Never Let Me Down
Encyclopedia
Never Let Me Down is an album by David Bowie
, released in April 1987. Written over a 3-month period and recorded in Switzerland, Bowie regarded the album at the time as a "move back to rock 'n roll music. Very directly."
Bowie described the tracks from Never Let Me Down as being written for being performed on stage and they formed the backbone of Bowie's highly theatrical Glass Spider
world tour in 1987 (the official video album was released from this tour which was also called Glass Spider
).
When the album was released, Bowie thought he'd go back into the studio to record more material, stating, "We're all very excited to be going back in the studio. We over-wrote on [this] album and I think there's a lot more new material we want to record." Those plans did not appear to come to pass, as Bowie's next solo album wouldn't arrive until 1993's Black Tie White Noise
.
, Bowie stated that while he appreciated the "sudden accessibility that my music seemed to have, ... there was a feeling where I wasn't comfortable for a while with all the glossiness and I wanted to come back into a small, tight rock group like I kind of started with." Despite criticism in the press, Bowie stated that this was one of the most enjoyable and energetic albums he'd made in a long time.
For the first time since 1980's Scary Monsters
album, Bowie played instruments on the record instead of just singing. He recorded a few demos with Erdal Kizilcay
prior to working on the album with the full band. For the final cut, Bowie described his musical involvement on the album by saying "I do a lot of keyboard things, little synthesizer parts, and some rhythm guitar and I play lead guitar on a couple of tracks: "New York's in Love" and 87 and Cry"."
The album's lead track, "Day-In Day-Out
", was written because Bowie had picked up on what was happening in America through the media about the treatment of the homeless, and he wanted to make a statement about it. The song's video was banned on some networks, which Bowie found "ludicrous". This track was also the lead single for the album.
"Time Will Crawl
", which Bowie named as his favorite track from the album, was inspired by events from the Chernobyl disaster
, and the idea that it could be someone from your own neighborhood who might be responsible for the end of the world. This track was the second single released from the album.
The title track, "Never Let Me Down
", is about Bowie's long-time personal assistant, Coco Schwab. Describing their relationship, Bowie said "It's platonic. But there is a romance in it, I guess, inasmuch as it's hard for two people to feel totally at ease in each other's company for that period of time and not expect too much from each other. Always being prepared to be there if the other one needs someone, you know? There's not many people you find in life that you can do that with, or feel that way with." This track was the third single released from the album.
The song "Zeroes", which Rolling Stone magazine called the most heartening and successful track on the album is, according to Bowie, a nostalgia trip. "I wanted to put in every 60s cliche I could think of! 'Stopping and preaching and letting love in,' all those things. I hope there's a humorous undertone to it. But the subtext is definitely that the trappings of rock are not what they're made out to be."
The track "Glass Spider" is a kind of mythological story based on a documentary Bowie had seen about black widow spiders, which said that the spiders lay the skeletons of their prey out on their webs. Bowie "fantasized from that, made the web more of a housing estate." Bowie also thought that the Glass Spider's web would make a good enclosure for the tour, thus giving the supporting tour its name and stage dressing.
Actor Mickey Rourke
asked Bowie to be involved in one of the songs, the two having met in London where Rourke was based while filming the movie A Prayer for the Dying
. Bowie had him perform the mid-song rap to the song "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)." Bowie jokingly referred to Rourke's performance as "method rapping".
When asked about his choice of including Iggy Pop's song "Bang Bang
" on the album (instead of perhaps co-writing a new song), Bowie stated "Iggy's done so many good songs that people never get to hear ... I think it's one of his best songs, "Bang Bang," and it hasn't been heard, and now it might be."
Overall, Bowie summed up the album after it was released in 1987 as an effort to "reestablish what I used to do, which was a guitar-oriented album. I think the next album will be even more so," an oddly prescient statement given that his follow-up effort was to be the guitar-oriented rock-band album Tin Machine
.
on the cover of In Fashion magazine (to the tagline 'Forever cool'), Musician
magazine and on the cover of Rolling Stones US 20th Anniversary "Style" issue, part of a series of contemporary photographs of Bowie taken by famed photograph Herb Ritts
. Additionally, articles about Bowie's album and tour appeared inside such teen-oriented publications such as Mademoiselle
and Teen
magazines, with the former calling Bowie "a leading candidate for the coolest character in rock."
In 1993, while doing press tours for his album Black Tie White Noise
, Bowie said that, while the album sold more than any of his previous albums, he "floundered creatively from 1984 to '88. I virtually lost my interest in music."
Two years later, while talking to the press for his album Outside, he said:
In fact no song from this album has been performed on any of Bowie's tours after 1987. However, in recent years Bowie's take on the album seems to have softened, with him going so far as to re-record the track "Time Will Crawl" in 2008 for his album of self-selected favorite songs, iSelect
.
unless otherwise noted. The album was one of the first to feature different length versions on vinyl
and CD, with almost all the songs appearing on the latter having a longer running time than the former.
Side two
The album's second track, "Time Will Crawl", was also used in the French arthouse movie Les Amants du Pont Neuf (The Lovers on the Pont Neuf).
rereleased the album on CD with three bonus tracks. EMI
did the second rerelease in 1999 (featuring 24-bit digitally remastered sound and no bonus tracks, and also without "Too Dizzy").
The questions deal mostly with the lyrical and musical content of the album Never Let Me Down and the upcoming Glass Spider Tour
.
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, released in April 1987. Written over a 3-month period and recorded in Switzerland, Bowie regarded the album at the time as a "move back to rock 'n roll music. Very directly."
Bowie described the tracks from Never Let Me Down as being written for being performed on stage and they formed the backbone of Bowie's highly theatrical Glass Spider
Glass Spider Tour
In 1987, David Bowie embarked on The Glass Spider Tour in support of the album Never Let Me Down alongside famed guitarist Peter Frampton. The tour was named after the album track "Glass Spider." The concert tour was the most ambitious by Bowie up to that date, surpassing the Serious Moonlight Tour...
world tour in 1987 (the official video album was released from this tour which was also called Glass Spider
Glass Spider
Glass Spider is a video album by David Bowie, recorded during the 1987 Glass Spider Tour at Sydney Entertainment Centre.-Release details:...
).
When the album was released, Bowie thought he'd go back into the studio to record more material, stating, "We're all very excited to be going back in the studio. We over-wrote on [this] album and I think there's a lot more new material we want to record." Those plans did not appear to come to pass, as Bowie's next solo album wouldn't arrive until 1993's Black Tie White Noise
Black Tie White Noise
Black Tie White Noise is an album by David Bowie. Released in 1993, it was his first solo release in the 1990s after spending time with his hard rock band Tin Machine, retiring his old hits on his Sound+Vision Tour, and marrying supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. This album featured his old guitarist from...
.
Album and song development
Following the rise in fame and success from his Serious Moonlight TourSerious Moonlight Tour
The David Bowie Serious Moonlight Tour was thus far Bowie's longest, largest and most successful concert tour. The tour opened at the Vorst Forest Nationaal - Brussels on 18 May 1983 and ended in the Hong Kong Coliseum on 8 December 1983; 16 countries visited, 96 performances, 2,601,196 tickets...
, Bowie stated that while he appreciated the "sudden accessibility that my music seemed to have, ... there was a feeling where I wasn't comfortable for a while with all the glossiness and I wanted to come back into a small, tight rock group like I kind of started with." Despite criticism in the press, Bowie stated that this was one of the most enjoyable and energetic albums he'd made in a long time.
For the first time since 1980's Scary Monsters
Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
Scary Monsters is an album by David Bowie, released in September 1980 by RCA Records. It was Bowie's final studio album for the label and his first following the so-called Berlin Trilogy of Low, "Heroes" and Lodger . Though considered significant in artistic terms, the trilogy had proved less...
album, Bowie played instruments on the record instead of just singing. He recorded a few demos with Erdal Kizilcay
Erdal Kizilcay
Erdal Kizilcay is a multi-instrumental musician of Turkish birth who has worked with, among others, David Bowie. He lives in Aegerten, Switzerland.-With David Bowie:*Never Let Me Down...
prior to working on the album with the full band. For the final cut, Bowie described his musical involvement on the album by saying "I do a lot of keyboard things, little synthesizer parts, and some rhythm guitar and I play lead guitar on a couple of tracks: "New York's in Love" and 87 and Cry"."
The album's lead track, "Day-In Day-Out
Day-In Day-Out
"Day-In Day-Out" is the first track on David Bowie's album Never Let Me Down. It was issued as a single ahead of the album's release.The song criticised the urban decay and deprivation in American cities at the time, concerned largely with the depths a young mother has to sink to in order to feed...
", was written because Bowie had picked up on what was happening in America through the media about the treatment of the homeless, and he wanted to make a statement about it. The song's video was banned on some networks, which Bowie found "ludicrous". This track was also the lead single for the album.
"Time Will Crawl
Time Will Crawl
"Time Will Crawl" is the second track on David Bowie's album Never Let Me Down and was issued as the second single from the album.The lyric is themed around the pollution and destruction of the planet by industry , and is often praised by critics for its restrained production compared to...
", which Bowie named as his favorite track from the album, was inspired by events from the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
, and the idea that it could be someone from your own neighborhood who might be responsible for the end of the world. This track was the second single released from the album.
The title track, "Never Let Me Down
Never Let Me Down (song)
"Never Let Me Down" is the title track on David Bowie's album Never Let Me Down. It was issued as the third single from the album in August 1987 – it would be Bowie's last solo single until 1992's "Real Cool World", barring a remix of "Fame"....
", is about Bowie's long-time personal assistant, Coco Schwab. Describing their relationship, Bowie said "It's platonic. But there is a romance in it, I guess, inasmuch as it's hard for two people to feel totally at ease in each other's company for that period of time and not expect too much from each other. Always being prepared to be there if the other one needs someone, you know? There's not many people you find in life that you can do that with, or feel that way with." This track was the third single released from the album.
The song "Zeroes", which Rolling Stone magazine called the most heartening and successful track on the album is, according to Bowie, a nostalgia trip. "I wanted to put in every 60s cliche I could think of! 'Stopping and preaching and letting love in,' all those things. I hope there's a humorous undertone to it. But the subtext is definitely that the trappings of rock are not what they're made out to be."
The track "Glass Spider" is a kind of mythological story based on a documentary Bowie had seen about black widow spiders, which said that the spiders lay the skeletons of their prey out on their webs. Bowie "fantasized from that, made the web more of a housing estate." Bowie also thought that the Glass Spider's web would make a good enclosure for the tour, thus giving the supporting tour its name and stage dressing.
Actor Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
asked Bowie to be involved in one of the songs, the two having met in London where Rourke was based while filming the movie A Prayer for the Dying
A Prayer for the Dying
A Prayer for the Dying is a 1987 thriller film about a former IRA member trying to escape his past. The film was directed by Mike Hodges, and stars Mickey Rourke, Liam Neeson, Bob Hoskins, and Alan Bates...
. Bowie had him perform the mid-song rap to the song "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)." Bowie jokingly referred to Rourke's performance as "method rapping".
When asked about his choice of including Iggy Pop's song "Bang Bang
Bang Bang (Iggy Pop song)
"Bang Bang" is a song written by Iggy Pop and Ivan Kral in 1981 for Iggy Pop's Party album. It was released as a single, charting at #35 on the Billboard Club Play singles chart. According to Iggy Pop's autobiography, "I Need More". He wrote Bang Bang as he Arista wanted a single and he promised...
" on the album (instead of perhaps co-writing a new song), Bowie stated "Iggy's done so many good songs that people never get to hear ... I think it's one of his best songs, "Bang Bang," and it hasn't been heard, and now it might be."
Overall, Bowie summed up the album after it was released in 1987 as an effort to "reestablish what I used to do, which was a guitar-oriented album. I think the next album will be even more so," an oddly prescient statement given that his follow-up effort was to be the guitar-oriented rock-band album Tin Machine
Tin Machine (album)
Tin Machine is the debut album of Tin Machine originally released by EMI in 1989. The group was the latest venture of David Bowie, inspired by sessions with guitarist Reeves Gabrels...
.
Critical reception
Describing the album, critic Ira Robbins wrote "although this casual loud-rock outing... seems on first blush to be slapdash and slight, the first side is actually quite good, offering provocative pop-culture lyrics delivered with first-take enthusiasm and carefree backing." In 1987, Spin Magazine called the album "an inspired and brilliantly crafted work. It's charged with a positive spirit that makes art soul food; imbued with the contagious energy that gives ideas a leg to dance on", but by 1989 they had changed their mind and called the album "disappointing". Rolling Stone Magazine called the work an "odd, freewheeling pastiche of elements from all the previous Bowies," "unfocused," and possibly "the noisiest, sloppiest Bowie album ever. ... Being noisy and sloppy isn't necessarily a bad thing, but sad to say, Never Let Me Down is also something of a mess." Another critic held a general optimism for the potential of the songs on the album, complaining only that the "oppressive production smashed them."Public image
Bowie, having just turned 40 the year the album was released, was a common sight on magazine covers during the year. He appeared alongside Tina TurnerTina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
on the cover of In Fashion magazine (to the tagline 'Forever cool'), Musician
Musician (magazine)
Musician was a monthly magazine that covered news and information about American popular music. Initially called "Music America", it was founded in 1976 by Sam Holdsworth and Gordon Baird. The two friends borrowed $20,000 from relatives and started the publication in a barn in Colorado...
magazine and on the cover of Rolling Stones US 20th Anniversary "Style" issue, part of a series of contemporary photographs of Bowie taken by famed photograph Herb Ritts
Herb Ritts
Herbert "Herb" Ritts was an American fashion photographer who concentrated on black-and-white photography and portraits, often in the style of classical Greek sculpture.-Early life and career:...
. Additionally, articles about Bowie's album and tour appeared inside such teen-oriented publications such as Mademoiselle
Mademoiselle (magazine)
Mademoiselle was an influential women's magazine first published in 1935 by Street and Smith and later acquired by Condé Nast Publications....
and Teen
Teen (magazine)
Teen was an American teen lifestyle magazine for preteen and early teenage girls, ages 10 to 15. The content of Teen included advice, entertainment news, quizzes, fashion, beauty, celebrity role models, and "real-girl stories".-Content:...
magazines, with the former calling Bowie "a leading candidate for the coolest character in rock."
Album legacy
Although at the time Bowie was quite pleased with the album, even going so far as to say "Do I still feel a commitment to music? I wouldn't even bother going into the studio if I didn't. It wouldn't be worth my while", his view on the album soured as the years passed. A few years later while working with Tin Machine on their second album, a "content" Bowie mused on his previous few albums:In 1993, while doing press tours for his album Black Tie White Noise
Black Tie White Noise
Black Tie White Noise is an album by David Bowie. Released in 1993, it was his first solo release in the 1990s after spending time with his hard rock band Tin Machine, retiring his old hits on his Sound+Vision Tour, and marrying supermodel Iman Abdulmajid. This album featured his old guitarist from...
, Bowie said that, while the album sold more than any of his previous albums, he "floundered creatively from 1984 to '88. I virtually lost my interest in music."
Two years later, while talking to the press for his album Outside, he said:
In fact no song from this album has been performed on any of Bowie's tours after 1987. However, in recent years Bowie's take on the album seems to have softened, with him going so far as to re-record the track "Time Will Crawl" in 2008 for his album of self-selected favorite songs, iSelect
ISELECT
iSelect is a David Bowie compilation CD first released 29 June 2008 in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland only....
.
Track listing
All tracks by David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
unless otherwise noted. The album was one of the first to feature different length versions on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and CD, with almost all the songs appearing on the latter having a longer running time than the former.
LP: EMI AMLS 3117 (UK)
Side one- "Day-In Day-Out" – 4:38
- "Time Will Crawl" – 4:18
- "Beat of Your Drum" – 4:32
- "Never Let Me Down" (Bowie, Carlos AlomarCarlos AlomarCarlos Alomar is an American guitarist, composer and arranger best known for his work with David Bowie, having played on more Bowie albums than any other musician...
) – 4:03 - "Zeroes" – 5:46
Side two
- "Glass Spider" – 4:56
- "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)" – 4:05
- "New York's in Love" – 3:55
- "'87 and Cry" – 3:53
- "Too Dizzy" (Bowie, Erdal KizilcayErdal KizilcayErdal Kizilcay is a multi-instrumental musician of Turkish birth who has worked with, among others, David Bowie. He lives in Aegerten, Switzerland.-With David Bowie:*Never Let Me Down...
) – 3:58 - "Bang Bang" (Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, Ivan KralIvan KralIvan Kral is a Grammy Award-winning Czechoslovakian-born American composer, filmmaker and singer. He works across many genres including rock, jazz, soul, country and film scores...
) – 4:02
- released digitally for the first time in 2007 on iTunes (minus "Too Dizzy")
CD: EMI CDP 7 46677 2 (UK)
- "Day-In Day-Out" – 5:35
- "Time Will Crawl" – 4:18
- "Beat of Your Drum" – 5:03
- "Never Let Me Down" (Bowie, Alomar) – 4:03
- "Zeroes" – 5:44
- "Glass Spider" – 5:30
- "Shining Star (Makin' My Love)" – 5:04
- "New York's in Love" – 4:32
- "'87 and Cry" – 4:18
- "Too Dizzy" (Bowie, Kizilcay) – 3:58
- "Bang Bang" (Pop]], Kral) – 4:28
The album's second track, "Time Will Crawl", was also used in the French arthouse movie Les Amants du Pont Neuf (The Lovers on the Pont Neuf).
Reissues
The track "Too Dizzy" has been deleted from subsequent reissues of the album, reportedly at Bowie's request because it's his least favorite track on the album. In 1995, Virgin RecordsVirgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
rereleased the album on CD with three bonus tracks. EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
did the second rerelease in 1999 (featuring 24-bit digitally remastered sound and no bonus tracks, and also without "Too Dizzy").
CD: Virgin CDVUS98 (UK) (1995 Reissue)
- "Girls" (extended edit) (Bowie, Kizilcay) (1987 B-side to the "Time Will Crawl" single) – 5:38
- "Julie" (1987 B-side to the "Day-In Day-Out" single) – 3:45
- "When the Wind BlowsWhen the Wind Blows (song)"When the Wind Blows" is a song from the soundtrack of the film of the same name, performed by David Bowie.It marked the second contribution from Bowie to a film based on a Raymond Briggs book – he contributed a filmed introduction to The Snowman in 1982...
" (from the When the Wind Blows soundtrack 1985) – 3:36
Production credits
- Producers:
- David Bowie
- David RichardsDavid Richards (record producer)David Richards is an English-born Swiss-based record producer, engineer and musician. In the Mountain Studios in Montreux, owned by the rock band Queen, and in Attalens he engineered and co-produced many albums by Queen, David Bowie and other artists. Richards also played keyboards on some records...
- Musicians:
- David Bowie – vocals, guitar, keyboards, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, background vocals - Carlos AlomarCarlos AlomarCarlos Alomar is an American guitarist, composer and arranger best known for his work with David Bowie, having played on more Bowie albums than any other musician...
– guitar, guitar synthesiserSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
, background vocals - Erdal KizilcayErdal KizilcayErdal Kizilcay is a multi-instrumental musician of Turkish birth who has worked with, among others, David Bowie. He lives in Aegerten, Switzerland.-With David Bowie:*Never Let Me Down...
– keyboards, drums, bass, trumpet, background vocals, violins - Peter FramptonPeter FramptonPeter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
– lead guitar - Philippe SaissePhilippe SaissePhilippe Saisse is a French Grammy Award-nominated Smooth Jazz and New Age music keyboardist, producer and arranger.He was born in Marseille and raised in Paris. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris he won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He became the protege of Gary Burton...
– piano, keyboards - Carmine RojasCarmine RojasCarmine Rojas, Bassist, Musical Director, Composer & Producer born February 14, 1953, Brooklyn, NY.With the efforts and support of his family, friends and professional relationships, Carmine has traveled the World earning the reputation as one of the most renowned and respected bass players in the...
– bass - Earl GardnerEarl Gardner (musician)Earl Wesley Gardner, Jr. is an American jazz trumpeter. He is probably best known for his stint in the house band on Saturday Night Live, a chair he has held since 1985.In 1976, he joined The Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra....
– flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus... - Crusher Bennet – percussion
- Stan HarrisonStan HarrisonStan Harrison is an American saxophonist who is also accomplished in playing other woodwind instruments, namely the horn, flute and clarinet. He has also written music for television. Harrison released his first solo album The Ties That Blind in 2000 on his own record label...
– alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Laurie Frink – trumpet
- Steve Elson – baritone saxophoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
- Lenny Pickett – tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
- Robin ClarkRobin ClarkRobin Clark is an American vocalist best known for her 1985 work with UK band Simple Minds in Once Upon A Time album and tour. She has also performed vocals on numerous other tours and albums, including work with David Bowie and Luther Vandross amongst others...
, Loni Groves, Diva Gray, Gordon Grodie – background vocals - Sid McGinnisSid McGinnisSid McGinnis is an American musician and guitarist, best known for his work on the CBS Television show, Late Show with David Letterman, as part of the CBS Orchestra....
– lead guitar on Bang Bang, Time Will Crawl and Day-In Day-Out - Mickey RourkeMickey RourkePhilip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
– mid-song rapRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
on Shining Star (Makin' My Love)
- David Bowie – vocals, guitar, keyboards, tambourine
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Norway's album chart | 3 |
| 1987 | US Billboard 200 | 34 |
David Bowie – The Interview LP: EMI SPRO 79112/3
This interview disc was released promotionally-only, to coincide with the release of Never Let Me Down. It contains 5 complete songs from the album, as well as recordings of David Bowie answering 24 questions. The back of the record lists each of the 24 questions, so a DJ could ask the questions in their own voice, and then by playing the corresponding track could pretend to have a personal Q&A with David Bowie. This release contains a unique fade edit of the song "Zeroes".The questions deal mostly with the lyrical and musical content of the album Never Let Me Down and the upcoming Glass Spider Tour
Glass Spider Tour
In 1987, David Bowie embarked on The Glass Spider Tour in support of the album Never Let Me Down alongside famed guitarist Peter Frampton. The tour was named after the album track "Glass Spider." The concert tour was the most ambitious by Bowie up to that date, surpassing the Serious Moonlight Tour...
.
The Interview LP Track Listing
- "Never Let Me Down" (Bowie, Alomar) – 4:01
- Q1: Never Let Me Down marks your return to the studio to make your own album for the first time since 1984. How is this record different in terms of approach and execution?
- Q2: The vocals on this album seem to have different character from track to track. How did this come about?
- Q3: How big an influence in your music was Little Richard?
- Q4: How would you describe your lyric writing style?
- Q5a: Do you have a favourite song on this album?
- Q5b: If so, why?
- "Time Will Crawl" – 4:15
- Q6: There seems to be more to "Time Will Crawl" than its musicality. Would you expand on this?
- Q7: What direction are music videos going in today?
- Q8: From your perspective, what changes do you see happening in rock and roll now? Where is it going and where do you fit in?
- Q9: Can you equate musical proficiency with the energy in rock?
- "Bang Bang" (Pop, Kral) – 3:57
- Q10: Do anger, energy and enthusiasm characterise you on stage?
- Q11: How do you view music in the '80's as a tool to effect social change?
- Q12: You're in the midst of a world tour with your new album. What sort of challenge is it?
- Q13: Does the tour have at theme and what can we look for on the Glass Spider Tour?
- Q14: How do you prepare for a tour?
- "Day-In Day-Out" – 4:30
- Q15: How do you handle the rigors of life on the road?
- Q16: What sort of response do you expect from your audience in general?
- Q17: What do you think your audience expects from you?
- Q18: Do you have a current favourite band?
- Q19: What do you want from your audience on this tour?
- Q20: Of all the characters you've portrayed as a musician and actor, do you have a favourite?
- Q21: Musicians don't get the chance to change personae without confusing their audience. How have you managed it?
- "Zeroes" – 4:15
- Q22: Do you think the artistic renaissance in Europe is still flourishing?
- Q23: You read science fiction, plays, poetry. What else?
- Q24: There's quite a difference between a song like "Blue Jean" and "Time Will Crawl." Can you elaborate?
- "Never Let Me Down" (End Fade) – 0:36