Watch That Man
Encyclopedia
"Watch That Man" is a song written by David Bowie
, the opening track on the album Aladdin Sane
from 1973. Its style is often compared to The Rolling Stones
' Exile on Main Street, and is also notable for the discussion that its mix
has generated among critics and fans.
editors Roy Carr
and Charles Shaar Murray
considered "Watch That Man" the prime example of a collection of songs on Aladdin Sane that were "written too fast, recorded too fast and mixed too fast". They remarked on the "hurried shoddiness" of its production which "doesn't even sound like a finished mix". Co-producer Ken Scott
however, speaking in 1999, defended the mix as the result of careful deliberation:
, "Watch That Man" could be taken as "one of Bowie’s most calculated changes of direction", to a more Stones-inspired dirty rock sound. Bowie himself suggested in the year of its release that it was a reminiscence of his introduction to the drug-fuelled American tour experience of late 1972. Rolling Stone
magazine called it "inimitable Stones, Exile vintage. Mick Ronson
plays Chuck Berry
licks via Keith Richards
, Garson
plays at being Nicky Hopkins
, Bowie slurs his lines, and the female backup singers and horns make the appropriate noises."
recorded the song in 1973, releasing it as the B-side of the single "The Man Who Sold the World
", another Bowie track, on 11 January 1974. The band included Bowie on guitar, sax and backing vocals, Mick Ronson
on guitar, Trevor Bolder
on bass, Mike Garson
on piano, and Aynsley Dunbar
on drums. Produced by Bowie and Ronson, it has been described as having "a mix and backing vocal performance that easily outstrips the original". Lulu's cover of "Watch That Man" was also released on the albums From Crayons to Perfume, Heaven and Earth and the Stars
and David Bowie Songbook (various artists).
More recently, the indie band, the Fur Ones covered the song on the tribute album Spiders from Venus: Indie Women Artists and Female-Fronted Bands Cover David Bowie (2003).
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...
, the opening track on the album Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane is the sixth album by David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1973 . The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album Bowie wrote and released as a bona fide rock star...
from 1973. Its style is often compared to The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' Exile on Main Street, and is also notable for the discussion that its mix
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
has generated among critics and fans.
Production
NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
editors Roy Carr
Roy Carr
Roy Carr is an English music journalist. He joined the New Musical Express in the late 1960s and has edited NME, VOX and Melody Maker magazines...
and Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist. His first experience in journalism came 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz...
considered "Watch That Man" the prime example of a collection of songs on Aladdin Sane that were "written too fast, recorded too fast and mixed too fast". They remarked on the "hurried shoddiness" of its production which "doesn't even sound like a finished mix". Co-producer Ken Scott
Ken Scott
Ken Scott is an English record producer and recording engineer.-Career:Scott started at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road Studios. He became a recording engineer working with such acts as The Beatles, Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Procol Harum...
however, speaking in 1999, defended the mix as the result of careful deliberation:
Music and lyrics
According to author Nicholas PeggNicholas Pegg
Nicholas Pegg is a British actor, director and writer.A graduate of the University of Exeter, Pegg trained at the Guildford School of Acting. His acting work in the theatre includes productions for Nottingham Playhouse, Scottish Opera, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Plymouth...
, "Watch That Man" could be taken as "one of Bowie’s most calculated changes of direction", to a more Stones-inspired dirty rock sound. Bowie himself suggested in the year of its release that it was a reminiscence of his introduction to the drug-fuelled American tour experience of late 1972. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine called it "inimitable Stones, Exile vintage. Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
plays Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
licks via Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, Garson
Mike Garson
Mike Garson is an American pianist, most notable for his work with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Billy Corgan, Free Flight, and The Smashing Pumpkins.- Early career :...
plays at being Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
, Bowie slurs his lines, and the female backup singers and horns make the appropriate noises."
Live versions
- It was the third track on the live album Ziggy Stardust - The Motion PictureZiggy Stardust - The Motion PictureZiggy Stardust: The Motion Picture is a live album by David Bowie, corresponding to the film of the same name. The music was recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on , although the album was not issued by RCA Records until 1983...
from the farewell concert at the Hammersmith OdeonHammersmith ApolloHammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, on 3 July 1973. - A live version from the 1974 tour was released on David LiveDavid LiveDavid Live is David Bowie’s first official live album, originally released by RCA Records in 1974. Recorded on the initial leg of Bowie’s US tour supporting Diamond Dogs in July of that year , it has been cited as one of the best live...
. This version was also released on the Sound and Vision box set and on the album Rock Concert.
Other releases
- It was the B-side of the Italian release of the single "Let's Spend the Night TogetherLet's Spend the Night Together"Let's Spend the Night Together" is a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and originally released as a single by The Rolling Stones in 1967...
" in June 1973. - It appeared on the Japanese compilation The Best of David Bowie in 1974.
Cover versions
LuluLulu (singer)
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...
recorded the song in 1973, releasing it as the B-side of the single "The Man Who Sold the World
The Man Who Sold the World (song)
"The Man Who Sold the World" is a song by David Bowie. It is the title track of his third album, released in the U.S. in November 1970 and in the UK in April 1971. The song has been covered by a number of other artists, notably by Lulu in 1974, and Nirvana in 1993.-Inspiration and explanation:The...
", another Bowie track, on 11 January 1974. The band included Bowie on guitar, sax and backing vocals, Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
on guitar, Trevor Bolder
Trevor Bolder
Trevor Bolder is an English rock bassist, musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his long association with Uriah Heep and his tenure with The Spiders From Mars, the one-time backing band for David Bowie, although he has played alongside a variety of musicians since the...
on bass, Mike Garson
Mike Garson
Mike Garson is an American pianist, most notable for his work with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Billy Corgan, Free Flight, and The Smashing Pumpkins.- Early career :...
on piano, and Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Dunbar
Aynsley Thomas Dunbar is an English drummer. He has worked with some of the top names in rock, including Eric Burdon, John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Ian Hunter, Lou Reed, Jefferson Starship, Jeff Beck, David Bowie, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, UFO, and Journey...
on drums. Produced by Bowie and Ronson, it has been described as having "a mix and backing vocal performance that easily outstrips the original". Lulu's cover of "Watch That Man" was also released on the albums From Crayons to Perfume, Heaven and Earth and the Stars
Heaven and Earth and the Stars
Heaven and Earth and the Stars is a 1976 album by Lulu. It was the second and last of her albums to be released on the Chelsea record label, which ceased production this year. Like the previous album, it was produced by Wes Farrell, apart from two tracks "The Man Who Sold the World" and "Watch That...
and David Bowie Songbook (various artists).
More recently, the indie band, the Fur Ones covered the song on the tribute album Spiders from Venus: Indie Women Artists and Female-Fronted Bands Cover David Bowie (2003).