David Bowie - "Heroes" [12", LP]

Today it's been exactly four months since DAVID BOWIE passed away.

"HEROES" is of course a classic. While Low is actually my favourite album from his so-called Berlin trilogy, i chose "Heroes" for this month's Bowie album feature. Because i've just come back from a few days in Berlin, and with songs like Neuköln, V-2 Schneider and of course the title track with its references to the Berlin wall, it now seemed the most obvious Bowie vinyl release in my collection for me to put in the spotlight this month.
Unfortunately i didn't have the time to see if i could book a guided tour to be shown around inside, so i just walked past the Hansa Studios where this great album was recorded. Also Low was recorded here, but not Lodger however (the third album of the "Berlin trilogy" was recorded in France and NY). Here's how the entrance hall looks (picture taken through the window) and the doorbells of the various studio rooms.

Other classic albums that were recorded at Hansa, are for example Night Time by Killing Joke, Misplaced Childhood by Marillion, Bossanova by the Pixies, Achtung Baby by U2 and of course Lust For Life and The Idiot by Iggy Pop.

Bowie shared an appartment with Iggy at Hauptstrasse 155. Obviously i had to check that out as well while i was in the area anyway. 

A few doors away from where they lived, was one of their favourite hangouts: café Anderes Ufer. Nowadays it's called Neues Ufer. Unfortunately it was closed when i was there, but apparently it's still regulary visited by many Bowie fans from all over the world. There was a Blackstar in the window, as you can see on the picture below, and looking through the window i saw a Bowie poster from his 1974 TopPop appareance (with pirate's eye patch).

Even though my Berlin visit was by no means intended as a Bowie pilgrimage, it was interesting to see at least these places where he spent a lot of time during 1976-1978. And when i got back home, "Heroes" was the first album that made its way to my recordplayer.

Oh by the way: Neuköln is a district of Berlin, and should actually be spelled with two L's.

Label: RCA

Cat.nr.: NL-13857

Year of release: 1977 (this particular pressing is from 1980 however)

SIDE A:

01. Beauty And The Beast

02. Joe The Lion

03. "Heroes"

04. Sons Of The Silent Age

05. Blackout

SIDE B:

01. V-2 Schneider

02. Sense Of Doubt

03. Moss Garden

04. Neuköln

05. The Secret Life Of Arabia

Iggy & Ziggy - Sister Midnight Live At The Agora [12", 2LP, Unofficial]

Today it's been exactly two months since DAVID BOWIE passed away.

This particular double live LP SISTER MIDNIGHT LIVE AT THE AGORA captures an IGGY POP show from 1977. March 21st, Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio to be exact. Bowie fans will know this, but other people might not: Bowie was part of Iggy's band for the Idiot Tour, a one-and-half month tour in the UK, USA and Canada during March and April 1977. He didn't do any solo stuff, but just wanted to be a band member, playing keyboards and doing some occasional backing vocals. The other band members were Tony and Hunt Sales, who helped record The Idiot album (and who'd both be with Bowie in Tin Machine just over a decade later - a band in which Bowie also wanted to be just one of the guys), and Ricky Gardiner. Ricky had worked with Bowie on the Low album, as well as The Idiot. 

The recording of this bootleg is pretty good. There are quite a few other versions released of this show over the years. Wild Animal on the French Revenge label is probably the most wellknown. Also on the official RCA album from 1978 TV Eye Live 1977 there are a few songs from this show. Although the tour was to promote The Idiot, there are mostly songs from The Stooges present here. Turn Blue, Sister Midnight and Funtime are therefore almost the only ones on which you clearly hear Bowie's backing vocals. Besides that, he does some fine repetitive keyboards on I Wanna Be Your Dog. I would've loved to see one of the shows on this tour. Quite a package, Iggy and Ziggy on the same stage.

Label: The Vinyl Countdown / Store For Music

Cat.nr.: SFMVC1206

Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:

01. Raw Power

02. 1969

03. Turn Blue

SIDE B:

01. Sister Midnight

02. I Need Somebody

03. Search And Destroy

SIDE C:

01. TV Eye

02. Dirt

03. Funtime

SIDE D:

01. Gimme Danger

02. No Fun

03. I Wanna Be Your Dog

Various Artists - Holidays In The Sun [12", 2LP]

Bumped into this HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN compilation on my way out of the Utrecht record fair a few weeks ago. A double LP for a ridiculously cheap price (just over 1 euro per side) and in mint condition, or at least the records are. Clearly never played. I've never seen this compilation before but that is probably because it was only released in Greece, and those albums rarely show up in the western parts of Europe. It's from 1994, which means there are probably not many copies floating around, since vinyl was already clearly on its way back at that time. But for this price and with the tracklisting on the back i knew i couldn't go wrong at all, even though i already have a lot of these songs on other vinyl releases. It covers alternative rock, (post-)punk, new wave and synthpop - and all of them hits! Just check below and you'll see what i mean.
By the way, Gary Numan's "Cars" is the '93 Sprint Mix version. It's not credited like that on the cover though.

Label: Mercury / Polygram Greece
Cat.nr.: 516 849-1
Year of release: 1994

SIDE A:
01. SEX PISTOLS - Pretty Vacant
02. BAUHAUS - She's In Parties
03. XTC - Making Plans For Nigel
04. JOE JACKSON - I'm The Man
05. GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOURS - Hey Lord Don't Ask Me Questions

SIDE B:
01. SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES - Christine
02. MAGAZINE - Shot By Both Sides
03. THE JAM - Going Underground
04. P.I.L. - This Is Not A Love Song
05. GARY NUMAN - Cars

SIDE C:
01. VIOLENT FEMMES - Blister In The Sun
02. IGGY POP - Real Wild Child (Wild One)
03. MADNESS - Baggy Trousers
04. NEW ORDER - True Faith
05. HEAVEN 17 - (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
06. LES NEGRESSES VERTES - Sous Le Soleil De Bodega

SIDE D:
01. NICK CAVE - Deanna
02. THE HOUSEMARTINS - Me And The Farmer
03. THE LA'S - There She Goes
04. THE HOUSE OF LOVE - Shine On
05. INSPIRAL CARPETS - This Is How It Feels
06. THE MISSION - Butterfly On A Wheel

David Bowie / Iggy Pop / Roxy Music / Syd Barrett - The Photography Of Mick Rock [7", Book, Tin]

A few years ago, four MICK ROCK photograph books in 7" tins were released, each carrying a 7" vinyl single by the artist featured in the book. The man was mostly known (to me at least) for his pictures of DAVID BOWIE, but he also made some really nice ones of IGGY POP, SYD BARRETT and various glam rock bands like ROXY MUSIC. These tins were released as limited editions and were rather expensive, but lately they have been available on offer for a very reasonable price. The 7"es are each on a different colour vinyl and feature not necessarily the artist's biggest hits, yet pretty cool songs nevertheless. Each book has 128 pages which makes it a pretty heavy package, but definitely worth buying it if you're into high class rock photography. I decided to buy all four of them and this is what the 7"es are about:

David Bowie

Label: EMI
Cat.nr.: 5099964038070           
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Starman

SIDE B:
01. Suffragette City

Roxy Music

Label: EMI
Cat.nr.: 5099964038179          
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Virginia Plain

SIDE B:
01. The Numberer

Iggy Pop

Label: EMI
Cat.nr.: 5099964038278          
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Success

SIDE B:
01. The Passenger

Syd Barrett

Label: EMI
Cat.nr.: 5099964037974          
Year of release: 2011

SIDE A:
01. Octopus

SIDE B:
01. Golden Hair

Iggy Pop & Zig Zags / Betty Davis - If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up [7"]

Light In The Attic Records celebrates their 10-year anniversary with a series of limited coloured 7"es, and this is one of the first of them. ZIG ZAGS have teamed up with IGGY POP for a cover of IF I'M IN LUCK I MIGHT GET PICKED UP on the A-side of this 7", while the original version by BETTY DAVIS (once Mrs. Miles Davis, for one year in the late sixties) is on the B-side. Iggy and his buddies created a great sludgy version of it, with riffs that Black Sabbath would be jealous of. But the original raw and punky funk song definitely ain't bad either, i must say.


Label: Light In The Attic
Cat.nr.: LITA 45 020
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. Iggy Pop & Zig Zags - If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up

SIDE B:
01. Betty Davis - If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up

Iggy Pop - I'm Bored [7"]

No idea why exactly someone decided to reissue an old single of IGGY POP from his New Values album, because that's certainly not the man's best period. A replica of a single from his earlier two albums (Lust For Life and The Idiot) would've been more interesting as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, this I'M BORED single (originally released in 1979) was reissued in a limited run of 2000 numbered copies for Record Store Day 2012, on green vinyl.The one i have is # 1498/2000.

Label: Arista
Cat.nr.: 88691961117
Year of release: 2012

SIDE A:
01. I'm Bored

SIDE B:
01. African Man