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185-561: Hours (stylised as 'hours...' ) is the 22nd studio album by the English musician David Bowie . It was originally released on 21 September 1999 through the Internet on the artist's website BowieNet , followed by a physical CD release on 4 October through Virgin Records . It was one of the first albums by a major artist available to download over the Internet. Originating as

370-489: A Grafton saxophone in 1961. He was soon receiving lessons from baritone saxophonist Ronnie Ross . He received a serious injury at school in 1962 when his friend George Underwood punched him in the left eye during a fight over a girl. After a series of operations during a four-month hospitalisation, his doctors determined that the damage could not be fully repaired and Bowie was left with faulty depth perception and anisocoria (a permanently dilated pupil), which gave

555-554: A lenticular version of the cover, lending a three-dimensional effect to the image. The artwork was taken by photographer Tim Bret Day at Big Sky Studios in Ladbroke Grove , West London. An outtake from the session depicted Bowie burning on a crucifix; this shot was included in the Hours CD booklet. Bret Day explained: "We shot Bowie and then made a dummy of him and set the whole thing alight   ...   Lee Stewart did

740-469: A sumo wrestling loincloth or simulating oral sex with Ronson's guitar. Bowie toured and gave press conferences as Ziggy before a dramatic and abrupt on-stage "retirement" at London's Hammersmith Odeon on 3 July 1973. Footage from the final show was incorporated for the film Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars , which premiered in 1979 and commercially released in 1983. After breaking up

925-579: A "cult of Bowie" that was "unique—its influence lasted longer and has been more creative than perhaps almost any other force within pop fandom." The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972), combining the hard rock elements of The Man Who Sold the World with the lighter experimental rock and pop of Hunky Dory , was released in June and was considered one of the defining albums of glam rock . " Starman ", issued as an April single ahead of

1110-588: A "sense of self-contained innocence" that exemplified Hunky Dory . Besides a few tracks, he further praises the production as timeless, "an attribute that few other David Bowie albums can claim". On the more negative side, critics praise individual tracks, from "Seven", "Thursday's Child" and "The Dreamers", to "Survive" and "Something in the Air" but find the album as a whole lackluster. In his book Starman , Trynka summarises: "Like Space Oddity [1969], Hours , for all its finely crafted moments, end[s] up being less than

1295-494: A Wing". Returning pianist Mike Garson found the Hours material was better live, telling Buckley he thought the studio recordings were "underdeveloped". This sentiment was echoed by Pegg, who viewed the Hours tracks as the highlights of the shows. Additionally, Bowie revived his 1966 single " Can't Help Thinking About Me ", marking the first time since 1970 Bowie had performed any of his pre- Space Oddity material. Bowie re-recorded

1480-409: A better future. According to biographer Chris O'Leary, the female character is abstract, rather "a place-filler used by a sad man to stand for his loss of potential". In an interview with Uncut magazine, Bowie explained: There was a time in my life when I was desperately in love with a girl, and I met her as it happens, quite a number of years later. And boy was the flame dead! So in this case on

1665-473: A better role model." Rolling Stone critic Greg Tate analysed the record as "an album that improves with each new hearing" and "further confirmation of Richard Pryor 's observation that they call them old wise men because all them young wise men are dead". Similarly impressed, Alternative Press described Hours as "a masterpiece", adding that it "finds Bowie returning to basics he never should have left behind". Keith Philips of The A.V. Club found that

1850-640: A collection of American 45s by artists including the Teenagers , the Platters , Fats Domino , Elvis Presley and Little Richard . Upon listening to Little Richard's song " Tutti Frutti ", Bowie later said that he had "heard God". Bowie was first impressed with Presley when he saw his cousin Kristina dance to " Hound Dog " soon after its release in 1956. According to Kristina, she and David "danced like possessed elves" to records of various artists. By

2035-826: A collection of covers of his 1960s favourites, followed in October, producing a UK number three hit in his version of the McCoys 's " Sorrow " and itself peaking at number one, making Bowie the best-selling act of 1973 in the UK. It brought the total number of Bowie albums concurrently on the UK chart to six. Bowie moved to the US in 1974, initially staying in New York City before settling in Los Angeles. Diamond Dogs (1974), parts of which found him heading towards soul and funk ,

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2220-519: A contract with Mercury Records and its UK subsidiary Philips , who issued "Space Oddity" as a single on 11 July 1969, five days ahead of the Apollo 11 launch. Reaching the top five in the UK, it was his first and last hit for three years. Bowie's second album followed in November. Originally issued in the UK as David Bowie , it caused some confusion with its predecessor of the same name, and

2405-629: A counterbalance to the positivism of "Thursday's Child". The song was first released in remixed form in the film Stigmata (1999) and its accompanying soundtrack; this version also appeared in Omikron . "New Angels of Promise" musically and lyrically revisits Bowie's late 1970s Berlin Trilogy , particularly " Sons of the Silent Age " (1977). The concept reflects the Christian themes throughout

2590-405: A departure from the acoustic guitar and folk rock style established by his second album, to a more hard rock sound. Mercury financed a coast-to-coast publicity tour across the US in which Bowie, between January and February 1971, was interviewed by media. Exploiting his androgynous appearance, the original cover of the UK version unveiled two months later depicted Bowie wearing a dress. He took

2775-475: A disagreement with EMI, left the label. Like his audience and his critics, Bowie himself became increasingly disaffected with his role as just one member of a band. Tin Machine began work on a second album, but recording halted while Bowie conducted the seven-month Sound+Vision Tour , which brought him commercial success and acclaim. In October 1990, Bowie and Somali -born supermodel Iman were introduced by

2960-456: A false impression of a change in the iris' colour, erroneously suggesting he had heterochromia iridum (one iris a different colour to the other); his eye later became one of Bowie's most recognisable features. Despite their altercation, Bowie remained on good terms with Underwood, who went on to create the artwork for Bowie's early albums. Bowie formed his first band, the Konrads, in 1962 at

3145-466: A free festival in a local park, the subject of his song " Memory of a Free Festival ". Pitt attempted to introduce Bowie to a larger audience with the Love You till Tuesday film, which went unreleased until 1984. Feeling alienated over his unsuccessful career and deeply affected by his break-up, Bowie wrote " Space Oddity ", a tale about a fictional astronaut named Major Tom . The song earned him

3330-401: A fundraising single, which went to number one in the UK and number seven in the US; its video premiered during Live Aid. Bowie took an acting role in the 1986 film Absolute Beginners , and his title song rose to number two in the UK charts. He also worked with composer Trevor Jones and wrote five original songs for the 1986 film Labyrinth , which he starred in. His final solo album of

3515-412: A group with Bowie and guitarist John Hutchinson named Feathers; between September 1968 and early 1969 the trio gave a small number of concerts combining folk, Merseybeat , poetry and mime. After the break-up with Farthingale, Bowie moved in with Mary Finnigan as her lodger. In February and March 1969, he undertook a short tour with Marc Bolan 's duo Tyrannosaurus Rex , as third on the bill, performing

3700-490: A happy man. Whereas I am an incredibly happy man!   ... I was trying to capture elements of how, often, one feels at this age   ... There's not much concept behind it. It's really a bunch of songs, but I guess the one through-line is that they deal with a man looking back over his life. Album opener "Thursday's Child" establishes the introspective mood of the album, reflecting a theme of optimism. Its title comes from Eartha Kitt 's autobiography. Using an R&B style,

3885-657: A lack of urgency that suggests that the 'confessional' is just another style Bowie's trying out for size." Robert Christgau of The Village Voice dismissed the album as a "dud." Bowie promoted the album on the Hours Tour , which ran eight shows from 23 August 1999 to 12 December. The first date of the tour—Bowie's first live set since the end of the Earthling Tour—was a performance at Manhattan Center Studios for VH1 's Storytellers series. Of his appearance, VH1 executive producer Bill Flanagan stated: "This

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4070-426: A limited-edition single release version of Placebo 's track " Without You I'm Nothing " with Bowie's harmonised vocal added to the original recording. Bowie, with Gabrels, created the soundtrack for Omikron: The Nomad Soul , a 1999 computer game in which he and Iman also voiced characters based on their likenesses. Released the same year and containing re-recorded tracks from Omikron , his album Hours featured

4255-415: A list of applicants including Björk , Massive Attack and Archive . Biographer Nicholas Pegg contends that Bowie was drawn to the game due to its Buddhist overtones, noting that when a character died, he or she was reincarnated. Along with composing the music, Bowie appeared in the game, along with guitarist Reeves Gabrels and bassist Gail Ann Dorsey , as the singer of an in-game band performing gigs in

4440-650: A live rendition and accompanying video recorded in Paris on 14 October 1999; both videos later appeared on the Best of Bowie DVD (2002). The Vries' mix was later included in the soundtrack of Omikron: The Nomad Soul , on the 2004 reissued Hours bonus disc, the 2014 three-disc edition of Nothing Has Changed and on Re:Call 5 , part of the Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) box set in 2022. "Survive" has received praise from critics and biographers and

4625-480: A low-key release, had almost no promotion and flopped commercially, reaching number 87 in the UK. Nevertheless, it later received critical praise as Bowie's "lost great album". Reuniting Bowie with Eno, the quasi-industrial Outside (1995) was originally conceived as the first volume in a non-linear narrative of art and murder. Featuring characters from a short story written by Bowie, the album achieved UK and US chart success and yielded three top 40 UK singles. In

4810-470: A man. It can be visualised as life and death, past and present". Pegg interpreted the artwork as the closing of a career phase and the beginning of a new one. The back cover depicts a serpent alongside three versions of Bowie that Pegg states represent "the Fall of Man : Adam, Eve and the central figure of God", forming a theme of "Fall and Redemption". For the album's initial release, a number of copies featured

4995-423: A melding of the persona of Iggy Pop with the music of Lou Reed , producing "the ultimate pop idol". A girlfriend recalled his "scrawling notes on a cocktail napkin about a crazy rock star named Iggy or Ziggy", and on his return to England he declared his intention to create a character "who looks like he's landed from Mars". The "Stardust" surname was a tribute to the " Legendary Stardust Cowboy ", whose record he

5180-451: A message of hope to the listener and commends the growing maturity of both the music and lyrics as well as the overt spirituality throughout. Meanwhile, Spitz considers much of Hours as "strong" as its three predecessors. Observing it as " easy listening for uneasy people", he summarises: " Hours is a good record to put on the morning after you did something regrettable." Thompson hails Hours as Bowie's "latter-day masterpiece", recognising

5365-658: A mime act. Continuing the divergence from rock and roll and blues begun by his work with Farthingale, Bowie joined forces with Finnigan, Christina Ostrom and Barrie Jackson to run a folk club on Sunday nights at the Three Tuns pub in Beckenham High Street. The club was influenced by the Arts Lab movement, developing into the Beckenham Arts Lab and became extremely popular. The Arts Lab hosted

5550-521: A move that provoked mixed reactions from both fans and critics, Bowie chose Nine Inch Nails as his tour partner for the Outside Tour . Visiting cities in Europe and North America between September 1995 and February 1996, the tour saw the return of Gabrels as Bowie's guitarist. On 7 January 1997, Bowie celebrated his half century with a 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden at which he

5735-537: A mutual friend. He recalled, "I was naming the children the night we met ... it was absolutely immediate." They married in 1992. Tin Machine resumed work the same month, but their audience and critics, ultimately left disappointed by the first album, showed little interest in a second. Tin Machine II (1991) was Bowie's first album to miss the UK top 20 in nearly twenty years, and was controversial for its cover art. Depicting four ancient nude Kouroi statues,

Hours (David Bowie album) - Misplaced Pages Continue

5920-553: A necessary stepping-stone towards a new maturity of songwriting which would soon yield more spectacular results. In lists ranking Bowie's studio albums from worst to best, Hours has placed in the low tier. Stereogum placed it at number 22 (out of 25 at the time) in 2013. Michael Nelson stated that the "results range from decent to dull, maybe occasionally irritating". Three years later, Bryan Wawzenek of Ultimate Classic Rock placed Hours at number 22 out of 26, primarily criticising Bowie's vocal performances as sounding "tired" and

6105-565: A number of cover songs, including three Pop covers and the 1966 Beach Boys hit " God Only Knows ". The album bore the transatlantic top 10 hit " Blue Jean ", itself the inspiration for the Julien Temple -directed short film Jazzin' for Blue Jean , in which Bowie played the dual roles of romantic protagonist Vic and arrogant rock star Screaming Lord Byron. The short won Bowie his only non-posthumous Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video . In early 1985, Bowie's collaboration with

6290-445: A one-off single release, " Under Pressure ". The duet was a hit, becoming Bowie's third UK number-one single. Bowie was given the lead role in the BBC 's 1982 televised adaptation of Bertolt Brecht 's play Baal . Coinciding with its transmission, a five-track EP of songs from the play was released as Baal . In March 1982, Bowie's title song for Paul Schrader 's film Cat People

6475-472: A professional career as a musician in 1963. He released a string of unsuccessful singles with local bands and a self-titled solo album (1967) before achieving his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart with " Space Oddity " (1969). After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with the flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust . The character

6660-576: A promotions officer for the children's charity Barnardo's . The family lived at 40 Stansfield Road, on the boundary between Brixton and Stockwell in the south London borough of Lambeth . Bowie attended Stockwell Infants School until he was six, acquiring a reputation as a gifted and single-minded child—and a defiant brawler. From 1953, Bowie moved with his family to Bickley and then Bromley Common , before settling in Sundridge Park in 1955 where he attended Burnt Ash Junior School. His voice

6845-439: A radical shift in style that initially alienated many of his UK devotees. Young Americans was a commercial success in both the US and the UK and yielded Bowie's first US number one, " Fame ", a collaboration with John Lennon . A re-issue of the 1969 single "Space Oddity" became Bowie's first number-one hit in the UK a few months after "Fame" achieved the same in the US. He mimed "Fame" and his November single " Golden Years " on

7030-506: A relatively large media profile throughout 1997, David Bowie retreated from the limelight in 1998, primarily devoting his time to ventures outside of music, such as establishing his website BowieNet , but nevertheless continued making film appearances. He mixed a potential live album from the Earthling Tour , later released in 1999 as LiveAndWell.com , but was mostly inactive in the studio throughout 1998; his sole recording from

7215-618: A remastered version of the album was released on both vinyl and CD as part of the box set Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) . All tracks are written by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels ; except "What's Really Happening?", with lyrics by Alex Grant According to the liner notes and biographer Nicholas Pegg . Technical Sales figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( / ˈ b oʊ i / BOH -ee ),

7400-452: A song with lyrics by the winner of his "Cyber Song Contest" Internet competition, Alex Grant. Making extensive use of live instruments, the album was Bowie's exit from heavy electronica. Hours and a performance on VH1 Storytellers in mid-1999 represented the end of Gabrels' association with Bowie as a performer and songwriter. Sessions for Toy , a planned collection of remakes of tracks from Bowie's 1960s period, commenced in 2000, but

7585-467: A soundtrack to the video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul (1999), Hours was the final collaboration between Bowie and guitarist Reeves Gabrels , with whom he had worked since 1988. The album was recorded in mid-1999 between studios in Bermuda and New York City. A song contest conducted on BowieNet in late 1998 resulted in a fan contributing lyrics and backing vocals to one of the tracks. In contrast to

Hours (David Bowie album) - Misplaced Pages Continue

7770-549: A suitable property, but found themselves confined to their hotel, under curfew: the 1992 Los Angeles riots began the day they arrived. They settled in New York instead. In 1993, Bowie released his first solo offering since his Tin Machine departure, the soul, jazz and hip-hop influenced Black Tie White Noise . Making prominent use of electronic instruments, the album, which reunited Bowie with Let's Dance producer Nile Rodgers, confirmed Bowie's return to popularity, topping

7955-706: A superstar, charting at number two in the UK and number eight in the US. It also spawned a UK number ten hit in a cover of Eddie Floyd 's " Knock on Wood ". After a break in Philadelphia , where Bowie recorded new material, the tour resumed with a new emphasis on soul. The fruit of the Philadelphia recording sessions was Young Americans (1975). Sandford writes, "Over the years, most British rockers had tried, one way or another, to become black-by-extension. Few had succeeded as Bowie did now." The album's sound, which Bowie identified as " plastic soul ", constituted

8140-419: A table waiting for an egg to boil before he, the egg, table and chair start to levitate; by the end, everything has returned to normal. According to Pegg, the video echoes the reflective quality of the recording and has subtle hints to Bowie's past work, such as the anti-gravity and kitchen scenes in " Ashes to Ashes " (1980). The first CD single contained a PC-playable version of the video. The second featured

8325-495: A time during Station to Station 's recording sessions and later said he remembered "only flashes" of its making. His sanity—by his own later admission—had become twisted from cocaine; he referenced the drug directly in the album's ten-minute title track. The album's release was followed by a 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -month-long concert tour, the Isolar Tour , of Europe and North America. The core band that coalesced to record

8510-474: A week his howls could be heard through the locked attic door." Michael Lippman, Bowie's lawyer during the negotiations, became his new manager; Lippman, in turn, was awarded substantial compensation when he was fired the following year. Station to Station (1976), produced by Bowie and Harry Maslin, introduced a new Bowie persona, the Thin White Duke of its title track . Visually, the character

8695-532: A younger version of himself through a mirror. "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" first appeared as an A-side in Australia and Japan in September 1999, replacing "Thursday's Child" as the first single from the album. The video was directed by Dom and Nic and shot in New York on 7   September. It depicts Bowie rehearsing the song on stage while being confronted by various characters of his past, reflecting

8880-401: Is "haunted by regret". Bowie's character in the song, who has ended the relationship either actively ("I should have kept you") or passively ("I should have tried"), concludes that he will survive while harbouring feelings of love, loss and regret. Similar to other tracks on the album, the song contains acknowledgement on the process of aging, and yearning to use the mistakes of the past to have

9065-633: Is "the rockiest piece" on Hours . Buckley and Dave Thompson believe that it harkens back to Bowie's glam rock period of the early 1970s. Incidentally, the title recalls material from that era, particularly Hunky Dory , Pin Ups and the Stooges ' Raw Power , which Bowie mixed. The lyrics recall themes previously showcased in " Changes " (1971) and the Scary Monsters tracks " Teenage Wildlife " and " Fashion " (1980). Perone finds that it presents

9250-467: Is acknowledged as a highlight of the Hours album. Author Paul Trynka calls the song "a gem, simple and unaffected, almost Scary Monsters in vibe without any of the overcomplexity and overthinking that seemed synonymous with 1990s Bowie." In The Words and Music of David Bowie , Perone considered the song "effective" and the "product of a master songwriter who knows what connects with an audience and what can lose an audience". Pegg argues "Survive"

9435-505: Is going to be the best thing that VH1 has ever shown. Scratch that, this is probably the best thing you're going to see on TV this year." Broadcast in edited form on 18 October, the full performance was later released in 2009 as VH1 Storytellers . The Storytellers performance was also Bowie's final work with Gabrels, one of his regular collaborators since the formation of Tin Machine in 1988; Plati took over as bandleader. After Bowie's death in 2016 , Gabrels said of his departure: I

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9620-427: Is one of the "most beautiful" melodies Bowie ever wrote, concluding that it is "a complex, compassionate achievement and undoubtedly one of Bowie's finest songs of the 1990s". More negatively, Ultimate Classic Rock placed the single at number 98 (out of 119) in a list ranking every Bowie single from worst to best in 2016. "Survive" was performed throughout the 1999 Hours Tour and 2000 summer shows , and again on

9805-535: Is the most '90s cover made by an artist who was over 50 at the time, and its embarrassing sprawl is a bit of juxtaposition to the actual songs on the record." Bowie stated that the title was intended as a play on "ours", or in Buckley's words, "an album of songs for his own generation". The album's initial title was The Dreamers , which was changed after Gabrels stated it made him think of a Mariah Carey or Celine Dion album, as well as its resemblance to Freddie and

9990-477: Is the recipient of numerous accolades , including six Grammy Awards and four Brit Awards . Often dubbed the "chameleon of rock" due to his constant musical reinventions, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest singers, songwriters and artists of all time. As of 2022, Bowie was the best-selling vinyl artist of the 21st century. David Robert Jones

10175-735: The A Reality Tour , with an estimated attendance of 722,000, grossed more than any other in 2004. On 13 June, Bowie headlined the last night of the Isle of Wight Festival 2004 . On 25 June, he experienced chest pain while performing at the Hurricane Festival in Scheeßel , Germany. Originally thought to be a pinched nerve in his shoulder, the pain was later diagnosed as an acutely blocked coronary artery , requiring an emergency angioplasty in Hamburg. The remaining fourteen dates of

10360-482: The Isolar II world tour , bringing the music of the first two Berlin Trilogy albums to almost a million people during 70 concerts in 12 countries. By now he had broken his drug addiction; Buckley writes that Isolar II was "Bowie's first tour for five years in which he had probably not anaesthetised himself with copious quantities of cocaine before taking the stage. ... Without the oblivion that drugs had brought, he

10545-705: The NetAid benefit concert at Wembley Stadium in late October. Performances from the tour were later released on Something in the Air (Live Paris 99) and David Bowie at the Kit Kat Klub (Live New York 99) , as part of the Brilliant Live Adventures series (2020–2021). Songs played during the tour included Hours material, various hits such as " Life on Mars? " (1971) and " Rebel Rebel " (1974), as well as tracks Bowie had not played in decades, such as " Drive-In Saturday " (1973) and "Word on

10730-636: The Pat Metheny Group , " This Is Not America ", for the soundtrack of The Falcon and the Snowman , was released as a single and became a top 40 hit in the UK and US. In July that year, Bowie performed at Wembley Stadium for Live Aid , a multi-venue benefit concert for Ethiopian famine relief. Bowie and Mick Jagger duetted on a cover of Martha and the Vandellas ' " Dancing in the Street " as

10915-658: The Paul Verhoeven film Showgirls was re-recorded for the album, and remixed by Trent Reznor for a single release. The heavy rotation of the accompanying video, also featuring Reznor, contributed to the song's 16-week stay in the US Billboard Hot 100 . Bowie received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 12 February 1997. The Earthling Tour took place in Europe and North America between June and November. In November, Bowie performed on

11100-851: The 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle . He also continued acting; his roles included Major Jack Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), Jareth the Goblin King in Labyrinth (1986), Phillip Jeffries in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), Andy Warhol in the biopic Basquiat (1996), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He ceased touring after 2004 and his last live performance

11285-459: The 2002 Heathen Tour . It also made appearances on several television programmes, including on Channel 4's TFI Friday on 8 October 1999 and on BBC2's TOTP2 special on 3 November. Three more renditions were filmed at the BBC's Maida Vale studios on 25 October for broadcast on various radio stations. Another version was recorded at London's BBC Radio Theatre on 27 June 2000, which

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11470-519: The Air" and "If I'm Dreaming My Life". The song was subsequently released as the third single from the album on 17 January 2000 in a new remix by English producer Marius de Vries . According to O'Leary, the Vries' mix ditched most of Gabrels' guitar work in favour of new guitar parts by Brendan Gallagher of Karma County , who later said that Vries' intention was to "reintroduce several of David Bowie's music periods into [the] production", from

11655-468: The Air" and "Survive" examine the downfall of relationships, "If I'm Dreaming My Life" and "Seven" question the reliability of memory, while "What's Really Happening?", "The Dreamers" and "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell" reflect the helplessness of age felt when meditating on life. Bowie explained that "I wanted to capture a kind of universal angst felt by many people of my age. You could say that I am attempting to write some songs for my generation. Due to

11840-565: The Arts Lab, Visconti on bass and Mick Ronson on electric guitar. Known as Hype , the bandmates created characters for themselves and wore elaborate costumes that prefigured the glam style of the Spiders from Mars. After a disastrous opening gig at the London Roundhouse , they reverted to a configuration presenting Bowie as a solo artist. Their initial studio work was marred by a heated disagreement between Bowie and Cambridge over

12025-602: The BBC's Children in Need charity single " Perfect Day ", which reached number one in the UK. Bowie reunited with Visconti in 1998 to record "(Safe in This) Sky Life" for The Rugrats Movie . Although the track was edited out of the final cut, it was later re-recorded and released as "Safe" on the B-side of Bowie's 2002 single " Everyone Says 'Hi' " . The reunion led to other collaborations with his old producer, including

12210-525: The Dreamers . Further explaining the title, Bowie stated: "[It's] about reflecting back on the time that one's lived...how long one has left to live [and] shared experience." Pegg makes comparisons to the Book of hours , a medieval book that separates the day into canonical hours one must use for prayer. Bowie was early in building his Internet presence. There was a great foresight on his part in knowing where

12395-592: The February 2001 and February 2003 concerts to support Tibet House US at Carnegie Hall in New York. In October 2001, Bowie opened the Concert for New York City , a charity event to benefit the victims of the September 11 attacks , with a minimalist performance of Simon & Garfunkel 's " America ", followed by a full band performance of " ' Heroes ' ". 2002 saw the release of Heathen , and, during

12580-513: The Internet strength was; even though it hadn't reached any critical mass for quantity, he certainly knew its qualitative reach and its power. —Virgin marketing VP Michael Plen On 6   August 1999, Bowie began releasing 45-second snippets of each song on BowieNet and gave track-by-track descriptions, which was followed by a square-by-square reveal of the album cover during the ensuing month. On 21   September, Hours appeared in its entirety on BowieNet available for download, making Bowie

12765-629: The King Bees, was not commercially successful. Dissatisfied with the King Bees and their repertoire of Howlin' Wolf and Willie Dixon covers, Bowie quit the band less than a month later to join the Manish Boys, another blues outfit, who incorporated folk and soul—"I used to dream of being their Mick Jagger ", he recalled. Their cover of Bobby Bland 's " I Pity the Fool " was no more successful than "Liza Jane", and Bowie soon moved on again to join

12950-527: The Konrads and joined another band, the King Bees. He wrote to the newly successful washing-machine entrepreneur John Bloom inviting him to "do for us what Brian Epstein has done for the Beatles —and make another million." Bloom did not respond to the offer, but his referral to Dick James 's partner Leslie Conn led to Bowie's first personal management contract. Conn quickly began to promote Bowie. His debut single, " Liza Jane ", credited to Davie Jones with

13135-856: The Lower Third after the single's release, partly due to Horton's influence, and released two more singles for Pye, " Do Anything You Say " and " I Dig Everything ", both of which featured a new band called the Buzz, before signing with Deram Records . Around this time Bowie also joined the Riot Squad ; their recordings, which included one of Bowie's original songs and material by the Velvet Underground , went unreleased. Kenneth Pitt , introduced by Horton, took over as Bowie's manager. His April 1967 solo single, " The Laughing Gnome ", on which speeded-up and high-pitched vocals were used to portray

13320-510: The Lower Third, a blues trio strongly influenced by the Who . " You've Got a Habit of Leaving " fared no better, signalling the end of Conn's contract. Declaring that he would exit the pop music world "to study mime at Sadler's Wells ", Bowie nevertheless remained with the Lower Third. His new manager, Ralph Horton, later instrumental in his transition to solo artist, helped secure him a contract with Pye Records . Publicist Tony Hatch signed Bowie on

13505-627: The Queen singer's death the previous year. As well as performing " ' Heroes ' " and "All the Young Dudes", he was joined on "Under Pressure" by Annie Lennox , who took Mercury's vocal part; during his appearance, Bowie knelt and recited the Lord's Prayer at Wembley Stadium. Four days later, Bowie and Iman married in Switzerland. Intending to move to Los Angeles, they flew in to search for

13690-676: The Russian/Polish border for possessing Nazi paraphernalia. Matters came to a head in London in May in what became known as the " Victoria Station incident". Arriving in an open-top Mercedes convertible , Bowie waved to the crowd in a gesture that some alleged was a Nazi salute , which was captured on camera and published in NME . Bowie said the photographer caught him in mid-wave. He later blamed his pro-fascism comments and his behaviour during

13875-432: The Spiders, Bowie attempted to move on from his Ziggy persona. His back catalogue was now highly sought after: The Man Who Sold the World had been re-released in 1972 along with Space Oddity . Hunky Dory 's " Life on Mars? " was released in June 1973 and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart . Entering the same chart in September, his 1967 novelty record "The Laughing Gnome" reached number six. Pin Ups ,

14060-605: The UK and number 20 in the US, and yielded the UK hit singles " Boys Keep Swinging " and " DJ ". Towards the end of the year, Bowie and Angie initiated divorce proceedings, and after months of court battles the marriage was ended in early 1980. The three albums were later adapted into classical music symphonies by American composer Philip Glass for his first , fourth and twelfth symphonies in 1992, 1997 and 2019, respectively. Glass praised Bowie's gift for creating "fairly complex pieces of music, masquerading as simple pieces". Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) produced

14245-489: The UK chart and spawning three top 40 hits, including the top 10 single " Jump They Say ". Bowie explored new directions on The Buddha of Suburbia (1993), which began as a soundtrack album for the BBC television adaptation of Hanif Kureishi 's novel The Buddha of Suburbia before turning into a full album; only the title track " The Buddha of Suburbia " was used in the programme. Referencing his 1970s works with pop, jazz, ambient and experimental material, it received

14430-410: The UK chart, where it reached number two. Bowie himself did not promote it, instead touring with Pop as his keyboardist throughout March and April before recording Pop's follow-up, Lust for Life . Echoing Low ' s minimalist, instrumental approach, the second of the trilogy, "Heroes" (1977), incorporated pop and rock to a greater extent, seeing Bowie joined by guitarist Robert Fripp . It

14615-574: The UK. Dressed in a striking costume, his hair dyed reddish-brown, Bowie launched his Ziggy Stardust stage show with the Spiders from Mars —Ronson, Bolder, and Woodmansey—at the Toby Jug pub in Tolworth in Kingston upon Thames on 10 February 1972. The show was hugely popular, catapulting him to stardom as he toured the UK over the next six months and creating, as described by David Buckley,

14800-459: The UK. Hours received mixed reviews from critics on release. Among positive reviews, Mojo ' s Mark Paytress announced that the album was "no masterpiece" but nonetheless "crowns a trilogy that represents significantly more than a mere coda to a once-unimpeachable career." Q considered it "a richly textured and emotionally vivid set", adding that "This time around, Bowie sounds influenced by nobody except himself, and he couldn't have picked

14985-603: The UK. The Ziggy Stardust Tour continued to the United States. Bowie contributed backing vocals, keyboards and guitar to Reed's 1972 solo breakthrough Transformer , co-producing the album with Ronson. The following year, Bowie co-produced and mixed the Stooges ' album Raw Power alongside Iggy Pop. His own Aladdin Sane (1973) was his first UK number-one album. Described by Bowie as "Ziggy goes to America", it contained songs he wrote while travelling to and across

15170-399: The UK. The music video, directed by Walter Stern, features Bowie sitting alone at a table waiting for an egg to boil before he and the egg start to float; it reflects the reflective quality of the recording. For its release as the fourth and final single on 17   July 2000, "Seven" appeared in its original demo form along with remixes by de Vries and Beck . This release reached number 32 in

15355-522: The US during the earlier part of the Ziggy tour, which now continued to Japan to promote the new album. Aladdin Sane spawned the UK top five singles " The Jean Genie " and " Drive-In Saturday ". Bowie's love of acting led to his total immersion in the characters he created for his music. "Offstage I'm a robot. Onstage I achieve emotion. It's probably why I prefer dressing up as Ziggy to being David." With satisfaction came severe personal difficulties: acting

15540-565: The US however, it peaked at number 47 on the Billboard 200 , becoming Bowie's first studio album since Ziggy Stardust to miss the top 40. Elsewhere, Hours reached the top ten in France, Germany and Italy, and the top 20 in Japan. "Survive" was released as the third single from the album on 17   January 2000 in a new remix by the English producer Marius de Vries . It reached number 28 in

15725-471: The US release was instead titled Man of Words/Man of Music ; it was reissued internationally in 1972 by RCA Records as Space Oddity . Featuring philosophical post- hippie lyrics on peace, love and morality, its acoustic folk rock occasionally fortified by harder rock, the album was not a commercial success at the time. Bowie met Angela Barnett in April 1969. They married within a year. Her impact on him

15910-501: The US variety show Soul Train , earning him the distinction of being one of the first white artists to appear on the programme. The same year, Bowie fired Defries as his manager. At the culmination of the ensuing months-long legal dispute, he watched, as described by Sandford, "millions of dollars of his future earnings being surrendered" in what were "uniquely generous terms for Defries", then "shut himself up in West 20th Street, where for

16095-675: The accompanying video, renowned as one of the most innovative of all time. While Scary Monsters used principles established by the Berlin albums, it was considered by critics to be far more direct musically and lyrically. The album's hard rock edge included conspicuous guitar contributions from Fripp and Pete Townshend . Topping the UK Albums Chart for the first time since Diamond Dogs , Buckley writes that with Scary Monsters , Bowie achieved "the perfect balance" of creativity and mainstream success. Bowie paired with Queen in 1981 for

16280-555: The acoustic guitar of " Space Oddity " (1969), to Mick Ronson -type electric guitar akin to " The Jean Genie " (1972) and the guitar work of Lodger (1979) guitarist Adrian Belew . Released through Virgin Records and featuring the album cut and the " Stigmata film version" of " The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell " as the B-sides , the single reached number 28 in the UK. The music video for "Survive", directed by Walter Stern and shot in London, features Bowie sitting alone at

16465-425: The age of 15. Playing guitar-based rock and roll at local youth gatherings and weddings, the Konrads had a varying line-up of between four and eight members, Underwood among them. When Bowie left the technical school the following year, he informed his parents of his intention to become a pop star. His mother arranged his employment as an electrician's mate. Frustrated by his bandmates' limited aspirations, Bowie left

16650-487: The album "hits the mark more often than it misses it," highlighting "Survive", "Seven" and "What's Really Happening?". Other reviewers gave more negative assessments. Besides "Thursday's Child", The Guardian ' s Adam Sweeting found the album "sludgy and laborious". Chris Willman agreed in Entertainment Weekly , praising "Thursday's Child" as "the loveliest ballad Bowie's written in an aeon", but felt

16835-463: The album and tour—rhythm guitarist Carlos Alomar , bassist George Murray and drummer Dennis Davis —continued as a stable unit for the remainder of the 1970s. Bowie performed on stage as the Thin White Duke. The tour was highly successful but mired in political controversy. Bowie was quoted in Stockholm as saying that "Britain could benefit from a Fascist leader", and was detained by customs on

17020-497: The album are very simplistic, the simple things, I think, are expressed quite strongly. The music that we wrote for them is more of a supportive kind of music – it doesn't create two or three different focuses. —David Bowie Hours marks a major departure from the experimental nature of its two predecessors. Deduced by Plati as "the anti- Earthling ", it represents a style more akin to the acoustic and conventional textures of 1971's Hunky Dory . Author James E. Perone writes that

17205-410: The album as a whole, sentiments echoed by later reviewers. Bowie promoted the album through the Hours Tour and various television appearances. Retrospective lists ranking all of Bowie's studio albums have placed Hours among Bowie's weaker efforts. The album was reissued with bonus tracks in 2004 and remastered in 2021 for inclusion on the box set Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) . After maintaining

17390-467: The album concept or theme, while O'Leary states that it links the two tracks it is sequenced between. The lyrics of "The Dreamers" dissect a traveller who is past his prime. Like other tracks on the album, it musically recalls Bowie's past works. An " easy-listening " version appeared in Omikron . O'Leary finds a demo-like quality to the recording, noting its "acerbic chord structure, shifting rhythms [and] lengthy coda". The cover artwork for Hours depicts

17575-440: The album explored more serious subjects, and found Bowie paying unusually direct homage to his influences with " Song for Bob Dylan ", " Andy Warhol " and " Queen Bitch ", the latter a Velvet Underground pastiche. His first release through RCA, it was a commercial failure, partly due lack of promotion from the label. Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits covered the album's track " Oh! You Pretty Things ", which reached number 12 in

17760-487: The album goes from a "promising disclosure" but sinks into "another mediocre, not-quite-modern rock posture", giving the album a six out of ten. Ryan Schreiber of Pitchfork criticised the album, saying: " Hours opts for a spacy, but nonetheless adult-contemporary sound that comes across with all the vitality and energy of a rotting log." He further stated: "No, it's not a new low, but that doesn't mean it's not embarrassing." PopMatters writer Sarah Zupko found many of

17945-488: The album the guy's thinking about a girl he knew many years ago, and she was 'the great mistake he never made'. Hours was first released through Bowie's website BowieNet on 21 September 1999, followed by an official CD release on 4 October through Virgin Records ; it was the first album released for download through the Internet . On Hours , "Survive" was sequenced as the third track, between "Something in

18130-529: The album went platinum in both the UK and the US. Its three singles became top 20 hits in both countries, where its title track reached number one. " Modern Love " and " China Girl " each made number two in the UK, accompanied by a pair of "absorbing" music videos that Buckley said "activated key archetypes in the pop world... 'Let's Dance', with its little narrative surrounding the young Aboriginal couple, targeted 'youth', and 'China Girl', with its bare-bummed (and later partially censored) beach lovemaking scene...

18315-493: The album, as an "angel of promise" is an angel who, in O'Leary's words, "heralds a covenant with God". Originally titled "Omikron", it featured heavily in the Omikron game. "Brilliant Adventure" is a short Japanese-influenced instrumental that harkens back to "Heroes" (1977), particularly the instrumentals " Sense of Doubt " and "Moss Garden"; like the former, the track uses the Japanese koto . Perone believes it does not fit

18500-533: The album, was to cement Bowie's UK breakthrough: both single and album charted rapidly following his July Top of the Pops performance of the song. The album, which remained in the chart for two years, was soon joined there by the six-month-old Hunky Dory . At the same time, the non-album single " John, I'm Only Dancing " and " All the Young Dudes ", a song he wrote and produced for Mott the Hoople , were successful in

18685-406: The album. Musically, "Survive" recalls the sound of Bowie's folk rock music of the late 1960s, as well as 1971's Hunky Dory . Biographer Nicholas Pegg likens the lead guitar sound to 1972's " Starman ", and the "shuffling" drumbeat and "stop-start verse melodies" to the same year's " Five Years ". Author James E. Perone compares its melody, arrangement, guitar lines and emotional weight to

18870-452: The album. Musically, it is highly reminiscent of Hunky Dory while lyrically, it is, in Spitz's words, "haunted by regret". The female character is abstract; in O'Leary's words, "a place-filler used by a sad man to stand for his loss of potential." Pegg deems the longest track on the album, "If I'm Dreaming My Life", as a "turgid interlude" between "Survive" and "Seven". Similar to other tracks,

19055-819: The band Placebo in February and March 1999, he and Gabrels entered Seaview Studios in Bermuda —his new residence after he sold his home in Switzerland—the following month to commence recording. Bowie and Gabrels completed most of the work by themselves, although musician Mark Plati and drummer Sterling Campbell , who played on Earthling (1997) and Outside (1995), respectively, returned to contribute. Other musicians Bowie hired included Mike Levesque on drums and percussion, Everett Bradley on percussion (" Seven "), Chris Haskett on rhythm guitar ("If I'm Dreaming My Life") and Marcus Salisbury on electric bass ("New Angels of Promise"). Bowie initially wanted R&B trio TLC to perform backing vocals for "Thursday's Child", but

19240-486: The bars of Omikron City. The Omikron project was the springboard for Bowie's next studio album. Between late 1998 and early 1999, he and Gabrels amassed a large number of songs, some of which were written for Omikron and others for a Gabrels solo album, including " Survive ", " The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell " and the B-side "We All Go Through". Unlike the experimental cut-up nature of Bowie's other 1990s recordings,

19425-578: The basis that he wrote his own songs. Dissatisfied with Davy (and Davie) Jones, which in the mid-1960s invited confusion with Davy Jones of the Monkees , he took on the stage name David Bowie after the 19th-century American pioneer James Bowie and the knife he had popularised . His first release under the name was the January 1966 single " Can't Help Thinking About Me ", recorded with the Lower Third. It flopped like its predecessors. Bowie departed

19610-489: The chords from Bowie's early composition "All the Young Dudes" played backwards, and "Red Money" took backing tracks from The Idiot 's "Sister Midnight". The album was recorded in Switzerland and New York City. Ahead of its release, RCA's Mel Ilberman described it as "a concept album that portrays the Lodger as a homeless wanderer, shunned and victimized by life's pressures and technology." Lodger reached number four in

19795-759: The cover artwork. Inspired by the Pietà , it depicts the short-haired Bowie persona from the Earthling era, resting in the arms of a long-haired, more youthful version of Bowie. The title, originally The Dreamers , is a play on "ours". Accompanied by multiple UK top 40 singles , Hours peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart but was Bowie's first album to miss the US Billboard 200 top 40 since 1972. It also received mixed reviews from music critics, many of whom praised individual tracks but criticised

19980-486: The cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station . In 1977, he again changed direction with the electronic -inflected album Low , the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that came to be known as the Berlin Trilogy . "Heroes" (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise. After uneven commercial success in

20165-508: The decade was 1987's Never Let Me Down , where he ditched the light sound of his previous two albums, instead combining pop rock with a harder rock sound. Peaking at number six in the UK, the album yielded the hits " Day-In Day-Out ", " Time Will Crawl " and " Never Let Me Down ". Bowie later described it as his "nadir", calling it "an awful album". He supported the album on the 86-concert Glass Spider Tour . The backing band included Peter Frampton on lead guitar. Contemporary critics maligned

20350-473: The download generation." "Thursday's Child" was released as the lead single from the album on 20   September 1999, backed by "We All Go Through" and "No One Calls". Various remixes were also issued, including a 'Rock Mix'. It reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart . The song's music video, shot in August and directed by Walter Stern, reflects the introspective mood of the song, depicting Bowie gazing at

20535-466: The dress with him and wore it during interviews, to the approval of critics – including Rolling Stone ' s John Mendelsohn , who described him as "ravishing, almost disconcertingly reminiscent of Lauren Bacall ". During the tour, Bowie's observation of two seminal American proto-punk artists led him to develop a concept that eventually found form in the Ziggy Stardust character:

20720-500: The end of the following year, Bowie had taken up the ukulele and tea-chest bass , begun to participate in skiffle sessions with friends, and had started to play the piano; meanwhile, his stage presentation of numbers by both Presley and Chuck Berry —complete with gyrations in tribute to the original artists—to his local Wolf Cub group was described as "mesmerizing ... like someone from another planet". Having encouraged his son to follow his dreams of being an entertainer since he

20905-494: The establishment of Rock Against Racism . In August 1976, Bowie moved to West Berlin with his old friend Iggy Pop to rid themselves of their respective drug addictions and escape the spotlight. Bowie's interest in German krautrock and the ambient works of multi-instrumentalist Brian Eno culminated in the first of three albums, co-produced with Visconti, that became known as the Berlin Trilogy . The album, Low (1977),

21090-407: The experimental nature of Bowie's other works throughout the decade, Hours presents a pop rock and art pop style reminiscent of Hunky Dory (1971), further evoking styles and ideals previously explored on Bowie's past works. The lyrics are introspective, detailing topics such as the collapse of relationships and subjects of angst. Also present are overtly Christian themes, which is reflected in

21275-695: The film Stealth . He returned to the stage on 8 September 2005, appearing with Arcade Fire for the US nationally televised event Fashion Rocks, and performed with the Canadian band for the second time a week later during the CMJ Music Marathon. He contributed backing vocals on TV on the Radio 's song "Province" for their album Return to Cookie Mountain , and joined with Lou Reed on Danish alt-rockers Kashmir 's 2005 album No Balance Palace . Survive (David Bowie song) "Survive"

21460-491: The first major artist to release a complete album for download through the Internet. Bowie stated: "I am hopeful that this small step will lead to greater steps by myself and others, ultimately giving consumers greater choices and easier access to the music they enjoy." However, some music retailers were critical of the move. British-based retailer HMV announced: "If artists release albums on the Net before other people can buy them in

21645-457: The gnome, failed to chart. Released six weeks later, his album debut, David Bowie , an amalgam of pop, psychedelia and music hall , met the same fate. It was his last release for two years. In September, Bowie recorded " Let Me Sleep Beside You " and " Karma Man ", both rejected by Deram and left unreleased until 1970. The tracks marked the beginning of Bowie's working relationship with producer Tony Visconti which, with large gaps, lasted for

21830-405: The hard rock quartet Tin Machine . The line-up was completed by bassist and drummer Tony and Hunt Sales , who had played with Bowie on Iggy Pop's Lust for Life in 1977. Although he intended Tin Machine to operate as a democracy, Bowie dominated, both in songwriting and in decision-making. The band's 1989 self-titled debut album received mixed reviews and, according to author Paul Trynka ,

22015-559: The high-budget stage production was filmed by Alan Yentob . The resulting documentary, Cracked Actor , featured a pasty and emaciated Bowie: the tour coincided with his slide from heavy cocaine use into addiction, producing severe physical debilitation, paranoia and emotional problems. He later commented that the accompanying live album, David Live , ought to have been titled "David Bowie Is Alive and Well and Living Only in Theory". David Live nevertheless solidified Bowie's status as

22200-406: The idea was vetoed by Gabrels, who instead hired his friend Holly Palmer ; she later joined Bowie's touring band. In late 1998, Bowie launched a songwriting competition on BowieNet where the winner earned a chance to complete the lyrics for "What's Really Happening?". He or she would also earn the chance to be flown to New York to observe the recording session. Ohio native Alex Grant was revealed as

22385-399: The late 1970s, Bowie had three number-one hits: the 1980 single " Ashes to Ashes ", its album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) and " Under Pressure " (a 1981 collaboration with Queen ). He achieved his greatest commercial success in the 1980s with Let's Dance (1983). Between 1988 and 1992, he fronted the hard rock band Tin Machine before resuming his solo career in 1993. Throughout

22570-497: The latter's drumming style, leading to his replacement by Mick Woodmansey . Not long after, Bowie fired his manager and replaced him with Tony Defries . This resulted in years of litigation that concluded with Bowie having to pay Pitt compensation. The studio sessions continued and resulted in Bowie's third album, The Man Who Sold the World (1970), which contained references to schizophrenia, paranoia and delusion. It represented

22755-517: The lyrics concern a relationship. Containing a "sprawling" musical structure, Spitz finds it "musically indecisive" but thematically fits the overall album. Described by Bowie as "a song of nowness", "Seven" uses the days of the week as "an index of time", similar to "Thursday's Child". On the appearance of a mother, father and brother in the lyrics, Bowie denied allegations that the track was autobiographical, telling Q magazine's David Quantick: "They're not necessarily my mother, father and brother, it

22940-411: The minimalist, ambient nature of its two predecessors, making a partial return to the drum- and guitar-based rock and pop of his pre-Berlin era. The result was a complex mixture of new wave and world music , in places incorporating Hijaz non-Western scales . Some tracks were composed using Eno's Oblique Strategies cards: "Boys Keep Swinging" entailed band members swapping instruments, "Move On" used

23125-513: The music mostly boring except for the occasional interesting melody. Sackllah ranked Hours Bowie's worst album in a 2018 Consequence of Sound list, finding it "dull and uninspired". An expanded edition of the album with additional tracks was released in 2004 by Columbia Records . In January 2005, Bowie's new label ISO Records reissued Hours as a double CD set with the second CD comprising remixes, alternate versions, and single B-sides. It received its first official vinyl release in 2015. In 2021,

23310-446: The musical direction. The latter wanted to do an Earthling follow-up in a manner similar to Ziggy Stardust (1972) and Aladdin Sane (1973). Later on, he revealed that Hours initially sounded like Diamond Dogs (1974). He was also frustrated at the hiring of Plati and the demotion of "We All Go Through" and "1917" to B-side status. According to O'Leary, the finished album was mixed and mastered by June. The lyrics generally on

23495-607: The new record label, Victory , deemed the cover "a show of wrong, obscene images" and airbrushed the statues' genitalia for the American release. Tin Machine toured again, but after the live album Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby (1992) failed commercially, Bowie dissolved the band and resumed his solo career. He continued to collaborate with Gabrels for the rest of the 1990s. On 20 April 1992, Bowie appeared at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert , following

23680-477: The number one single " Ashes to Ashes ", featuring the textural guitar-synthesiser work of Chuck Hammer and revisiting the character of Major Tom from "Space Oddity". The song gave international exposure to the underground New Romantic movement when Bowie visited the London club "Blitz"—the main New Romantic hangout—to recruit several of the regulars (including Steve Strange of the band Visage ) to act in

23865-461: The overall mood "sad", "bitter" and "refreshingly unadorned". In The Complete David Bowie , Pegg writes that the album overall "lack[s] the focus and attack of the best Bowie albums and betraying unwelcome signs of padding". Nevertheless, he concludes: Hours makes a less aggressive artistic statement than any Bowie album since the mid-1980s, but on its own terms it's a success: a collection of lush, melancholic and often intensely beautiful music, and

24050-572: The period on his cocaine addiction, the character of the Thin White Duke and his life living in Los Angeles, a city he later said "should be wiped off the face of the Earth". He later apologised for these statements, and throughout the 1980s and 1990s criticised racism in European politics and the American music industry. Nevertheless, his comments on fascism, as well as Eric Clapton 's alcohol-fuelled denunciations of Pakistani immigrants in 1976, led to

24235-620: The record evokes folk rock , 1960s soul and rock, while retrospective commentators have categorised it as pop rock and art pop . Several themes pervade Hours . Surmised by Perone as "Bowie's angels album", Hours encompasses overtly Christian themes last seen on the Station to Station track " Word on a Wing " (1976); it contains paraphrases from the Bible and the poetry of John Donne , along with numerous references to life and death, heaven and hell, "gods", "hymns" and "angels". Some analysed

24420-416: The rest in post-production," intending to represent the "burning [of] the old". Graphic designer Rex Ray created the typography for the cover, which featured letters and numerals swapped around overlaying a barcode design. The cover has received negative responses, with Trynka panning it as "a hammy mix of designer clutter and mawkishness". Consequence of Sound ' s David Sackllah agreed, stating: "This

24605-530: The rest of Bowie's career. Studying the dramatic arts under Lindsay Kemp , from avant-garde theatre and mime to commedia dell'arte , Bowie became immersed in the creation of personae to present to the world. Satirising life in a British prison, his composition "Over the Wall We Go" became a 1967 single for Oscar ; another Bowie song, " Silly Boy Blue ", was released by Billy Fury the following year. Playing acoustic guitar, Hermione Farthingale formed

24790-477: The rest of the album was subpar. Both The Independent and The Observer unfavourably compared Hours to Hunky Dory , with the former calling it "fairly traditional" and "not one of his best"; the latter criticised the songs as unremarkable. Additionally, Time Out magazine dismissed the album as "Bowie's most pointless and desultory record since Tin Machine II ." Spin ' s Barry Walters praised "Thursday's Child" but felt that throughout its runtime,

24975-421: The retrospection of the material, some commentators wondered if Hours was autobiographical, to which Bowie refuted, telling Uncut : It's a more personal piece but I hesitate to say it's autobiographical. In a way, it self-evidently isn't. I also hate to say it's a 'character', so I have to be careful there. It is fiction. And the progenitor of this piece is obviously a man who is fairly disillusioned. He's not

25160-619: The same role over an extended period, it became impossible for him to separate Ziggy Stardust—and later, the Thin White Duke—from his own character offstage. Ziggy, Bowie said, "wouldn't leave me alone for years. That was when it all started to go sour ... My whole personality was affected. It became very dangerous. I really did have doubts about my sanity." His later Ziggy shows, which included songs from both Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane , were ultra-theatrical affairs filled with shocking stage moments, such as Bowie stripping down to

25345-475: The school's most gifted pupils to the arts, a regime so liberal that Frampton actively encouraged his own son, Peter , to pursue a musical career with David, a partnership briefly intact thirty years later. Bowie's maternal half-brother, Terry Burns, was a substantial influence on his early life. Burns, who was 10 years older than Bowie, had schizophrenia and seizures , and lived alternately at home and in psychiatric wards; while living with Bowie, he introduced

25530-582: The second half of the year, the Heathen Tour . Taking place in Europe and North America, the tour opened at London's annual Meltdown festival, for which Bowie was that year appointed artistic director. Among the acts he selected for the festival were Philip Glass, Television and the Dandy Warhols . As well as songs from the new album, the tour featured material from Bowie's Low era. Reality (2003) followed, and its accompanying world tour,

25715-411: The shops, it's not a level playing field. Records should be available to everyone at the same time, and not everyone has access to the Internet," and "It's unlikely that we would stock the artist in question. Retailers are not going to stand for it." Nevertheless, with the internet release, Buckley states that "Bowie had accurately foreseen the revolution in the music industry that would be brought about by

25900-478: The short-haired Bowie persona from the intensely energetic Earthling exhausted, resting in the arms of a long-haired, more youthful version of Bowie. The artwork reflects the Christian themes of the tracks and was inspired by the Pietà , which depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus. Bowie acknowledged the inspiration, further explaining, "since I didn't want to wear a dress anymore, we made it

26085-470: The song follows a "born out of [his] time" character who sees hope for the future. "Something in the Air" contains numerous musical and lyrical references to Bowie's past work, from " All the Young Dudes " (1972) to " Seven Years in Tibet " (1997). It dissects the collapse of a relationship and was examined by Bowie as "probably the most tragic song on the album". "Survive" was reportedly Bowie's favourite song on

26270-472: The song in the studio a year later for the Toy project. Hours continues to be viewed with varying reactions. On the positive side, AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote: "It may not be one of Bowie's classics, but it's the work of a masterful musician who has begun to enjoy his craft again and isn't afraid to let things develop naturally." Following its 2004 reissue, a writer for PopMatters considered

26455-455: The songs, elaborating: Firstly, we sat down and wrote songs with just guitar and keyboard before going into the studio. Secondly, the characters we appear as in the game, performing the songs, are street/protest singers and so needed a more singer-songwriter approach. And lastly, it was the opposite approach from the usual cheesy industrial metal music one would normally get. At an E3 press conference in 1999, Bowie said that his main priority

26640-426: The sum of its parts." Calling it the "most neglected" of Bowie's later records, O'Leary describes Hours as "an unsettled, moody, lovely, sketchy, washed-out collection of unreconciled songs" and "a lesser work that knows it's lesser and takes modest pride in it. A finer album lies within it, just out of reach." Additionally, biographers have criticised the production as "thin", "underdeveloped" and "cluttered", and find

26825-419: The theme of wanting to avoid being confronted by his own past. Hours received an official CD release on 4   October 1999 through Virgin Records . In Japan, "We All Go Through" appeared as a bonus track. It was a commercial success in the UK, peaking at number five on the UK Albums Chart , becoming Bowie's highest chart placement there since Black Tie White Noise (1993), but dropped off soon after. In

27010-552: The time David arrived in 1958, as rich in arcane ritual as any [English] public school . There were houses named after eighteenth-century statesmen like Pitt and Wilberforce . There was a uniform and an elaborate system of rewards and punishments. There was also an accent on languages, science and particularly design, where a collegiate atmosphere flourished under the tutorship of Owen Frampton . In David's account, Frampton led through force of personality, not intellect; his colleagues at Bromley Tech were famous for neither and yielded

27195-465: The title track on Marc Bolan's television show Marc , and again two days later for Bing Crosby 's final CBS television Christmas special, when he joined Crosby in " Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy ", a version of " The Little Drummer Boy " with a new, contrapuntal verse. RCA belatedly released the recording as a single five years later in 1982, charting in the UK at number three. After completing Low and "Heroes" , Bowie spent much of 1978 on

27380-476: The tour as overproduced, saying it pandered to the current stadium rock trends in its special effects and dancing, although in later years critics acknowledged the tour's strengths and influence on concert tours by other artists, such as Prince , Madonna and U2 . Wanting to completely rejuvenate himself following the critical failures of Tonight and Never Let Me Down , Bowie placed his solo career on hold after meeting guitarist Reeves Gabrels and formed

27565-528: The tour consisted of returning members from the Earthling Tour, although drummer Zack Alford was replaced with Campbell. Starting in late September, Bowie made numerous television appearances to promote Hours , including on The Howard Stern Show , Late Show with David Letterman , Late Night with Conan O'Brien , Chris Evans ' TFI Friday and Saturday Night Live . During the tour he primarily played in small venues, save for one appearance at

27750-424: The tour were cancelled. In the years following his recuperation from the heart attack, Bowie reduced his musical output, making only one-off appearances on stage and in the studio. He sang in a duet of his 1971 song " Changes " with Butterfly Boucher for the 2004 animated film Shrek 2 . During a relatively quiet 2005, he recorded the vocals for the song "(She Can) Do That", co-written with Brian Transeau , for

27935-431: The track, Bowie said "There's something I find really authentically early seventies about the writing structure of 'Survive'." The song was recorded between February and June 1999 between Looking Glass and Chung King Studios in New York City. Bowie and Gabrels performed most of the instruments themselves, with overdubs by bassist Mark Plati and drummer Mike Levesque. "Survive" was reportedly Bowie's favourite song on

28120-451: The tracks as Bowie looking at his own mortality. Additionally, the use of the number seven on "Thursday's Child" and "Seven" led Perone to deduce: "The number that governs the passing of days into words appears in several guises. The listener is left with the feeling that not only is the passage of time controlled by some indefinable supreme power, but possibly are the events of one's life." With an overall ideal of introspection, "Something in

28305-406: The tracks have poor pacing, leading to "a frankly uncomfortable state of boredom". She ultimately scored the album a four out of ten and concluded: "David Bowie is much too good for this." Writing for Select , John Mullen recognised the album as an improvement over Earthling , but likened Bowie to a "more high-brow" version of Sting and concluded: "Even on the personal exorcism of 'Seven' there's

28490-404: The tracks were written in a more conventional style reminiscent of his mid-1980s works. He explained: "There was very little experimentation in the studio. A lot of it was just straightforward songwriting." As a result, the demos were primarily written on guitar, while " Thursday's Child " and "The Dreamers" were written on keyboards. Gabrels stated that Omikron provided the musical direction for

28675-414: The trilogy of Hours , Heathen (2002) and Reality (2003) Bowie's finest works since Scary Monsters , arguing that whereas Outside and Earthling saw Bowie experiment with genres already viewed as outdated at the time, Hours saw him embrace a "hip and modern" sound that provided a "welcome" on release. Perone, who criticises the non-linear track sequencing, finds that the album works in expressing

28860-432: The winner in January 1999 and was flown to New York for the vocal and overdub session on 24   May, which was broadcast live on BowieNet. Grant also contributed backing vocals. On the experience, Bowie stated: "The most gratifying part of the evening for me was being able to encourage Alex and his pal Larry to sing on the song that he had written." Plati later commended the idea to biographer Marc Spitz , saying that "it

29045-511: The works of principal Moody Blues songwriter and lead singer Justin Hayward . Biographer Marc Spitz opined that following the drum 'n' bass stylings of Earthling (1997), the guitar sound of "Survive" "sounds refreshingly solid and wooden". He also felt Bowie's voice was reminiscent of his old 1960s Deram recordings. Like fellow Hours track "Something in the Air", "Survive" details an ended relationship, one that, in Spitz's words,

29230-626: The year was a cover of George and Ira Gershwin 's " A Foggy Day in London Town ", which appeared on the Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove compilation. He also reconciled with his former collaborator and producer Tony Visconti . In late 1998, Bowie composed the soundtrack for the upcoming video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul , developed by Quantic Dream and published by Eidos Interactive . Writer and director David Cage chose him over

29415-596: The younger man to many of his lifelong influences, such as modern jazz , Buddhism , Beat poetry and the occult . In addition to Burns, a significant proportion of Bowie's extended family members had schizophrenia spectrum disorders , including an aunt who was institutionalised and another who underwent a lobotomy ; this has been labelled as an influence on his early work. Bowie studied art, music and design, including layout and typesetting. After Burns introduced him to modern jazz, his enthusiasm for players like Charles Mingus and John Coltrane led his mother to give him

29600-463: Was a new way to reach out to his fans". Unlike the quick rush of the Earthling sessions, the sessions for Hours were more relaxed and Bowie himself was calmer. When speaking with biographer David Buckley, Plati described having leisurely conversations with Bowie and Gabrels about the Internet and contemporary topics of the time. Nevertheless, disagreements arose between Bowie and Gabrels regarding

29785-520: Was a toddler, in the late 1950s David's father took him to meet singers and other performers preparing for the Royal Variety Performance , introducing him to Alma Cogan and Tommy Steele . After taking his eleven-plus exam at the conclusion of his Burnt Ash Junior education, Bowie went to Bromley Technical High School . It was an unusual technical school, as biographer Christopher Sandford wrote: Despite its status it was, by

29970-477: Was an English singer, songwriter, musician and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft has had a significant impact on popular music . Bowie developed an interest in music from an early age. He studied art, music and design before embarking on

30155-419: Was an extension of Thomas Jerome Newton, the extraterrestrial being he portrayed in the film The Man Who Fell to Earth the same year. Developing the funk and soul of Young Americans , Station to Station ' s synthesiser-heavy arrangements were influenced by electronic and German krautrock . Bowie's cocaine addiction during this period was at its peak; he often did not sleep for three to four days at

30340-424: Was at a charity event in 2006. He returned from a decade-long recording hiatus in 2013 with The Next Day and remained musically active until his death from liver cancer in 2016. He died two days after both his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar . During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at over 100 million worldwide, made him one of the best-selling musicians of all time . He

30525-585: Was born on 8 January 1947 in Brixton , London. His mother, Margaret Mary "Peggy" (née Burns), was born at Shorncliffe Army Camp near Cheriton , Kent. Her paternal grandparents were Irish immigrants who had settled in Manchester . She worked as a waitress at a cinema in Royal Tunbridge Wells . His father, Haywood Stenton "John" Jones, was from Doncaster , Yorkshire, and worked as

30710-418: Was considered "adequate" by the school choir, and he demonstrated above-average abilities in playing the recorder . At the age of nine, his dancing during the newly introduced music and movement classes was strikingly imaginative: teachers called his interpretations "vividly artistic" and his poise "astonishing" for a child. The same year, his interest in music was further stimulated when his father brought home

30895-406: Was expecting another success following Young Americans and Station to Station . Bowie's former manager Tony Defries, who maintained a significant financial interest in Bowie's affairs, had tried to prevent the album from being released. Upon its release in January 1977, Low yielded the UK number three single " Sound and Vision ", and its own performance surpassed that of Station to Station in

31080-439: Was given during the tour. Bowie later covered "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Space Ship" on 2002's Heathen . Hunky Dory (1971) found Visconti supplanted in both roles by Ken Scott producing and Trevor Bolder on bass. It again featured a stylistic shift towards art pop and melodic pop rock , with light fare tracks such as " Kooks ", a song written for his son, Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones , born on 30 May. Elsewhere,

31265-407: Was immediate—he wrote his 1970 single " The Prettiest Star " for her —and her involvement in his career far-reaching, leaving Pitt with limited influence which he found frustrating. Having established himself as a solo artist with "Space Oddity", Bowie desired a full-time band he could record with and could relate to personally. The band Bowie assembled comprised John Cambridge, a drummer Bowie met at

31450-742: Was joined in playing his songs and those of his guests, Lou Reed, Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters , Robert Smith of the Cure , Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins , Black Francis of the Pixies , and Sonic Youth . Incorporating experiments in jungle and drum 'n' bass , Earthling (1997) was a critical and commercial success in the UK and the US, and two singles from the album—" Little Wonder " and " Dead Man Walking "—became UK top 40 hits. The song " I'm Afraid of Americans " from

31635-461: Was later released on the bonus disc of Bowie at the Beeb (2000); the full concert later appeared on Brilliant Adventure (1992–2001) box set. "Survive" appeared in another BBC radio session dated 18 September 2002. Bowie's performance of the song for VH1 's Storytellers series was later released in 2019 in the expanded edition of VH1 Storytellers (2009). This version also includes

31820-457: Was now in a healthy enough mental condition to want to make friends." Recordings from the tour made up the live album Stage , released the same year. Bowie also recorded narration for an adaptation of Sergei Prokofiev 's classical composition Peter and the Wolf , which was released as an album in May 1978. The final piece in what Bowie called his " triptych ", Lodger (1979), eschewed

32005-461: Was quickly dismissed as "pompous, dogmatic and dull". EMI complained of "lyrics that preach" as well as "repetitive tunes" and "minimalist or no production". It reached number three in the UK and was supported by a twelve-date tour . The tour was a commercial success, but there was growing reluctance—among fans and critics alike—to accept Bowie's presentation as merely a band member. A series of Tin Machine singles failed to chart, and Bowie, after

32190-434: Was recorded in France and took influence from krautrock and experimental music and featured both short song-fragments and ambient instrumentals. Before its recording, Bowie produced Iggy Pop's debut solo album The Idiot , described by Pegg as "a stepping stone between Station to Station and Low ". Low was completed in November, but left unreleased for three months. RCA did not see the album as commercially viable and

32375-581: Was released as a live album in November 2018. On 27 June, he performed a concert at the BBC Radio Theatre in London, which was released on the compilation album Bowie at the Beeb ; this also featured BBC recording sessions from 1968 to 1972. Bowie and Iman's daughter, Alexandra, was born on 15 August. His interest in Buddhism led him to support the Tibetan cause by performing at

32560-494: Was released as a single. A collaboration with Giorgio Moroder , it became a minor US hit and charted in the UK top 30. The same year, he departed RCA, having grown increasingly dissatisfied with them, and signed a new contract with EMI America Records for a reported $ 17 million. His 1975 severance settlement with Defries also ended in September. Bowie reached his peak of popularity and commercial success in 1983 with Let's Dance . Co-produced by Chic 's Nile Rodgers ,

32745-399: Was running out of ideas for him. I was afraid that if I stayed, I would become a bitter kind of person. I'm sure you've spoken to people who have done one thing for too long, and they start to lose respect for the people they work for, and I didn't want to be that guy. The most logical thing for me to do at that point was to leave and do something else. I departed on good terms. Personnel-wise,

32930-528: Was shelved due to EMI/ Virgin 's lack of faith in its commercial appeal. Bowie and Visconti continued their collaboration, producing a new album of completely original songs instead: the result of the sessions was the 2002 album Heathen . On 25 June 2000, Bowie made his second appearance at the Glastonbury Festival in England, playing almost 30 years after his first. The performance

33115-461: Was spearheaded by the success of " Starman " and its album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (both 1972), which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted towards a sound he characterised as " plastic soul ", initially alienating many of his UK fans but garnering his first major US crossover success with the number-one single " Fame " and the album Young Americans (both 1975). In 1976, Bowie starred in

33300-561: Was sufficiently sexually provocative to guarantee heavy rotation on MTV". Then-unknown Texas blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan guested on the album, featuring prominently on the title track. Let's Dance was followed by the six-month Serious Moonlight Tour , which was extremely successful. At the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards Bowie received two awards including the inaugural Video Vanguard Award . Tonight (1984), another dance-oriented album, found Bowie collaborating with Pop and Tina Turner . Co-produced by Hugh Padgham , it included

33485-438: Was the nuclear unit thing." "What's Really Happening?" is the first of two harder rocking songs on the album compared to the sombre quality of the previous tracks. The title asserts the theme of "mistrust of reality and memory", while Grant's lyrics fit the overall "chronometric" concept. According to O'Leary, it was originally planned as a BowieNet-exclusive track before being placed on Hours . "The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell"

33670-456: Was the only album recorded entirely in Berlin. Incorporating ambient sounds from a variety of sources including white noise generators, synthesisers and koto , the album was another hit, reaching number three in the UK. Its title track was released in both German and French and, though only reached number 24 in the UK singles chart, later became one of his best-known tracks. In contrast to Low , Bowie promoted "Heroes" extensively, performing

33855-538: Was the product of two distinct ideas: a musical based on a wild future in a post- apocalyptic city, and setting George Orwell 's Nineteen Eighty-Four to music. The album went to number one in the UK, spawning the hits " Rebel Rebel " and " Diamond Dogs ", and number five in the US. The supporting Diamond Dogs Tour visited cities in North America between June and December 1974. Choreographed by Toni Basil , and lavishly produced with theatrical special effects,

34040-415: Was to imbue Omikron with "emotional subtext" and regarded this as a success. In the end, the game featured variants of most Hours tracks except "If I'm Dreaming My Life", "Brilliant Adventure" and "What's Really Happening?", along with "We All Go Through". Various instrumentals also appeared in the game, some of which were further developed for release as B-sides. After Bowie completed collaborations with

34225-571: Was written by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels between late 1998 and early 1999 for a proposed solo album for the latter. Unlike other tracks written for what became the Hours album, the track was not planned for the Omikron: The Nomad Soul video game. The track was also written in a more conventional style reminiscent of Bowie's mid-1980s works, compared to the experimental cut-up nature of his other 1990s recordings. Discussing

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