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To celebrate the new reissue of David Bowie’s 1967 debut album and its related singles, we take a deep dive into every aspect of this underrated and unfairly judged album. Not only do we examine the album track-by-track but also find out about the man who inspired and influenced this formative part of Bowie’s career.
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My favorite saying is "I dig everything."
Along with "Tomorrow never knows". It's not that the ideas are bad on this record but the way the songs are arranged. We know that he later became a great arranger, chose excellent musicians and really brought the cut up method for lyrics to the forefront. He was constantly evolving and we could probably say that he is one of the founders of a certain style or styles of music. We wouldn't have Duran Duran and numerous other colorful groups if it wasn't for David Bowie. So the next time you listen to David Bowie, David Bowie try to possibly view it as a rough idea for things to come. That way you can possibly find enjoyment in listening to it!
Unlike Bowie himself I love his early material and the whimsical quality about it.
Great to see you showing some love for this record and also doing a feature on the genius that was Bowie. I think the problem with this album was that Bowie himself was disparaging of it later and so a lot of fans thought they had to trash it as well, thinking it made them somehow 'cooler' or more of a 'real fan' in that insufferable way some people can be. I bet most of them had never even listened to it!
Taken on it's own merits, it's a quirky time capsule that does have some worthwhile tracks and shouldn't be totally discounted. I remember hearing 'Please Mr. Gravedigger' for the first time and thinking how totally unique it was. That was Bowie's great genius of course. He could turn his hand to any style or genre of music and pull it off effortlessly.
For me, the 1967 album had too many novelty songs, I just feel the 1969 album is far more interesting. But to each their own.
I had the album when it had the name David Jones on the cover.
One of my favourite albums by any artist. Of course, I love the other Bowie albums but what appeals to me in this one is the clarity of the lyrics and storytelling (this fell by the wayside once Bowie got into new approaches such as the William Burroughs cut-up technique). I had the privilege of meeting Ray Davies when I attended three of his songwriting courses, and one of the things he said that has stuck with me was "some people make their lyrics ambiguous in the hope that it will make them sound deep". This album certainly avoids that. I think the mid-60s was a special time in the UK and this record is one of the best at capturing its essence, not just with respect to Carnaby Street cool-dudes but also ordinary people right across the age spectrum. Finally, I really do think these songs are great musically (even "We Are Hungry Men" has a cool melody in the first part of its chorus – shame about the rest). Having said all of this, I don't think it would have been worth Bowie writing any more albums in this vein, so I'll choose to assume he wouldn't have done so, even if this one had been successful. He did revisit some of this material with the abandoned "Toys" album at the turn of the millennium, so I think any embarrassment he had for this early phase in his career was only temporary.
Great video, again, Andrew. I first became aware of this stuff when someone gave me a copy of The World of David Bowie in the late 70s. I loved that album, almost played it to death! I've since heard the 1967 album and I think it's great although unlike you, i prefer it in mono. How about a video of The Beatles "hi resolution Blu Ray audio" discs that I've just got round to listening to. I'm gobsmacked by the sound quality and incredible resolution!
His finest half hour by miles
Hello Andrew, I am well into my sixties, and have been a huge Bowie fan since I was a child. Like The Kinks, I had gotten to the point where I loved Bowie better than The Beatles. It might be interesting to see your takes on Bowie's entire catalogue. But here are a few observations about availability of early David Bowie records from my past decades of crate digging. The Deram album was issued in the US, but I've never seen a copy. I have the singles as US Deram pressings. I have at least one or two of the Pye singles as Canadian pressings. There is a rare US Warner Brothers pressing of one of the Pye singles I've never seen. The only US issue? The copies I found of the Pye singles were all 1967 Canadian pressings. Like The Rolling Stones records, Decca kept this album in the catalogue into the early 1980s. My copy is a 1972 pressing. UK Decca pressings were never easy to find here in the US. There are multiple reissues of the King Bees singles, including early seventies UK Decca pressings. This stuff was around in the shops for years.
Anthony Newly is not really forgotten. He is regarded as one of the more important UK stage and screen composers and singers of his time, but largely unknown to younger people who strictly limit themselves to rock. Things are very sectarian now. If you know how to spot influences, you can see the influence of this type of music on Bowie's vocal delivery, and songwriting, all throughout his career.
You raise an interesting point here. There is a very British style of songwriting that reflects daily life of the working class in the UK, that I dearly love. A tradition that goes back to English Music Hall songs of the early 20th Century. This was a completely different world than the world Bowie explored. The Kinks, Squeeze, The Who (1966-72), Paul McCartney, and blur were more suited to these types of songs. Like his friends, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, and Brian Ferry, Bowie explored a unique musical universe no one had considered before, and, as such, is one of the more important musical figures of the second half of the 20th Century.
I love this album. It was way ahead of its time. What 19 year old today would write and release an album covering such subjects as the pressure of unachievable ideals in advertising, cross dressing, cancel culture, dystopian canabilistic societies , etc.
Bowie's best, most creative and charming album might well be his first. Neither Ziggy nor Scary can offer any more scope.
Love You Till Tuesday has to be one of his best.
After that he was mainly a catchy tunes with cut and paste lyrics singles man.
As for the Newley phenomena, he seems to have ended up like The Catcher in the Rye novel, hugely iconoclastic at the time, but rendered rather tame by the events that followed.
Just ordered my copy recently on the most famous auction site due to your recommendation. My copy is green and white
Nice. I always get grief when I pronounce Ray Davies name properly ; DAVIS. ❤
Perhaps not quite his worst, but a close second to the terrible 'Earthling' album for me! That said I do love the track 'In the heat of the morning' recorded in the same era, wish this album was more in this sort of tone
This is one of my favourite Bowie albums ❤
Thanks for a great video Andrew!!! I would like to have a listen to this album! A great Sgt.Pepper connection too!!
I got a promo copy of the American album in the summer of '67. The father of a friend knew a label rep who gave it to him and which he gave to his son. My friend called it "the worst album ever" and everybody laughed when he played it. He gave it to me since he had no use for it, but i rather liked it. My favorite was Join the band "It's a big illusion but at least you're in". I still remember the words of Mr. Gravedigger,. It took Bowie until 1973 to get noticed in America. Thanks for featuring this.
Bowie reworked a lot of these songs in the Toy album, which i think is amazing and I think is worth investigating.
Hard to see how someone could be a fan of 60’s music and not like this album. Taken on its own merit it’s a great little snapshot.
Mr. Bean always reminds me of Newley!
I am not it's biggest fan or should say wasn't as the 2 disc copy I got was revelation the non album singles and related songs is much stronger material imo,and I have reevaluated my thoughts on original,to some extent.
My eldest loves, please Mr.Gravedigger .
I bought a budget CD of this album in 1998 that had a couple tracks deleted. I liked it so much I bought the full version CD in 2013 under the title Deram Anthology. It's one of my most favorite albums of all time & I don't understand why people don't like it but then I'm a sucker for British 60s pop of its kind. I dare to say I love his Chipmunks-like song, Laughing Gnome!
Please Mister Gravedigger sounds like something Screaming Lord Sutch might have recorded, but with more instrumentation.
I first heard a number of these songs on the “ World of David Bowie” album.
Bowie an intresting artist
Or a lost soul
I bought this album in the mid 70's and played it to deth on my old Dansette.
PS I always the picuter of Uncle Arthur looked like Ringo Star.
The title led me to believe that there would be more of a discussion comparing different Bowie albums, to bring out what was important about this album. I know top 10 lists are horid, but you could do a discussion like this without being a top 10 list. I understand YT titles have to be grabby, but honestly I hate this album despite being a big fan of early floyd. I've always wondered what I'm missing because there are obvious similarities between early Bowie and early Floyd, and i was hoping to hear somthing that would convince me to listen to the ablum again. I did enjoy the video as it was though. 🙂
Ok, if one doesn't AT LEAST like Please Mister Gravedigger and Silly Boy Blue then THEY are in critical need of a major good-taste transplant.
My first exposure to songs from that album was in 1983 when I was 11 or 12 and just had become a Bowie fan through "Let's Dance". I bought a few of his older albums after that, including "Ziggy Stardust" but also the "Another Face" compilation (including songs from1964-67). I liked how typically 1960s it sounded and still do. My favourite version of the debut is the 2010 Deluxe Edition double CD by the way. I only wish that it had the original version of Space Oddity on it (which is on the 1997 "Deram Anthology" single CD version of the album).
i have always loved this album and london boys is said to be of the time of meeting Marc bolan and Steve Marriot
Utterly enjoyable Andrew I’m a big Bowie fan seen him numbers of times great memories of the man I agree this is not Bowie s worst album I have a lot of time for David’s early work which I feel gets overlooked their is some real gems on this album like space oddity and Man who sold the world they seem to be missed having seen David pre Ziggy and after these early albums such as the self titled are well worth revisiting thanks for this Andrew more. Bowie please excellent
The first Bowie record is well written and reflects his youth and range very well. "Hey Mr. Gravedigger", is a personal favorite and so creepy.
I thought it was a fun and refreshing album when I heard it in the 90's. It's among his albums I return to so it means more to me than some others.
I think it may be more apt to reference Tommy Steele than Anthony Newley here. In some alternative-reality hell realm, Bowie modeled his career squarely on Steele and suppurated chipper and insincere bilge until the end of his days.