Bowie Week II: Sunday

This year for Bowie week, marking the second anniversary of the great man's sad passing, I'm going to look at some of his songs as interpreted by others. His influence was so humungous, it's no surprise there has been a plethora of tribute releases over the years. Not all my selections come from these. In fact many were recorded as b-sides, album tracks and various other projects.

Throughout the week, I'm going to be concentrating on a particular area of David's career. Today, it's the early years. The Prettiest Star is best known for its presence on 'Aladdin Sane', but three years earlier in 1970 (and before the release of 'The Man Who Sold The World'), it was released as a single featuring the guitar work of none other than Marc Bolan. Here, it's given a faithful airing by Ian McCulloch, a world away from his work with Echo And The Bunnymen for sure.

• The Prettiest Star - Ian McCulloch

Bowie's follow-up single featured a song from his second eponymous album (which would later be renamed 'Space Oddity'). With the original stretching over 7 minutes in length, Memories Of A Free Festival was chopped in two with 'part one' on the A side, and 'part two' on the flip. The latter was taken on by Mercury Rev for an obscure tribute album in 1996, two years before their long-awaited commercial breakthrough record 'Deserter's Songs'. For some reason, they renamed it and changed a couple of the lyrics ("We could be heroes...")

• The Sun Machine (Memories Of A Free Festival) - Mercury Rev

The next thing the world heard from David Bowie couldn't have been more different - the hard-rockin' 'The Man Who Sold The World'. One of its quietest moments was After All, a rather strange and hazy acoustic song. Tori Amos, who has never been shy of taking on other people's songs and making them sound like her own, did this one while recording her covers album 'Strange Little Girls', a collection of songs written and performed by men. It ended up on the b-side of the title track and is intriguing if only to hear Tori sing the words "Oh by jingo." Actually, she makes it sound brooding and ominous. My favourite of today's bunch.

• After All - Tori Amos

Three more tomorrow.

Autumnal Covers #10

Ssshhhhhhhh...... *silence* ...


Strangely, pop music has long heralded silence. Simon and Garfunkel sang of the Sound Of Silence back in 1965. It remains one of the finest songs of the 60s, one that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stick up with its brilliance. Kimberley Anne, from South London, has great hair and could prove to be a name worth watching. I wrote of her earlier in the year when I saw her support First Aid Kit. MrsRobster is a bit of a fan and was understandably moved by Kimberley's eerie yet sublime take on Sound Of Silence. It is spine-tingling. Few things make me say "Wow!" out loud after hearing them, but this was one of them. She does a cracking version of Womack & Womack's Teardrops too. 

One of Depeche Mode's greatest moments came in the form of Enjoy The Silence, a pivotal moment on the career-defining album that is 'Violator'. What. A. Song. What an album! Many have attempted their own versions of it, with mixed success. Tori Amos likes a cover. In 2001 she released a whole album of them, taking on songs by the likes of Tom Waits, Joe Jackson, Eminem, the Velvet Underground and Slayer. Yes, Slayer! She also did Enjoy The Silence, and her execution of it is masterful. It's minimal and sinister. Say what you like about her - she may be as barmy as a bag of badgers, but Tori is a treasure. I have a soft spot for her, anyway.


Soundtrack:

• Sound Of Silence - Kimberley Anne (digital release)
• Enjoy The Silence - Tori Amos (from 'Strange Little Girls')