David Bowie – The Mercury Demos //Parlophone// (Released 28th June)

Description

£84.99 – LP w/ Collectable Extras

As part of the ongoing celebrations marking 50 years since David Bowie’s first hit, ‘Space Oddity’, and following the recent Spying Through A Keyhole and Clareville Grove Demos collections, The Mercury Demos are 10 early Bowie recordings captured live in one take to a Revox reel to reel tape machine in David’s flat in spring 1969, with accompaniment from John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson on guitar and vocals.

The version of ‘Space Oddity’ from the Demos, originally released with edits on the Sound & Vision boxset, is presented here in its true context for the first time. The other nine recordings on the album are all previously unreleased. In addition to Bowie originals, the session also includes the Roger Bunn composition ‘Life Is A Circus’ (which features in an earlier demo version on the Clareville Grove Demos set) and the Lesley Duncan composition ‘Love Song’ later recorded by Elton John for his Tumbleweed Connection album. David’s own ‘Conversation Piece’ is announced as ‘a new song’ and ‘Janine’ features a short nineteen second section sung to the melody of The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’.

The Mercury Demos set will come in a replica of the original tape box and will feature a print, two photo contact sheets and sleeve notes by Mark Adams. The labels of the LP feature the same EMIDISC acetate styling as Spying Through A Keyhole and Clareville Grove Demos with the song titles in David’s own handwriting.

Tacklisting:

A1. Space Oddity

A2. Janine

A3. An Occasional Dream

A4. Conversation Piece

A5. Ching-a-Ling

A6. I’m Not Quite (aka Letter To Hermione)

B1. Lover To The Dawn

B2. Love Song

B3. When I’m Five

B4. Life Is A Circus