66 and a time when he change his name - was it Davy or Dave - as often as the backing band changed. See link 

Another website has various photos of The Lower Third: here 

And click here for the Buzz. 

Prior to all this, Bowie had made a TV appearance in 1964 representing 'The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-haired Men', on the BBC's flagship Tonight Programme, hosted by the legendary Cliff Michelmore. See video and story link here. 

While in early 1965 there was The Manish Boys: see this article and their rejection by the BBC. 

* The Witch Doctor was in Marine Court, St Leonards, and later became The Cobweb. A fire in December 1970 caused serious damage to The Cobweb Ballroom and The Dolphin Ballroom. 

According to DavidBowieWorld.nl - 

In December 1966, Bowie left the Buzz to become a solo act. The Buzz offered to stick with him for a while for no wages when Bowie told them he couldn’t afford them, at which point it came out that the real reason was that he wanted to be on his own. They did, however, back Bowie on early 1967 studio sessions for his first album. 

Far-Out magazine looking back recently on this debut album said

In truth, on the record, we find a 20-year-old Bowie clearly without focus and the album is a serious mess because of it. Upon the release of his self-titled debut album in 1967. The record was received with critical warmth, but thanks in part to label Deram’s lack of promotion, its release saw a cold reception from the public. As such, Bowie was cast aside as yet another folk-pop-adjacent singer who had listened to one too many Beatles albums, having dived headfirst into Vaudeville caricature. 

I was recently lent a 1973 compilation of this debut material called 'Images 1966-1967' > reissued on Decca's Deram label. It is a curious mixture with very little I'd heard previously. 

Here's some MUSIC 

Not on the debut LP but the final track on 'Images' was the Tony Visconti produced 

'In the Heat of the Morning' > an indication of the direction Bowie was heading in 

  

((left) Another one of the ads I found. September 1966. 

FOOTNOTE: 1966 - The other Davy Jones was in The Monkees !! 

   

As the curtain came down on 2023 to the sounds of Los Twangueros, at our local pub - 2024 began with a traditional freestyle rendition of 'Aude Lang Syne' and much dancing and merriment and then more dancing. Let's hope the Year ahead stays in tune in much the same way.

So who are Los Twangueros, I hear you holler ? Well they are a Hastings band. Cool, quirky and play an improvised mix of Latin-influenced music, that includes elements of African, Dub reggae and pop. We got Santana's 'Oye Como Va', a version of 'Get Lucky' that proceeded an encore of the Chemical Brothers 'Star Guitar' - as 2024 beckoned ! 

Guitarist Andy Neale is ever present in what appears to also be an improvised line-up. A 2016 CD release called 'The all day breakfast' has suitably titled tracks and this one is 'Theme from the Black Pudding' with a nice Caribbean feel to it. 

Check them out 'Live' at the Albion [a pub in Hastings] > click here