Bowie Heard Them Here First

by N/A

Overview

An open secret in David Bowie's oeuvre is he, alone among superstars, never shies away from a well-selected cover version. This was as true at the dawn of his career as it is at the twilight and even many of his best-known albums -- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Station to Station, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) -- are anchored by covers. This is a roundabout way of saying that Ace's 2014 compilation Bowie Heard Them Here First (another installment of their excellent ongoing series) is hardly a collection that showcases Pin Ups and nothing else. No, this 24-track set is ambitious, opening with the Raiders' "Louie - Go Home," which Bowie cut in 1964 as Davie Jones when he led the King Bees, and closing with the Modern Lovers' "Pablo Picasso," which appeared on 2003's Reality, and "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship," which is on 2002's Heathen. In between these points comes Bowie's career, as the compilation proceeds in chronological order according to when the Thin White Duke sang a song. So, this opens with songs from Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust -- Biff Rose's "Fill Your Heart" and Ron Davies' "It Ain't Easy," contemporary songs both -- and, halfway through, snaps back to 1957 for Johnny Mathis' "Wild Is the Wind" and Lotte Lenya's "Alabama Song," two versions that may not have been the inspirations for Bowie's own interpretations (respectively, Nina Simone and the Doors are more likely). Such flaws don't hurt this compilation, nor does the absence of some fairly significant covers in Bowie's catalog -- licensing likely prevented the Beatles' "Across the Universe," the handful of Bruce Springsteen songs Bowie recorded in the mid-'70s, and Morrissey's "I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday," while his take on Iggy Pop's "China Girl" is a staple of his hits collections -- because Bowie Heard Them Here First emphasizes its idiosyncrasies as it flits between British beat, cabaret pop, and art rock. The biographical march doesn't make for the easiest listen -- the changes in era and style can give whiplash -- but it does go a long way in illustrating Bowie's range, wit, and taste. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/13/2014
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667058322
Rank:	101166

Tracks

1. Louie - Go Home  - Roger Hart  - Mark Lindsay  - Terry Melcher  - Paul Revere  -  Revere
2. I Pity the Fool  - Bobby "Blue" Bland  - Deadric Malone  - Joe Scott
3. Fill Your Heart  - Art Podell  - Biff Rose  - Paul Williams  - Nick Woods
4. It Ain't Easy  - Ron Davies  - Chad Stuart
5. White Light/White Heat  - Lou Reed  -  Velvet Underground  - Tom Wilson
6. Everything's Alright  - Stuart James  - Keith Karlson  - Bob Konrad  -  Mojos  - Simon Stavely
7. Friday on My Mind  -  Easybeats  - Shel Talmy  - Harry Vanda  - George Young
8. Rosalyn  - Jack Baverstock  - Jimmy Duncan  - William Farley  -  Pretty Things
9. Sorrow  - Bob Feldman  - Jerry Goldstein  - Richard Gottehrer  - Kit Lambert  -  Merseys
10. Where Have All the Good Times Gone  - Ray Davies  -  Kinks  - Shel Talmy
11. Around and Around  - Chuck Berry
12. Knock on Wood  - Steve Cropper  - Eddie Floyd
13. Amsterdam  - Jacques Brel  - Francois Rauber
14. Wild Is the Wind  - Johnny Mathis  -  Ray Ellis & His Orchestra  - Dimitri Tiomkin  - Ned Washington
15. Alabama Song  - Bertolt Brecht  -  Lenya  - Kurt Weill
16. Kingdom Come  - Tom Verlaine
17. Criminal World  - Duncan Browne  - Peter Godwin  - Sean Lyons  -  Metro  - Peter Sames
18. Don't Look Down  - Iggy Pop  - James Williamson
19. Dancing in the Street  - Marvin Gaye  - Ivy Jo Hunter  -  Martha & the Vandellas  - William "Mickey" Stevenson
20. If There Is Something  - Bryan Ferry  -  Roxy Music  - Peter Sinfield
21. Nite Flights  - Scott Engel  - Dave MacRae  -  Walker Brothers  - Scott Walker
22. Cactus  - Steve Albini  -  Black Francis  -  Pixies
23. Pablo Picasso  - John Cale  -  Modern Lovers  - Jonathan Richman
24. I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship  - David Anderson  - Jay Burnett  -  Legendary Stardust Cowboy  - Major Bill Smith

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lotte Lenya & The Three Admirals   Primary Artist
Martha & the Vandellas   Primary Artist
Chuck Berry   Primary Artist
Jacques Brel   Primary Artist
The Easybeats   Primary Artist
Eddie Floyd   Primary Artist
Legendary Stardust Cowboy   Primary Artist
Ron Davies   Primary Artist
Johnny Mathis   Primary Artist
Paul Revere & the Raiders   Primary Artist
Metro   Primary Artist
Biff Rose   Primary Artist
Bobby "Blue" Bland   Primary Artist
The Mojos   Primary Artist
The Pretty Things   Primary Artist
The Modern Lovers   Primary Artist
The Walker Brothers   Primary Artist
The Velvet Underground   Primary Artist
Roxy Music   Primary Artist
The Merseys   Primary Artist
Pixies   Primary Artist
Iggy Pop   Primary Artist
Tom Verlaine   Primary Artist
The Kinks   Primary Artist
Francois Rauber   Director
Nick Woods   Director
Ray Ellis & His Orchestra   Featured Artist
Art Podell   Director
Dave MacRae   Conductor

Technical Credits

Michael Putland   Cover Photo,Photography
Joe Scott   Producer
Charles Shaar Murray   References
David Buckley   References
Paul Trynka   References
George Young   Composer
Niall McCormack   Package Design
Simon Stavely   Composer
Ian Johnston   Liner Notes
Shel Talmy   Producer
Steve Albini   Producer
Paul Revere   Composer
Terry Melcher   Producer
Ivy Jo Hunter   Composer
Black Francis   Composer
Chuck Berry   Composer,Producer
Jacques Brel   Composer
Duncan Browne   Composer
Tony Rounce   Illustrations
Eddie Floyd   Composer
David Sheppard   References
Chad Stuart   Producer
Legendary Stardust Cowboy   Composer
James Williamson   Composer,Producer
John Cale   Producer
Deadric Malone   Composer
Lou Reed   Composer
Ron Davies   Composer
Mark Lindsay   Composer
Scott Engel   Composer
Scott Walker   Producer
Jonathan Richman   Composer
Peter Godwin   Composer
Roger Armstrong   Illustrations
Sean Lyons   Composer
Marvin Gaye   Composer
Nick Woods   Producer
Peter Sinfield   Producer
Ned Washington   Composer
Steve Cropper   Composer,Producer
Paul Williams   Composer
Peter Doggett   References
Jay Burnett   Producer
Dimitri Tiomkin   Composer
Roger Hart   Producer
Bob Konrad   Composer
David Anderson   Producer
Metro   Producer
Bertolt Brecht   Composer
Major Bill Smith   Producer
Biff Rose   Composer
Bob Feldman   Composer
Mick Patrick   Illustrations
Kit Lambert   Producer
Jerry Goldstein   Composer
Ray Davies   Composer
Jimmy Duncan   Composer
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Bryan Ferry   Composer
Harry Vanda   Composer
William Farley   Composer
The Walker Brothers   Arranger
Art Podell   Producer
Cameron Crowe   References
William "Mickey" Stevenson   Composer,Producer
Kurt Weill   Composer
Richard Gottehrer   Composer
Dave MacRae   Producer,Orchestration
Iggy Pop   Composer
Tom Wilson   Producer
Tom Verlaine   Composer,Producer
Peter Sames   Producer
Kevin Cann   References
Vicki Fox   Illustrations
Neil Dell   Illustrations
Roy Carr   References
Jack Baverstock   Producer
Stuart James   Composer
Colm O'Brien   Memorabilia,Illustrations
Keith Karlson   Composer